Theater BA / Arts Management MA

The Theatre BA/Arts Management MA deliberately links critical artistic and management inquiry to create a dynamic investigation of theatre, its production, and theatre arts environments. The positioning of students between management and artistic practice/discourse creates a perspective designed to give students the versatility to enter, and then grow in the field, as an artist, a manager, and an artist/manager. The degree increases employment prospects through a divergent set of skills in artistic practice and management, while providing varied perspectives of arts environments.

Students start the program studying in a broad range of core theatrical disciplines covering the artistic, literary, historical, and technical aspects of theatre and performance. This broad exposure positions students to define specific areas of interest including acting, directing, dramaturgy, stage management, or theatre studies.

Their study of artistic practice then segues into questions of management and the arts, focusing on the increasingly complex cultural, socioeconomic, legal, and political systems that challenge sustainable arts environments. Students take courses in business and law; cultural theory as a foundation to understand changes in local, national, and international art landscapes; and finish with hands-on, experiential practice with existing arts entities and institutions.

When finished, graduates have developed not only skills in theatre practice, but have accumulated highly sought after skills in writing, technology, presentation, and critical thinking vital to professional success in the 21st century. They emerge ready for a multi-faceted career in theatre environments.