This page is intended to answer some of the
many questions that the parents of a prospective Theatre major usually
have. If you have any other questions or comments, please contact Dr.
Brad Wright at bwright@uindy.edu or use the form at the bottom of this page.
As one of the largest industries in this country, the entertainment
field offers a wide variety of opportunities for theatre majors. It
employs people in a host of capacities, from stage to screen work,
voice-over to on-camera work, cable television to CD-ROM games. The
breadth of opportunities extends well beyond "Broadway" and we encourage
our students to be open to a variety of possibilities. Some of our
students go on to graduate school, some teach, others become designers
or technicians, while a select few go on to theatre work in Chicago,
Los Angeles, New York, or elsewhere.
In the Department of Theatre, we sincerely believe in the liberal
arts philosophy that our goal is to graduate well-rounded, educated
human beings. We are not a vocational training program, nor do we
strive to be. Our goal is to provide tools that develop and focus
your daughter's or son's creative energy within a liberal arts context.
These tools can help your child find success in whatever fields she
or he pursues.
On the other hand, we also firmly believe in preparing our students for the realities of life in the theatre after graduation. To that end, we offer a broad preparation that will serve as a solid foundation for any theatre specialization. This preparation includes a class devoted to "business" issues such as agents, unions, pictures/resumes/portfolios, etc. We continually provide career counseling to our students and encourage them to begin such considerations early in their academic lives. We encourage our students to get "real-life" experience outside of the department and to cultivate the networking contacts so vital to career success.
We strive to instill the habits and qualities of perseverance, persistence, and reliability in our students. Furthermore, no matter where your daughter or son works, all employers value the organizational, time-management, collaboration, and self-presentation skills she or he will develop in the Department of Theatre. One of our recent graduates is currently pursuing his Master of Fine Arts degree in lighting design at Purdue University, another finished his law degree at Notre Dame and is a working attorney down state, while yet another student who performed in numerous productions recently graduated from Yale Law School. Other recent grads are stage managing professionally, teaching, and working in arts administration. For more information about our graduates, visit our Alumni page.
Yes! We encourage our students to participate in internships with theatres around Indianapolis and the region. After graduation, prospective employers value professional or other non-college work experience on an applicant's résumé. We encourage students to pursue theatre work outside of the Department as long as such work does not interfere with course work or Departmental responsibilities. Internships may be paid or unpaid.
Credit-bearing Internships are administered through the Office of Cooperative Education. All internships are intended to enable college students to integrate classroom studies with actual professional experience, while providing off-campus employers with a cost-effective staffing option. Interested students should contact a Faculty member and visit the Office of Cooperative Education for a packet that includes information and application forms.
The Theatre curriculum does not include a credit bearing Internship course, but if a student is interested in receiving college credit for a work experience, that student should contact the Chair of the Department. A noncredit bearing internship, whether paid or unpaid, will appear on a student's official transcript. Some students choose not to pursue official internships, but work or volunteer at other professionally managed theatres throughout Indianapolis. All of these situations provide our students with experience, resume credits, and valuable networking opportunities.
Yes! The Department of Theatre has extensive scholarship money available to full-time Theatre Majors and Theatre Teaching Majors. These scholarships can be up to 1/4 tuition, with the exact dollar amount depending on the total financial aid package. Award of these scholarships is based on an audition/portfolio review/interview. Participation in all major productions, maintaining at least a 2.5 GPA, and making excellent progress towards graduation are required to renew the Theatre scholarship. Theatre scholarships are renewable up to eight full-time semesters.
The University of Indianapolis Financial Aid Office works very hard to put financial aid packages together for each student that help make it possible to attend. We encourage you to submit your daughter's or son's application and your financial aid paperwork--you may be surprised at how affordable a quality education can be.
In addition to the extensive scholarship money that is available, the Department of Theatre employs many students in our paid "stage crew." Such work includes but is not limited to, working on University events such as Lecture/Performance series and outside or special events such as pageants, dance concerts, and so on. Stage crew members may be asked to run lights, sound, or work backstage, to set up microphones or lighting, and to handle any other production needs as they arise. Furthermore, Stage Crew members may accrue hours working on special projects or productions as deemed necessary by the faculty/staff. If you qualify, your daughter or son may work on the stage crew through the University's work-study program
Many of our students hold part-time jobs while in school. Although we are very demanding of our students' time and energy, it is possible to juggle a job, academics, and work in the theatre. However, it takes great dedication and time management skills, both of which we strive to instill in our students. We try to be flexible in this regard, and attempt to provide our students with scheduling information well in advance so they may plan all their obligations.
Unfortunately, there is no "typical" week; it all depends on the particular duties of the individual student at any given time. Cast members and some of the production team members of a play may be in rehearsal five nights a week from 7:30 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. for approximately five weeks. Everyone is also expected to pitch in and help build scenery, hang and focus lights, work on costumes, etc. Expectations for cast and running crew members are obviously lower than for those not rehearsing every evening. These hours have ranged from 3-6 hours per week. Once tech and production weeks roll around, virtually everyone will be involved for long hours in the theatre. However, we truly believe that these hours in the theatre are co-curricular; the Ransburg Auditorium and Studio Theatre are classrooms where students are literally learning by doing.
In general, class sizes at UIndy are small. In the theatre, we cap the beginning acting and directing classes at 12 students. Other classes are of similar size with the more advanced acting and design classes usually being comprised of 6-8 students. It is this intimate and nurturing atmosphere that helps us provide the individualized attention so important to our students.
© University of Indianapolis • 1400 East Hanna Avenue •
Indianapolis, Indiana 46227 • U.S.A.
(317) 788–3455 • 800–232–8634 • theatre.uindy.edu • bwright@uindy.edu
