Theatre and Dance

Joan Karlen, Chair
Room 161, Noel Fine Arts Center
Phone: 715-346-4429
Email: theatre-dance@uwsp.edu
Web: www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance

This department is in the College of Fine Arts & Communication .

Faculty: J Carpenter, B Cirmo, M Estanich, J Hanlin, M Hanson, J Hill, J Karlen, A Kenny, P Luedtke, T Marchant, G Olsen, S Ross, S Trovillion Smith, K Sneshkoff, J Strassburg, S Wirtz-Olsen.

About the Department

Recognized as one of the premiere undergraduate theatre and dance departments in the upper Midwest, our department programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and the National Association of Schools of Dance.

Program Options

You may pursue the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in theatre arts with an option in drama or the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in dance.

If you seek more specialized education in theatre, you may pursue the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in theatre arts with options in drama or musical theatre. The BFA drama option has specializations in acting and design/technology.

Minors are available in dance and drama. There is no musical theatre minor.

Academic Standards for Theatre and Dance Majors

To be retained as a major or minor in any of the theatre arts options and to be approved for graduation, you must have a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in all courses taken within the major or minor, including transfer courses, regardless of any declaration of academic bankruptcy. You may repeat a course in the major or minor if you follow the course repeat policy found in the Grade-related Policies section of this catalog.

Credit-by-Exam Policy for Theatre and Dance

The Theatre and Dance Department offers credit-by-exam for specific courses. If you wish to take the test-out exam, contact the department chair to arrange an exam with the appropriate faculty member. If credit is granted, results will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar.

Transferring Credits

You may apply transfer credits to the major or minor with the approval of the department chair.

Annual Meetings

As a theatre and dance major or minor, you are expected to attend the departmental meeting held at the beginning of the fall semester.

Advising

Theatre and dance majors and minors are assigned a faculty adviser whose specialty matches their area of study. The dance faculty group advises all first and second year dance majors and minors. Thereafter, dancers are assigned an individual faculty adviser. BA, or BFA theatre majors are advised by the program coordinator or other faculty in their major. Drama minors are advised by the department chair.

Course Fees for Theatre and Dance

Fees are charged in certain courses to cover the cost of materials.

Scholarships for Theatre and Dance

The department has a number of scholarships available for entering students in dance, drama, acting, design/ technology, and musical theatre. They are awarded based on theatre and dance admission auditions and interviews. Contact the department website or theatre and dance office for information about annual scholarship auditions. Scholarships are also available for continuing students.

Required Theatre and Dance Practicum

For Majors: Register for a practicum each semester. Practicum areas are scene shop, costume shop, deck run crew, costume run crew, house/public relations, design, directing/choreography/management, and performance. You may repeat an area after you have completed 6 different activities.

For Minors: Register for a different practicum once each year. Minors may not repeat an area.

For Majors and Minors:

Run crew must work appropriate rehearsals and the run of the show.
Other activities must complete 40 hrs of work.
Credit for practicum includes DNCE 226 , DNCE 426 , or THEA 226 , THEA 426 , as appropriate.
If you do not register for a practicum or do not complete the activity satisfactorily, you are placed on probation and must make up the missed work in the next semester. If you must make up missed work, you must also register for a practicum for the current semester. If the work is not made up, you will be dropped from the major or minor.
Normally a practicum may only count in the current semester. If a production occurs unusually late in a semester, the practicum for that production may count for the following semester.

Dance

Joan Karlen, Dance Program Coordinator
Room 140, Noel Fine Arts Center
Phone: 715-346-3982
Email: dance@uwsp.edu
Web: www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Programs/dance.aspx

About the dance program

UW-Stevens Point’s dance program aspires to create a dynamic culture in which you are inspired to achieve full physical expression, technical and stylistic range, and anatomical efficiency. We are dedicated to artistic experimentation and contemporary inquiry that is culturally relevant and historically grounded, preparing you to communicate, contribute and lead as global citizen artists.

The dance program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance. Our curriculum features ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and theatre dance technique classes, dance composition, history, movement analysis and dance education courses. Dance majors complete 48 credits including the senior-level Interdisciplinary Seminar, a course that features camera dance and digital video editing, and integrates dance with other academic disciplines and art forms.

After completing the core requirements, you may take selected performance classes for either two or three credits. We encourage you to pursue an additional major or minor in another field. Dance minors complete 27 credits.

The dance faculty works with you to re-evaluate technique and explore new approaches to training at a high level. This re-evaluation includes training with optimal anatomical alignment that supports injury-free dancing.

We recommend that you be accepted to UW-Stevens Point prior to the dance audition dates in February and March. There are a few seats available each semester for non-dance majors and minors in introductory level classes. Upper-level dance courses are not available to non-majors and minors. All dance majors and minors participate in required practicum assignments.

If you’re interested in being accepted into the dance major, you are required to complete an on-campus audition and interview.

As part of the audition, you are required to perform a one-minute solo that highlights your performance skills. You or someone else may choreograph this solo. You should provide any sound accompaniment in CD or iPod format. Please prepare to stay within the one-minute time limit. The solo may be excerpted and the music cut from an existing longer work, or you may prepare a solo that is intended as a one-minute dance.

