Program Description

Illinois Wesleyan University


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The School of Theatre Arts at Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) offers Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre, and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Technology programs as well as minors in theater arts, theater dance, and arts management (offered with the Department of Business Administration).

Students in the School of Theatre Arts programs work closely with an exceptional faculty that gives personal attention to the development of each student. A selective and limited enrollment ensures close mentoring relationships with faculty members. Furthermore, because IWU is strictly an undergraduate university, students play all the roles in productions as well as have opportunities to direct and design major productions.

In addition to obtaining an excellent training in theater arts, the students are strengthened by the University’s liberal arts curriculum, which ensures that they receive a broad education in a variety of disciplines across campus. Students graduate from these programs ready to succeed, having developed their own network of contacts through alumni, internships, summer-stock job opportunities, and visitors who come to campus to deliver master classes or to serve as guest designers, directors, or choreographers. Students begin their careers with excellent resumes, a game plan in place, and a superior educational foundation.

The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts allows students a broad range of exploration and study of the theatre, giving them the opportunity to become theatre artists and scholars whose expertise spans more than one facet of the discipline. Although students earning this degree may go on to pursue professional careers in acting, design, or some other theatrical specialization, this course of study uniquely prepares them for the intellectual and aesthetic challenges of the contemporary theatre. This program is intended for the following types of students: the student who aspires to a professional career in directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, theatre management, or other subdiscipline that requires a broad understanding of theatre arts (student actors and designers in the B.A. have the full range of opportunities to participate in the production season open to them); the student who intends to pursue graduate training as a theatre scholar or who aspires to teach at the university level; the student who wishes to double major in theatre arts and a second area; and the student who intends to teach on the high school level (these students are required to double major in another area in which they will be certified to teach, with theatre listed as a secondary area of expertise on the certificate.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts is for the student who aspires to an acting career. This well-rounded preprofessional curriculum includes applied training in acting, movement, voice, and dance as well as academically oriented courses like dramatic theory, history, and literature. All students are also exposed to the technical and design areas through course work and production experiences. In addition to intensive course work, B.F.A. actors often have the opportunity to apply their craft on stage in the University’s active production season.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Theatre is for the student who aspires to a performance career in music theatre. This well-rounded preprofessional curriculum requires each student to enroll in a balanced mix of theatre, music, and dance courses, including both applied skills courses like acting, voice lessons, and modern dance and academically oriented courses like dramatic theory, history, and literature. All students are also exposed to the technical and design areas through course work and production experiences. In addition to intensive course work, B.F.A. Music Theatre students often have the opportunity to apply their craft on stage in the University’s active production season.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design and Technology is for the student who aspires to a career as a designer or technician for the theatre. This well-rounded preprofessional curriculum includes applied training in drawing, rendering, stage craft, construction, drafting, and painting as well as academically oriented courses like dramatic theory, history, and literature. All design/tech students also receive some performance training and have the opportunity to audition for roles. In addition to intensive course work, B.F.A. designers and technicians often have the opportunity to apply their crafts behind the scenes in the University’s active production season.

The minor in theatre arts is for students majoring in another field but who wish to pursue their theatrical interest at the college level. Theatre minors take a sampling of performance, technical, and academic courses in theatre and participate actively in the production season.

The minor in theatre dance provides students with training in performance, dance technique (modern, jazz, tap, and ballet), and choreography. It encompasses the physical workings of the body in dance technique as well as the creative and theatrical aspects of the discipline.

The minor in arts management (offered with the Department of Business Administration) is for the student who aspires to manage his or her own theatre, work in arts development, or fulfill any management function within a professional theatre. It is an excellent complement to the B.A. in Theatre Arts.

Campus and Surroundings

Illinois Wesleyan University is located on a parklike campus in Bloomington’s historic northside residential district. The twin cities of Bloomington/Normal, with a combined population of over 125,000, offer all the amenities and cultural activities found in a major metropolitan area. The cities are located midway between Chicago and St. Louis, which are easily accessed by car, bus, or train within 2–3 hours.

Program Facilities

The School of Theatre Arts has a variety of performance facilities, including the McPherson Theatre, a fully equipped 280-seat proscenium/thrust theatre; the Kirkpatrick Laboratory Theatre, a black-box theatre with flexible seating; the Phoenix Theatre, for experimental theatre productions; and the Dance Studios, used primarily for dance rehearsals.

Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni

Recent graduates have pursued graduate studies at Yale School of Drama, New York University, Opera Institute at Boston University, Indiana University, and University of California, Davis, among others. IWU alumni include Richard Jenkins, The Visitor, Six Feet Under; Frankie Faison, The Wire, Mississippi Burning, The Thomas Crown Affair; Amanda Denhert, Professor of Theatre at Northwestern University; Mariann Mayberry, Steppenwolf Theatre; Anne Girard, Writer, Blue Collar TV; Kevin Dunn, Transformers, Dave, Godzilla, and The Black Dahlia.

Special Programs

Illinois Wesleyan students also pursue a number of off-campus opportunities, including internships (in Chicago, New York and San Francisco), study abroad (in places such as Dublin, Moscow, and London), and summer work. Recently, students have worked in the summer at Steppenwolf Theatre Company (Chicago), Rocky Mountain Repertory (Colorado), St. Louis Shakespeare (Missouri), Bigfork Summer Playhouse (Montana) Great River Shakespeare (Minnesota), and Maine State Music Theatre (Maine), among many locations.

Application Procedures

Deadline--freshmen and transfers: continuous. Required: essay, high school transcript, college transcript(s) for transfer students, minimum 3.0 high school GPA, SAT or ACT test scores, portfolio for design applicants, audition for acting and music theater applicants, on-campus interview for BA applicants. Recommended: interview. Auditions held 4 times on campus; videotaped performances are permissible as a substitute for live auditions with special permission from School of Theatre Arts. Portfolio reviews held 4 times on campus; the submission of slides may be substituted for portfolios with special permission from School of Theatre Arts.

Undergraduate Contact

Ms. Bernadette Brennan, Recruitment Coordinator, Theatre Admission Office, Illinois Wesleyan University, PO Box 2900, Bloomington, Illinois 61702-2900; 309-556-3944, fax: 309-556-3558.