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West Virginia University
PO Box 6009
Morgantown, WV 26506
304.293.6871
800.344.WVU1 (9881)
Home > Tour the Colleges! > West Virginia > West Virginia University
The Acting Program At...
West Virginia University
Students with an interest in theatre may choose from several different areas of emphasis, each providing a well-rounded knowledge of the art form as well as an opportunity to specialize. The various curricula combine formal classes in theory with practical application and experience in the Division’s theatres, studios, labs, and shops.
The Division annually produces five to eight theatrical works in one of three recently renovated performance areas: the Gladys G. Davis Theatre, the Vivian Davis Michael Laboratory Theatre, and the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre. The Division also produces in the Antoinette Falbo Theatre and the historic Metropolitan Theatre located downtown. These productions provide practical experience for our theatre students, and serve the community audience a balance of classical, modern, and contemporary theatre.
The Division offers minors in dance and theatre for the student with an interest in pursuing a different major at WVU.
Welcome from the Chair, Joshua Blackmer Williamson
Welcome to the Division of Theatre and Dance here at West Virginia University and thank you for your interest in our program.
With 130 students working in 4 theatres, 6 shops, 4 labs, producing 5-8 shows per year, our Division is an exciting and vibrant place to study and practice the art and craft of theatre. We are a big enough program to offer a challenging and comprehensive curriculum, yet small enough to work with our students on a one-to-one mentoring basis.
The Division of Theatre and Dance is part of WVU’s College of Creative Arts and shares the Creative Arts Center with the Division of Music and the Division of Art and Design. Our College offers students the advantages of personal instruction of a smaller school with the resources of a major research university.
The students and faculty in our program all share a common passion and enthusiasm for the art of live theatre. I invite you to join our community of excited and engaged artists and craftspeople!
Bachelor of Fine Arts – Acting
The BFA Acting Program is competitive with the best university acting programs in the country, both in intensity and in class time devoted to acting training. Freshman and sophomore students receive six hours of acting per week. Beginning in the sophomore year, students also receive an additional four hours per week of movement and voice/speech.
Training in the junior and senior year is known as the Studio program and continues intensive work in the movement, voice/speech, and acting. The senior year is dedicated to work in Shakespeare and other period styles, as well as acting for film, television commercials, and voice-overs.
Studio Program
Training in the junior and senior year is known as the Studio program and continues intensive work in the movement, voice/speech, and acting. The senior year is dedicated to work in Shakespeare and other period styles, as well as acting for film, television commercials, and voice-overs.
Continuation in the BFA Acting program beyond the sophomore year is by audition only. All BFA acting students must successfully pass an audition at the end of their sophomore year. For students that do not pass the audition, students may continue their theatre studies in the BA Theatre program.
Musical Theatre
Musicals comprise a large percentage of the theatrical productions in the United States every year. The Division of Theatre and Dance recognizes that musical theatre study, performance, and production are integral parts of a student’s education as well as their future careers whether in performance, design or technical theatre.
For the BFA acting students, we offer classes in song analysis, auditioning and scene study. Dance classes cover styles from tap to jazz, modern to ballet. Private vocal coaching for the singer is available from faculty in the Division of Music.
The Division of Theatre and Dance is committed to presenting musical theatre productions or showcases each season or semester so our students in every discipline area can apply their class work to the stage. In recent years, The Division of Theatre and Dance has produced musicals such as Bat Boy, Into The Woods, and Urinetown as well as Opera productions in conjunction with the Division of Music.
Read the Bachelor of Fine Arts - Acting Checklist by CLICKING HERE
Laboratory Theatre:
The Lab Theatre is a student-produced extension of the Division of Theatre and Dance. With two shows per year, students produce, direct, design and perform their own works with advisement and support from the Division’s faculty and staff. Alongside their fellow classmates, students are involved in all aspects of mounting a full-scale production.
Whether designing sets and costumes, casting the actors, hanging the lights or creating a marketing plan for their show, the Lab Theatre allows our students to experience and apply their own education with their own hands. The Lab Theatre also offers our audiences more experimental and cutting-edge fare as determined by our students’ interests and their creativity.
The Theatre Student Organization:
We are a student organization dedicated to raising funds to support WVU Department of Theatre and Dance activities and student projects. We have an exciting year planned including a barbeque, various fund raisers, a playwrights’ festival, and depending on you, much, much more! If you wish to join, contact any of the four officers in person or by Facebook.
Check Out The Theatre Student Organization on Facebook!
Watch this video featuring Professor Jerry McGonigle!
To Learn About All Of Our Wonderful Faculty members, CLICK HERE!
Gladys G. Davis Theatre
The Gladys G. Davis Theatre is a recently remodeled thrust theatre that seats 212 and serves as the main performance venue where we produce 3-5 shows in this space each year. Although technically a thrust theatre, the Gladys G. Davis Theatre has been configured as an arena and a proscenium space for recent productions.
The theatre is equipped with an ETC Ion lighting console controlling 120 dimmers and 90 ETC SourceFour lighting fixtures. The sound system features SFX sound playback software offering eight channels of audio playback. Secure wi-fi internet access is also available in the theatre for WVU students.
Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre
The Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre is a 1,440 seat house with a proscenium stage 60 feet in width. This facility has a new double-purchase rigging system and an ETC Obsession II lighting console controlling 384 dimmers with a large inventory of new ETC SourceFour lighting fixtures. The theatre is also equipped with full sound system, 12 trap doors in the stage floor, a stage lift that covers four different levels, 45 line-sets, 3 winched electrics, and a full orchestra shell.
We offer dance concerts, operas, and musical theatre performances in this space. Occasionally, the Division will produce a large dramatic piece in this theatre. This theatre also hosts the Arts and Entertainment series that brings in tours of Broadway shows, concert artists, and other performing groups.
Antoinette Falbo Theatre
Antoinette Falbo Theatre is a black box theatre seating 105 people. This space is used primarily as a studio for movement, voice, and acting classes. Our Community Arts Program, which culminates in performances for families and friends performs here.
We share this space with the Opera Program in the Division of Music which produces their opera scenes here as well. This space features a flexible ceiling grid, wood flooring, and walls of mirrors, for dancing, singing, and mask work.
Vivian Davis Michael Laboratory Theatre
The Vivian Davis Michael Laboratory Theatre is a small, proscenium style space with flexible seating space. It seats 50-75 people and is used for alternative style works, as well as traditional smaller pieces. It is also home to our Lab Theatre Series which are fully mounted student productions.
Take the time now to enjoy these videos...
VISIT OUR WEBSITE, CLICK HERE!
Division of Theatre and Dance
West Virginia University, College of Creative Arts
PO Box 6111, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6111
Phone: 304-293-2020, Fax: 304-293-2533, EMAIL US
Amy Burgess, Program Coordinator for Undergraduate Admissions
Office of the Dean, College of Creative Arts
PO Box 6111, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6111
Phone: 304-293-4339, Fax: 304-293-2574, EMAIL AMY
