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Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
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2019-2020

Theatre

School of the Arts

 
Program description

The department offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre that may be entered into during the third year. All freshman and transfer students entering the Department of Theatre are initially classified as Theatre Foundation students. After successfully completing the first two years of core theatre courses in their foundation areas of emphasis, students apply for admission into a specific degree program (B.F.A. or B.A.) in theatre. The B.A. is designed for students who want a program with a strong emphasis in theatre combined with a strong liberal arts component, and a minor (or other course of directed study) in an area other than theatre.

Student participation in both credit- and noncredit-bearing department activities will be required. Students matriculating in School of the Arts degree programs are bound by the policies and procedures stipulated in this bulletin and in any other current handbook or policy document adopted by the individual programs.

Because of the environment that exists in the Department of Theatre, all aspects of theatre as art, craft, business and education are experienced together. The curriculum immerses students in the practicalities of theatre. Throughout the four years, students work with voice, body and imagination; this practical application, combined with a strong liberal arts component and a minor (or course of directed study), offers a wide field of academic and human experience.

Career opportunities

For more than sixty-seven years, Theatre VCU has prepared students for careers in professional and academic theatre.  Hundreds of alumni scattered across the United States and Canada now successfully practice what they began as students at VCU. With 25 faculty and staff and a combined graduate and undergraduate student population averaging 280, Theatre VCU is one of the largest theatre training programs in the southeastern United States. 

The faculty of Theatre VCU are first and foremost educators who provide first-rate mentoring and instruction. They also serve as role models, practicing their craft as artists locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. They work on the stage, TV and in films, author books in their disciplines, and hold elected offices in some of the nation’s most prestigious organizations. Collectively, the faculty and staff pride themselves on their ability to help bridge the gap between life as a student and life as a professional beyond VCU.

VCUarts celebrates the accomplishments of theatre alumni  online at http://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/who-we-are/alumni/.

Change of major requirements

Student must submit application to VCUarts Admissions.

http://arts.vcu.edu/admissions/how-to-apply/current-vcu-student/


Bachelor-level job titles
  • Actors
  • Dramaturgs
  • Literary Managers
  • Playwrights
  • Public Relations and Fundraising Managers
  • Speech-Language Pathology Assistants
  • Teachers
  • Training and Development Managers
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Agent or Business Manager of Artists, Performers, and Athletes
  • Development Director
  • Drama Therapist
  • Literary Advisor/Editor
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 131
Science required
  • Core only
Foreign language requirements
  • Yes
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.5 for Performance, 2.8 for Design/Tech

Contact information

Department name:
Department of Theatre
Building/room location:
The W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts
Phone:
(804) 828-1514
Email:
theatre@vcu.edu
http://arts.vcu.edu/theatre/
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map compass icon
Major map

