The Illinois State University Theatre Program is home to many different majors and minors. It gives students the opportunity to learn, grow, and explore career options within both the performance and behind the scenes aspects of theatre. With the dedicated staff and wonderful learning environment, students are sure to gain useful knowledge and skills that will benefit them for their future careers.
Majors
Acting Using a building blocks approach, where students are guided through the curriculum starting with the basics and continuing on, actors receive knowledge on many different aspects of their craft. The acting program at Illinois State University gives students a opportunity to receive a liberal arts education while studying in an environment that feels much like a conservatory program. Upon graduation, students can gain either a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree depending on his or her course of study which will help qualify them to pursue an acting job or other opportunities. As first year students, young men and women will be given the opportunity to learn basic acting and movement skills. They will work individually and in groups to perform scenes. Many exploration exercises will be done to work on concentration, development, and relaxation. In the second year, there is more concentration on movement and voice. Techniques learned will benefit students in when auditioning and performing in the School's shows. The third year of study is where students learn about different acting styles used in performances. This will help students when attempting to understand the work of famous playwrights. The fourth year is most crucial to the development of the professional actor. Much attention is paid to the dos and don't of auditioning and professional theatre as a whole. This is when students learn what it means to be a professional actor.
Dance Performance The styles that are concentrated at Illinois State University are classical ballet, jazz, and modern. As dance performance students, areas of study will include the fundamentals of both movement and rhythm, improvisation, composition, and multicultural perspectives. Dancers will need to take theatre courses (acting, stage makeup, and costuming) as a part of their curriculum. The challenging environment will provide students with the skills needed to be successful in many career fields.
Dance Education The dance education major is based largely off of performance. The goal with this program is to help students obtain their teaching certificate for grades 6-12. Students will study the same styles performance majors will study (classical, jazz, and modern). Also similar to the performance major, education majors will take general theatre classes. These include stage lighting, costuming, and practicum where students gain credit for working on one of the many productions at Illinois State University.
Design Production This major consists of many different concentrations. These include costuming, lighting, scene design, sound design, props, and stage management. To prepare students to be marketable employees, each student must take general classes in each of these areas of study. Each semester there are opportunities for students to be involved in productions in order to gain experience and receive practicum credit. Interviews are performed in the spring semester to determine which students will be designers or assistant designers for the productions in the upcoming school year.
Theatre Education This area of study is directed towards individuals looking to teach at the high school level. Students take a large range of courses dealing with both the acting and production side of theatre. These courses include, but are not limited to, design, acting, theatre literature, and directing. From the Illinois State University website, we learn that "Illinois State University hosts the Illinois High School Theatre Festival every other year. This event offers students in the Theatre Education sequence the opportunity to take on leadership roles and to interact with secondary education professionals from across the state. Students participate by working on planning committees, leading workshops, serving as monitors, and assisting professionals during the three-day festival." This program gives students a lot of hands on experience.
Theatre Studies For those with a love of theatre but are unsure what aspect of theatre is right for them, the Theatre Studies major may be just what they are looking for. Students of this major will be receiving experience in many different parts of theatre that design students and acting students will not experience. Different concentrations of this major include creative drama, cinema studies, theater management, directing, integrated performance, and dramaturgy/theatre history.
Faculty
Lori Adams-Head of Acting She has been teaching at Illinois State University since 1997. She advises the student produced theatre organization on campus. She received her MFA in acting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. From the Illinois State University website, it is said that she "was awarded the Stan and Sandy Rives Excellence in Undergraduate Education Award that recognizes outstanding teaching and significant contribution to the undergraduate experience."
Dan Browder-Technical Director He has held his current position at ISU since 1987. From Indiana University, he received his MFA in Theatre Technology. He has designed lights or sound for over 50 productions and is the production manager for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.
Tom Powers-Academic Advisor Not only is Tom the academic advisor for the program, but he also is a professor for cinema classes as well. He prides himself on his ability to help students take responsibility in their own education and helping them plan for their futures. Prior to working at Illinois State University, he was a professor at Tulane University, Ohio State University and Sacred Heart University in Connecticut.
Kevin Rich-Artistic Director/Illinois Shakespeare Festival Rich's specialty is acting. Besides Illinois Shakespeare Festival, he has also gained experience from Milwaukee Shakespeare, Chicago Shakespeare, Kentucky Shakespeare, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, Yale Rep, Shakespeare and Company, and the American Theatre Company. He has received recognition and awards including the Oliver Thorndike Acting Award from the Yale School of Drama. He was previously a motivational speaker for Monster.com. The ISU website states that "he has professional experience as a director, playwright, and voice/text coach."
Sara Semonis-Head of Dance Program She received her MFA in dance from the University of Iowa. The faculty and staff website for Illinois State University tells us her "choreography has been recognized and selected for Gala Performance at American College Dance Festivals in 2009, 2007, 2002, 1999 and 1997." Her original works have been performed across the country. "She is a current National Board member of the American College Dance Festival Association and continues her work as a free-lance, choreographer, teacher, performer, and Pilates instructor."
Mark Spain-Costume Crafts Supervisor Beginning when his parents took him to see shows they were working on when he was just a child, Spain has always had a love for the art of theatre. He now gets to spend his days sharing this love with students as he teaches them how to draw, build, sculpt, and create the items used on stage.
Janet Wilson-Director School of Theatre and Dance; Producer, Illinois Shakespeare Festival She has been a member of the faculty since 2001. She acted in New York for 10 years before moving on with her career. She has directed over 40 plays in her time. She loves watching young actors grow as performers and as people through the art of theatre.
Information taken from the Illinois State University website (http://finearts.illinoisstate.edu/theatre/).
