Learn about... U of Central Oklahoma

Home > Tour the Colleges! > Virginia > James Madison University

The Acting Program At...

THEATRE AT JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

Overview. The James Madison University Theatre program has a liberal arts orientation directed specifically toward undergraduate students. We have three basic emphases: instruction in the  theory and history of drama; instruction in the practice of theatre arts; and a full production program.

The JMU Theatre program provides numerous benefits for its students including an ability to understand and express conceptual knowledge, an appreciation of the great works of theatre and an appreciation of the theatre as it permeates society in television, films, on the stage and in other daily activities. Training to work within a group toward a defined goal with a deadline is an integral part of the academic experience as well as training for a professional career and/or training for graduate-level theatre work. Finally, we are proud of our commitment to provide artistic stimulation and cultural enrichment for JMU students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community.

The Bachelor of Arts Program. The JMU School of Theatre and Dance offers theatre majors a Bachelor of Arts Degree. The course work includes performance techniques, business management, directing, scenic and costume design, technology, theatre and dance history and literary theory.

Performance, Design, and Technical  Opportunities. JMU theatre sponsors four major productions each year in its main-stage season including the annual musical. As many as  twenty additional productions are mounted each year in the Experimental Theatre. The program also sponsors The Children's Playshop each summer. In this exclusively undergraduate program, students act the parts, construct the sets and costumes and fulfill the responsibilities for running the productions. Students also design sets, lights and costumes for many major productions and nearly all the Experimental Theatre productions. Often these productions are original student-written scripts.

JMU regularly participates in the American College Theatre Festival. Several JMU productions have been selected for regional competition and performers have done well in the individual acting phase of the competitions. Two recent productions played at the National Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Student Success. We look with pride to alumni who are working on Broadway, in shows such as Rent, The Full Monte, and Urinetown. Many theatre companies across the country including The Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival have been founded by JMU Graduates. Graduates of JMU have made a mark on Hollywood as well, as writers, performers, or technicians on films and TV shows including: Hoop Dreams, Legally Blonde, 10 Things I Hate About You, Caroline in the City,  The Honeymooners, Coupling, Cheers, & The Newhart Show.

Faculty. The JMU theatre faculty is made up of nine full-time members, all of whom play an active role in teaching and advising students in the realization of productions. All are active theatre practitioners who hold terminal degrees from fine institutions such as The Ohio State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, the University of Virginia, and Yale University. Their work is complemented by four full-time dance faculty members in the school. Four additional full-time staff members also assist in teaching and supervision.

Facilities. The Latimer-Shaeffer Theatre in Duke Hall has a proscenium configuration that seats 324 people. A scene shop and dressing rooms adjoin the stage. The Experimental Theatre has variable seating for up to 150 and is located in the Theatre II building. The costume shop offers three cutting rooms with natural light and is based in Lincoln House. As you read this page, ground is being cleared for our new mega performing arts center to include all new, state of the art performance and rehearsal facilities in theatre, dance, and music.

About the Performing Arts Center, Transforming Campus and Access to the Arts!

The Performing Arts Center will combine two major facilities: the Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for Theatre and Danceand the  Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance.   Standing on the west side of Main street, directly across from Wilson Hall, the Performing Arts Center will at once boldly affirm the university’s commitment to the arts – an essential component completing a liberal arts curriculum – and symbolically complete Madison’s cherished quadrangle.

With the Performing Arts Center, Madison’s cultural life will focus on a primary space and be more available to students, faculty and the community. With its prominence on Main Street and planned access for events of all kinds, the Performing arts Center will undoubtedly take its place as an important intersection of ideas and people.

A 784-car parking garage, which opened in Summer 2007 to the center’s west, will double as student parking when no events are scheduled. From the deck, the way to campus will bring students through an impressive plaza between the Dorothy Thomasson Estes Center for theatre and Dance and the Shirley Hanson Roberts Center for Music Performance. This plaza will be a new gateway onto campus and it willremind students daily that the arts are a prominent part of Madison.

 
Stratford Players is the "oldest continuously running campus organization in JMU history."  The student drama organization is open to theatre and dance majors and non-majors. Members have a significant voice in play selection and budget decisions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT STRATFORD PLAYERS HISTORY

Stratford players is open to all members of the campus community. We consider and discuss matters regarding JMU theatre: upcoming guests, auditions, workshops, shows, and other related extracurricular activities. We discuss student-written proposals and vote on them prior to the faculty's consideration. Also, Stratford Players is a great opportunity for people devoted to this profession to get involved and try out new aspects of theatre. Please come to a Stratford Players meeting! We usually meet twice a month on Wednesday. Also, join the JMU Stratford Players on Facebook. Updated information is available on our call-board in Theatre II, and soon, online, on our own website. Also, join our mailing list to get accounts of our meetings and hear about more opportunities in the theatre.

