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GRADUATE PROGRAM OVERVIEW
(Prospective applicants may also contact the Director of Admissions, The University of California at Santa Barbara offers to a select group of students an ideal environment for graduate work in most aspects of the theater. On a campus that is noted for its outstanding faculty in the humanities and arts, the Department of Theater relates the academic study of theater to a rich field of interdisciplinary studies as well as to a large and vigorous undergraduate program in fine arts. Its M.A. and Ph.D. programs provide a thorough training for a career in academic theater and have shown an excellent record of degree completion, employment, and publication. While the department enrolls approximately 215 undergraduate majors each year, the graduate program is relatively small and highly selective. At any given time, there are between 10 and 14 students taking courses and a comparable number completing their dissertations. All graduate students thus benefit from close interaction with the graduate faculty: ready access to advisors, individual mentoring, and a vigorous dialogue on research. Some production opportunities are available for students interested in directing, acting, design and playwriting, but the emphasis of the program is on historiography, criticism, theory, and research. The level of financial support for most students is very good compared to most other institutions. Furthermore, due to the selective nature of the program and the quality of instruction, the majority of graduates find appropriate placement once they leave. Santa Barbara is a picturesque community with what Alexander Woollcott described as the most benign climate on earth. It provides an active arts environment and also stands between two of the more exciting theatre cities in the United States, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The graduate faculty encourages and enables graduate students to make full use of the ample resources of the department, the campus, and the region. See further topics for more information about these programs, or contact the graduate advisor to set up a visit. The following information should get you briefly acquainted with the University and the Department of Theater. More extensive information can be found throughout this website. Please browse through the available material and if you still cannot find the answer to your questions, contact the Department of Theater directly.
The Department of Theater The Department of Theater and Dance was established under the leadership of Dr. Theodore W. Hatlen with the assistance of Dr. Stanley L. Glenn in 1964, when it separated from the Department of Speech. In 1967, Dr. William R. Reardon expanded the graduate program to include the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and in 1983 the Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting was added. While the general education needs of the university are supported by the department through numerous course offerings and a very active performance program, the department's approximately 200 undergraduate majors and 25 graduate students reap the benefits of a department committed to intensive, individualized training within a large university. The size of the department's faculty and their active involvement present the student not only with an excellent student-teacher ratio on paper but frequent interaction in both the classroom and the production program. The Department of Theater and Dance was renamed the Department of Theater and Dance in 2007. Degree Programs Both graduate degree programs (M.A. and Ph.D.) have been kept small to promote close interaction between students and faculty--in seminars, directed readings, and teaching apprenticeships. The total number of students in course work has rarely exceeded twenty, and seminars typically involve only six to fourteen students. Faculty here are generally willing and able to set up an appointment with an advisee within a few days. The emphasis is upon mentorship. The doctoral degree program is open to students with the M.A. or M.F.A. degree and is primarily a scholarly degree. Two years of intensive course work aim to develop a thorough knowledge of dramatic literature, theory, criticism, and theater history. After comprehensive examinations at the beginning of the third year, students pursue original lines of research leading to a dissertation. Work in performance and production is encouraged whenever it is judged to strengthen students' scholarly endeavors and to further their professional goals. Doctoral students are expected to devote much of their time to research and writing, with the goal of publishing their work in scholarly journals. The department has kept up a very good completion rate compared to other departments on campus, and most doctoral candidates finish their degree work within five years. The Master of Arts degree program is a two-year generalist program, combining a balance of practical and academic requirements. Since the M.A. is not a terminal degree, the department urges students to use their time in the program as a period of exploration. Some go on to Ph.D. programs, including our own. Others seek out degree programs in fine arts, in directing, dramaturgy, design, and so on. Others use their M.A. degree to work in a community college or high school or other area of theatre education. Financial Support All doctoral students and some masters students are supported by teaching