UVM's Theatre Department offers an especially broad curriculum that provides an overview of all the areas of theatre necessary for a solid basis and general understanding of this collaborative art form. Majors concentrate in performance, design/tech or history/criticism, but they are required to discover the other theatrical disciplines whose success is so crucial to their own.
From costume design and lighting to acting and stage management, students gain perspective while working on productions ranging from traditional comedies, musicals and tragedies to unusual adaptations of collected children's poems and modern Greek myths. Three professional-level main shows, as well as a children's Christmas show and a festival of one-act plays, are produced annually on the university's Royall Tyler stage for campus and community. Respected faculty artists, as well as distinguished guest artists, work closely with students on all aspects of production in a noncompetitive atmosphere. Many students spend summers interning at theatre companies throughout New England. The department also offers a minor in speech; however, courses and activities in public speaking and debate are open to all interested students.
Phone: (802) 656-2095
Fax: (802) 656-0349
E-mail: theatre@uvm.edu
Department Web Site:
http://www.uvm.edu/theatre/
Graduate school: Many alumni attend graduate school to prepare for careers as educators and professional designers, among other fields.
Careers: Graduates are working as production assistants for television; as a stage manager for Broadway's "Lion King"; as scenic artists for New York's Public Theatre; as a staff member at Vermont Public Radio; and in radio, regional theatre and film. Many alumni join national touring companies, such as NETworks Tours.
A degree in theatre provided the communication skills one alum credits for giving him the confidence to become a lawyer — he now owns a law firm. Another former student, who interned at the BBC, is pursing a career in radio drama.