Admission to the Theatre Program

Admission to the theatre program at JMU is competitive and an audition is recommended. Admission to JMU itself involves application directly to the undergraduate Office of Admission, MSC 0101, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807. If a student then wishes to declare Theatre as a major, an audition can aid in placement, and in some instances acceptance into the university. The audition also provides a wonderful opportunity for the prospective student to learn more about our program and for us to learn more about the prospective student. Students and parents both have reported the audition process to be a positive and informative experience. Thus while not strictly required, the audition is a valuable resource for students aiming to be a Theatre Major at JMU.

Auditionees interested in acting should prepare a 1-2 minute realistic monologue using a character around their own age. A contrasting piece may be done, but is not required. The theatre program makes recommendations in the case of especially talented students. Auditionees interested in design and technical areas should bring a portfolio of their work and should be prepared to present and discuss those materials.

In addition to the materials you send to the university admissions office, please bring to the audition or send to Mary K. Molineau in the School of Theatre and Dance the following: a current resume of performing and theatrical experience, a current photo of yourself, a letter of recommendation from a teacher or director commenting on your work in theatre, a photocopy of your high school or college transcript. If you would like to arrange a visit or a Theatre audition, please contact the theatre office at 540.568.6342 or e-mail Mary K. Molineu at molinemk@jmu.edu to make appropriate arrangements.

About The JMU Musical Theatre Program

Overview. "Show me and I will look, tell me and I will listen, but involve me and I will learn." This philosophy dominates our approach to musical theatre training at James Madison University. We encourage students to discover resources within themselves. Within the liberal arts context, our Bachelor of Arts degree in Musical Theatre balances the practical with the theoretical. Our students confront the realities of performance: they act and learn how to act; they direct and learn directing; they sing and learn how to sing and they dance and learn to master grace and motion. Most importantly, they work daily with a strong, committed faculty who encourages the combination of solid academic discipline with practical professional experience. The James Madison University Musical Theatre program is part of the School of Theatre and Dance.

The Bachelor of Arts Program. Located in the School of Theatre and Dance in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) curriculum includes coursework in acting, dance, voice, theatre and musical theatre history, technical theatre, music theory, and piano. Students develop their skills in a structured program that includes one-on-one mentorship and guidance.

Performance Opportunities. As a Musical Theatre concentrator at JMU, you will experience one of the most active production programs of any undergraduate theatre program in the country. We believe learning is only complete when applied to production. Our students have the opportunity to audition for and perform in many productions each year. including a main stage musical with orchestra and student-produced Experimental Theatre musicals. Additional performance opportunities include faculty directed revues, recitals, and workshop scenes. Past productions include Anything Goes, Pippin, Cabaret, Chicago, Carnival, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 110 in the Shade, Kiss Me Kate, Celebration, Carousel, The Robber Bridegroom, The Fantasticks, Blood Brothers, The Mikado, Man of La Mancha, and Once on This Island.

Musical Theatre Concentration Audition Requirements.

You should prepare 16-bars of a ballad and 32-bars of an up-tempo. Generally it works best when cutting material if you begin at the end of the song and count backwards.  If a song does not seem to cut logically into 16 or 32-bars it is acceptable to add 2-4 bars in order to be able to begin at a logical place in the song in terms of the musical phrase and the lyric. Please do not go more than 2-4 bars over the limit. Choice of songs must be from musical theatre literature. At least one of your songs should have been written prior to 1965. Your other song may have been written either prior or post 1965.

Choose material that will show off the full range of what you do well right now. Avoid songs that are of the pop—rock genre, or outside of the scope of your experience. The best choices are generally from the classic musical theatre repertoire.  It is also suggested that you avoid material from shows that are currently running (or recently closed) on Broadway.  This material has a tendency to be overdone in auditions.

The monologue may be from either a musical or a modern/ contemporary play (written post 1900). Please do not present classical material or material in verse. Keep the monologue short and to the point.  One-minute may not seem like a long time, but you would be surprised how much you can communicate. Quality not quantity is the key.

Please make sure that your music is in the key in which you want to sing. The accompanist will not transpose material for you. You will not have a rehearsal with the accompanist before the audition, so your music should be clearly copied and marked. You should write in and clearly indicate the cues where you would like the accompanist to start and stop. When you copy your music make sure that all of the music (including the bottom line of the accompaniment, key signature, and dynamic markings) are on the page. You may not perform a cappella. All singing must be accompanied by music. All material must be memorized.

OUR KEY FACULTY!

William Buck. Professor of Theatre
Director of School of Theatre and Dance
Office: Theatre II, Room 14
Phone: 568.7802
email: buckwj@jmu.edu

Kate Arecchi, Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre
Musical Theatre Area Coordinator
Office: Theatre II, Room 12
Phone: 568.6009
email: arecchkm@jmu.edu 
Website:  www.katearecchi.com

Roger Hall, Professor of Theatre
Theatre Program Coordinator
Acting and Directing
Office: Theatre II, Room 3
Phone: 568.6037
email: hallra@jmu.edu

See us on the web, THEARE AT JAMES MADISON!