Musical Theatre

Degree: B.F.A., Performing Arts
Department of Theatre and Dance

The B.F.A. in Performing Arts with majors in acting, musical theatre, stage management and theatre design/technology, offers focused pre-professional training coupled with a strong foundation in the liberal arts. Academic, classroom and studio work are coupled with production experiences to build technical skills in the area of specialty, as well as in collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving, organization, and management.

Students will work in a facility with a proscenium theatre and a studio theatre supported by cutting edge audio, lighting, communications, and rigging systems. Production spaces include a scene shop, costume shop, rehearsal studios, dance studios, wig room, dressing rooms, wardrobe, CAD studio, vocal studios, reading room, faculty, staff, production, arts administration, and stage management offices, along with ample public gathering spaces.

UMW Theatre has an impressive record of producing plays and musicals with impressive production values. Recent productions have included Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Men on Boats, The Play That Goes Wrong, Twelfth Night, The Rocky Horror Show, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Fun Home, and Julius Caesar.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will develop of a broad-based knowledge of theatre history, theory, and literature.

2. Students will acquire a facility with the tools and techniques of creating scenery, lighting, and props in the process of creating a theatre production.

3. Students will understand the unique challenges and opportunities of working in the professional theatre as they connect classroom and practical experiences to build a portfolio of proficiencies that transition to life after Mary Washington.

4. Students will engage the art and craft of creating theatre to share with an audience.

5. Students will prove the capacity to work independently on a culminating project in theatre and the ability to frame an informed and articulate opinion of the process and result.

6. Students will demonstrate the ability to physicalize and perform text and lyrics, including understanding the role of action, listening, focus, vulnerability, and truth in the world of the play.

7. Students will analyze characters from a wide variety of periods, styles, and genres with a deep understanding of how political, social, and cultural contexts affect their choices and actions.

8. Students wiill build a flexible, strong voice and the ability to use that voice healthfully, expressively, and effectively as vital tool of a character’s life.

9. Students will build a strong, flexible, body that is capable of expressing effectively and healthfully the physical life of a character.

10. Students will prove the ability to learn and perform dialects.

11. Students will develop strong technique in singing and the ability to execute a wide range of vocal styles required of musical theatre actors.

12. Students will exhibit competency in musicianship, sight singing, music theory and basic piano skills.

13. Students will understand the diverse historical and stylistic idioms of musical theatre repertoire while developing a rich and comprehensive book of song repertoire.

14. Students will become proficient in a range of dance techniques and genres and the ability to quickly grasp and retain choreography in auditions and rehearsals.

15. Students will operate with a deep understanding of professionalism, including, attitude, discipline, a strong work ethic, time management skills, preparation, focus, and a commitment to courtesy, respect, and the collaborative nature of theatre.

Major Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
THEA 131	Technical Production	4
THEA 411	Acting Styles	4
THEA 335	Musical Theatre Performance	3
THEA 336	Musical Theatre Performance	3
THEA 362	Theatre History and Literature	3
THEA 400	Professional Identity and Practice	1
THEA 482	Senior Project	3
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum 1	6
MUTH 101	Aural Skills I	1
MUTH 191	Diatonic Music Theory	3
MUTH 201	Aural Skills II	1
MUPR 205A	Class Piano I	1
MUPR 206	Class Piano II	1
DANC 300	Broadway Jazz 2	9
Additional six credits from:		6
MUPR 301	Private Voice
MUPR 401	Advanced Private Voice
Additional eight credits from:		8
DANC 121A	Beginning Ballet
DANC 122A	Beginning Ballet
DANC 123A	Beginning Modern Dance
DANC 124A	Beginning Modern Dance
DANC 141	Beginning Jazz
DANC 142	Beginning Jazz
DANC 243	Dance Improvisation
DANC 301	Intermediate Ballet
DANC 302	Intermediate Ballet
DANC 303	Intermediate Modern Dance
DANC 304	Intermediate Modern Dance
DANC 305	Intermediate Jazz
DANC 306	Intermediate Jazz
Total Credits		57

¹

All majors are required to enroll in Theatre Practicum each semester except during the semester of the Senior Project; students may count eight practicum credits toward graduation. Six of those credits count toward the major.

