The Crucible from the control booth

Mission Statement

The programs in the Department of Theatre and Communication Arts explore the interaction of persons and institutions through symbolic messages. Whether we express these messages creatively from the theatrical stage, rhetorically from the speaker’s platform or interpersonally within our social relationships, appreciating and reflecting upon them are essential to an understanding of ourselves and our diverse society. In collaboration with our students, we seek this understanding by balancing the creative and intuitive skills, imagination and scholarship, public presentation and private introspection. Through such work the department demonstrates its strong belief in the centrality of our disciplines within the liberal arts.

Beyond service to students enrolled in our courses, we contribute to the broader community through the public performances we create. Such events, whether theatrical or rhetorical, promote thoughtful dialogue about the human condition in a climate of mutual respect and genuine commitment to varied ways of learning and understanding.

More specifically, the various programs in theatre arts endeavor to

• develop students who understand the multi-disciplinary facets of the theatre process within the context of the broader liberal arts;
• help students learn the various theatrical skills and integrate those skills in public theatre presentations;
• and,prepare students for entry-level positions in theatre and theatre-related activities, for graduate school if they so choose, or for a life-long avocational but informed activity in theatre.

The communication arts and forensics programs strive to develop students who realize that

• our ability to use symbols to interact with one another is one of the defining characteristics of humans;
• through this symbolic process self and social reality are created; and,
• if we are to realize our potential, we must be able to produce and receive those symbols in meaningful and responsible ways with respect for both similarities and differences among people.

Course work and experiential learning opportunities in paracurricular and co-curricular activities and the department’s internship program provide students with theoretical perspectives, practical skills and flexibility that prepare them for careers and graduate work in theatre, communication arts and related fields. The department offers a major and a minor in theatre arts and a minor in communication arts.