The undergraduate program in Theatre Arts at the University of Pennsylvania
The undergraduate program in Theatre Arts at the University of Pennsylvania
The Theatre Arts Program at Penn offers students the opportunity to study theatre in the classroom and in production work under the guidance of faculty members who are experienced and trained actors, directors, scholars, and teachers. Structured as a comprehensive liberal arts curriculum, the program offers a full range of courses in all areas of theatre study, among them: acting, directing, design, theatre history, dramatic literature, performance theory, playwriting, dramaturgy, musical theatre, as well as many other specialized topics. Students may also receive course credit for working on faculty-directed productions. Guest artist-teachers provide the opportunity for additional training in such areas as voice, movement, solo performance, physical theatre, etc. Penn takes advantage of its location—Philadelphia has a vibrant and active theatre community and we incorporate local productions in our classes and extra-curricular activities as often as possible.
Each year Theatre Arts mounts several productions, directed by members of the faculty and by advanced majors, and all Penn students are welcome to audition. For nearly thirty years, the program has staged plays and performance pieces from many different places, periods, and genres. The educational philosophy of the Theatre Arts Program is that academic and artistic courses go hand in hand and that serious study in the classroom and applied work in the rehearsal room are both integral aspects of learning the rigorous and rewarding art of theatre-making.