Mission Statement

 

 

Thematic Definition of Program

 

It is the responsibility of the Department of Theatre, in accordance with other university colleges and departments, to preserve and propagate the knowledge, skills, and crafts of the field of study, to develop new knowledge, and to explore and apply the innovative methods and techniques of the discipline.

 

The Department of Theatre studies the theatrical arts in all of their performative, critical, and historical aspects. These include, but are not limited to, the skills, crafts, professional procedures, and creative techniques essential to theatrical production and performance; the history, theory, literature, and criticism of the theatre; the historiography of theatre studies; the comparative study of theatrical activities of various cultures and epochs; the nature and response of audiences; and the nature and function of performance texts and artists.

 

Both the practice and the concept of "theatre" are defined broadly by the Department of Theatre to include not only what has traditionally been called "live performance" (i.e., performers and spectators joined together in the same space and time) but also film and video representations of human performance. Accordingly, the concept of "live" performance encompasses a broad range of theatrical and performative activities. In turn, much of the teaching and training in the program depends upon the study of the practices, techniques, conditions, and history of live performance.