²

All majors are required to enroll in Broadway Jazz a minimum of three times for a total of nine credits that count towards the major.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements for Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Fine Arts/Bachelor of Science degrees apply to all students who are seeking to earn an undergraduate B.A., B.F.A., B.S. or B.S.Ed. degree.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree have a separate set of B.L.S general education requirements.

Electives

Elective courses are those that are not needed to fulfill a general education requirement or major program requirement but are chosen by the student to complete the 120 credits required for graduation with a B.A./B.F.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. degree or the B.L.S. degree. These courses may be taken graded or pass/fail (or S/U in the case of physical education and 100-level dance). No student in a regular B.A./B.F.A./B.S./B.S.Ed. program may count more than 60 credits in a single discipline toward the 120 credits required for graduation.

Total Credits Required for the Degree: 120 credits

Plan of Study

This suggested plan of study should serve as a guide to assist students when planning their course selections. It is not a substitute for a student's Degree Evaluation or the Program Requirements listed for this major in the catalog. Academic planning is the student's responsibility, and course selections should be finalized only after speaking with an advisor. Students should familiarize themselves with the catalog in effect at the time they matriculated at the University of Mary Washington. Students should also familiarize themselves with general education requirements which can be fulfilled through general electives as well as major/minor course requirements. Course requirements and sequencing may vary with AP, IB, CLEP, Cambridge or previous coursework, transfer courses, or other conditions. To be considered full-time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in 12 or more credits for the semester.

Plan of Study Grid

Freshman
Fall		Credits
FSEM 100	First-Year Seminar	3
MUTH 100	Materials and Sources for Music Theory 1	3
THEA 321	Acting I	4
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
DANC Elective 2		1
MUPR Voice Elective 3		1
General Education Course		3
	Credits	16
Spring
MUTH 101	Aural Skills I 4	1
MUTH 191	Diatonic Music Theory 4	3
THEA 335	Musical Theatre Performance 5	3
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
DANC Elective		1
MUPR Voice Elective		1
General Education Course		4
	Credits	14
Sophomore
Fall
MUPR 205A	Class Piano I	1
MUTH 201	Aural Skills II	1
THEA 218	Voice and Body Movement	4
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
DANC Elective		2
MUPR Voice Elective		1
General Education Courses		5
	Credits	15
Spring
DANC 300	Broadway Jazz	3
MUPR 206	Class Piano II	1
THEA 322	Acting II	4
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
General Education Courses or Electives		6
	Credits	15
Junior
Fall
THEA 361	Theatre History and Literature	3
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
THEA 411	Acting Styles 5	4
DANC Elective		2
MUPR Voice Elective		1
General Education Courses or Electives		5
	Credits	16
Spring
DANC 300	Broadway Jazz	3
THEA 336	Musical Theatre Performance 5	3
THEA 362	Theatre History and Literature	3
THEA 390	Theatre Practicum	1
MUPR Voice Elective		1
General Education Course or Elective		3
	Credits	14
Senior
Fall
THEA 131	Technical Production 6	4
THEA 400	Professional Identity and Practice	1
DANC Elective		2
General Electives		8
	Credits	15
Spring
DANC 300	Broadway Jazz	3
THEA 482	Senior Project 7	3
MUPR Voice Elective		1
General Electives		8
	Credits	15
	Total Credits	120

¹

Recommended for students without prior music theory experience but not required for the major.

²

Offered every semester. Must earn a total of eight (8) credits in DANC electives.

³

Offered every semester. Must earn a total of six (6) credits in MUPR Voice electives and must be taken in at least six (6) different semesters.

⁴

Students without prior music theory experience should consider completing MUTH 100 Materials and Sources for Music Theory prior to enrolling in this course. 

⁵

Offered in a rotating sequence. May be taken in any semester in which it is offered.

⁶

May be taken in any semester.

⁷

May be taken in fall or spring of senior year.

Theatre and Dance Faculty

Marc A. Williams, Chair and Career Advisor

Professor

Gregg Stull

Associate Professors

Michael G. Benson
Kevin J. McCluskey

Assistant Professors

Bridgette Dennett
Marc A. Williams