Overarching Goals of the Monmouth College Theatre Program

If indeed “all the world’s a stage,” the Theatre major offers many ways to successfully “make an entrance.”  The major includes the skills necessary to produce excellent theatre (acting, directing, design, management) along with experiences relevant to lifelong learning (creativity, working in a collaborative environment, achieving self – expression, increasing self-confidence).  Theatre is both a profession and an art and, whether it is graduate study or using theatre in other endeavors (including teaching, public relations, media, law), Theatre majors will offer creative solutions to life’s challenges.  

As a Theater major at Monmouth College, students will be urged to attain three goals.

1. Develop a broad knowledge of the art and craft of theatre in both the classroom and on the stage.

2. Engage in the art and craft of theater by applying skills to the production process.

3. Begin and continue the process of developing a personal approach to the art and craft of theater.

Details:

I.  Knowledge

                Develop a broad knowledge of the art and craft of theatre in both the classroom and on the stage.

                This includes an exploration of:

• the vocabulary of theatre, including:  elements, structure, processes, performance, theory, history, criticism and tools.
• the techniques, procedures, and methods needed to create the various informal and formal processes within a theatrical production.  
• the principles and skills needed to create the various elements of a theatrical production within a given setting.
• the strategies and skills needed to evaluate, assess and interpret drama and theatre using theatrical assessment criteria and standards.
• the aesthetic principles, types, styles and techniques needed to understand and analyze the role of theatre and dramatic literature within a culture.
• the distinguishing characteristics of performance and production principles needed to understand and analyze the development of historical and contemporary theatrical works separated by style and/or period in history.
• the form, style and function of major works and playwrights from historical and contemporary periods within a variety of cultures.
• the critical theories of performance, direction and design, including research sources and methodologies.

II. Skills

                Engage in the art and craft of theater through direct application to the production process.

This includes developing the skills to:

• analyze and interpret plays and other theatrical events with special attention to the skills involved in performance, directing, designing and playwriting.
• communicate, in verbal and written form, an analysis or interpretation of a theatrical event using language of the profession.
• create safely and effectively using contemporary theatre technology.
• apply critical theories of performance, direction and design to the creation of a theatrical production.

III.   Development of a Personal Approach

                    Begin and continue the process of developing a personal approach to the art and craft of theater.

This includes the development of:

• a process for lifelong learning, an inquiring mind and a creative imagination.
• a sense of personal responsibility, and an understanding of an individual’s role in the collaborative process.
• artistic standards and judgment, respect for the art form and an ability to self-evaluation.
• standards of professionalism and personal initiative in the development and continuation of one’s personal education.
• a broad and deep exploration of the role of theater in a Liberal Arts context, the individual’s community and society.