Skip to main content
  • About
  • Library
  • News
  • Events
  • Directory
Apply Give
WSU Logo against a transparent background
  • Academics
      Solving real-world challenges.
      Academics
    • Program Finder
    • Schools & Departments
    • Provost’s Office
    • Continuing Education
    • Graduate School
    • Additional Learning Opportunities
    • Academic Resources
    • Centers & Institutes
    • Research
    • Grants
    • Academic Convocation
  • Admissions & Aid
      Innovative real world solutions.
      Admissions & Aid
    • Apply to Worcester State
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • International Applicants
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Visit
    • Request Information
  • Campus Life
      Discover #WooLife
      Campus Life
    • Athletics
    • Bookstore
    • Commuter Services
    • Diversity Inclusion & Equal Opportunity
    • Housing & Dining
    • Information Technology
    • Leadership Opportunities
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Services
    • Sustainability
    • Title IX
    • University Events
    • University Police
    • Discover Worcester
  • Community Impact
      Make an impact in the community.
      Community Impact
    • Global Outreach
    • Local Resources
    • For Business
    • Binienda Center for Civic Engagement
    • Urban Action Institute
    • Latino Education Institute
    • Speech-Language-Hearing Center
    • Worcester Art Museum Partnership
    • Worcester Center for Crafts
  • Alumni & Giving
      How will you take the lead?
      Alumni & Giving
    • Alumni News
    • Giving to Worcester State
    • Scholarships
    • Meet Our Donors
    • Alumni Events
    • Worcester State Magazine
    • Request a Transcript
    • Get Involved
  • Academic Calendar
  • OneCard
  • Registrar
  • Bookstore
  • Housing
  • Tuition
  • Financial Aid
  • Transcript
  • FAFSA
  • Counseling Services
  • Academics
      Solving real-world challenges.
      Academics
    • Program Finder
    • Schools & Departments
    • Provost’s Office
    • Continuing Education
    • Graduate School
    • Additional Learning Opportunities
    • Academic Resources
    • Centers & Institutes
    • Research
    • Grants
    • Academic Convocation
  • Admissions & Aid
      Innovative real world solutions.
      Admissions & Aid
    • Apply to Worcester State
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • International Applicants
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Visit
    • Request Information
  • Campus Life
      Discover #WooLife
      Campus Life
    • Athletics
    • Bookstore
    • Commuter Services
    • Diversity Inclusion & Equal Opportunity
    • Housing & Dining
    • Information Technology
    • Leadership Opportunities
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Services
    • Sustainability
    • Title IX
    • University Events
    • University Police
    • Discover Worcester
  • Community Impact
      Make an impact in the community.
      Community Impact
    • Global Outreach
    • Local Resources
    • For Business
    • Binienda Center for Civic Engagement
    • Urban Action Institute
    • Latino Education Institute
    • Speech-Language-Hearing Center
    • Worcester Art Museum Partnership
    • Worcester Center for Crafts
  • Alumni & Giving
      How will you take the lead?
      Alumni & Giving
    • Alumni News
    • Giving to Worcester State
    • Scholarships
    • Meet Our Donors
    • Alumni Events
    • Worcester State Magazine
    • Request a Transcript
    • Get Involved
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Parents & Families
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Academics
    • Program Finder
    • Schools & Departments
    • Provost’s Office
    • Continuing Education
    • Graduate School
    • Additional Learning Opportunities
    • Academic Resources
    • Centers & Institutes
    • Research
    • Grants
    • Academic Convocation
  • Admissions & Aid
    • Apply to Worcester State
    • Undergraduate Admissions
    • International Applicants
    • Graduate Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Visit
    • Request Information
  • Campus Life
    • Athletics
    • Bookstore
    • Commuter Services
    • Diversity Inclusion & Equal Opportunity
    • Housing & Dining
    • Information Technology
    • Leadership Opportunities
    • Clubs & Organizations
    • Student Involvement
    • Student Services
    • Sustainability
    • Title IX
    • University Events
    • University Police
    • Discover Worcester
  • Community Impact
    • Global Outreach
    • Local Resources
    • For Business
    • Binienda Center for Civic Engagement
    • Urban Action Institute
    • Latino Education Institute
    • Speech-Language-Hearing Center
    • Worcester Art Museum Partnership
    • Worcester Center for Crafts
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Alumni News
    • Giving to Worcester State
    • Scholarships
    • Meet Our Donors
    • Alumni Events
    • Worcester State Magazine
    • Request a Transcript
    • Get Involved
  • About
  • Library
  • News
  • Events
  • Directory
  • MyWooState
    • Blackboard
    • Gmail
    • Web Advisor
    • Self-Service
Apply Give
WSU Logo against a transparent background WSU Logo in white text against a transparent background
Theatre Major

Theatre Major


IN THIS SECTION

    Pursue your passion and prepare for a career in stage

    Pursue your passion for theatre while learning marketable skills and getting hands-on production experience.

    The Theatre Major will prepare you for a career in live theatre production and its associated industries or for advanced graduate education. You’ll study theatre history, acting, design, technology, dramaturgy, and stage management, with emphasis on the practical techniques and critical analysis necessary for creating successful stage productions. During WSU’s production season, you’ll get exposure to a range of styles and genres with a portfolio of productions selected to provide opportunities to a diversity of students and to produce work that is relevant to the community and that fires the imagination.