assistantships, fellowships, and readerships. The level of funding for doctoral students matches or exceeds that of most well-recognized programs in the country. The doctoral program offers a minimum of three years of support to incoming students in the form of teaching assistantships, as well as a number of fellowship opportunities. Out-of-state tuition and in-state fees can, in most cases, be reduced or eliminated. In any event, with the exception of non-U.S. citizens or resident, out-of-state tuition remains applicable for only the first year of study. Partial teaching assistantships and/or stipends are sometimes available for M.A. students. Readerships (grading of undergraduate papers) also offer opportunities for income. M.A. or Ph.D. students with special skills in the technical aspects of costume construction can receive a full teaching assistantship as well as the opportunity to work closely with the department's costume designers and directors. Productions In a typical year, the department produces six main stage theater productions and two modern dance concerts. The productions represent the various periods and styles taught in the academic programs, ranging from the classics to contemporary dramas and comedies to an occasional musical. Additionally, the department offers graduate- and undergraduate- directed one-act plays, an original scripts workshop, dance studio presentations, and the participation in special events such as the UC Intercampus Arts Festival, and the American College Theatre Festival. Facilities The department's performance facilities include a laboratory theatre, three dance studios, and two modern stages—Hatlen Theatre and the Performing Arts Theatre. The Hatlen Theatre has a large proscenium stage with an attractive wood-paneled auditorium seating 340 people. The hydraulically operated forestage extends the width of the proscenium and serves as an apron to the stage, an extension of the auditorium floor, or an orchestra pit. The lighting system is computer operated. The intimate Performing Arts Theatre opened in 1997. It is designed for flexibility, with seating and staging configurations such as thrust, arena, or open end. The audience capacity varies between 85 and 120 people. The theatre has its own computer lighting and sound systems. The Studio Theatre, a laboratory theatre used for acting and directing classes as well as for student-directed plays, is a black box theatre currently configured with a thrust seating arrangment with central vom. It has a computer lighting system. The support areas for the theatre include two large rehearsal rooms, a voice studio, a fully equipped scenery shop, costume workshop, laundry and dye room facilities, dressing rooms, and various storage and office facilities. Libraries The Davidson Library houses approximately two and a half million books, 18,000 periodicals, and two million microtexts. It is a member of the University of California library system which, as a whole, is one of the largest libraries in the world. Graduate students have borrowing privileges at all UC libraries, and there is an extensive shuttle system to bring books from one campus or storage location to Santa Barbara. Normally, materials from other UC libraries can also be sent by inter-library loan. Among the special collections housed at UCSB are the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, the papers of the Asian-American Theatre Association, and the papers of Luis Valdez and El teatro campesino. The Huntington Library and the J. Paul Getty Museum are all within a two-hour drive from the campus, as are many other libraries and museums in the Los Angeles area. Dance The Department of Theater and Dance offers both a B.A. and B.F.A. in Dance. The curriculum for both degrees is studio-centered. While the main thrust of all training is directed toward developing performers and creative artists who are technically proficient, aesthetically astute, and historically informed, the two undergraduate degree options provide alternative means for attaining these goals. Central to both programs are daily technique classes. Modern dance and ballet classes are offered through the advanced level. A sound basis in the craft of choreography is provided, as well as a variety of courses in dance history, jazz, music, production and technical aspects of theatre. Department History Since 1967, the University of Californa at Santa Barbara has offered two graduate degrees in the Department of Theater and Dance: the M.A. and Ph.D. These programs are widely recognized for their high standards of scholarship and for the many distinguished graduates who have earned those degrees. Since it began a period of rapid growth in the early 1960s, UCSB has become a Research I institution with numerous degree programs of national and international reputation. In 1998 a book titled The Rise of American Universities (Johns Hopkins University Press) ranked UCSB second among public universities nationwide. Theater has kept up to this level of achievement by offering small and highly competitive programs that are closely instructed by an excellent faculty. Graduates of these programs have gone on to careers in numerous institutions of the academic and professional theatre; many have published books and articles, directed or written plays, and otherwise distinguished themselves as leaders in the field. In 2007 the department officially changed its name to the Department of Theater and Dance. |
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