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Theater

Department Chair: Willene Mangham

Faculty: Thomas Darnall, Leigh Dillard, Kaarin Johnston, Hardy Koenig, Kerry Lafferty, Elise Robinson, Willene Mangham

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University theater department is supportive of the mission statements of both institutions and dedicated to the education of the general student as well as the theater major. This is achieved by helping the student understand that theater is a formalization of human experience usually requiring rehearsed behavior, linked to text, within a designed visual environment and intended for live public display. This formalization serves several functions. These functions include: a confrontation with our own humanity, an illumination of diverse constructions of reality and a celebration of our spirits. Coupled with this understanding of function is a developed appreciation of the many artistic contributions necessary to the making of theater art.

The department is committed to scholarly and artistic creativity, to the integration of theory as experience, to the dynamics of theatrical process and to positive and constructive human values. The program emphasizes the importance of a broad base of knowledge and theatrical experience as a foundation for later specialization. The faculty perceives the theatrical process as being a collaborative endeavor, unifying the diverse disciplines of costume, set and lighting with the acting of the text. This collaboration establishes a strong creative community which builds integrated theatrical events; events that reflect and examine the given historical, societal and cultural context in which they are embedded. The curriculum and performance schedule is structured with sufficient theatrical range to supply the fundamentals for all the production and scholarly areas. To encounter work other than their own, students are required to attend a variety of performances both off and on campus. The department vigorously encourages students to accept a life-long responsibility for expressing their artistic ideas. Acknowledging that their artistic ideas are an expression of who they are as human beings, this expression requires the development of self awareness, mindful reflection, a cultivation of their own integrity, intelligence and talent, as well as competence in basic theatrical skills.

Assessment
Major
Minor (None)
100-Level Courses
200-Level Courses
300-Level Courses
Special Projects (230-340-Level Courses)