If
I major in theatre, are there any career options other than being
an actor or director?
Marietta College theatre graduates can be found in almost all
walks of life. They are lawyers, businessmen, administrators
and managers, school teachers and college professors, as well
as actors, producers, directors, designers, and technicians.
Today, many--if not most--employers are looking for workers
who can read and write well, communicate effectively, work with
others as part of a team, think rationally, and approach problem-solving
creatively. In short, they want workers who know how to learn.
Many employers prefer to provide employees with on-the-job training
for the specific skills required by their companies. A theatre
major is arguably more effective in helping a student acquire
the component skills employers are looking for than are many
other liberal arts majors.
Can
I get a degree in acting at Marietta College?
Philosophically, the Theatre Department at Marietta College
is committed to providing majors with a broad background in
all areas of theatre. Therefore, the coursework they are required
to take includes a balance of courses in technical theatre,
acting, directing, and dramatic literature. In addition, it
is expected that all actors in productions will work on technical
and front of house tasks as necessary to enable the productions
to succeed. Obviously, many theatre majors are more interested
in one area of theatre than another, and in practice students
tend to devote much more of their energy to one or two areas
than they do to the others.
Can a theatre major help me break into the film or television
industry?
Actors
trained for performance in the theatre can easily adapt to the
needs of either film or television; it is not always easy for
film and television actors to learn how to perform for a live
audience. Marietta graduates are currently working in a range
of positions in television and film in functions ranging from
producer of major network programs to cameramen to story writers,
editors, and loggers. Breaking into either film or television
requires hard work and a willingness to enter at the lowest
level and work your way up.
How
much dance training can I get at Marietta College?
The Musical Theatre degree requires two semesters each of tap,
ballet, and modern/jazz dance. Those are currently the only
dance courses offered at Marietta College.
How
many credit hours can I take a semester and still do well academically?
The answer to this question depends entirely on how hard you
are willing to work, on how well prepared you are for college,
and on how organized you are. A full-time load for a student
can range from 12 to 18 semester hours, though students need
to average 15 hours per semester to graduate in four years.
Some students struggle to keep a 2.5 average with 14 or 15 hours
a semester, while others take 18 hours every semester and graduate
with a 4-point.
Can
I be actively involved in theatre and still do well academically?
The experience of students at Marietta would suggest that there
is no significant relationship between level of involvement
in theatre and GPA. Indeed, many of our students say that their
grades are higher when they are more involved because they have
to organize their time more effectively. What is true is that
most college students spend large quantities of time in non-productive
activities like sitting around the dorm talking with their friends.
Theatre majors and others who are actively involved in theatre
tend to spend their non-academic time working at the theatre.
In fact, most students who are active in theatre bring their
academic work with them to rehearsal and work on class assignments
during down time.
I
am very interested in theatre, but I also am very interested in
English. Can I double-major at Marietta?
There is a long history of students completing two majors while
at Marietta. The most common combinations are Radio-Television
and Theatre and English and Theatre, but at one time or another,
students have double-majored in Theatre and almost every other
possible major. Students should be aware that some combinations
are impossible to complete in four years. A double major in
Education and Theatre, for example, requires five years. Despite
that, we currently have two students who are double-majoring
in Theatre and Education. If you have a question about a particular
major combination, contact Steve Rader.
How
many musicals does Marietta do every year?
The department produces two full-scale musicals every year.
The department also produces a significant number of other shows
that make use of music. The 2003 season included The Tempest,
which included nearly 30 minutes of original music; the 2004
season included Brecht’s “The Measures Taken,”
which incorporated seven original songs, though it is not a
musical. For the past few years, at least two productions a
year have had original music composed by students.
How
many productions does Marietta do in a year?
We believe the production schedule at Marietta is much more
extensive than the production schedule at most schools our size.
Most schools our size mount either three or four productions
a year. We do at least seven productions every year, two of
which are musicals. In addition, every year Marietta has public
performances of 10 or more one-acts done as final projects for
Intermediate Directing. In 2004, Marietta inaugurated a new
studio season, which provides a range of additional productions
each year.
Do
I have to be a theatre major to be in plays or to work on productions?
Auditions at Marietta are open to all students, and it is not
unusual for a play cast to include students with majors from
all over the campus. Anyone who wants to work on a production
is welcome to do so.
I
have never actually been in a play, but have always wanted to
be. Is it possible for someone with no experience at all to be
in a play?
Every year, one or more students who have never been involved
in theatre at all work up their courage and audition for a play.
They do not always get cast the first time, but they often do,
and many of these students get a chance to act extensively.
You owe it to yourself to take the chance. You may discover
the avocation of a lifetime. By the way, in the past decade
there have several instances of students who became theatre
majors or minors because they took the chance.
Can
freshmen be cast in productions at Marietta?
Yes, freshmen can be—and are—cast in productions from
the time they arrive on campus. In the past decade there has
not been a single year in which freshmen did not fill significant
roles on stage during the fall semester. Part of the reason
for this is the large number of roles that are available, but
it is also a tenet of the department that all students have
a right to be considered for any role, no matter what their
class rank. It is a tenet of the department that preparation
of a role for public performance can help actors develop their
skill levels faster than can work in classes. As a director,
I believe that my single most important function as a director
of a production in an academic environment is teaching acting.
I
have a busy schedule. Can I still be involved in productions?
Participation can be at any level of time commitment. Some students
work actively on three or four productions a semester. Other
students may come in to volunteer to work on a single show or
just come in for work days occasionally. The department welcomes
all persons who want to participate and tries to find opportunities
for them to be involved.
I
am particularly interested in directing. What directing opportunities
does Marietta provide?
The first directing experience for all theatre majors is a year-long
course in directing (Theatre 303-304). At the end of the first
course, students are required to direct an 8-10-minute scene
from a play; at the end of the second course, students are required
to direct a complete one-act play. Most majors take this course
as sophomores. Students who have effectively completed the directing
class sequence and wish further directing experiences can gain
those during their junior and senior years. The usual progression
is that in the first year after directing class, students direct
a longer and/or more complicated one-act play. In the second
year after directing class, students may direct a still longer
and/or more complicated one-act. A significant number of students
have directed full-length mainstage productions during their
senior year. It should be noted that no student is guaranteed
directing experiences beyond directing class: all student-directed
productions are carefully evaluated before students are given
permission to go to the next level.
Are
there any opportunities for writing scripts?
The department regularly offers a course in scriptwriting. In
addition, a significant number of majors choose to do a scriptwriting
project to fulfill the advanced study requirement for graduation.
The department has a commitment to encouraging student writing.
In the past few years, the department has staged a full production
of a student-written script, and there have been readings or
staged readings of several scripts. In addition, student-written
scripts have been performed as scenes for acting classes and
at the Arts and Humanities Coffee House.