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to review your CSI self-report, start goal planning, and to discuss tutoring, electives, & degree progression.
  • Take a tour to learn about library spaces, services, & how to get research help.
  • Map out a 4-year course plan in Degree Works' Student Educational Planner.
  • Attend Ready, Set, Go – Sophomore Transition Experience.  
  • Attend visiting artists & guest lectures to familiarize yourself with the department.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide. Ask questions about how to use the library.
  • Schedule an appointment with your advisor and explore minors, certificates, and skills-based value added courses.  
  • Talk to your professors about research interests, picking future classes, and strategies for success in your program.
  • Research professional organizations like AEA, SAG/AFTRA, LMDA, DGA, IATSE, and many more.
  • Register for UNIV 200 to meet the prerequisite for THEA 307-308.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Meet with a faculty member to discuss your personal and professional interests.
  • Take a service-learning class or volunteer to address a social issue (Hands on Greater Richmond).
  • Explore peer leadership opportunities or apply for the New Leaders Retreat or Alternative Spring Break.
  • Attend productions and go to the Virginia Rep with low cost tickets.
  • Step outside of your comfort zone and offer to stage manage, design, & assistant direct with SALT and mainstage productions.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Consider short-term, semester and year-long Study Abroad opportunities.
  • Get to know other VCU students and meet new friends from all over the world at a monthly Global Café.
  • Join a cultural or identity-related organization.
  • Apply to the Greece Study Abroad program to complete THEA 307 and upper-level electives.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Complete a “Gap Analysis” Strategic Plan with your academic or career advisor.
  • Gain practical experience related to career goals through internships, shadowing, part-time work, or independent skill building.
  • Create an ePortfolio to document academic/professional experiences, accomplishments, and reflections.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs and other professional development events. 
  • Consider attending SETC to interview for summer stock jobs.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Get plugged into VCULink to connect with students and alumni.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Consider who you would ask to serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.   
  • Meet with a coach at The Money Spot to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Have 2 contrasting contemporary monologues and 2 contrasting classical monologues prepared. If you sing, have 2 short musical selections.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • See your academic and career advisors regularly to discuss your progress towards graduation and career planning.
  • Enhance your business, software, technology and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Deepen your expertise at finding information in your discipline by working with your subject expert librarian & using research guides.
  • Start looking for professional conferences you can attend in your field.
  • Subscribe to American Theatre and Artsearch. Familiarize yourself with trends around the country.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Create a community-engaged research project.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood associations, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities, such as the Fulbright Student Scholarship.
  • Audition for an improv company in town. Write sketch comedy and perform it, and consider going to Chicago for a summer improv workshop at one of the major companies.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Apply to be a Diversity Ambassador with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.
  • Richmond is known for hosting a wide array of festivals! Learn about new cultures, food, and music by attending one of these events.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Meet with your advisor to plan your study-abroad classes and how they will fit into the BA curriculum.
  • See as much theater as you can. If you like the work of a particular company, research how you might begin to work for that company.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Seek research opportunities and apply for funding through VCU Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Propose to direct an established production or a new show you have written in SALT.
  • Apply for summer stock jobs w/an accredited theatre company. Apply for summer internships.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Research graduate/professional schools at least 1 year in advance of deadlines. Study for and complete any exams the summer before senior year. 
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Propose yourself as a dramaturg or assistant director for a mainstage production.  
  • Update your professional resume, and, if acting is an interest, get a professional headshot.

Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor a semester before your anticipated graduation to ensure all graduation requirements will be met. 
  • Plan where you'll go, what you'll do, & who you'll connect with after you graduate in THEA 415. Theatre VCU has alums in theatre all over the country!
  • Meet with your faculty mentor to discuss the possibility of graduate work.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Read scholarly articles about diversity in your field.
  • Reflect on your own cultural competency, and be prepared to answer interview questions that outline how you have worked with diverse populations.
  • Work as a dramaturg, assistant director, actor with one of the local professional companies.
  • Consider spending time in New York, Chicago, or another major city during breaks to build on your cultural competence.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Reflect on the experiential learning you have engaged in thus far, and discuss with current or potential mentors (peers, faculty, advisors, alumni, professionals).
  • Continue to engage in research to create more content for your ePortfolio.
  • Present your research at conference/meeting such as UROP Undergraduate Research Symposium or other conferences. 
  • Apply for more advanced positions at a summer stock company.
  • Use networks established at previous companies & through Theatre VCU to leverage potential leads. 
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Complete exams, applications, or self-marketing activities for after graduation.
  • Consider training to become an educator through programs like RTR, which prepares graduates from a variety of majors to become effective teachers in high-need schools.
  • Research prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed and do a mock interview with your Career Services office. 
  • Engage with the VCU Alumni Association at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and by joining a VCULink Industry Network and alumni chapter as you prepare to graduate.
  • Interview with professional theater companies that visit. Travel to other theater companies of interest to apply for jobs.
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2019-2020

