Pictured | Natasha Collins | Bachelor of Arts in Theatre / Minor in English | South Bend, Indiana (hometown)

Bachelor of Arts in Theatre

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theatre gives students a broad acquaintance and experience with the various ways theatre artists study, interpret, and articulate the world in which we live.

Academic Advising

Your academic advisor is a critical partner in fostering your success at IU South Bend and beyond. Your advisor will help you explore academic majors and careers, plan your degree, choose classes, learn about internships and study abroad, and much more. To see who is assigned as your advisor, visit your Student Online Advising Record in one.iu.edu. For more information about advising at IU South Bend, visit the website for the Undergraduate Advising Center.

Final responsibility for meeting degree requirements rests with the student.

Questions about advising? Email sbadvise@iu.edu or call (574) 520-4550.

Theatre Upper-Divisional Review

All students are considered pre-Bachelor of Arts students until they pass an upper-divisional review. Students are expected to successfully complete this review at the earliest possible point in their academic careers. Once students earn between 50 and 60 credit hours they are scheduled for their upper-divisional review, which must be undertaken at this time.

Please choose from one of the following options that best represents your academic and career-focus for this review.  This choice should be made in consultation with your advisor: 

• Two contrasting monologues (one classic, one contemporary)
• One contemporary monologue and one 32 bar audition cut of a golden age or contemporary musical theatre song.
• One contemporary or classic monologue and one 45 second, self-choreographed dance piece.
• A Portfolio presentation of your design and/or technical work to date.
• A Portfolio presentation of your design and/or technical work to date and one monologue or song (following guidelines above).

Notes

• In addition, all students will participate in an interview with faculty.
• The audition/interview should show breadth (work in all the areas that a student has studied) and quality (a careful selection of the best work in the student’s area of concentration). The faculty expects to see work that demonstrates ability and improvement.
• The faculty expects students to present their work in good condition and in a manner that expresses their personal development, course of study, or academic goals. For the interview, students are expected to have outlined their achievements so far and goals for the future, as well as to address any faculty questions.
• At the conclusion of the upper-divisional review, the faculty will discuss students' progress. Passing the upper-divisional review will officially transition the student to the BA Theatre degree. 
• In certain cases, the faculty may decline to accept a student into the degree programs, if the quality of either their classroom or studio work is deemed insufficient. A student may attempt to pass upper-divisional review only two times. Each hearing counts as one attempt; failure to meet provisions within a specified time counts as one attempt. Failure to attend a scheduled review counts as one attempt.
• A student can elect to request an upper-divisional review earlier in their educational journey. This must be communicated by the seventh week of the semester to the student’s academic advisor. 

For further questions about this review process, please see your academic advisor or reference the Theatre and Dance Student Handbook.

Degree Requirements (120 cr.)

Degree Map >>

Students receiving the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre degree must complete 120 total credit hours including:

• IU South Bend Campuswide General Education Curriculum (33 cr.) to include:
  • Fundamental Literacies (12 cr.)
    • Writing | ENG-W 131 Reading, Writing, and Inquiry I (minimum grade of C)
    • Oral Communication | SPCH-S 121 Public Speaking (minimum grade of C)
    • Quantitative Reasoning | Accomplishment of Level 6 placement or 3 credits from approved courses
    • Critical Thinking; selected from curriculum approved as Critical Thinking
  • Common Core | at least one course at 300–level or above (12 cr.)
    • Art, Aesthetics, and Creativity | selected from curriculum approved as Art, Aesthetics, and Creativity; THTR-A 399 preferred for theatre majors
    • Human Behavior and Social Institutions
    • Literary and Intellectual Traditions | selected from curriculum approved as Literary and Intellectual Traditions; THTR-T 190 preferred for theatre majors
    • The Natural World
  • Contemporary Social Values (6 cr.)
  • Extended Literacies (3 cr.)
    • THTR-T 228 Design for the Theatre preferred for theatre majors
• Theatre Core (40 cr.)
• Concentration (26 cr.)
• Required Minor (15-18 cr.)
• Free electives (balance of credits needed to equal 120 cr. requirement)

• At least 30 credit hours just be at the 300– or 400–level
• Minimum Major GPA of 2.0
• Requirement of one academic minor outside of the Department of Theatre and Dance
• Reviews at the end of each spring semester
• Successful participation in at least one production per enrolled semester in the co-curricular production season.
• BA students must declare their intent to focus on either performance or design and technical production by the end of their first semester of matriculation.  
• Courses required for the major must be completed with a grade of C- or higher.
• All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise noted.

Theatre Core (40 cr.)

• THTR-T 120 Acting One: Fundamentals of Acting
• THTR-T 225 Stagecraft 1
• THTR-T 230 Costume Technology I
• THTR-T 340 Directing I: Fundamentals of Directing
• THTR-T 341 Theatre Production I (2 cr.)
  Taken three times total (Semesters 1, 2, and 3)
• THTR-T 342 Theatre Production II (2 cr.)
  Taken three times total (Semesters 4, 5, and 6)
• THTR-T 343 Theatre Production III (2 cr.)
  Taken two times total (Semesters 7 and 8)
• THTR-T 405 Stage Management 
• THTR-T 470 History of the Theatre 1
• THTR-T 471 History of the Theatre 2

Select one of the following:

• THTR-T 326 Introduction to Scenic Design
• THTR-T 335 Stage Lighting Design
• THTR-T 339 Introduction to Costume Design

Concentration (26 cr.)

• THTR-A 190 Art, Aesthetics, and Creativity
  VT: Introduction to Theatre
• THTR-T 102 Acting Ensemble for Directing (1 cr.)
• THTR-T 220 Acting II: Scene Study 
• THTR-T 327 Period Styles
• THTR-T 434 Historic Costumes for the Stage

Select two of the following (6 cr.)

• THTR-T 249 Drafting and Color Media
• THTR-T 326 Introduction to Scenic Design
• THTR-T 332 Scene Painting
• THTR-T 335 Stage Lighting Design
• THTR-T 339 Introduction to Costume Design
• THTR-T 413 Acting: Period Perfomance Styles
• THTR-T 424 Stagecraft 2
• THTR-T 430 Costume Technology II

Select one of the following (3 cr.)

• THTR-T 402 The Business of Acting
• THTR-T 449 Profession of Theatre Design

Dance Techniques (4 cr.)

Select two of the following:

• THTR-D 110 Social Dance (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 111 Introduction to Latin Dance (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 115 Modern Dance I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 120 Ballet I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 130 Flamenco I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 135 African Dance 1 (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 140 Jazz Dance I (2 cr.) 
• THTR-D 150 Middle Eastern Dance I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 170 Tap I (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 215 Modern Dance II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 220 Ballet II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 230 Flamenco Dance II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 240 Jazz Dance II (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 250 Middle Eastern Dance 2 (2 cr.)
• THTR-D 270 Tapp II (2 cr.)

Additional Requirements

• THTR-T 114 Theatre and Dance Symposium (0 cr.)
  Required every semester of enrollment