The University of Idaho is leading the West by providing you access to exceptional learning opportunities, world-class facilities and an unparalleled residential community.

Our campus in Moscow, Idaho, provides daily opportunities to share in our community and culture.

Whether it's through athletics, student government, research or other activities, at the University of Idaho you have the opportunity to make more out of your college experience than you ever thought possible.

Our students come from every state and 73 countries. We're a top choice for top students - the freshmen class average GPA is 3.42.

Our faculty are at the forefront of research and lecture at prominent organizations around the world. They are accomplished teachers who educate, inspire and guide you.

Our facilities create a dynamic and engaging learning environment including: the stunning Student Recreation Center, Kibbie Dome, Idaho Commons and Student Union and Pritchard Art Gallery.

Our campus life offers you more than 200 student organizations, more than 20 minority student groups, weekly activities and events, the renowned Lionel Hampton International Jazz Fest, Moscow's active art scene, and the natural beauty that surrounds campus. You'll always have plenty of fun things to do.

Our athletic teams are proud members of the Western Athletic Conference. Our Vandals compete in 14 men's and women's NCAA Division I sports. If you like to play as well as cheer for your team, there are nearly three dozen intramural programs and club sports in which to participate.

Fast Facts

Founded:1889

Location: Moscow, Idaho (pop. 21,700)

Enrollment: 11,636

Faculty: 871

Staff: 1,409

Enrolled from all 44 Idaho counties, 50 states and 73 countries.

Student population is 54.7 percent male and 45.3 percent female

Freshmen Living on Campus: 90 percent

Student/Faculty Ratio: 16 to 1

Fall 2007 Freshman Profile:

1632 New Freshmen Direct From High School

45.7% Percent Of Entering Freshmen Ranked In The Top 25 Percent Of Their High School Class

Annual Tuition and Fees (2007-2008): Undergraduate, Resident: $4,410, Nonresident: $14,490

The University of Idaho prides itself on meeting the needs of its students. That attitude starts the moment you submit your application for admission.

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Some Fun Details...

More than 25 student residence communities, four apartment communities, 18 fraternities and nine sororities provide you with all the living options you'd expect from a leading university.

Our Student Recreation Center offers the latest weight and cardio equipment, indoor track, two full-size gyms, an indoor hockey rink and the tallest climbing wall of any university in the nation.

Our Outdoor Rental Program provides rafts, skis, tents, climbing gear and anything else you'll need for outdoor recreation.

We have one of the longest-running Women's Centers of any college or university in the country.

We have more than 200 student organizations - including more than 20 minority student groups that are open to everyone.

Our location in Moscow, Idaho, is home to 21,000 residents and a wide range of student-minded businesses.

Living and learning in Moscow will put you just minutes from opportunities for skiing, snowboarding, white-water rafting, biking, climbing, camping and more.

A regional leader in the arts, Moscow was named one of the top 100 small arts towns in the nation.

We're ranked in the top 30 in the nation as "a great university to hit the books and the backcountry" by Outside magazine.

Visit Our Campus

The atmosphere at the University of Idaho is something you've got to feel to believe. There's an energy here that can only be experienced by walking our campus, meeting our people, seeing our halls.

Come visit us by yourself or with your family almost any weekday of the year. SCHEDULE A VISIT!

QUESTIONS?

Contact The Admissions Office

admissions@uidaho.edu

phone: (208) 885-6326

toll free: 1-888-884-3246

fax: (208) 885-9119

P.O. Box 444264

Moscow, ID 83844-4264

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Home > Tour the Colleges! > Idaho > University of Idaho

The Acting Program At...

University of Idaho

THE DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AT UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

The UI's Department of Theatre enjoys national acclaim a major force in collegiate theatre education. Talk to anyone who has been here. It has a special chemistry of creativity, collaboration and commitment that makes a theatre degree from this institution something to cherish for a lifetime.

We are humbled and exhilarated by what we see happen in our classrooms, on stage and back stage in the shops ... students discovering their talents, developing their skills and driving themselves and each other to achieve the highest standards of artistry and craft.

By any measure of success, the exceptional record of our students' awards from the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, Northwest Drama Conference and the United States Institute of Theatre Technology speaks for itself.

