Theater Arts

The four-year B.A. program encourages students to examine and experience the relationship between drama as literary artifact and drama as performance. Students learn the skills necessary to translate the written word into a living, breathing, dynamic art.

By working with the technical side of dramatic presentation, students develop invaluable problem-solving skills, build leadership qualities and learn to work successfully in a team environment. You learn skills that keep you calm in a crisis, keep your mind flexible, make you versatile and courageous, and train you to have a critical eye.

As in all liberal arts programs, students develop flexibility of mind, clarity and precision in written and oral communication, and an ability to negotiate an ever more complex world.

Our graduates have been seen onstage and behind the scenes on Broadway and in regional theaters around the country. Our playwriting students have had their plays produced all over North America and Europe. Many of our majors go on to law school and have been admitted into some of the most prestigious schools in the country. Our students have also gone on to very successful careers in business, marketing, and arts administration.

 

Program Type

Major, Minor

Degree

Bachelor's

Duration

4-year

 

 

Program Requirements

15 credit hours, including:

  • THEA 151 Introduction to Theater
  • ENGL 203 Introduction to Drama
  • THEA 210 History of Theater I (Ancient to Renaissance)
  • THEA 211 History of Theater II (Renaissance to Present)
  • THEA 305 Directing I
9 credit hours selected from 300-400 level English Department courses that emphasize dramatic literature.

12 credit hours, chosen from the following:

  • THEA 201Acting I
  • THEA 301 Acting II
  • THEA 302 Acting III
  • THEA 303 Acting IV
  • THEA 310 Technical Theater
  • THEA 405 Directing II
  • THEA 481/ENG 434W Dramatic Criticism
  • ENGL 301W Playwriting I
  • ENGL 400W Playwriting II
  • THEA 496 Directed Studies (including practica in Theater Management, Technical Theater, and Performance)

Minor in Theater Arts (21 credits)

Students who choose theater arts as a minor concentration find that it provides an invaluable set of skills regardless of a student's major course of study.

Core Requirement

9 credit hours, including:
  • THEA 151 Introduction to Theater
  • THEA 210 History of Theater I (Ancient to Renaissance)
  • THEA 211 History of Theater II (Renaissance to Present)

Literature Requirement
6 credit hours selected from 300-400 level English Department courses that emphasize dramatic literature

Electives
6 credit hours, including:
  • ENGL 203 Introduction to Drama
  • THEA 201 Acting I (2 credits)
  • THEA 301 Acting II (2 credits)
  • THEA 302 Acting III (2 credits)
  • THEA 303 Acting IV (2 credits)
  • THEA 305 Directing I
  • THEA 310 Technical Theater
  • THEA 405 Directing II
  • THEA 481/ENG 434W Dramatic Criticism
  • ENGL 301W Playwriting I
  • ENGL 400W Playwriting II
  • THEA 496 Directed Studies (including practica in Theater Management, Technical Theater, and Performance

Internships in Theater Arts

Duquesne's academic program in Theater Arts is enhanced by real-world working opportunities with off-campus professional companies and unions. Students can apply for prearranged internships with organizations such as:

  • Pittsburgh Public Theater
  • City Theater
  • Quantum Theater
  • Gemini Children's Theater
  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees