About Us
department of theatre
The world stage is waiting.
We’re here to help you turn your passion into a fulfilling future, whether you work in theatre or apply your undergraduate education to a different graduate program or professional path. Unlike at larger universities, opportunities to act, direct, build, and design start during your freshman year here. You’ll build a professional résumé during your years with us, making you an appealing candidate to employers and graduate programs after graduation.
affiliations and accreditation
The Purdue University Fort Wayne Department of Theatre will help you acquire a habit of mind, in which critical thinking and communication are integral components. We believe students should acquire a broad base of general knowledge during their years at the university. Therefore, both of our degree offerings, our bachelor of arts degree and our bachelor of fine arts degree work with the university’s general education curriculum—or the core of classes every undergraduate takes—to offer broad-based historical and critical learning in theatre. However, we’ve developed theatre concentrations for the bachelor of arts and also a second-degree option, the bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre, because we also recognize that some specialization is necessary at your level of development. We want you to be ready to take charge of your life’s journey once you graduate, whether that be by pursuing a life in the professional theatre, going on to a graduate program, or deciding to enter a related field.
The following is the mission of the Department of Theatre, whether pursuing a B.A. or B.F.A.:
- Educate its students within a broad liberal arts framework in the art, craft, and discipline of theatre, through programs offering both classroom study and experiential production activities
- Serve the university community through its productions and general education offerings
- Provide culturally enriching activities to the greater northeast Indiana region
The Department of Theatre will be a regionally recognized theatre program, known for its regional impact and the following:
- The excellence, value, and accessibility of its training programs
- Exceptional academic curricula and facilities that foster unique teaching, learning, and student environments
- The scholarly and creative accomplishments of its faculty, students, and staff
- Its contributions to the quality of artistic and creative life of the region
Purdue University Fort Wayne is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre.
The Department of Theatre values the following:
- The pursuit of knowledge in an environment that encourages free and open inquiry, academic achievement, scholarship, and creativity
- The cultivation of creativity
- The highest academic, artistic, and ethical standards
- Artistic and scholarly collaboration
- Interdisciplinary inquiry and scholarship
- The professional commitment, innovations, and accomplishments of faculty and staff
- Partnership with the community to enhance cultural, creative, and intellectual life in the region
- Diversity
The Department of Theatre seeks to ground students in skills and habits of mind that last for a lifetime of learning so they can achieve the following:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the creative process using the vocabulary of the appropriate discipline
- Perform or create works of personal and collaborative expression and bring the works to fruition using applicable skills
- Articulate a reflective and critical evaluation of one’s own and other’s efforts using written and/or oral communication
The Purdue University Fort Wayne Department of Theatre will help you acquire a habit of mind, in which critical thinking and communication are integral components. We believe students should acquire a broad base of general knowledge during their years at the university. Therefore, both of our degree offerings, our bachelor of arts degree and our bachelor of fine arts degree work with the university’s general education curriculum—or the core of classes every undergraduate takes—to offer broad-based historical and critical learning in theatre. However, we’ve developed theatre concentrations for the bachelor of arts and also a second-degree option, the bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre, because we also recognize that some specialization is necessary at your level of development. We want you to be ready to take charge of your life’s journey once you graduate, whether that be by pursuing a life in the professional theatre, going on to a graduate program, or deciding to enter a related field.
The following is the mission of the Department of Theatre, whether pursuing a B.A. or B.F.A.:
- Educate its students within a broad liberal arts framework in the art, craft, and discipline of theatre, through programs offering both classroom study and experiential production activities
- Serve the university community through its productions and general education offerings
- Provide culturally enriching activities to the greater northeast Indiana region
The Department of Theatre values the following:
- The pursuit of knowledge in an environment that encourages free and open inquiry, academic achievement, scholarship, and creativity
- The cultivation of creativity
- The highest academic, artistic, and ethical standards
- Artistic and scholarly collaboration
- Interdisciplinary inquiry and scholarship
- The professional commitment, innovations, and accomplishments of faculty and staff
- Partnership with the community to enhance cultural, creative, and intellectual life in the region
- Diversity
The Department of Theatre will be a regionally recognized theatre program, known for its regional impact and the following:
- The excellence, value, and accessibility of its training programs
- Exceptional academic curricula and facilities that foster unique teaching, learning, and student environments
- The scholarly and creative accomplishments of its faculty, students, and staff
- Its contributions to the quality of artistic and creative life of the region
The Department of Theatre seeks to ground students in skills and habits of mind that last for a lifetime of learning so they can achieve the following:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the creative process using the vocabulary of the appropriate discipline
- Perform or create works of personal and collaborative expression and bring the works to fruition using applicable skills
- Articulate a reflective and critical evaluation of one’s own and other’s efforts using written and/or oral communication
Purdue University Fort Wayne is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre.
Facilities
This is where the magic happens.
From practices to performances, this is where passions are ignited and thespians are born. Williams Theatre boasts a semithrust stage and
state-of-the-art lighting to aid our students in putting on performances that really bring down the house. Studio Theatre is where we produce experimental workshops. It offers a variety of seating configurations that bring the audience up close to our work. Located just inside the lobby of the Rhinehart Music Center, the Schatzlein Box Office is open during the week for ticket purchases.