We believe passionately in what we teach and how we teach, and our vision drives our passion: to preserve the fine art of theatre with its power to enrich culture and transform lives. We couldn't be more proud of our past, or more excited about our future. Please join us for an exciting adventure into your future!

OVERVIEW...

Our degree programs are designed to encourage the development of the whole person, not just a career, but for life.

Through the study of drama, students learn how to use the elements of theatre as performance as well as process. Performance experience helps students gain a deeper understanding of themselves and human behavior. Students learn how to manipulate space, lighting, color and texture in the studies of design. Collaborative participation in the creative process helps students develop the teamwork skills needed to be effective and successful members of contemporary society.

Degree Programs

The B.A. and B.S. degrees are available for students interested in the study of theatre within a liberal arts background, or as part of a teacher education program. The B.F.A. is a rigorous, competitive program of study for students interested in pursuing careers in professional theatre.

A core of theatre work is required of all theatre majors. Specialization is available in performance or design at the undergraduate level, and students enjoy flexibility in shaping their studies according to particular goals or interests. Minors are available in theatre and film for those students wishing to expand the focus of their degree program.

Curriculum

The curriculum is intellectually, emotionally and physically rigorous. The undergraduate and graduate programs are skill-oriented. They focus on developing a student's working knowledge of their chosen field of study through prescribed coursework, class projects and production experiences. Small class sizes and a strong emphasis on tutorial work assures that each student's needs are fully addressed throughout their studies.

Production Opportunities

Mainstage productions, which include collaborative partnerships with the university's music and dance programs, helps students foster a close working relationship with faculty, and enable the kind of growth that comes through working with professional artists. Class projects and studio work are fully integrated with the department's mainstage season to create a balance between theory and skill development.

Read about our SEASON OF PLAYS!

Career Opportunities

Arts and entertainment is one of this country's fastest growing sectors, and the career options continue to expand along with its economic impact. The career prospects are vast, literally hundreds of possibilities in professional theatre, film, television, education, playwriting, dramaturgy, arts management and production, art therapy and recreational drama for special populations. The department's program of study offers a solid foundation for competitive placement in distinguished graduate programs.

Facilities

The department has two mainstage theatre venues as well as a black box studio. The 417-seat Hartung Theatre features a semi-thrust proscenium stage, new digital lighting and fully equipped shops for scenery and costume construction. The Kiva Theatre is an intimate 125-seat theatre, configured for theatre-in-the-round. It also features digital lighting. The 50-seat Arena is a black box studio used for student productions, rehearsal space and classroom.

Learn more about our fantastic FACILITIES!

Faculty

Individually, faculty members have distinguished themselves as professionals in their specialty areas: directing, acting, design, technology, theatre history. They also have broad experience with how various areas interact in theatre-making. Collectively, they compose a dedicated team, deeply committed to helping each student realize their potential.   

Dean Panttaja, Ph.D., MFA

Department Chair
Professor, Design/Technology & Management
208-885-6636
panttaja@uidaho.edu

Dean is a professor of design and Department Chair at the University of Idaho and is a freelance professional scenic and lighting designer.   A recipient of the Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowship in the Performing Arts for his design work in 2000, his professional credits are regional, national, and international in scope.   His design credits include work at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Tacoma Actors Guild, Santa Barbara Repertory Theatre, Pacific Art Center, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Idaho Repertory Theatre, Idaho Theatre for Youth, Spokane InterPlayers, Festival Dance and Performing Arts, and Showtime.  

Last year Dean designed the scenery and lighting for the American University of Cairo’s production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead while in residency in Egypt. His most recent works have been the scenic designs for Lend Me a Tenor, Grace and Glorie, I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, No Fish in the House, and the lighting designs for the New Works Festival, Elvis People, and The Summer of 42’with the Idaho Repertory Theatre and University of Idaho.

Jere Hodgin, MFA

Associate Professor of Performance
208-885-7213
jhodgin@uidaho.edu

Jere is a MFA graduate in Acting and Directing from the Univ. of Georgia with over 25 years experience in professional theatre and a decade in academic theatre. He has produced over 200 productions, many of which were new and premiere works, and his directing career includes more than 175 plays, operas, and musicals. Scripts he has written or adapted include Castle Walk, A Christmas Carol (two versions-musical and non-musical), The Shiniest Rock of All, and The Christmas Cup. For 20 years he was the Producing Artistic Director of Mill Mountain Theatre where he founded the Norfolk Southern New Play Festival. Jere served as Artistic Director and Co-Producer of Highlands Playhouse in NC and has directed at numerous theatres including Walnut Street Theatre, The Barter Theatre, Wayside Theatre, and The Phoenix Theatre.

