The Department Of Theatre Arts, founded in 1982, offers a four-year undergraduate B.F.A. program, an M.A./M.F.A. in Dramatic Theory, and a Ph.D. in Dramatic Theory.
Our courses focus on creativity, professionalism, and collaboration in order to fulfill our goal of training excellent theatrical artists and works. Our courses embrace the traditions of both eastern and western theatre, both traditional and modern-balancing critical thinking with practical skills, and theory with technique. We are a big team: graduates, undergraduates, and students of all disciplines collaborate equally in rehearsals, performances, playreading, and other tasks.
The core of our training program is our emphasis on production and academic presentation. Each semester we produce one mainstage faculty-led production, and at least four studio productions by students. The mainstage productions are supported by a creative team drawn from academic faculty and professional faculty and staff; the student productions are supported by instructors who offer mentoring and individual guidance. Production also serves as the cornerstone for our process of evaluation.
Educational Facilities and Equipment
Library Services, Equipment and Rehearsal/Performance Space
- Library Services
The School of Theatre has established a departmental library with a diverse media collection, including: 8,000 Chinese-language books, 3,000 foreign-language books, 910 Chinese-language periodicals, and 80 foreign-language periodicals. In accordance with the university’s title as “Center for Performance Arts Information,” as bestowed by the Ministry of Education, the 97-98 academic year will see the purchase of an additional 150 Chinese-language books, 400 foreign-language books, 50 works of multimedia, and 30 foreign-language periodicals.
- Equipment
The School of Theatre Arts has a black-box experimental theatre space, professional lighting and sound equipment, audiovisual rooms, several rehearsal rooms, and a small workshop for building sets and props. In addition, the school’s performance hall has a set-building workshop, a scenic painting workshop, a props shop, as well as a costume shop. These spaces are all on offer to students as resources for their academic and professional learning.
In addition, we currently have these additional facilities available to faculty and students:
- Audiovisual Software Equipment
Single beam projector, slide projector, portable CD player, digital video recorder, VCR, sound-recording equipment, television, DVD player
- Sound Equipment
Sound mixing amplifier, sound boards, speakers, performance speakers, mini-performance speakers, DAT, CD player, reel-tape recorder, wireless microphones, one set of wired walkie-talkies, various wires and lines
- Lighting Equipment
ETC lighting instruments, Fresnel spotlights, Par lighting instruments, and Leko lighting instruments. In addition, the school also has dimmers, light boards, and a number of lines and wires
- Small Set and Props Workshop
Angle cutting machine, air compressor, as well as all types of common workshop tools
- Traditional Performance Props and Weapons
Staves, clubs, bolos, knives and blades, horsewhips, swords, cymbals, puppet opera practice set, simple puppet opera stage
- Rehearsal and Performance Space
Aside from the resources listed above, the school also has audiovisual classrooms, many rehearsal rooms, and general-purpose classrooms available for educational purposes.
