The Theatre Department at Indiana University Southeast gives students the opportunity in both performance and technical concentrations to leave the department with a full grasp of not only their own area of expertise, but of theatre as a whole. Upon graduation, students will have an understanding of their talents and the skills they will need to continue to improve to achieve their goals.

The Theatre Department provides students with the knowledge and skills to grapple with issues of integrity, ethics and the relationship between life in the theatre and the “outside world” in terms of self expression, responsibility, and involvement in making positive contributions to society as a whole.

The following policies apply to the tracks in Theatre and Theatre Business

• GPA: All required core courses in the Theatre track must be completed with a minimum grade of C or higher.
• Graduation Requirements: All Baccalaureate degrees offered by IU Southeast requires a minimum of 120 credit hours and a minimum of 30 credit hours of upper level coursework (300-level or above). No more than 64 credit hours earned in accredited junior/community colleges may be applied towards a Baccalaureate degree. The University Residency Requirement dictates that students must complete no less than 26 credit hours at IU Southeast during their senior year and no less than 10 credit hours of coursework in the major field of study. Students must complete all General Education and Bachelor of Arts requirements.  For a major in Theatre/Theatre Business, students must complete all courses listed in the program's degree plan. Further, the Department also must approve all transfer credits into the major.
• Transfer credits (Resident, Transfer, and Returning Students): Students who originally enrolled at IU Southeast, who have completed the requirements for admission into the Theatre program, and who have been continuously enrolled at IU Southeast (no more than three consecutive semesters without enrolling at IUS) are considered resident students. A student transferring from another university, or changes majors within IU Southeast, will be considered a resident student and will be covered by resident student guidelines.  Students who have not enrolled at IU Southeast for four or more consecutive semesters are considered returning students. 
• Policies for Accepting Transfer Credit:  Department of Theatre policy for those transferring core courses:

• • Prerequisites for core courses must be met (either by completing the course[s] at IU Southeast or through transfer credit from another university) before a student may enroll in the core course.
  • All of the core courses must be completed either by taking the appropriate course, or through substitution via a comparable course transferred from another institution or department.
  • The authority to decide which, if any, courses will be accepted for transfer credit will rest with the student's advisor (with the consent of the faculty of the Theatre Department). The student's advisor may require a syllabus or some other evidence of a course's suitability for transfer credit before a decision is made.
  • Students may not use correspondence courses in theatre for academic credit.
  • Students may take one theatre course through Metroversity per year, totaling no more than 4 Metroversity courses.
  • Transfer students must also meet the distribution and graduation requirements as they appear in the IU Southeast Bulletin.

• Returning Students: Returning students must meet the distribution and major requirements as outlined in the IU Southeast Bulletin for the term in which they re-enroll.  Core courses completed more than five years prior to re-enrollment will be accepted for credit on a case by case basis to be determined by the Department of Theatre faculty.  All students (resident, transfer, and returning) must meet the B.A. requirements for distribution and major courses outlined in the IU Southeast Bulletin.

University policies: Students must adhere to all university policies and rules as described in the IU Southeast Bulletin in effect when a student enrolls in the university.

Scholarships/Awards

The Rasmussen Scholarship

The Rasmussen Awards are funded by an endowment given to Indiana University Southeast by Mrs. Naomi K. Rasmussen of New Albany, Indiana. The Indiana University Foundation holds the fund in trust, and a percentage of the fund’s earnings are awarded annually to exceptional students in the performing arts.

The Rasmussen Awards are intended to strengthen and support the performing arts at Indiana University Southeast by offering talented students monetary assistance for full participation in musical, theatrical, and/or dance performing groups.

Award amounts vary with each student. Students who qualify will be awarded funds which may cover tuition and fees for up to 30 credit hours per academic year. Awards are given on a year-to-year basis. A student in good standing who has fulfilled previous award obligations may apply each year for the award. Please be aware, however, that these awards are competitive.

Qualifications: Students who receive this award will be selected on the basis of their past participation and success in theatrical production or performance, their grades, the strength of their recommendations, their audition and/or portfolio presentation, and their commitment to participation in a broad range of theatre.

Complete information, including audition dates and times, may be found on the Theatre Department web page (https://www.ius.edu/theatre).

Degree/Certificate Requirements

See “General Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees at IU Southeast” and “General Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree.”

General Education Component

Applicable to all Theatre tracks

Note: This is not a re-statement of the University’s General Education Requirement but a list of specific General Education courses which are also requirements or prerequisites for course work in the school/major.

• THTR-T 120 Acting I

Theatre Concentration

BA Distribution Component

• THTR-T 270 Introduction to History of Theatre I                   
• THTR-T 271 Introduction to History of Theatre II   

Students must complete each of the following core requirements. Students may substitute THTR-T 320 Acting III for the THTR-T 220 Acting II course with permission of theatre faculty.

