Curriculum - Orlando Repertory Theatre

MFA in Theatre - Theatre for Young Audiences

Requirements for MFA in Theatre for Young Audiences—61 Credit Hours

YEAR 1

Fall—11 Credit Hours
THE 5910 Research Methods in Theatre (3 credit hours)
THE 6756 Methods of Teaching Drama (3 credit hours)
THE 5385 Dramatic Literature for Children (3 credit hours)
TPP 5289C Acting Methodologies (2 credit hours)

Spring—11 Credit Hours
THE 5081 Design Concepts for Youth Theatre (3 credit hours)
TPP 5386 Directing for Young Audiences (3 credit hours)
THE 6726 Advanced TYA Seminar (3 credit hours)
Elective (2 credit hours)

YEAR 2

Fall—11 Credit Hours
THE 6086 Careers in Professional Theatre (3 credit hours)
THE 6507 Dramatic Theory and Criticism (3 credit hours)
Elective (2 credit hours)
Elective (3 credit hours)

Spring—10 Credit Hours
TPP 6216C Theatre for Young Audiences Tour (3 credit hours)
TPP 6247 Theatre for Social Change (3 credit hours)
Elective (2 credit hours)
Elective (2 credit hours)

YEAR 3

Fall—9 Credit Hours
THE 6946 Internship (6 credit hours)*
THE 6971 Thesis (3 credit hours)

Spring—9 Credit Hours
THE 6946 Internship (6 credit hours)
THE 6971 Thesis (3 credit hours)

* Internship must be a minimum of 6 credits with the option of taking up to 12 credits.

Electives

TPP 6686 Playwriting for Young Audiences (3 credit hours)
TPP 6246C Circus Arts (2 credit hours)
TPA 5885C Puppetry (2 credit hours)
TPP 5125C Improvisation Studio (2 credit hours)
TPP 5248C Storytelling (2 credit hours)
TPP 6406C Theatre Management (3 credit hours)
TPP 5935C Contemporary Practices in Youth Theatre (2 credits)

Examination
A comprehensive departmental theatre exam is administered to the MFA students in the Theatre for Young Audiences Track at the end of their course work. The department allows two attempts at a comprehensive exam.

Course Descriptions

Acting Methodologies {2} Approaches to acting.

Advanced TYA Seminar {3} Historical, theoretical, and international contexts shaping the field of Theatre for Young Audiences.

Careers in Professional Theatre {3} Practical course focusing on job search skills and other aspects of marketing yourself.

Contemporary Practices in Youth Theatre {2} Investigation of a particular subject in youth theatre. Investigation of a particular subject, i.e., digital storytelling, interactive performance, and creativity. May be used in the degree program a maximum of 5 times.

Circus Arts {2} Circus skills and history.

Design Concepts for Youth Theatre {3} An introductory class in design for youth theatre. Designed to provide future youth theatre practitioners with a fundamental understanding of design principles, practices, and vocabulary.

Directing for Young Audiences {3} Study of the principles, procedures, and practices of stage direction as it applies to theatre for young audiences.

Dramatic Literature for Children {3} Interactive exploration and analysis of youth theatre scripts encompassing a wide range of genres in dramatic literature for young audiences.

Dramatic Theory and Criticism {3} Examination of principles of dramatic criticism from Aristotle to the present day.

Improvisation Studio {2} A study of spontaneous dramatic play and theatre exercises designed to develop self-discipline, creative freedom and resources for stage and classroom.

Methods of Teaching Drama {3} Methods of teaching drama in contained classroom settings to youth.

Playwriting for Young Audiences {3} Practical experience in the creative process of playwriting.

Professional Residency {6-12} Off-campus internship programs providing opportunities for practical work in professional settings.

Puppetry {2} Puppetry as an art form in design and performance.

Research Methods in Theatre {3} Practice knowledge, skills and techniques needed by students to conduct research to include organization, styles, footnotes, and bibliographic forms.

Storytelling {2} The study and application of storytelling as an art form.

Theatre for Young Audiences Tour {3} Performance, administration and technical work on a touring production for young audiences.

Theatre Management {3} Introduction to the concepts and tools of theatre management leading to an understanding of the parameters of theatre programs, the needs of theatrical organizations, and the ways in which arts managers function to accomplish successful results.

Thesis {6} An approved major production or other assignment in theatre for young audiences culminating in a written paper documenting and defending the process.

Theatre for Social Change {3} The study and application of interactive theatre techniques to effect change related to social, cultural, interpersonal and personal issues.

Our students have received exciting jobs and residency placements with prominent theatres and organizations such as:

• Asolo Repertory Theatre
• The Coterie
• Ft. Lauderdale Children’s Theatre
• IBEX Puppetry INC.
• The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• Oklahoma Children’s Theatre
• Ocala Civic Theatre
• The Rose at The Omaha Theater Company
• Stages of St. Louis