FAS - Theatre Arts

The Theatre Arts Department offers the MA, MFA, and PhD degrees in Theatre Arts. The programs integrate training and practice in the theatre with scholarship and research in the liberal arts tradition.

Departmental programs are described in more detail in materials available from the Admissions Secretary; Department of Theatre Arts; 1617 Cathedral of Learning; University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Contact Information

Department Chair: Attilio Favorini

Main Office: 1617 Cathedral of Learning

Phone: (412) 624-6780

Fax: (412) 624-6338

E-mail: bucfav@pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.pitt.edu/~play/

Theatrical Production at the University

A large number of plays are offered each year in the three campus theatres: a 560-seat proscenium house in a national historic landmark building, a 150-seat thrust, and a Black Box. These theatres offer 12-15 productions during the academic year, directed and designed by faculty members, graduate and undergraduate students, and acted by students. The department also has an extensive touring program in area schools.

Theatre Resources in Pittsburgh

Several special resources are available to graduate students in theatre at the University. Hillman Library's Curtis Theatre Collection of materials on New York and Pittsburgh theatre is at their disposal. Other major libraries within a five minute walk from the University are the Carnegie Public Library of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon's Fine Arts Collection.

Theatre productions, in addition to those on the University's schedule, may be seen regularly at Carnegie Mellon, at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, the City Theatre, at numerous small theatres, and at Pittsburgh's facilities for professional traveling productions-Heinz Hall, the Benedum Center, and the Byham Theatre.

Admissions

The MA in Theatre Arts at the University of Pittsburgh is open to all qualified students who have completed, or will complete prior to registration, an undergraduate degree. An undergraduate major in theatre arts is not a prerequisite for admission to the program. A student body comprising diverse backgrounds and approaches to theatre is consistent with the department's philosophy of theatre education.

It is possible for MA candidates in theatre arts to achieve Certification for Secondary School Teaching in Pennsylvania by coordinating their course of theatre study with the appropriate courses in the School of Education. Students interested in pursuing this option should secure the advice and guidance of the advisor for secondary education in the School of Education.

The Doctor of Philosophy program is open to all qualified students who have completed, or who will have completed prior to registration, a Master of Arts degree or its equivalent. An MA in Theatre Arts is not a prerequisite for admission to the program. The department admits some highly qualified BAs directly into the PhD program. These students proceed to the higher degree more efficiently, receiving an MA en route.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate superior writing and research skills and to have substantial background in dramatic literature and theatre history. The GRE is required, along with samples of research writing and a personal statement of objectives.

Financial Assistance

The department offers a number of teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, graduate student assistantships, and other forms of financial aid for qualified applicants. Further details are available from the department and in the Financial Aid section of this bulletin.

Degree Requirements

The minimal requirements established by the Graduate Faculty of the University, as described under General Academic Regulations, and any additional requirements of FAS Graduate Studies described under FAS Degree Requirements, should be read in conjunction with program-specific degree requirements described in the following sections.

Requirements for the Master's Degree

The department offers two master's degrees, the MA and the MFA:

MA in Theatre Arts

A minimum of one and a half years or three terms in residence is required for the completion of the degree. Normally, degree requirements may be completed by passing 33 credits of course work. The faculty will, however, administer a diagnostic examination to the student prior to or during the first term of residence to determine if the student should be assigned course work beyond minimum requirements. The student is required to pass a comprehensive examination. Highly qualified students may be admitted to the combined MA/PhD program.

MFA in Theatre Arts

For individuals with significant professional experience (over five years) seeking a degree qualifying them to teach, the two-year MFA pedagogical program may be available. Inquire at the department.

Requirements for the PhD Degree

The PhD program in Theatre and Performance Studies seeks to develop philosophers of theatre and attempts to integrate theory with practice. Candidates for the PhD in Theatre Arts must eventually demonstrate a deep commitment to scholarship and teaching. Interdisciplinary and independent studies are normally expected. Completion of a master's degree or its equivalent is required of the candidate. Students who have received their MA degree from an institution other than the University of Pittsburgh will be subject to evaluation by the Graduate Faculty as a condition for admission to the doctoral program.

Candidates for the PhD must demonstrate knowledge of a foreign language at an advanced level, demonstrate competence through qualifying and comprehensive exams, and write a dissertation. Specific research interests of faculty members include dramatic theory, Greek theatre, 19th- and 20th-century theatre, Shakespeare, American theatre, documentary theatre, Asian theatre, intercultural theatre, and the theory and historiography of performance. In addition, some faculty members are active as professional playwrights, dramaturgs, and facilitators of community-based theatre.

