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Welcome to The University of South Dakota Department of Theatre, an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the only theatre program in the state offering BFA and MFA degrees.
Money magazine ranks entertainment as one of the ten "hottest jobs in America." Whether you want to act in Shakespeare festivals, dinner theatre or television/film; design scenery, costumes, lighting, or sound for the stage or screen; manage teams of artists as a director, stage manager or production manager; construct props, complex sets or movie monsters; create amusement park rides or serve your community and profession as an educator/artist, studying theatre at The U. can help you focus your energies, develop your talent and realize your dream.
Undergraduate Degree Specializations:
• BFA Musical Theatre Specialization - for students interested professional musical
theatre performance
• BFA Acting Specialization – for students interested in professional acting
• BFA Design/Technology Specialization – for students interested in scenic, costume,
lighting & sound design or theatre technology
• BFA Theatre Specialization - for students interested in directing or the full range of theatre
arts
Graduate Degree Specializations:
• MA in Theatre - for students preparing for further study in Ph.D. programs
• MFA Directing Specialization - for students preparing to direct professionally or teach
• MFA Design/Technology Specialization with an emphasis in Costume Design, Light &
Sound Design, Scene Design or Technical Theatre
Audition for admittance into the Musical Theatre program (Fall 2009 entry) and/or
a possible scholarship in acting, design/tech, or musical theatre on one of these
dates: Dec. 6, 2008 or Feb. 28, 2009. To get more information and to reserve your
audition time, follow the scholarship link on the left-hand menu.
U. Theatre also offers opportunities to:
Study Abroad - at the International Performing Arts Institute in Kiefersfelden, Hamburg and
Munich, Germany (July 17 - Aug. 10, 2008) or at Edgehill College in England.
Intern - with the USD Playhouse (a touring musical theatre company), the Black Hills
Playhouse (a summer stock theatre located in beautiful Custer State Park), or with any
number of nationally recognized professional theatres.
Participate in the American College Theatre Festival, an annual event in which
students share work and compete for awards on regional and national levels. U. Theatre
students have won many regional awards with numerous students advancing to the
national finals at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Theatre Statement of Mission
The Department of Theatre prepares the student for a career in the theatre and encourages personal and creative growth. It does this by providing a comprehensive liberal arts education, supplemented by intensive craft training, in which classroom study and practical experience are of equal and complimentary value. The Department promotes excellence in education, research, and service; promotes student engagement and leadership; develops creative and pragmatic problem-solving skills; explores new questions, techniques and practices in theatre; and inspires students to become life-long learners who contribute to their respective disciplines and professions while enhancing the cultural lives of the University and of their community.
