Theater Arts Major

Required Course

Learn the fundamentals of playwriting and helps students develop their voices as dramatic writers. You will read and respond to one another’s work, and learn through revision and working with critical feedback.

You and other students will bring stories to the stage. Hear and see your work read by others in a writing lab.

One of three options for required course in theatrical design

A hands-on introduction to the art of lighting design for the theater: from the reading and analysis of a script, through the design process and a completed production. Students will develop a sense of how lighting contributes to the audience’s understanding of a play, learn about the theories and concepts that inform lighting design, work with the various kinds of lighting instruments. Learn how light shapes audience perception, sculpts theatrical space and serves  a theatrical production. 

Required Course

Investigate non-Western theatrical histories, performance practices and dramatic texts from across the globe, focusing on communities of color in the US and abroad. We read and discuss play scripts, watch and analyze performances on video (or live performances, if and when the opportunity arises).Introduces students to theater from around the world, in keeping with Arcadia’s emphasis on global education.

Required Course

Embark on a thorough introduction to all phases of stage management: pre-production, rehearsal period, tech/running, and calling a show. Learn to work in all kinds of venues, from small storefront theaters to large regional theaters. You will gain practical experience working with Arcadia Theater mainstage productions.

Students work alongside professional guest designers and directors as they stage manage program productions.