Theater, B.A.
In accord with the University of Portland’s deeply held belief that education develops and enhances the whole person, the theater program prepares students for productive participation in local, national, and global society. Toward this goal, the program provides a comprehensive foundation of theater coursework with the ability to focus training in performance, design, management, directing, and dramaturgy. This comprehensive learning system of classwork and production experience provides students with direct access to performing arts careers, while also preparing students interested in other professions to acquire life skills such as problem solving, teamwork, and collaboration.
The bachelor of arts in theater is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary engagement in the areas of performance, theater design and technology, history, playwriting, and dramaturgy. The comprehensive curriculum and laboratory learning offers students the opportunity for an entry level start to their professional theater career. Curriculum is not limited to theory in the classroom. The program strives to create safe and active learning environments in all course work and performances to help all students grow and thrive in the study and practice of theater making.
The theater program produces four main stage productions a year in the 280-flexible-seat Mago Hunt Center Theater and two to four student-produced and directed productions in the black box Blair Studio Theater. For further information, please visit the Theater Program's website.
The program also participates yearly in the Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF.) All theatrical productions are entered to be evaluated by peers within the region. Student actors, designers, directors, and production managers are selected to present their work in the regional KCACTF gatherings where leaders are chosen to participate at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.
Program scholarships are available to new and transfer students through audition and interview. Scholarships are awarded only to declared theater majors and minors and maintained through ongoing participation in theater program productions and yearly updated applications. Please contact the Theater Program Director to set up an audition or interview.
The University of Portland has been an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) since 2000.
Learning Outcomes for Theater Majors
Theater graduates of the University of Portland should be able to:
- Know the individuals who have influenced contemporary world theater and understand and articulate, both verbally and in writing, the fundamental theories and conventions that helped shape it.
- Demonstrate the fundamental skills and techniques required of modern theater practitioners through performance, design, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, and stage management.
- Work effectively in an environment of collaboration in a variety of production experiences.
- Apply critical thinking and analytical skills to dramatic literature through a variety of production assignments.
Senior Capstone Experience
The senior capstone in theater is fulfilled with one of five types of projects: acting, directing, design, dramaturgy, playwriting and management. Students register for THTR 498. All projects allow students to demonstrate the development of their skills and a synthesis of their training in their chosen area of specialty. Students produce a written proposal for faculty approval, work with a faculty mentor to develop the project, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the outcome of their projects through both a written evaluation and an oral presentation to the theater faculty and their peers. Details about capstones in each of the five areas are specified under THTR 498.
UP Core Requirements — 40 credit hours
All University of Portland students progress through a set of shared course options as part of the University’s liberal arts Core Curriculum. This curriculum offers a foundation of multiple lenses to address enduring questions of human concern, integrating the liberal arts, the University mission, and the knowledge, skills, and values needed in a diverse society and in the workplace.
See UP Core Requirements
THTR 307 and THTR 412/413/414 are the designated Writing in the Discipline courses for the B.A. in Theater.
College of Arts and Sciences B.A. Requirements — 24-33 credit hours
See College Requirements, B.A.
Theater Major Common Requirements — 25 credit hours
Select one of the following four emphases:
Performance Emphasis — 15 credit hours
Select one design elective from the following:
| THTR 351 | Light Design, Sound Design, and Technology | 3 |
| THTR 353 | Scenic Environment Design | 3 |
| THTR 363 | Beginning Costume Development and Analysis | 3 |
| THTR 365 | Theater Makeup Techniques | 3 |
Design/Technical Emphasis - 15 credit hours
Select three courses from the following:
| THTR 351 | Light Design, Sound Design, and Technology | 3 |
| THTR 353 | Scenic Environment Design | 3 |
| THTR 363 | Beginning Costume Development and Analysis | 3 |
| THTR 365 | Theater Makeup Techniques | 3 |
Select one production elective from the following:
Select one advanced design elective from the following
| THTR 451 | Advanced Light and Sound Design | 3 |
| THTR 453 | Advanced Scenic Environment Design | 3 |
| THTR 463 | Advanced Costume Design and Research | 3 |
Integrated Theater Emphasis — 15 credit hours
| THTR 351 | Light Design, Sound Design, and Technology | 3 |
| THTR 471 | Theater and Arts Management | 3 |
| THTR 497M | Integrated Theater Internship | 3 |
Select two electives from the following:
| THTR 400 | Dramaturgy: Mediating Between Plays and People | 3 |
| THTR 427 | Playwriting I: Elements | 3 |
| THTR 433 | Directing II: The Director's Imagination | 3 |
| THTR 450 | Stage and Production Management | 3 |
Basic Theater Endorsement for Education Certificate — 19 credit hours
The Basic Teaching Endorsement aligns with the UP School of Education curriculum for education majors as a secondary course of study. It is available only to students in the School of Education.
| THTR 207 | Introduction to the Art of Theater | 3 |
| THTR 307 | A History of Theatre and Culture | 3 |
| THTR 321 | Acting Studio I: Performance Skills | 3 |
| THTR 333 | Directing I: The Director's Toolkit | 3 |
| THTR 350 | Theatre Technology and Safety | 3 |
| THTR 372 | Production Work and Review II | 1 |
Select one design elective from the following:
| THTR 351 | Light Design, Sound Design, and Technology | 3 |
| THTR 353 | Scenic Environment Design | 3 |
| THTR 363 | Beginning Costume Development and Analysis | 3 |
Any additional credit hours required to complete a minimum of 120 credit hours
Total Credit Hours: 120