The BA in Theatre requires all program candidates to audition for shows. However, we understand that there may be students in the BA who want to focus on design/technology but don't want a BFA. In that case, these students should be in contact with their area mentor and the chair of the department to discuss their interests and fill out a form. This contact and communication should occur at least one week BEFORE auditions for shows occurs.

Yes, we are committed to producing one musical per year. For the musicals, we hire professionals from the Atlanta area to choreograph, play in the band/orchestra, and do the audio engineering (live mixing the band with the actors/singers), so it’s a great experience for everyone to be a part of a musical production at UWG! Musicals we’ve recently produced include: Spring Awakening, Side Show, Cabaret, RENT, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Avenue Q, and Once on this Island, among others.

BA Degree: Yes. Because UWG offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, we think it’s vital that performance students get a taste of the backstage life, and designers/technologists to take acting courses. Students must take Stage and Film Craft, where they learn how to use power tools, how to put together flats and platforms, etc. They also must take Concepts in Theatre Design, where they get an idea of a designer’s approach to creating the atmosphere of a play/musical. It helps everyone in the theatre when we all know the process that an artist goes through to create.

BFA Degree: The D/T concentration does require students to take one acting course (Developing a Character) in order to gain some understanding of the acting process. 
BFA students in the Acting concentration must take Stage and Film Craft I in order to gain some understanding of technical theatre work, and Stage Makeup because they will need to know how to apply makeup when cast in shows.

BA Program: Yes. We offer six one-credit courses called Production and Performance. However, students cannot use all six courses serving in only one position for their entire career in UWG Theatre. For example, a student may use only two Production and Performance courses for acting, even if s/he is cast in role in her/his third semester Production and Performance course. 

BFA Program: Students in the Acting concentration must be cast in a leading role at least once a year whether they are receiving course credit or not. If they are not cast this consistently, they may be guided to change their degree program to the BA.. Students in the D/T  concentration must also design at least once in a technical area of a production. If they are not assigned these positions, they may be guided to change their degree program to the BA.

The UWG Theatre Company, in its goal of being a strong sustainability partner, publishes a Google UWG Theatre Production Calendar annually. This calendar has all rehearsals, load ins, strikes, performances, company meetings, chair chats, etc. on it. It is incumbent on all Theatre majors in all programs to have access to this calendar and consult it daily. To have access, the department chair must have your UWG email address in order to add you to the calendar. Once you are added, you can add the Google Calendar app to your phone and/or access it by going to the Google webpage and clicking on the square of nine dots in the upper left corner of the page. Their, you'll find a menu of Google Apps, of which the calendar is one.

The UWG Theatre Company works extremely hard to keep communication open between faculty, students, and staff. Every Theatre major, faculty and staff member are a part of an email listserv on which announcements and requests are sent. It's imperative that every member of the UWG Theatre Company checks their email on a daily basis and responds when a response is required.

The UWG Theatre Company also holds biweekly meetings on Mondays at 5:00PM where announcements are given, discussions are had, and workshops take place. We think, in a field in which making connections is paramount, that it's good to see each other's faces in a group setting.

The UWG Theatre Company also has social media pages on Facebook (UWG Theatre Company) and Instagram (@uwgtheatreco) on which we advertise our shows, post interesting articles, photos, videos, and memes having to do with Theatre, and focus on our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. We are in the process of creating a Tik Tok following as well.

Yes, we have no restrictions based on rank for being cast in a show. The only restriction would be if your Grade Point Average dips very low. Then the department chair talks with the student to figure out how to concentrate on classes.

Yes, it just depends on experience and portfolio. New students to UWG will probably be assigned as an assistant designer or ASM their first semester at UWG so that they can get accustomed to how we work and train.

Rehearsals in general are Monday—Friday, 6:30—10pm and sometimes Saturdays 1-4pm. They start approximately 5-6 weeks prior to opening night. Cast members are not always called every night. Each director of the production creates a rehearsal schedule that maps out the work on the play from the very beginning.

Our final dress rehearsal is on a Tuesday night and is also a community preview. We generally perform Wednesday—Saturday, 7:30 curtain and Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 curtain.

One of the greatest skills a theatre major develops is time management. Students generally find time both before and after rehearsals to do their homework. We’re not going to lie; sometimes students have to stay up pretty late after rehearsals to get homework done. But in general, the beauty of being busy and working hard is that you figure out how to prioritize and how to schedule your work.

BA Program: Yes! In fact we encourage it! As stated earlier, the more you know about theatre, the more understanding you are about the different tasks that it takes to produce a show. It’s truly the only collaborative art and by doing other jobs, you get a deeper understanding of how to collaborate well. It is the nature of the Bachelor of Arts degree that you learn as much as you can about the various aspects of theatre. We take this very seriously at UWG.

BFA Program: BFA candidates in the Acting concentration will probably be too busy to be able to design. The BFA is a degree program that demands focus in one area, and so design positions will be assigned first and foremost to deserving students who are in the BFA D/T concentration and/or who are in the BA and interested in designing.

The stage makeup class teaches basic techniques and styles for theatrical makeup, and for students who choose to  pursue hair and makeup design or advanced makeup, there are faculty members who will work with them through independent studies and design roles in order to further their education in this element of design.