The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design and Technical Theatre provides preparation for successful careers in performing arts, entertainment and cultural industries.

Admission

Portfolio review in person or via SlideRoom and interview. Please consult Dramatic Arts website for current admission details.

Supplementary Scholastic Standards

To be considered in good standing, B.F.A. in Design and Technical Theatre students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7 for all graded coursework as it appears on their university transcript. Design and Technical Theatre majors must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for all courses required within the major. Students who do not meet these GPA requirements will be placed on program-level warning.

At the end of each semester all students are required to fully participate in a review process to meaningfully assess student progress. Failure to participate in the end-of-semester review process, or an unsatisfactory score in that process, will result in being placed on program level warning. 

Students on program-level warning should refer to the Department Handbook for details on how warning status impacts production assignments and other opportunities. 

If the student’s standing does not rise to the minimum level during the subsequent semester attended by the student, they will be subject to dismissal from the B.F.A. in Design and Technical Theatre.

In the event a student is discontinued from the BFA Design and Technical Theatre program, they will be eligible to file a written appeal within 10 days of their notice of discontinuation. Students should refer to the Department’s Handbook for details on the dismissal policy and process.

Semester Review and Exhibition Policy

All Design and Technical Theatre students are required to participate in the “Semester Review" or "Exhibition Gallery” when held each term. Participation is defined as meaningfully supporting the load in, presentation, and strike of the exhibition as assessed by the faculty.

The Semester Review and Exhibition Gallery are pedagogical cornerstones of our program with the following goals:

• Create an opportunity for students to practice the essential skills of public speaking/interviewing/presenting, which is prevalent especially in our “freelance” focused industry.
• Create real world connections and job prospects, network within the industry and with collaborators beyond any individual’s discipline, and scaffold career support beyond four years.
• Create an opportunity for students to practice the essential skill of self-assessment and self-evaluation in order to become participants in their own education.
• Assess individual progress and preparedness as students move through our program and in doing so equitably evaluate what the next steps are for each student’s path in the program.

Required Software

Each Bachelor of Fine Arts Student in the Design and Technical area, and any other student taking any of the digital design courses, must own a personal portable computer that meets or exceeds posted departmental performance standards. Students should expect to purchase an up-to-date version of Adobe’s Creative Cloud for Education and install it on their personal computer for most of their time in residence, either for design classes that require it or for production assignments as assistants and designers.

Location

• Storrs Campus

Modality

• In Person

Requirements

Core Courses

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
DRAM 1201	Drafting for the Theatre	3
DRAM 1202	Computer Drafting for the Theatre	3
DRAM 1207	Design Fundamentals	3
DRAM 1209	Drawing and Painting Techniques for the Theatre	3
DRAM 1216	Theatre Production: Lighting And Sound	3
DRAM 1217	Theatre Production: Costumes And Makeup	3
DRAM 1218	Theatre Production: Stagecraft	3
DRAM 2141	Script and Performance Analysis	3
DRAM 3199	Independent Study	12
DRAM 3201	Scene Construction	3
DRAM 3220	Sound for the Theatre	3
DRAM 3301	Scene Design	3
DRAM 3401	Costume History	3
DRAM 3501	Lighting for the Theatre	3
Select nine credits from the following:		9
DRAM 2103	Introduction to Stage Management
DRAM 3202	Rigging
DRAM 3219	Sound Technology and Production Audio
DRAM 3302	Scene Design
DRAM 3320	Scenic Painting Techniques
DRAM 3402	Costume Design
DRAM 3420	Wearable Electronics and Interactive Objects
DRAM 3440	Costume Technology
DRAM 3502	Lighting for the Theatre
DRAM 3602	Paper Sculpture
DRAM 3603	Rod Puppetry
DRAM 3604	Puppetry in Television

Additional Required Courses

Diverse Perspectives

All students in the department are required to take at least one course within the major that contributes to the advancing of diverse perspectives. Courses that count toward this requirement include:

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Diverse Perspectives
Select one of the following:		3
DRAM 1501	Introduction to World Puppetry
DRAM 2136	Asian Theatre and Performance
DRAM 2137	Asian American Theatre and Performance
DRAM 2138	Islam on Stage
DRAM 3130	Women in Theatre: Gender Identity and Expression on the Stage
DRAM 3131	Black Theatre
DRAM 3132	African-American Women Playwrights, 1900 to the present
DRAM 3133	Latina/o Theatre
DRAM 3139	Theatre and Human Rights

When applicable, courses taken to fulfill this requirement may also be counted toward the department history and literature-based course requirement.

History and Literature

Students must complete the following history and literature courses:

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
DRAM 2130	Histories of Drama and Performance I	3
DRAM 2131	Histories of Drama and Performance II	3
Select six credits selected from the following literature and history-based courses:		6
DRAM 2135	History of Popular Theatre and Live Entertainment
DRAM 2136	Asian Theatre and Performance
DRAM 2137	Asian American Theatre and Performance
DRAM 2138	Islam on Stage
DRAM 3130	Women in Theatre: Gender Identity and Expression on the Stage
DRAM 3131	Black Theatre
DRAM 3132	African-American Women Playwrights, 1900 to the present
DRAM 3133	Latina/o Theatre
DRAM 3138	Contemporary Theatre and Performance
DRAM 3139	Theatre and Human Rights
DRAM 3611	Trends in the Contemporary Puppet Theatre
DRAM 3612	Plays for Puppet Theatre
DRAM 4135/4135W	Advanced Topics in Theatre and Performance
DRAM 4711W	The Director in the Theatre

Writing and Information Literacy Requirements

Writing in the Major

To fulfill their departmental writing in the major requirement, students must complete one of the following courses:

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
DRAM 3141W	Playwriting	3
DRAM 4135W	Advanced Topics in Theatre and Performance	3
DRAM 4711W	The Director in the Theatre	3

Information Literacy

All upper-level courses in Design and Technology, Puppet Arts, and Theatre Studies build upon the basic information literacy competencies introduced in ENGL 1007 Seminar and Studio in Writing and Multimodal Composition, ENGL 1010 Seminar in Academic Writing, or ENGL 1011 Seminar in Writing through Literature. Students are expected to develop an understanding of how information is created, disseminated, and organized in the performing arts, and develop abilities in accessing, evaluating, synthesizing and incorporating information into written, oral, or media presentations.

Learning Objectives

1. Practice and perfect multiple methods of creative collaborative communication including but not limited to public speaking, writing, drawing, modeling, and technical drafting.
2. Gain experience applying artistic and technical theory to realized production situations in an increasingly larger scope and scale.
3. Develop artists and artisans who are “industry ready” to champion artistic exploration professionally.