Undergraduate degrees: B.A., B.S.
Undergraduate minor
The Department of Theater Arts combines a broad liberal arts education with practical experience through University Theatre Productions and studio course work.
The Play's the Thing
Have you dreamed of seeing your name in lights? Were drama classes the highlight of your high school years? Or maybe you’re intrigued by stage design, lighting, and costuming? Whether show business has you hooked or is something you’d like to explore as a neophyte, the UO has an acting community with outstanding facilities and knowledgeable faculty members to help you on your journey.
You’ll be studying in new cutting-edge performance spaces to hone your craft. The Miller Theatre Complex was recently completed for $8.6 million. A remodel of the Robinson Theatre provides the audience of 300 with better sightlines and acoustics. In addition, the new Hope Theatre seats 150 and is a flexible “black box” with tension grid. The remodel work included an expansion of the scenery shop, an airy and naturally lit costume shop, and a larger lobby and redesigned outdoor area.
The University of Oregon’s theater arts department is committed to maintaining high standards both in academic and creative practices. Your studies will include the history and literature of theater as well as the cultural aspects of the arts. Through internships and community opportunities, you can gain experience in box office, marketing, lighting, stage management, and other skills.
The UO is situated in Eugene, Oregon—a town with a strong commitment to local theater and other performing arts. Eugene is home to the Hult Center for the Performing Arts and to a number of small high-quality theater companies such as the Lord Leebrick Theatre Company.
A theater arts degree will teach you skills as diverse as public speaking, collaborative problem-solving, and critical thinking. Use your voice to change the world and create works of art with like-minded individuals who are passionate about their craft. An adventure awaits you, whether your focus is on acting or learning to fashion period costumes that dazzle. Take risks and gain insight in a nurturing, supportive atmosphere.
Points of Interest
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the theater from acting to directing to set design to costume design
- Auditions for many productions are competitive, but not closed, allowing for a diverse collection of actors from across campus
- The department sponsors innovative projects such as “Earth Matters on Stage,” an ecodrama festival and symposium in 2009 that brought together theater artists, activists, and scholars from around the U.S. for 10 days of performances, speakers, and creative workshops
- The world-renowned annual Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland is a comfortable drive from the UO campus
- UO students participate in the Northwest Drama Conference and the American College Theater Festival, which are programs dedicated to enriching college theater throughout the United States
Sample Courses
- Acting I introduces a range of skills including principles of warm-ups, individual inventory, Stanislavski system, character analysis, and rehearsal procedure. After completion of Acting I, II, and III, theater majors can apply for more advanced courses
- Advanced Acting features different topics each year, including classes on Shakespeare, clowning, the Meisner Technique, dialects, and other intensive training
- Introduction to Design focuses on the principles of design as applied to the arts of theater design, scenery, costumes, and lighting. Creative projects are intended to develop concepts of visual imagery
- Multicultural Theater looks at the origins and development of contributions in theater and drama by various cultures including Latino and Latina, Chicano and Chicana, African American, Asian American, and Native American artists
- Scenery Drafting Techniques introduces drafting techniques for the scenic artist including plan views and isometric, orthographic, and section views of scenery details. It includes conventions of stage and scenery plans and use of drafting equipment
- Costume History explores the history of clothing in a cultural context, from the Egyptians through the Victorian period to the present
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
Theater arts can easily be integrated with studies in business, English, creative writing, history, and education. Whatever your major, you’ll benefit from training in theater arts. Learn how to work with others on a tight schedule, to collaborate, to communicate effectively, and to take direction—and give it. Learn to take the stage and hold the attention of others. Explore your expressive side.
Practical Learning
During alternating spring terms, you may apply to join the group of UO theater students who spend the entire term in London with a faculty member. You will attend 50 plays and performances, and work with professional actors, designers, and writers in the London theater scene.
Student Work
Sophie Eleanor Kruip is earning a theater arts degree with a minor in arts and administration. She plans to compete in the American College Theater Festival, has received a scholarship for her contributions to the university theater production program, and is involved in a variety of organizations, including Students for Choice and the LGBTQA. “The theater arts major at the UO goes far beyond acting into the realms of design, production, script analysis, play direction, history, and so much more. You can choose which areas you want to delve deeper into, which makes the major unique to your interests.”
Eryn Cangi is a theater arts major who also is working on two minors, one in Spanish and one in business administration. She’s been awarded multiple scholarships and enjoyed working for the Lord Leebrick Theatre in Eugene as a stagehand, box office volunteer, and stage manager. She also has worked for Eugene’s John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts as an assistant stage manager. “In the theater department one of the best things is the cohesive, team-family feel. Everyone knows everyone and everyone is on a first-name basis. Sometimes professors will go out for a snack with students after a scene showcase or final exam. A high level of professionalism and quality education is in place while maintaining a sense of familiarity.”
Selected Faculty Work
Professor Sandy Bonds teaches courses in costume design, costume history, and construction techniques. Her students also learn design theory and practice, rendering skills, and the cultural contexts of costume history.
Assistant Professor Sara Freeman teaches theater history, theory, and literature. Her research interests include historiography, alternative British theater companies, and British playwrights.
Instructor Joseph Gilg teaches courses in arts administration, directing, and lighting design. He joined the UO theater arts department in 1992.
Associate Professor Jerry Hooker teaches courses in scenic design, theatrical rendering techniques, scenic painting, properties design, and construction.
Assistant Professor Theresa May teaches courses on literature, ecocriticism, new works, and acting.
Senior Instructor Janet Rose teaches courses in lighting design, introductory theater technology, stage management, and advanced theater technologies.
Assistant Professor Jennifer Schlueter’s interests include American popular culture and entertainment, European and American modernism, and theorizing American race and ethnicity. She teaches playwriting and adaptation, history-literature, and specialized courses in African American performance and American popular entertainment.
Associate Professor John Schmor is interested in 20th-century avant-garde theater history, devising new works, and Shakespeare. He teaches classes in acting, production theory, and devising new works.
Career Opportunities
Become an actor, stage manager, costume or stage designer, theater technician, or technical director. Theater companies also fill many positions outside of these production areas. Pursue a career in box office, marketing, dramaturgy, or educational outreach. Or apply your skills to productions with a cause—maybe health, environmental, or cultural issues. You might develop theater arts programs in communities with limited resources. About half of our majors go on to do some form of theater and continue working in the profession. The other half move on to careers that often include teaching, law, communications, and design.
Contact Information
(541) 346-4171
(541) 346-1978 fax