Theater Areas of Study | SIU

This three year course of study includes in-depth instruction in playwriting, theater history, performance theory, dramatic literature and script analysis. The focused curriculum along with production and written thesis requirements combine to provide proficiency in all elements of directing theatrical performances. The directing MFA Program includes five major areas of instruction:

• A directing seminar which focuses on the theoretical background of directing.
• First year MFA students will direct a qualifier production chosen by the Head of Directing.
• Second year directing students must direct a heightened language production such as Shakespeare or other classical works.
• Third year MFA students in the directing program will direct a fully-realized production, complete with a full team of designers led by the directing student.
• A written thesis must be completed by the MFA directing student which correlates the director’s work to theoretical concepts and a reflection of his or her experience in the program.

Throughout the course of study for MFA students focusing on playwriting, courses focus on performance theory, dramatic literature, script analysis and theater history. Five major areas are covered during the three-year program which include:

• Short plays written weekly in collaboration with colleagues that result in three to five minutes script-in-hand productions.
• The first year seminar focuses on the structure and theories of playwriting in a two-part course that results in a full-length play at the end of the first year of instruction.
• First year workshops that include readings of full-length plays in the spring and second and third year workshops that focus on the completion of full-length written plays over the course of the academic year.
• Professional development meetings each week with the head of the program to focus on playwright development and the business of playwriting itself.
• The New Plays Festival which has different roles for first, second and third year graduate students. In years one and two, MFA students collaborate with actors and directors to produce a public staged reading of thesis plays while third year students create a full production of their completed scripts.

This area of study in the MFA program is part of the design and production specialization and is a three-year course of study that focuses on the technical, artistic and scholarly aspects of costume design. Graduate students gain an abundance of experience and instruction with the completion of several projects:

• MFA costume design students must assist another designer in at least one fully realized production per year before moving on to creating designs of their own.
• Costume design graduate students also assist in other areas of production by working in positions including draper, craft artisan and wig and makeup design.
• Coursework in the costume design graduate program includes rendering, craft skills, millinery, wigs and draping. Instruction is also focused on period styles, the history of costumes, architecture, decor and construction.
• Regular portfolio reviews by program faculty members help encourage guidance prior to graduation while networking opportunities at national conferences concerning the business of design, such as USITT, are facilitated by the program.

Another field within the design and production specialization, lighting design includes coursework and practical training in all areas of design. (I don’t know if this is relevant. It was on the existing page: Recent graduates have found successful careers at The Center Stage, Theater Lawrence, Children’s Theater of Omaha and Vincent Lighting Systems, to name a few.) The coursework and production experience in the lighting design program include the following opportunities:

• An in depth study of the physics of light, human psychology and physiology related to the “art of seeing”. Current industry standards, practices and technology are imparted to students during this coursework.
• Two well equipped performance venues on campus with an inventory of more than 300 conventional and intelligent lighting fixtures , accessories and control consoles.
• Paid design and production positions in the McLeod Summer Playhouse each year.

The scenic design MFA program of study includes specialized training and instruction in all areas of design to ensure graduates receive top notch knowledge in the many skills involved in creating the visual appearance used to enhance the stories within plays and musicals. Students learn about the production and use of scenic elements in several ways at SIU.

• Use of two fully functional, well equipped performance venues including the McLeod Theater and the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater.
• A professionally active design faculty who are immersed in the current world of theatrical productions.
• Fully-realized design opportunities throughout each of the three years of coursework.

In the advanced study of technical direction in the MFA program at SIU, students gain the skills necessary to flourish in this specialized field of design and production. Numerous scholarly, design and production opportunities exist within the Theater program for technical direction graduate students.

• The completion of at least two fully-realized productions each of the three years during the program.
• Thesis production focused on the development of mastery of research, analysis, process and evaluation skills.
• Automation instruction with the use of Creative Conners and ZFX automation equipment, 4+ axis of movement and integration of current motors and pneumatics.
• Collaborative involvement with program faculty at national conferences for SETC and USITT.
• Summer employment opportunities with the McLeod Summer Playhouse as well as networking opportunities through faculty and alumni contacts at Cirque de Soleil, Glimmerglass Opera, The Guthrie Theater and Hall & Associates.