Theatre

School of the Arts

Concentration(s):
No concentration
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to review your CSI self-report, start goal planning, and to discuss tutoring, electives, & degree progression.
  • Take a tour to learn about library spaces, services, & how to get research help.
  • Map out a 4-year course plan in Degree Works' Student Educational Planner.
  • Attend Ready, Set, Go – Sophomore Transition Experience.  
  • Attend visiting artists & guest lectures to familiarize yourself with the department.
Experience Year 2
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide. Ask questions about how to use the library.
  • Schedule an appointment with your advisor and explore minors, certificates, and skills-based value added courses.  
  • Talk to your professors about research interests, picking future classes, and strategies for success in your program.
  • Research professional organizations like AEA, SAG/AFTRA, LMDA, DGA, IATSE, and many more.
  • Register for UNIV 200 to meet the prerequisite for THEA 307-308.
  • Meet with a faculty member to discuss your personal and professional interests.
  • Take a service-learning class or volunteer to address a social issue (Hands on Greater Richmond).
  • Explore peer leadership opportunities or apply for the New Leaders Retreat or Alternative Spring Break.
  • Attend productions and go to the Virginia Rep with low cost tickets.
  • Step outside of your comfort zone and offer to stage manage, design, & assistant direct with SALT and mainstage productions.
  • Consider short-term, semester and year-long Study Abroad opportunities.
  • Get to know other VCU students and meet new friends from all over the world at a monthly Global Café.
  • Join a cultural or identity-related organization.
  • Apply to the Greece Study Abroad program to complete THEA 307 and upper-level electives.
  • Complete a “Gap Analysis” Strategic Plan with your academic or career advisor.
  • Gain practical experience related to career goals through internships, shadowing, part-time work, or independent skill building.
  • Create an ePortfolio to document academic/professional experiences, accomplishments, and reflections.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs and other professional development events. 
  • Consider attending SETC to interview for summer stock jobs.
  • Get plugged into VCULink to connect with students and alumni.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Consider who you would ask to serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.   
  • Meet with a coach at The Money Spot to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Have 2 contrasting contemporary monologues and 2 contrasting classical monologues prepared. If you sing, have 2 short musical selections.
Year 3
  • See your academic and career advisors regularly to discuss your progress towards graduation and career planning.
  • Enhance your business, software, technology and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Deepen your expertise at finding information in your discipline by working with your subject expert librarian & using research guides.
  • Start looking for professional conferences you can attend in your field.
  • Subscribe to American Theatre and Artsearch. Familiarize yourself with trends around the country.
  • Create a community-engaged research project.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood associations, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities, such as the Fulbright Student Scholarship.
  • Audition for an improv company in town. Write sketch comedy and perform it, and consider going to Chicago for a summer improv workshop at one of the major companies.
  • Apply to be a Diversity Ambassador with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.
  • Richmond is known for hosting a wide array of festivals! Learn about new cultures, food, and music by attending one of these events.
  • Update your resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Meet with your advisor to plan your study-abroad classes and how they will fit into the BA curriculum.
  • See as much theater as you can. If you like the work of a particular company, research how you might begin to work for that company.
  • Seek research opportunities and apply for funding through VCU Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Propose to direct an established production or a new show you have written in SALT.
  • Apply for summer stock jobs w/an accredited theatre company. Apply for summer internships.
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Research graduate/professional schools at least 1 year in advance of deadlines. Study for and complete any exams the summer before senior year. 
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Propose yourself as a dramaturg or assistant director for a mainstage production.  
  • Update your professional resume, and, if acting is an interest, get a professional headshot.
Excel Year 4
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor a semester before your anticipated graduation to ensure all graduation requirements will be met. 
  • Plan where you'll go, what you'll do, & who you'll connect with after you graduate in THEA 415. Theatre VCU has alums in theatre all over the country!
  • Meet with your faculty mentor to discuss the possibility of graduate work.
  • Read scholarly articles about diversity in your field.
  • Reflect on your own cultural competency, and be prepared to answer interview questions that outline how you have worked with diverse populations.
  • Work as a dramaturg, assistant director, actor with one of the local professional companies.
  • Consider spending time in New York, Chicago, or another major city during breaks to build on your cultural competence.
  • Reflect on the experiential learning you have engaged in thus far, and discuss with current or potential mentors (peers, faculty, advisors, alumni, professionals).
  • Continue to engage in research to create more content for your ePortfolio.
  • Present your research at conference/meeting such as UROP Undergraduate Research Symposium or other conferences. 
  • Apply for more advanced positions at a summer stock company.
  • Use networks established at previous companies & through Theatre VCU to leverage potential leads. 
  • Complete exams, applications, or self-marketing activities for after graduation.
  • Consider training to become an educator through programs like RTR, which prepares graduates from a variety of majors to become effective teachers in high-need schools.
  • Research prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed and do a mock interview with your Career Services office. 
  • Engage with the VCU Alumni Association at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and by joining a VCULink Industry Network and alumni chapter as you prepare to graduate.
  • Interview with professional theater companies that visit. Travel to other theater companies of interest to apply for jobs.