Faculty
Todd Dicken, M.F.A.
Senior Lecturer
Bliss Hall 1026
330.941.1857
twdicken@ysu.edu
Katherine Garlick, M.F.A.
Associate Professor
Bliss Hall 1016
330.941.1852
kngarlick@ysu.edu
Adam Howard, M.F.A.
Lecturer
Bliss Hall 1250
330.941.1837
adhoward05@ysu.edu
About the Major
The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Theatre is a professional degree for students interested in pursuing a career as an actor, director, and/or theatre technician/designer. The program is defined by an experiential, collaborative curricular model that promotes discipline and artistic agency through broad-based foundational learning that encourages critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and risk-taking at all levels, from introductory to advanced coursework. The results are refined skill sets that prepare students to be successful theatre professionals across all areas of the entertainment industry. Admission to the program is available by audition only.
The co-curricular theatre season includes four mainstage productions, and all B.F.A. Theatre students are required to audition and participate. Additional performance opportunities are made possible through semi-annual cabarets, the annual Festival of New Work, and An Evening of 10-Minute Plays. Performance opportunities focus on students and their professional growth in real-world situations. In addition, all B.F.A. Theatre students complete a senior capstone in which they meet with their instructor individually, as well as in small groups, to facilitate deeper discussion and refine and prepare their final showcase material for performance. Our students routinely win coveted internships and seats in acclaimed workshops—including those with Netflix, the Open Jar Institute, Disney's Animal Kingdom, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Cedar Point, and others—and perform and win awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF).
Our alumni may be seen regionally, nationally, and internationally across the theatre and entertainment industries. Our graduates are found on stage and screen—from Tony Award-winning Hadestown to Days of Our Lives—and receiving nominations and awards from The Tonys to The GRAMMYS®. Our dynamic programs also empower our alumni to become successful directors, designers, choreographers, and more at the national level, including at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival and similar venues. Our students hone their artistic and technical abilities and also develop a range of other valuable transferable proficiencies. They earn degrees in areas about which they are passionate, and their skills are applicable to careers in numerous professions across the theatre and entertainment industries and more.
Contact Information
To learn more about our degree programs, audition information, scholarships, professional development and careers, performances, faculty, and students, visit University Theatre or contact us at 330.941.3810.
To schedule a personalized campus visit, contact the Cliffe College of Creative Arts Program Coordinator of Admissions and Recruitment at 330.941.2346 or sawaltman@ysu.edu. We would love to learn about your interests, talk with you about our programs, and become an important part of your future.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST YEAR REQUIREMENT -STUDENT SUCCESS | ||
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar | 1-2 |
| or YSU 1500S | Youngstown State University Success Seminar | |
| or HONR 1500 | Intro to Honors | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| ENGL 1550 | Writing 1 | 3-4 |
| or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 with Support | |
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| Any Gen Ed Math (Recommended MATH 2623) | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities (2 courses) Included in Major | 0 | |
| Natural Sciences (2 courses, 1 with lab) | 7 | |
| Social Science (1 course) | 3 | |
| PSYC 1560 | General Psychology | 3 |
| General Education Electives | 9 | |
| Physical Activity Core Concepts (1 s.h.) | ||
| Fencing 1 (1 s.h.) | ||
| Yoga (1 s.h.) | ||
or KSS 1550 | Pilates | |
Any Gen Ed Course (3 s.h.) | ||
Any Gen Ed Course (3 s.h.) | ||
| Theatre Core | ||
| THTR 1512 | Survey of Broadway: The American Musical *Art and Humanities Requirement | 3 |
| THTR 1559 | Production Design for Stage and Screen | 3 |
| THTR 1560 | Introduction to Theatre *Art and Humanities Requirement | 3 |
| THTR 1561 | Stagecraft | 3 |
| THTR 1563 | Costume Construction and Craft | 3 |
| THTR 1585 | Acting 1: Fundamentals | 3 |
| Theatre Participation (THTR 2600) must be taken 3 times for a total of 3 s.h. | 3 | |
| THTR 2607 | Introduction to Puppetry | 3 |
| THTR 2640 | Theatre History | 3 |
| THTR 2661 | Introduction to Stage Management | 3 |
| Theatre Participation 2 (THTR 3700) must be taken 4 times for a total of 4 s.h. | 4 | |
| THTR 3701 | Professional Preparation | 3 |
| THTR 3768 | Script Analysis for Stage and Screen | 3 |
| THTR 4898 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Major Concentration | ||
| THTR 2667 | Acting 2: Character Creation & Scene Work | 3 |
| THTR 2672 | Bodyvoice for Actors | 3 |