Letters of recommendation should address your ability to be successful in a university-level dance program. We recommend that one letter be written by an academic teacher who can comment on your ability to be successful in your academic coursework, and the other be written by a primary dance teacher who can comment on your ability and potential in dance.

If you wish to be accepted into the dance major program, you are required to have proficiency in two of these four areas: ballet, jazz, modern, and tap. For the minor program, proficiency in one of these areas is required.

As a student in our program, you will develop the ability to work as a part of an ensemble, the ability to work openly and honestly with other dancers, and the ability to be flexible in the artistic process with choreographers, directors, rehearsal assistants and peers. Therefore, we do begin all our new students in our 100-level technique courses.

NOTE: We recommend that dance majors complete two core classes per semester and we encourage participation in summer dance workshops to enhance performance training and expand professional contacts.

Admission, scholarship, retention requirements

Admission into the dance program does not guarantee admission into the university. To audition, you must first be eligible for admission to UW-Stevens Point.
To be eligible for admission to UW-Stevens Point’s dance program as a major or minor, you must successfully complete an on-campus performance audition and interview during the spring semester. Detailed program and audition information, including audition dates and protocol, application forms and scholarship information is available on our website at www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/default.aspx.
The dance program awards three $1000 scholarships to first year students pursuing a dance major. These scholarships are based on ability and potential in dance. A variety of performance scholarships are awarded annually to continuing students.
To continue as a major or minor, you must meet the dance program’s retention criteria and successfully complete mid-semester assessments in your technique courses each semester.

Performance and choreography

Each year the dance program provides multiple opportunities for you to perform and choreograph including Afterimages, a student directed fall concert; Danstage, a spring concert featuring new choreography by faculty and guests; Players, a theatre and dance student organization; repertory projects; composition course showings; camera dance projects; and all main stage and studio musical and dramatic shows.

Employment opportunities

The interdisciplinary focus of our dance program trains you to be innovative in creating and finding employment opportunities. Recent graduates perform on Broadway; with national and international dance companies; and in television, commercials and film. Others become dance videographers, form direct dance companies, open private studios, and develop dance and related arts programs for school districts.

Courses for general university students

DNCE 103 , DNCE 105 , DNCE 114 , and DNCE 115 are introductory courses open to all university students. You may apply one credit of each of these approved performance courses toward the General Education Program Wellness requirement.

Dance courses for the community

Those outside the university who wish to enroll in selected dance courses must first contact the UW-Stevens Point Admissions Office to determine eligibility to enroll as a special student. Technical placement and permission of the dance faculty are also required.

Drama

Gary Olsen, Coordinator
Room 161, Noel Fine Arts Center
Phone: 715-346-4429
Email: golsen@uwsp.edu
Web: www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Programs/drama.aspx

Admission Policy: To major in the BA drama option, you must be admitted to the university and the drama program. Admission to the drama program is by application, essay and interview. Interviews are held in the spring for fall acceptance and we recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned interview date. If you are a high school student, you should apply to the department in the fall of your senior year. If you are a transfer student or continuing UW-Stevens Point student, you must also apply. Contact the Department of Theatre and Dance for more information.

Acting

Stephen Trovillion Smith, Coordinator
Email: ssmith@uwsp.edu
Web: www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Programs/acting.aspx

Admission audition required: Admission to the BFA acting program is by audition only. Auditions are held in the spring for fall acceptance. We recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned audition date. Apply early since the number of students accepted into the program is limited. If you are a transfer student and wish to enter the acting program, you should audition before transferring to UW-Stevens Point. Contact the Department of Theatre and Dance for more information.

Retention in the program: Every BFA acting major will meet with the area coordinator at the end of each semester for a comprehensive evaluation of classroom and performance work. If you do not demonstrate satisfactory progress or do not adhere to the retention standards established by the department, you may be placed on departmental probation or dropped from the major.

Required auditions: BFA acting majors must audition for all faculty-directed mainstage and studio theatre productions and accept roles as assigned.

Design/Technology

Sandy Childers, Coordinator

Admission interview required: Admission to the design and technology program is by audition interview. Interviews are held in the spring for fall acceptance and we recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned interview date. Apply early since the number of students accepted into the program is limited. If you are a transfer student and wish to enter the design/technology program, you should interview before transferring to UW-Stevens Point. Contact the Dept. of Theatre and Dance for more information.

Retention in the program: You will be formally reviewed each semester. If you do not demonstrate satisfactory progress or do not adhere to the retention standards established by the department, you may be placed on departmental probation or dropped from the major.

Musical Theatre

Mark Hanson, Coordinator

Admission audition required: Admission to the BFA musical theatre program is by audition only. Auditions are held in the spring for fall acceptance. We recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned audition date. Apply early since the number of students accepted into the program is limited. If you are a transfer student and wish to enter the musical theatre program, you should audition before transferring to UW-Stevens Point. Contact the Department of Theatre and Dance for more information.

Retention in the program: You will be formally reviewed each semester. You must participate each semester in at least one public performance in mainstage, studio or Players productions, performance forums or publicly performed class projects. If you do not demonstrate satisfactory progress in the program or do not adhere to the established retention standards, you may be placed on departmental probation or dropped from the major.

Required auditions: Musical theatre majors must audition for all faculty-directed mainstage and studio theatre productions and accept roles as assigned.

Programs

Major

Minor

Courses

Dance

Theatre

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