    WHAT YOU WILL DO

    • Take a broad range of courses in theatre arts
    • Develop your skills with practical work in WSU’s scene and costume shops
    • Choose from a wide range of electives, including Theatre for Young Audiences, Stage Combat, and Directing
    • Complete a senior thesis project in the area you’re most interested in: scene or costume design, and lighting and sound technology, dramaturgy, acting, or directing
    • Make real-world decisions in play selection, casting, rehearsing, designing, and mounting by participating in WSU’s student theatre club, Almost Off Book
    • Participate in WSU’s theatrical productions, shows featuring diverse styles that range from comedy to drama to tragedy
    Check out the different theatre courses waiting for you at Worcester State!
    TH-126 Script Analysis
    Script analysis for theatre artists. How to take a script from initial reading to production.
    3 credits
    TH-145 Acting I
    Introductory acting theory and practice. Students present brief monologues and scenes in class.
    3 credits
    TH-155 First-Year Theatre Practicum
    Practical work in theatre production for first-year students.
    1 credit
    TH-175 Introduction to Stagecraft
    An introductory class to major types of stagecraft for live theatre. Students will learn in formal classes and in 30 hours of scheduled laboratories about set construction, costume construction and lighting technology. Students will learn the vocabulary of technical theatre and will learn geometric and mathematical methods required for each of the three main areas covered.
    3 credits
    TH-235 History of Theatre
    Survey of world theatre including from its ritual origins through the classical era, medieval era, the renaissance, the restoration, the modernist revolution to the present day. This global approach includes historical examples from Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.
    3 credits
    TH-263 Concepts of Theatre Design
    This is a fundamental design course for live theatre, but will also apply to other design fields. Drawing, both freehand and digital, will be studied. Students will learn the elements and principles of design, and how to apply them to Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design, as well as other modes of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art. Additive and subtractive color theory will be covered. Students will learn the specialized language of design and will study how to approach the three areas of design aforementioned.
    3 credits
    TH-274 Stage Management
    An introduction to the craft of stage management focusing on the techniques, responsibilities and duties necessary to manage both rehearsals and performances.
    3 credits
    TH-455 Theatre Capstone
    Theatre students will create a senior thesis project/capstone in acting, directing, design, playwriting, craft or dramaturgy, chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor and demonstrating the skills learned in their studies. The capstone may be part of a mainstage production or a student generated project. Each capstone project will be accompanied by a written analysis showing their research or full-documentation of their process.
    3 credits
    TH-246 Voice and Movement
    Training to strengthen the natural voice, develop diction, learn period movement and develop spatial awareness on and off stage.
    3 credits
    TH-290 Theatre for Young Audiences
    Organization of children's theatre, script selection, visual design, rehearsal and performance. Investigation of creative drama as a teaching tool in elementary education.
    3 credits
    TH-292 Applied Theatre and Community Engagement
    Principles and techniques of leading improvised dramatic activities with children and adults. Involves sensory awareness, imagination, movement and story dramatizations.
    3 credits
    TH-348 Stage Combat
    Training in armed and unarmed combat for the stage. emphasis will be placed on safety in the choreography of stage fighting.
    3 credits

    Why Study Theatre at Worcester State?

    As a theatre student, you will experience the joy of belonging to a tight-knit, collaborative creative community–and witness your own practice evolve
    • Costume Design for Theatre
    • Design
    • Cross-Media
    • Driftwood to Dumpsters
    • Modern Art
    • Directing
    • Music of the Cinema
    • Sculpture 
    • Animation
    • Gallery and Museum Studies
    • Jazz Ensemble
    • Music Theory
    • Computers and Music
    • African Drumming
    • Visual Arts in the Schools
    • Printmaking

    At Worcester State, there's a whole world of creative spaces and resources at your fingertips. Some examples include:

    Worcester Center for the Crafts
    Sullivan Auditorium
    Fuller Theater
    Costume Design Studio
    Mary Cosgrove Dolphin Gallery

    See the diverse career paths that a degree in theatre can prepare you for.

    Explore a wide range of rewarding professional opportunities with your theatre degree from Worcester State.

    Costume designer
    Scene designer
    Lighting or sound engineer
    Theatre performer
    Director of a playhouse or performing arts theatre
    Teacher
    Acting coach
    Technical instructor

    Take the Next Step

    Apply
    Request Information
    Visit
    WSU Logo in white text against a transparent background
    486 Chandler St,
    Worcester, MA 01602
    508-929-8000
    Quicklinks
    • Academics
    • Admissions & Aid
    • Campus Life
    • Community Impact
    • Alumni & Giving
    Helpful Links
    • Bookstore
    • Careers
    • Directions
    • Emergency Info
    • Administrative Offices
    • Campus Map
    • Transcript Requests
    Connect with us on Social Media
    CONTACT US
    Copyright © 2023 Worcester State University
    • Student Consumer Information
    • Campus Accessibility
    • Privacy Policy
    • Public Records Requests