Theatre Student Handbook
Acting Project/Music Theatre Performance Guidelines
A student submitting an acting proposal must meet all general thesis guidelines as outlined in the General Guidelines for All Senior Thesis Projects.
Those students interested in a senior project involving performance will produce a 30 minute recital. The recital must be between 25 and 35 minutes long; any deviation from this time frame will affect the final grade. More than one student recital will be performed on each bill, and the recital will be presented once for a public audience.
The proposal submitted by the student will establish the goals the student wishes to achieve within the recital. (At least 50% of the chosen material to be performed must be submitted with the original proposal.)
In consultation with the advising faculty member, the student will select the material for the recital which must be approved by the advisor. It is expected that the student will draw on a wide range of dramatic literature when preparing this capstone experience. A minimum of 75% of the performance should be solo work. For music theatre recitals, students must include acting, singing, and movement elements.
Grading will involve 50% on the senior project’s process in development and 50% on the quality of the final product itself, including the written assignment.
The recital will be scheduled by the department with the approval of the faculty.
Technical support for acting senior projects is limited to existing condition and/or seating arrangements in the Black Box. No scenery or furniture is to be brought in from outside the Fine Arts Center.
The faculty (in consultation with the student’s project advisor) must approve all production/staging elements of the production. Students are required to keep their assigned rehearsal space clean and organized at all times, and students who do not completely "strike" their technical elements after the project is completed will not be assigned a passing grade for the process portion of the project.
This proposed schedule should be adhered to as closely as possible:
- Week 6 before recital = all material is selected and approved by the advisor
- Week 5 = production is organized, character analysis complete
- Week 4 = Blocking/Staging completed
- Week 3 = Memorization complete, faculty advisor observes
- Week 2 = Full Runs
- Performance week includes whatever minimal technical support is necessary in the run-throughs.
- Regardless of where the recital is scheduled, students must adhere to the six week process. Vacation-time meeting may be held at the advisor’s discretion.
Written documentation for the project includes:
- A statement by the student explaining his/her rationale for the inclusion of each role in a recital.
- Pre-Production Character Analysis: A character analysis for each character.
- Rehearsal Journal: notes, thoughts, and ideas about approaches to characterizations. Insights and/or problems areas.
- Post-Production Assessment (See General Guidelines for All Senior Thesis Projects)