Department of Theatre

Chair: Professor Callaghan (Acting/Directing).

Professor Peters (Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Arts Administration, Acting/Directing); Associate Professors Gill (Costume Design and Make-Up), Laeger (Scenic and Lighting Design); Lane (Acting/Directing), Moore (Technical Direction); Assistant Professors Pitchford (History/Criticism & Directing) Walker (Acting/Directing).

Department Contact Information

Mission

The Theatre Department’s mission is to train students for the professional theatre and entertainment industry within the context of a first-rate liberal arts education.  We emphasize training the “whole artist” so that students are prepared to pursue a variety of fields that require creative and critical thinking as well as the ability to multi-task and work collaboratively on projects. The department also provides high quality theatre programming for the campus and larger state community, including opportunities to see challenging, vibrant works that are new to the state of Alabama and, at times, even the Southeast region.

General Education

All students seeking an undergraduate degree at UM must complete a core General Education curriculum that includes courses in English, history, mathematics, the natural sciences, social sciences, fine arts, oral and written communication, and personal development.

The minimum requirements can be found in the General Education Credit Hour Requirements section of the Academic Policies and Information  page.

Majors

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science

In addition to completing the General Education core, the B.A./B.S. Theatre curriculum requires 38 credit hours of theatre courses. A total of 120 hours is required to graduate with a B.A./B.S. in Theatre. The B.A./B.S. in Theatre provides exposure to all areas of the department and prepares students for a variety of career paths, including work in the entertainment industry. However, this degree best serves students interested in a double major, minor or elective courses who intend to graduate in four years without taking extensive additional coursework. All Theatre majors (B.A./B.S.) are expected to audition for and actively participate in departmental productions and must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA to participate in productions that are not class assignments.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Students may pursue a B.F.A. Theatre degree with a concentration in Acting, Design/Technology, or Musical Theatre. The B.F.A. is a pre-professional degree for students intending to commit to the pursuit of a career in the entertainment industry as undergraduates. B.F.A. students fulfill the university’s liberal arts requirements, but take all their additional coursework in theatre and their specific concentration.

Minors

Minors are offered in Arts Administration  and Theatre .

Auditions

All UM Theatre majors who have not declared a focus of study in technical/design areas (B.A., B.S., and B.F.A.) must audition for University theatre productions even if they are not available for casting. Two or more unexcused absences from these required auditions may result in a student’s removal from the Theatre degree program. Additionally, all technical/design students must apply for and complete an interview each semester to be considered for leadership assignments and opportunities (as well as attend annual portfolio reviews).

Incoming students must audition for all B.F.A. degree concentrations and to enter the Musical Theatre concentration and start voice lessons. Incoming B.A./B.S. students do not need to audition. However, all students in B.F.A. degree programs, including the Musical Theatre concentration, must formally attend an advancing audition during the sophomore year. To continue on the BFA degree track students cannot attend the advancing audition more than twice. 

Students are encouraged to audition for B.F.A. degree concentrations during the sophomore year so that they can pursue an appropriate degree track that will advance them toward graduation in a timely manner. Acceptance into the B.F.A. programs after the sophomore year may extend a student’s time toward graduation.

Courses in Theatre

• Courses of Instruction