Jere currently serves as Vice-President of The National Alliance for Musical Theatre and served as NAMT's co-chair of New Works and as a member of the Festival of New Works committee. He has been a guest director for the Missoula Writers Colony  and the Phoenix Theatre's New Play Festival and has been a reader and judge for numerous national new play contests and competitions. He is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Actors' Equity Association, and the National Theatre Conference. He received the Perry F. Kendig Award in recognition of his efforts to champion the arts and was named the 1999 Citizen of the Year in Roanoke, Virginia.

Kelly (Eviston) Quinnett, MFA

Associate Professor of Performance
208-885-5017
kellyq@uidaho.edu

Kelly has been teaching acting since 1998. She attended Northern Kentucky University where she received a BFA in Musical Theatre, then went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from the University of Idaho. She performed regionally at Kincaid Repertory Theatre, Flat Rock Playhouse, New York Theatre Lab, Coeur D’Alene Summer Theatre and Mill Mountain Theatre. In 1990 she won the National Irene Ryan Acting Competition presented by The Kennedy Center / American College Theatre Festival, which led to her being placed under a development contract with ABC. Kelly also won the regional Irene Ryan in 1995.

Kelly appeared on All My Children as Maria Monterey (1990, 1991) and on One Life To Live as Blaine Adams (1991.)  Films include:  Mozart and the Whale (with Josh Hartnett, 2005), The Basket (with Peter Coyote, 1998), Mr.Write (with Paul Reiser and Martin Mull, 1994), Brothers and Sisters (with Franco Nero, 1991.) Home of the Brave, directed by Irwin Winkler (with Samuel L. Jackson 2006), and Frank (with John Gries 2006). She has been in over 70+ plays in her career, most recently Bus Stop (with Ellen Travolta and Jack Bannon), directed by Scott Allen Smith at Interplayers Theatre, The King and I with Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre and Grace and Glorie for Idaho Repertory Theatre in summer 2006. The Full Monty at Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre and The Rainmaker at Interplayers Theatre & Lake City Playhouse in summer/fall 2007.

Read about all of our wonderful FACULTY!

Drama Competition

The department is a participating member of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival, which promotes and recognizes excellence in collegiate drama. Each year, more than 900 productions and 18,000 students participate in ACTF nationwide. In 2004, UI will host the Region VII event.

Internships

Each year, UI students are invited to join many of the nation's leading theatre companies to work as interns with roles on stage and in a variety of design/tech areas. These theatres include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Tacoma Actors Guild, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Utah Shakespeare Festival and Colorado Shakespeare Festival, to name a few.

Freshman Theatre Weekend

Prospective students have an opportunity each spring to discover what UI has to offer its theatre majors. This weekend event provides high school seniors an opportunity to audition, present portfolios, visit with faculty and students, compete for freshmen scholarships, tour campus and attend a mainstage production.

  Idaho Repertory Theatre is the UI's resident summer theatre company. Established in 1953, it is one of the longest-running professional summer theatres in the Northwest. Four plays are produced during the five-week season, and presented in classic repertory format. College students participate as interns to enhance their knowledge of theatre by working side-by-side guest directors, designers and performers. For MFA acting candidates, an IRT internship is part of their degree requirements.

Learn more about IRT!

Student Organizations

The Student Theatre Organization is dedicated to fostering an environment for inspirational experiences to enrich the minds of students and touch their hearts. The STO produces a full season of contemporary and experimental work, which is selected, designed and directed by theatre students. A new student organization has emerged with the integration of film studies into the department. The group collaborates on a variety of film projects, from scripting to producing videos that are student-driven.

Read about 6TH STREET PRODUCTIONS!

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION!

University of Idaho

Department of Theatre & Film

P.O. Box 443074

6th and Rayburn Streets

Moscow 83844-2008

ph. 208.885.6465 fax 208.885.2558

theatre@uidaho.edu

And ON THE WEB!