About Cal Poly Theatre & Dance
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The BA Theatre Arts Program at Cal Poly
...provides students with a foundation in the theory and practice of theatre, allowing them to participate in a comprehensive, hands-on training program that delivers a balanced and enriched knowledge of theatre arts: history, dramatic literature, playwriting, performing, production, directing, design, and administrative practices. Participation in mainstage productions, as actors and members of the artistic/production crew, is a key component of each student's education.
WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE
As a small program, the Theatre Arts B.A. allows for faculty to get to know students' abilities and needs as individuals; promoting the selection of special projects, electives, and interests that mesh with their career ambitions. The program is delivered within a Liberal Arts framework, intended to advance the value of collaboration at all levels of study; designed to not only produce theatre artists with strong written and verbal skills, but also globally-minded citizens, prepared to enter into a variety of fields. And, as Theatre majors, students participate as members of a community which promotes the benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion — practicing and advocating openness, respect and fairness.
MAINSTAGE THEATRE PRODUCTIONS (1 each quarter)
The producing of plays is our artistic, academic, and civic responsibility; to present the reflection of experiences both lived and imagined — coming together and actively engaging in the idea that theatre is a story a community tells about itself... The Mainstage Theatre Productions of our department are committed to fostering artistic excellence; presenting to students, faculty, staff, and audience a laboratory for investigation and experimentation; providing opportunity and support for creative expression, intellectual development, and aesthetic appreciation. The productions showcase the capability of live theatre to explore important ideas of the past, present, and future; to portray the vastness of human emotions; and to promote the uniqueness and vitality of storytelling as a means of fostering a diverse and inclusive world. In its doing, our goals are to train artists, develop audience, and build community — promoting the collective nature of live performance and creating an outlet for cultural exposure. All the while, emphasizing that the theatre is a necessary place to dialogue about important issues happening within our world of yesterday… today … and tomorrow.