| THTR 3761 | Stage Makeup | 3 |
| THTR 3762 | Directing 1 | 3 |
| THTR 3766 | Stage Combat | 3 |
| THTR 3772 | Acting 3: Advanced Character Study & Repertoire Acquisition | 3 |
| THTR 4899F | Topics Thtr Improv Sketch Com | 3 |
| THTR 4899M | Topics in Theatre: Costume Specialty Crafts | 3 |
| Select two of the following courses: | 6 | |
| Shakespeare and Period Styles | ||
| Introduction to Dialects | ||
| Acting 4: Acting on Camera | ||
| Select three of the following courses: | 9 | |
| Scene Design | ||
| Lighting Design | ||
| Costume Design | ||
| Topics in Theatre (THTR 4899A, THTR 4899B, THTR 4899C, THTR 4899Q, THTR 4899R) | ||
| Select one of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Topics in Puppetry | ||
| Topics in Theatre Playwriting | ||
| Movement Electives | 3-4 | |
| Modern Dance 1 (1 s.h.) | ||
| Select 2 of the following courses: | ||
| Modern Dance 2 (2 s.h.) | ||
| Jazz Dance 1 (1 s.h.) | ||
| Tap Dance 1 (1 s.h.) | ||
| Ballet 1 (1 s.h.) | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 120-123 | |
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | S.H. | |
| YSU 1500 | Success Seminar or Youngstown State University Success Seminar or Intro to Honors | 1-2 |
| ENGL 1550 or ENGL 1549 | Writing 1 or Writing 1 with Support | 3-4 |
| THTR 1559 | Production Design for Stage and Screen | 3 |
| THTR 1560 | Introduction to Theatre | 3 |
| THTR 1585 | Acting 1: Fundamentals | 3 |
| THTR 2600 | Theatre Participation | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 14-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 1551 | Writing 2 | 3 |
| THTR 1561 | Stagecraft | 3 |
| THTR 2600 | Theatre Participation | 1 |
| THTR 2667 | Acting 2: Character Creation & Scene Work | 3 |
| DNCE 1540 | Modern Dance 1 | 1 |
| PSYC 1560 | General Psychology | 3 |
| Any Gen Ed Math | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 17 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| THTR 1563 | Costume Construction and Craft | 3 |
| THTR 2600 | Theatre Participation | 1 |
| THTR 3768 | Script Analysis for Stage and Screen | 3 |
| THTR 3772 | Acting 3: Advanced Character Study & Repertoire Acquisition | 3 |
| Movement Elective | 1 | |
| General Education Elective - Social Science | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| THTR 2607 | Introduction to Puppetry | 3 |
| THTR 2640 | Theatre History | 3 |
| THTR 2672 | Bodyvoice for Actors | 3 |
| THTR 3700 | Theatre Participation 2 | 1 |
| THTR 3761 | Stage Makeup | 3 |
| General Education Elective - Natural Science | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 3 | ||
| Fall | ||
| THTR 2661 | Introduction to Stage Management | 3 |
| THTR 3700 | Theatre Participation 2 | 1 |
| THTR 3762 | Directing 1 | 3 |
| THTR 4899 | Topics in Theatre or Scene Design or Lighting Design or Costume Design | 3 |
| KSS 1500 | Physical Activity Core Concepts | 1 |
| Movement Elective | 1-2 | |
| General Education Elective - Any Gen Ed Course | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 15-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| THTR 3700 | Theatre Participation 2 | 1 |
| THTR 3707 or THTR 4899K | Topics in Puppetry or Topics in Theatre Playwriting | 3 |
| THTR 3766 or THTR 4899F | Stage Combat or Topics Thtr Improv Sketch Com | 3 |
| THTR 4880 | Shakespeare and Period Styles or Introduction to Dialects or Acting 4: Acting on Camera | 3 |
| THTR 4899M | Topics in Theatre: Costume Specialty Crafts | 3 |
| General Education Elective - Any Gen Ed Course | 3 | |
| Semester Hours | 16 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| THTR 1512 | Survey of Broadway: The American Musical | 3 |
| THTR 3700 | Theatre Participation 2 | 1 |
| THTR 3701 | Professional Preparation | 3 |
| THTR 3763 | Scene Design or Lighting Design or Costume Design or Topics in Theatre | 3 |
| KSS 1514 | Fencing 1 | 1 |
| General Education Elective - Natural Science + Lab | 4 | |
| Semester Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| THTR 3765 | Lighting Design or Scene Design or Costume Design or Topics in Theatre | 3 |
| THTR 3771 | Introduction to Dialects or Acting 4: Acting on Camera or Shakespeare and Period Styles | 3 |
| THTR 4898 | Senior Project | 3 |
| THTR 4899F or THTR 3766 | Topics Thtr Improv Sketch Com or Stage Combat | 3 |
| KSS 1552 | Yoga (or KSS 1550 Pilates) | 1 |
| Semester Hours | 13 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 120-123 | |
Learning Outcomes
1. Public Performances: Students demonstrate competence in the creation and presentation of public theatre events as performers and demonstrate the ability to act, i.e. to project one's self believably, in work and action, into imaginary circumstances and roles in a wide range of styles and formats.
2. Knowledge of History and Cultural Dimensions: Students demonstrate knowledge of the history and cultural influences of and upon the institution of theatre throughout the ages.
3. Informed Assessments of Quality: Students demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate works of theatre.
4. Critical Thinking: Students demonstrate the ability to define a desired goal in creating a work of theatre and find solutions to achieve that goal.