Undergraduate Program in Theatre
General Information
Degree options include performance (Bachelor of Fine Arts), design and technical (B.F.A.), and general theatre (Bachelor of Arts).
Travel Opportunities
Travel and exposure to the broader world of theatre are critical to the development of all theatre artists and craftspersons. Southern Miss is an active participant in our ten-state region in both the Southeastern Theatre Conference and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The university's Department of International Studies' travel abroad programs rank among the best in the country and its five-week British Studies program features internationally renowned guest artists in musical theatre, Shakespeare, and modern drama. Two-week programs in London Theatre and in the Performing Arts at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland have been offered as well. All of these credit programs are eligible for financial aid. Noncredit travel is also available. The New York Theatre Tour and the London Theatre Tour delight students and community members during spring break. Southern Miss theatre students who take advantage of these extraordinary learning opportunities may be better prepared to enter the professional world.
A Team Spirit
No undergraduate theatre experience is complete without a few late nights (and many afternoons) rehearsing a scene, hanging lights or painting scenery. At Southern Miss, student artists in the B.F.A. programs are expected to work with faculty, staff and other students in the team effort to produce our exciting and demanding season. This is due to the conviction that everyone must collaborate and learn as many areas of the theatre as possible. This attitude builds our sense of community. It creates actors who are empathetic to the crews and designers they work with and designers and technicians who are sensitive to the actors' needs. It develops theatre people who exhibit a clear work ethic and who create reputations for being team players. These are the people who get hired a second and third time by professional companies. By the time a student graduates, he or she will have gained marketable skills in several aspects of the theatre. "Hands-on" work will include learning in a proscenium space, a thrust theatre, and a convertible black box theatre.
Department of Theatre and Dance
http://www.usm.edu/theatre
601.266.4994 (Theatre) • theatre@usm.edu
601.266.4161 (Dance) • dance@usm.edu