“At large campuses across the state and country, many times undergraduates are pushed aside in the theatre departments so that graduate students can thrive. At Morris, I was able to step on stage my freshman year and not leave until graduation.”
—Tim Hellendrung ’06
The Theatre Arts Discipline at the University of Minnesota, Morris is designed to help students both appreciate and produce quality theatre. Studying theatre enables the student to develop:
- a creative imagination;
- an inquiring mind;
- a sense of social responsibility;
- professional discipline;
- collaboration skills;
- artistic standards and judgment; and
- insight into the art form.
The curriculum explores the fundamentals of acting, design, and directing, with electives that delve deeper into each area of theatre. The discipline produces multiple productions each year, providing students with opportunities to act, choreograph, or design these shows. In addition, student theatre and improvisation groups produce performances each semester. Here are some of the advantages to studying theatre at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
- Small class sizes
- All classes, including introductory courses, have limited enrollment to ensure maximum enrichment and participation.
- Professional opportunities
- The location of the campus provides excellent opportunities for students to act in, direct, design, and choreograph for area community and educational theatrical organizations.
- Collaboration
- Students may receive stipends or academic credit working with faculty on play production or other forms of creative collaboration.
- Travel
- The discipline typically sponsors spring break or summer trips to the theatre capitals of New York and London. In recent years approximately 80 percent of theatre majors have enjoyed an international educational experience.