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The Acting Program At...

We stand out among other colleges and universities because we place student writing, directing, stage management, and design at the center of our production seasons. Through active, hands-on experience, you'll learn your most valuable lessons about the theatre and theatre production. With at least four main stage productions a year, multiple student-initiated productions, readings of new student writing, and a student-led improv group, there are countless opportunities for you to write, act, direct, design, and create.

In addition to playwriting, acting, directing, design and technical theatre classes are history and literature courses. Complemented by core curriculum classes, these will provide you with a comprehensive theatre education. Our graduates frequently go on to full-ride scholarships in graduate programs to earn their MFA or Ph.D. degrees.

You can opt to combine your theatre studies with a second major or with one or more minors, allowing you to tailor your education to your own specific needs and goals for the future.

With a small student-faculty ratio, you will receive close, personal attention to help you develop your artistic and analytical abilities. And, as you progress through the program, you will receive the support and guidance you need to make future career decisions based on your interests and skills. By providing you with practical experience and a comprehensive education, the theatre department at Hanover will prepare you for either graduate school or a fulfilling professional career.

Spring Term:
During the four weeks of spring term, you'll take only one course, providing an opportunity to study one topic in depth. Our Contemporary Theatre class is often structured as a summer stock experience, fully producing a play a week for each of the four weeks.

On alternate years, you may study Shakespeare while in residence in Stratford, England, for the entire term. Actors, directors and staff from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre visit classes to discuss plays and present workshops. Scholars from the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute and the resident scholars of the Shakespeare Centre conduct other classes. A theatre visit to London is always part of the course, as is a long weekend for individual travel to other areas of interest in England and other parts of Europe.

Variety:
One major highlight of the Hanover theatre program is the variety of theatre that you'll be exposed to. Instead of focusing on one specific genre, as a theatre major, you'll study and experiment with a number of forms. This gives you a greater, more complete understanding of the art of the theatre.

Some recent Hanover productions have included: "Royal Hunt of the Sun," "The World is a Comedy," "Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know," "Boston Marriage," "The Tempest," "Two Rooms," "Art," "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," "The Glass Menagerie," "She Stoops to Conquer," "Gideon," "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," "The Government Inspector," and others.