The School of Theatre is one of three schools in the College of Fine Arts. Theatre is housed in the Griffith Fine Arts Building. We have planned our program of study to serve the theatre student in several important ways:
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by encouraging individual development through disciplined creativity
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by offering professional-level training for students wishing to pursue careers in theatre and related fields, and teacher training for those interested in educational theatre
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by offering a diverse curriculum in which the ideas and passions reflected in the world's most memorable and thought-provoking dramatic creations, past and present, are studied
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by providing cultural and entertainment experiences to the university and to all of East Texas
Accreditation: The theatre programs at SFA are accredited by both the Texas Educational Theatre Association and the National Association of Schools of Theatre. Our programs meet or surpass some of the strictest standards in the nation. The SFA School of Theatre also is an institutional member of United States Institute for Theatre Technology and Association for Theatre in Higher Education.
Theatre Facilities
The School of Theatre has three production facilities. W.M. Turner Auditorium, our "mainstage," is a 1,058-seat proscenium theatre housed in the Griffith Fine Arts Building. The Downstage Theatre is an adaptable "black box" space for students. The Upstage Theatre, our studio theatre, provides beginning and advanced students of acting and directing an excellent facility for the preparation and performance of scene work and smaller productions.
Unique Opportunities in Theatre
- Professional Internship Program: Milwaukee Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, The Guthrie Theater, Theatre 3 (Dallas) and Dallas Children's Theatre
- Study in London, England; Tallinn, Estonia; Barcelona and Madrid, Spain. SFA theatre students have the unique opportunity to study European Theatre Arts for one full year of academic credit at some of Europe's most prestigious professional training academies.
- Alpha Psi Omega: Theatre Honorary Society
- Summer program in Dublin, Ireland
Production Program
The SFA School of Theatre's production schedule is a dynamic and integral part of our total program. We offer a wide range of production opportunities in acting, directing, stage management, technology, and design in a number of areas.
The Mainstage Series: Each season at least four faculty-directed productions are presented in the W.M. Turner Auditorium. The Mainstage Series also features the work of theatre professionals. These guest artists (actors, directors and designers) give SFA students a valuable opportunity to work with professionals from theatres throughout the world.
Play Reading Festival under the direction of Jack Heifner: Every other year, theatre students are given the opportunity to present rehearsed readings of new plays by some of America's most distinguished playwrights including Jack Heifner (playwright in residence), Carol Hall, David Ives, James McLure, William M. Hoffman and Tina Howe. These are the same plays that will later be seen on professional stages throughout the world.
The Student Production Program: This series of one-act and full-length plays is presented in the Upstage and Downstage Theatres with student-directors and designers working under faculty supervision. Anywhere from 15 to 25 productions are mounted here every season. Our production program is one of the most diverse and active of any university in the country.
The Original Cast: This cabaret-musical-revue troupe of about 15 performers is designed to give students interested in musical theatre performance an opportunity to practice their craft in an ever-changing variety of performance spaces and circumstances. This group performs before thousands of East Texans throughout the academic year.
Summer Repertory Theatre: A three-week season of comedies, musicals and lighter fare is presented each summer on the mainstage by the SFA Summer Rep. The company is limited in number and chosen by audition.
Scholarships
The School of Theatre annually holds auditions for scholarships for incoming freshmen and transfer students.
The school also employs a limited number of work-study students who qualify for the work-study program under federal guidelines based primarily on financial need.
Students also may gain hourly employment as student assistants in the Theatre Office, the Scene Shop, Costume Shop, etc.
For more information, contact the School of Theatre at shattucksh@sfasu.edu or 936.468.4003