Core Program

• THTR-T 220 Acting II
• THTR-T 222 Voice for the Actor
• THTR-T 225 Stagecraft I
• THTR-T 363 Modern Plays for Stage Interpretation

Major Specific Requirements 

Theatre Design – minimum 3 credit hours from the following:

• THTR-T     230             Stage Costuming I                                          
• THTR-T     326             Scene Design                                                  
• THTR-T     335             Stage Lighting I                                              
• THTR-T     433             Costume Design                                             

Dramatic Literature – minimum 3 credit hours from the following:

• THTR-T     275             American Theatre: The Black Experience & Contribution                
• ENG-L       203             Introduction to Drama                                    
• ENG-L       308             Elizabethan Drama and Its Background        
• ENG-L       313             Early Plays of Shakespeare                            
• ENG-L       314             Late Plays of Shakespeare                             
• ENG-L       328             Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
• ENG-L       363             American Drama
• ENG-L       365             Modern Drama: Continental
• ENG-L       366             Modern Drama: English, Irish, and American

Practical Experience – 6 credits to be chosen as a combination of the following:

• THTR-T     349             Theatre Practicum (max. 2 credits per sem. for a total of 6 credits)
• THTR-T     385             Theatre Laboratory (max. 2 credits per semester)

Three (3) credit hour Senior Capstone Experience and Portfolio Review: Junior level theatre-track majors must schedule a capstone experience to be completed during their senior year of study with a member of the theatre faculty.

See theatre web site (https://www.ius.edu/theatre) for capstone requirements.

Electives

• THTR-T 221 Movement for the Actor
• THTR-T 230 Stage Costuming I  
• THTR-T 236 Readers Theatre I  
• THTR-T 275 American Theatre: The Black Experience & Contribution  
• THTR-T 310 Creative Dramatics  
• THTR-T 315 Oral Interpretation II  
• THTR-T 320 Acting III  
• THTR-T 325 Voice and Speech  
• THTR-T 326 Scene Design I  
• THTR-T 335 Stage Lighting  
• THTR-T 340 Directing I  
• THTR-T 345 Theatre for Children  
• THTR-T 349 Theatre Practicum (max. 2 credits per sem. for a total of 6 credits)
• THTR-T 385 Theatre Laboratory (max. 2 credits per semester)
• THTR-T 390 Creative Work in Summer Theatre (1-3; may be repeated once for credit)
• THTR-T 400 Arts Management  
• THTR-T 410 Movement for the Theatre  
• THTR-T 424 Stagecraft II  
• THTR-T 433 Costume Design  
• THTR-T 446 Theatre for Children  
• THTR-T 453 Playwriting I  
• THTR-T 458 Screenwriting  
• THTR-T 483 Topics in Theatre and Drama (1-3; may be repeated once for credit if topic differs)
• THTR-T 490 Independent Study in Theatre and Drama (1-6 credits)

Capstone

• THTR-T 490 Independent Study in Theatre and Drama

Theatre Business Concentration

BA Distribution Component

Theatre Components

• THTR-T 270 Introduction to History of Theatre I
• THTR-T 271 Introduction to History of Theatre II

Business Components

• PSY-P 101 Introductory Psychology I
• SOC-S 163 Social Problems
• ECON-E 101 Survey of Economic Issues and Problems

Core Program

Theatre Components

• THTR-T 225 Stagecraft I
• THTR-T 340 Directing I
• THTR-T 400 Arts Management

Business Components

• BUS -A 201 Introduction to Financial Accounting
• BUS-L 201 Legal Environment of Business
• BUS-M 300 Introduction to Marketing Management
• BUS-M 415 Advertising and Promotion Management
• Professional Internship

Major Specific Requirements

Dramatic Literature – minimum of 3 credit hours from the following:

• THTR-T 275 American Theatre: The Black Experience & Contribution
• THTR-T 363 Modern Plays for Stage Interpretation
• ENG-L 203 Introduction to Drama
• ENG-L 308 Elizabethan Drama and Its Background
• ENG-L 313 Early Plays of Shakespeare
• ENG-L 314 Late Plays of Shakespeare
• ENG-L 328 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama
• ENG-L 363 American Drama
• ENG-L 365 Modern Drama: Continental
• ENG-L 366 Modern Drama: English, Irish, and American

Practical Experience – 4 credits chosen as a combination of the following:  

• THTR-T 349 Theatre Practicum ( max. 2 credits per sem. for a total of 6 credits)
• THTR-T 385 Theatre Laboratory ( max. 2 credits per semester)

Students must choose one of the following:

• MATH-M 119 Brief Survey of Calculus I

  OR

• MATH -M 122 College Algebra

  AND

• CSCI –C 106 Introduction to Computers and Their Use
• ENG-W 231 Professional Writing Skills

Specific Requirements for Concentration

Students must take six (6) credit hours of electives from the recommended list below:

Advertising courses in communication studies may also be used to fulfill the elective requirement.

Three (3) credit hour Senior Capstone Experience and Portfolio Review: Junior level theatre-track majors must schedule a capstone experience to be completed during their senior year of study with a member of the theatre faculty.

See theatre web site (https://www.ius.edu/theatre) for capstone requirement

Electives

• BUS-A 202 Introduction to Managerial Accounting
• BUS-F 260 Personal Finance
• COAS-W 100 Introduction to Business
• FINA-P 273 Computer Art and Design I
• SPCH-S 223 Business and Professional Communication
• SPCH-S 324 Persuasion
• MUS-U 411 Performing Arts Center Management

Capstone

• THTR-T 490 Independent Study in Theatre and Drama