The First Year
Freshmen begin by building a strong foundation in the theatre core. All students take classes in acting, voice, movement, technical theatre, and costuming. The entire freshmen class progresses through the foundations courses together, building strong bonds and a support system that lasts throughout the Marshall experience.
The Second Year
During the sophomore year, students complete the theatre core and begin to separate into areas of emphasis: Performance or Production. Performance students take Auditioning Techniques, where they begin to prepare professional materials such as headshots, resumes, digital portfolios, and diverse monologue repertoires. Production students study mechanical and computer-assisted drawing techniques, sketching, and color application.
Completion of the theatre core leads to the Sophomore Review. This juried presentation serves as a mid-career progress report and assists students in defining goals for the final two years of study and beyond.
The Third Year
The junior year offers rigorous coursework specific to the area of emphasis. Performance students take advanced acting courses rooted in the Meisner Technique, along with advanced voice and movement courses in Period Style and Physical Approaches to Text. Production students select upper-level courses in scenic, costume or lighting design depending on your interests. You will also begin your theatre history studies and apply your knowledge of history and text analysis to coursework according to your discipline.
In the summer between the junior and senior years theatre majors complete a professional residency. One hundred percent of our students secure residencies with professional theatre companies or in specialized training programs where they gain hands-on experience and form important industry connections that will serve their career development for years to come.
The Fourth Year
In the final year of study, students complete their coursework by choosing from a diverse array of theatre electives. Directing, special effects makeup, musical theatre and playwriting are just a few of the choices available. In the senior year, all Marshall University students complete Capstone Experiences in which four years of training are synthesized and applied in a culminating project.