Theatre Arts Department
Major- Theatre Arts
Minor- Theatre Arts
Both the major and minor are available with a concentration in Performance, Design, or History/Literature.
For Course Offerings and Program Requirements see The Hiram College Catalog.
- Which courses are for first year students who wish to explore new areas
of interest, but have no clear intent to major in this area?
*Fulfills the Fine Arts Distribution Requirement Course Offered Fulfills basic requirement for Major/Minor *Acting (120/121) Yearly *Technical Production (170) '05, '07 *Theatre History I '04, '06 *Theatre History II '05, '07 Can be used to fulfill requirements for Major/Minor *Introduction to Theatre (150) ’04, ‘06 *Survey in Dramatic Literature (140) ’03, ? Can be used as electives for Major/Minor *Dance (110) Every 12-week session *Shakespeare in Performance (x Eng 209) tba *Oral Interpretation of Literature (224) ’04 *Storytelling in the Natural World (226) tba - What is the desirable course work a prospective major/minor should
complete by the end of their first year and the end of their second year?
The major has been designed to be very flexible and it allows for a variety of approaches. The following would be strongly recommended.
As our program tends to be quite time demanding over the last two years and courses are often offered on two-year rotations, it is strongly recommended that most General Education and Graduation requirements be completed in the first two years.
End of First Year:
Majors:At least one Theatre History course and a basic course in either design (Technical Production) or performance (Acting, Dance, Oral Interpretation, etc)
Minors:At least one required course (Acting, Technical Production, Introduction to Theatre or Survey in Dramatic Literature).
End of Second Year:
Majors:complete basic courses in each area (Acting, Technical Production, History/Readings) and begin Electives.
- What is the minimum a prospective major/minor must do by the end of their
first and second year?
There is no set minimum but all prospective Majors should have contacted the department by the middle of their second year at the latest..
- How important is it for a student with some interest in majoring in your
area to make contact with a member of your department?
Although our major is designed to be simple to understand and any advisor can start a student on a clear path toward completing the requirements, the Departmental Productions are a large part of our major and minor and students need to contact us to become involved in those. Auditions and technical assignments traditionally happen in the first week of each 12-week term.
- What are the major pitfalls a student should avoid during their first
year and how can an advisor help the student to avoid them?
Not completing basic requirements early in their program and then facing a “log jam” of classes in Junior/Senior year. Not getting involved in productions. Avoiding major because it is thought to be “impractical.”
(Note: courses can be taken as a Distribution Requirement (Dance, Introduction to Theatre, Survey in Dramatic Literature, Shakespeare, Modern Drama, etc) which can be counted later toward the major/minor.