Additional Offerings

There is much more to the Department of Theater and Dance than can be conveyed in a handful of Web pages. The following summaries are provided to give you a further idea of at least some of the other options our department can offer.

The Green Room:

The Green Room - that special place in any theater where players gather to collect themselves, select themselves, elect themselves, talk, argue, gossip, await entrances, meet people (or avoid them), etc., is as old as English Theater itself. The origin of the name "green room" is as obscure as it is curious since the traditional color for the green room in England was red!

Our Green Room, however, is green and is located on the ground floor of Waller Hall. It does serve the purposes listed above and also serves as the location for many a discussion with faculty members as well as students, staff and guests! The Green Room is intended to provide an area where students and faculty can go when they have free time without being very far away from the theater. It is in many ways the "hub" of the building as it also serves as our major source of daily communication as the mailboxes for theater majors are housed there as well and the production Callboard is right outside.  There are also mailboxes assigned for each theater major in the Green Room.

The Callboard:

The Callboard is located on the ground floor of Waller Hall, just outside the Green Room. It is home to information about current productions as well as upcoming events such as auditions, rehearsal schedules, work calls, costumes fittings, etc. Reading the Callboard regularly keeps students informed and up-to-date with all of the department happenings. It is in a student's best interest to read the Callboard daily if not more often. Other informational bulletin boards for professional auditions/interviews, internship opportunities, and graduate school information are also located on the ground floor of Waller Hall.

Mentorships:

As each new theater or IFA major joins our department, they are assigned an upperclass theater major to be their mentor during their first year in the department.  This mentor helps the new student begin to feel a part of our "company" by helping them to meet other students, giving a tour of all of our facilities, helping to understand how to get better involved in productions and recommending courses beyond the Theater and Dance Department.

Advisors:

In addition, each new major starts their life in our department, they are assigned a faculty advisor.  This faculty will be their advisor ideally for the entire four years at IUP getting to know a student well in that time.  Students should meet with their advisor at least once a semester - -and ideally more often, especially when they have any questions or concerns about their work in the department, in courses or at IUP.  The advisor will also serve as a sort of faculty mentor for the student, helping the student not only plan their coursework from semester to semester (to assure a timely sequence of courses to graduation) but also to help the student explore options for after graduation. 

Company Meetings:

Each Wednesday afternoon from 4:45-5:45, the department's company of faculty and majors meets to either focus on a specific topic (such as summer theater employment options, a critique session of a major production or to learn about the production preparation process for a major production that semester) or to address items of interest or concern from either the faculty or student's point of view.  All majors registered for THTR 486 Practicum in Production (the option for receiving academic credit for production work done under faculty guidance and supervision) will be available at that time each Wednesday.

Department Picnics:

At the end of each semester, the department hosts a department wide picnic for all faculty, staff, majors and minors in the department.  Everyone brings something to these "potluck" gatherings where we also offer entertainment (in the form of skits in December and an award program [both serious and silly] as well as a softball game in April.  It's always a wonderful way to unwind at the end of a challenging semester of work together!

Scholarships:

The Department of Theater and Dance offers seven scholarships for majors or minors:

1. The TBTG Freshman Talent Scholarship provides recognition, honor, and financial assistance to promising new talent from the incoming freshman class. This scholarship is based on merit and is determined through the audition/interview process during the Exploration Days on campus for new admits to the department.
2. The Thomas V. Frazier Memorial Scholarship is given to an outstanding junior entering his/her senior year who has made significant contributions to the theater production program and who demonstrates financial need.
3. The Libby & Lloyd Bastian Memorial Scholarship is awarded to outstanding costume design/costume construction students who have demonstrated excellence.
4. The Shelly G. Portman Memorial Scholarship is to be awarded each year to juniors excelling in dance.
5. The Donald G. Eisen Scholarship for Academic Achievement in Theater is awarded to a theater major who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in, commitment to, and love of the study of theater as a liberal art.
6. The Robert W. Ensley Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a theater major who has demonstrated excellence in and dedication to the theater production process in our department.
7. The Patricia Lommock Dance Scholarship is to be awarded each year to a student who has excelled in his/her work in the Dance Theater Company.

Honors and Recognition:

Awards in theater are announced at the annual department picnic held near the end of the school year. Faculty Awards are given by the faculty to students who have distinguished themselves in a variety of categories such as Best Performance(s) Male and Female, Best All-Around Technician Male and Female, Outstanding Achievement in Dance, Stage Management, Sets, Costumes, Lights, Sound, and Props. The faculty also gives Academic Achievement Awards to those theater students who have distinguished themselves in two or more theater courses during that academic year.