Theatre

This area is in the School of Performing Arts within the COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION .

Michael Estanich, Chair
Room 161, Noel Fine Arts Center
Phone: 715-346-4429
Email: theatre-dance@uwsp.edu

Faculty and Academic Staff: E Bustamante, D Dancho, M Estanich, S Grimsled, M Hanson, J Hill, P Luedtke, T Marchant, S Olson, G Pragel, S Ross, L Schmeling, C Sickler, A Warren.

About the Department

UW-Stevens Point offers five theatre and dance degree tracks, including three highly competitive conservatory-styled BFA programs in Musical Theatre , Acting , and Design & Technology . In addition, we offer two liberal arts degrees: the BA Dance Major and minor , with coursework in ballet, modern, jazz, tap and theoretical studies, and the BA Drama major which allows students to study multiple focused areas such as playwriting, dramaturgy, directing, design, and acting. These excellent academic and production programs have established UW-Stevens Point as a primary undergraduate center in Wisconsin for students interested in the performing arts.

Our alumni are working in all areas of the business, including:

Broadway
Film & Television
Regional Theatres
Cruise Ships
National & International Tours and Stages
Studio Owners and Entrepreneurs

Admission to all Theatre and Dance programs is by audition/interview only.

Academic Standards for Theatre Majors

To be retained as a major or minor in any of the theatre arts options and to be approved for graduation, you must earn a minimum grade point average of 2.75 in all courses taken within the major or minor each semester, including transfer courses, regardless of any declaration of academic forgiveness. 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

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

All theatre and dance majors and minors are required to attend the department orientation meeting held on the first Saturday of the fall semester.

Advising

Incoming theatre and dance majors and minors are assigned an adviser with the Academic and Career Advising Center for three semesters. After that, you will be assigned a Theatre and Dance faculty adviser.

Course Fees

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

Scholarships

The department awards scholarships to entering majors in all five programs based on theatre and dance admission auditions and interviews. All students auditioning for UW-Stevens Point’s major program on each of our audition dates will be considered for an incoming major scholarship; there is not a separate scholarship application or an additional scholarship audition process. Several additional scholarships are available for returning students.

The department offers several scholarships based on ability and potential to entering students in dance, drama, acting, design/technology, and musical theatre. Several additional scholarships are available for returning students. All students auditioning for UW-Stevens Point’s major programs on each of our audition dates will be considered for an incoming major scholarship; there is not a separate scholarship application or an additional scholarship audition process.

Required Theatre Practicum

For Theatre Majors: Register for a practicum each of your first six semesters as a major. 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 Theatre Minors: Register for a practicum one semester of each of your first three years as a minor.

For Majors and Minors:

Practicum areas are scene shop, costume shop, deck run crew, costume run crew, house/public relations, design, directing/choreography/management, media marketing, and performance.
Students assigned to work in one of the technical shops must complete 40 hours of work.
All other assignments must attend/work all scheduled meetings, calls, rehearsals, and performances as appropriate.
Credit for practicum includes DNCE 426 or THEA 426 as appropriate.
Theatre and Dance majors and minors must explore different areas of Practicum each time they enroll.
If you do not register for a practicum or do not complete the activity satisfactorily, you are placed on department 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.

Drama

Laurie Schmeling, Coordinator
Email: lschmeli@uwsp.edu
Web: https://www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Major/Drama.aspx

Admission Policy: To major in the BA drama option , you must be admitted to both 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 for admission to the drama program. Contact the Department of Theatre and Dance for more information.

Acting

Tyler Marchant, Coordinator
Email: tmarchan@uwsp.edu
Web: https://www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Major/Acting.aspx

Admission audition required: Admission to the BFA acting program is by audition only. Auditions are held on select dates in the fall and spring for fall acceptance the following academic year. We recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned audition date. We encourage you to apply early as 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

Emily Bustamante, Coordinator
Email: ebustama@uwsp.edu
Web: https://www.uwsp.edu/theatre-dance/Pages/Major/Design-Technology.aspx

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 Department 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
Email: mhanson@uwsp.edu

Admission audition required: Admission to the BFA musical theatre program is by audition only. Auditions are held in November and in the spring for fall acceptance. We recommend that you be officially admitted to UW-Stevens Point before your assigned audition date. We encourage you to apply early as 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. Detailed program and audition information, including audition dates and protocol, application forms and scholarship information is available on our website’s How to Apply page. 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

Bachelor Degrees

Minors

Theatre Arts-Drama Minor

Courses

Theatre