Special Option Program

Concurrent with candidates' preparation for scholarship and research in the field of theatre and performance studies, students may concentrate on a particular area of professional expertise to enhance their qualifications early in their professional careers. This additional specialization may be in administration, practical theatre, specialized educational skills, or fields related to theatre or supportive of teaching drama and theatre.

Course Listings

The following courses carry graduate credit. Please see the department for a complete listing of undergraduate courses that can also be taken.

THEA 1340 Native American Theatre

THEA 1367 Contemporary American Dramatists

THEA 2000 Research and Thesis for the Master's Degree

THEA 2111 Acting 1-Diagnostic/Creating the Actor

THEA 2112 Acting 2-The Realistic Core/Foundation in Realism

THEA 2113 Acting 3-Shakespeare

THEA 2114 Acting 4-Poetic Drama and Styles

THEA 2115 Acting 5-One-person Show

THEA 2116 Acting 6-Thesis Project

THEA 2127 Movement 1

THEA 2128 Movement 2

THEA 2129 Movement 3

THEA 2130 Movement 4

THEA 2131 Stage Dueling

THEA 2132 Period Movement

THEA 2133 Mime/Juggling

THEA 2134 Lecoq Workshop

THEA 2140 Voice Production 1

THEA 2141 Voice Production 2

THEA 2142 Accents and Dialects

THEA 2143 Voice and Speech

THEA 2148 Musical Theatre

THEA 2149 Professional Orientation

THEA 2150 Directed Study_Acting

THEA 2160 Directed Study_Directing

THEA 2161 Directing 1-Review, Diagnostic, Stage Dynamics, Problem Solving, Communications

THEA 2162 Directing 2-Stage Spaces, Central Image, Ensemble, Improvisations

THEA 2163 Directing 3-Departures from Realism

THEA 2164 Directing 4-Poetic/Epic Drama

THEA 2165 Directing 5-One-person Show

THEA 2166 Directing 6-Thesis Project

THEA 2168 New Play Practicum

THEA 2170 Directed Study-Set, Costumes, Light

THEA 2171 Seminar-Stage Design

THEA 2172 History of Costume

THEA 2175 Seminar-Advanced Lighting

THEA 2178 Theatre Planning

THEA 2180 Scene Design 1

THEA 2181 Scene Design 2

THEA 2182 Prop Making

THEA 2183 Drafting

THEA 2184 Stagecraft 2

THEA 2185 Rendering and Painting

THEA 2186 Costume Design 1

THEA 2187 Costume Design 2

THEA 2188 Pattern Making

THEA 2189 Stage Makeup

THEA 2190 Stage Lighting 1

THEA 2191 Stage Lighting 2

THEA 2192 Design for Film

THEA 2193 Stage Management 1

THEA 2194 Stage Management 2

THEA 2200 Directed Study: History, Literature, Criticism, Theory

THEA 2201 Materials and Methods of Research in Theatre Arts

THEA 2202 Theories of Theatre and Drama

THEA 2203 Script Analysis

THEA 2204 Theories of Acting and Directing

THEA 2205 History of the Theatre 1

THEA 2206 History of the Theatre 2

THEA 2210 Seminar-Dramatic Structure

THEA 2212 Seminar in Dramatic Rhythm

THEA 2214 Seminar in Dramatic Theory and Criticism-Tragedy

THEA 2215 Seminar in Dramatic Theory and Criticism-Comedy

THEA 2216 Advanced Theory and Methodology

THEA 2219 Women and Theatre

THEA 2220 Seminar-Playwriting

THEA 2225 Greek and Roman Theatre

THEA 2228 Elizabethan and Jacobean Drama

THEA 2230 Seminar-Shakespeare's Plays

THEA 2231 History of Shakespeare Production

THEA 2233 17th-century Theatre

THEA 2235 18th-century Theatre

THEA 2237 Studies in the 19th Century

THEA 2240 Seminar-Ibsen

THEA 2243 Seminar-Shaw

THEA 2245 Studies in American Theatre

THEA 2250 Avant-Garde Theatre

THEA 2254 Contemporary British Theatre

THEA 2258 Seminar-Contemporary Developments in the European Theatre

THEA 2260 Documentary Theatre

THEA 2270 Studies in Asian Theatre

THEA 2271 Studies in Japanese Theatre

THEA 2990 Independent Study

THEA 2991 Professional Internship: Playwriting

THEA 2992 Professional Internship: Dramaturgy

THEA 2993 Professional Internship: Directing

THEA 2994 Professional Internship: Acting

THEA 2995 Professional Internship: Design

THEA 2996 Professional Internship: Stage Management

THEA 2997 Professional Internship: Theatre or Business Management

THEA 2998 Professional Management: Technology

THEA 3000 Research and Dissertation for the PhD Degree