University of Arizona (College of Fine Arts) School of Theatre, Film & Television

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

SCHOOL OF THEATRE FILM & TELEVISION tftv.arizona.edu

THEATRE FILM & TELEVISION

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The School of Theatre, Film & Television at The University of Arizona offers our students a comprehensive education in the art and business of storytelling.

With extremely active production programs and an exceptionally talented faculty of professional working artists, students study and learn in a creative and professionally focused environment. Boasting outstanding facilities and state-of-the-art production equipment, we are in the business of preparing the next generation of storytellers. The School of Theatre, Film & Television has distinguished alumni who work professionally in virtually every aspect of the art and entertainment industries. In addition to our excellent training programs, we take the responsibility for helping our students make the difficult but important next step into the industry seriously. Faculty work diligently to place qualified students in professional internships and our annual, Professional Showcase brings talent agents and production professionals to campus to see the outstanding work of our students each January. As you look at the school, we hope you can each picture yourself working alongside our energetic, talented, and hardworking film and theatre students and the exceptional teaching artists who make up our faculty.

ACTING &

photo by Ed Flores

Our intensive, conservatory-style training prepares Acting and Musical Theatre students for professional careers in theatre, film and television. Our students learn by doing. Alongside our studio coursework, we provide ample opportunities to perform in main stage productions in the Arizona Repertory Theatre, our professional, theatrical training company. At the end of training, students perform in the annual Showcase of Talent for nationally prominent, industry professionals.

Acting/Musical Theatre training follows the conservatory model with focused and intensive training in preparation for a professional career. Curriculum includes eight semesters of Stanislavski-based training in acting; voice and movement classes incorporating Linklater, Alexander and Skinner techniques; mask work; Shakespeare and Chekhov; period styles, including Elizabethan, Restoration and Commedia dell’Arte; dance; and Actor/Combatant Certification in Stage Combat.

In addition to actor training, Musical Theatre majors receive eight semesters of voice training; one-onone vocal coaching; instruction in Acting the Song; and advanced courses in jazz, tap, and ballet.

M U S I C A L T H E AT R E Upon entering the program, students are showcased in one of two productions: Encore! or Debut.

Sophomores understudy and perform in Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) productions. Junior and senior Acting/Musical Theatre students are members of the ART acting company and appear in productions for at least three of their last four semesters. Professional opportunities include an internship program with Arizona Theatre Company (ATC). If selected, our students perform as understudies, or in the casts of ATC productions. Ample screen acting opportunities exist in the many student films created by emerging filmmakers in the Film & Television program.

Degree Programs: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Production: Professional Actor Training Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre

photo by Ed Flores

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program offers students an intensive experience in the production of film and video, coupled with an understanding of media aesthetics, industries, history and criticism. The program is committed to encouraging personal expression and underrepresented voices in particular.

The curriculum provides training in numerous skills, including directing, cinematography, writing, sound design and editing. Students are not tracked into a particular area, but rather, are expected to acquire basic skills in all areas. The goal of the degree is to help students develop their personal voices in the production of narrative and documentary film projects.

FILM PRODUCTION Students leave the BFA program with a set of skills and creative experiences that prepare them for positions in the entertainment industry and independent production communities. Film & Television alumni work in production, post-production, casting, and development for television, motion pictures and web content.

Degree Program: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television

photo by Taylor Theones

DESIGN &

photo by Ed Flores

The Design and Technology Division is committed to preparing graduate and undergraduate students for work in the professional, American theatre and the global entertainment industry. We prepare artisans, designers, managers and technicians to work in an ever-growing range of professional careers.

We provide our students with the practical, artistic, analytical and research skills required to imagine, develop and execute design ideas for multiple performance or production environments. Collaboration is a central part of the production process training for our students.

All Design and Technology areas combine classroom learning with practical production applications.

Students are closely mentored through practical production experiences by the faculty, who are working professionals. Students participate in extensive portfolio review by the faculty each semester. The annual Showcase of Talent brings students in contact with a wide variety of nationally prominent practitioners of theatre. Our students benefit from a wide network of working alumni who help them find their way into the industry.

TECHNOLOGY

Bachelor of Fine Arts We offer a highly competitive, undergraduate degree program for students who demonstrate strong potential in entertainment design and technology. We provide professional design and production training in Costuming, Lighting, Scenery, Sound, Stage Management and Technical Direction.

Master of Fine Arts The advanced program of study for highly talented and motivated graduate students interested in building their skills in preparation for academic and professional careers is also offered. The program includes indepth study of theatre literature and production coupled with intensive professional training in Costume Design, Costume Production, Lighting Design and Technology, Scenic Design or Technical Direction.

Degree Programs: Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Production: Design/Technical Production Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts: Design/Technical Production

FILM &

photo by Ed Flores

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Film and Television prepares highly motivated students to succeed in the diverse creative and business aspects of film and television, as well as for advanced study in graduate school. Graduates of our program enter careers in studios, networks, production houses, agencies, marketing, distribution, exhibition and festivals. Whichever pathway our students pursue, we encourage awareness of the cultural power and responsibility of media makers.

Study starts with a foundation in film and television history as well as knowledge of contemporary aesthetic, narrative and industry practices. Students develop a deeper understanding of creativity and storytelling, while comprehending how film and television are shaped by economic, artistic and cultural forces.

TELEVISION PRODUCING & STUDIES BA students are introduced to the practices and standards of the field, especially the collaboration necessary to the creative process of film and television. Through written and oral presentations of original research and critical analysis, students learn to use academic research, trade journals, databases and other sources of information. Students also apply their knowledge in creative development exercises (i.e. pitch, script coverage, script breakdown, budgeting, mock production meetings) in internships and in student productions as producers or other creative contributors. Equipped with knowledge of both history and contemporary trends, students acquire the means to stay current in film and television.

Degree Programs: Bachelor of Arts in Film & Television Film & Television Minor

photo by Ed Flores

The Theatre Studies Division oversees three programs: the BA in Theatre, the BFA in Theatre Production: History/Dramaturgy and the Theatre Minor. In each degree program, we offer students wide-ranging coursework in theatre history, theory and dramaturgy, as well as in theatre production.

Theatre Studies students are encouraged to use the tools of research and analysis in order to bridge text with performance.

T H E AT R E S T U D I E S BA students receive a broad understanding of the art, practice and history of theatre. Students gain experience in all areas of the theatre—history/dramaturgy, design/technology and performance— and augment core coursework with electives that allow them to focus on one area, or to continue broad exploration. BA students expand their skills by undertaking a minor course of study in a complementary area. Students are further encouraged to participate in the Studio Series season.

This series is dedicated to supporting contemporary, experimental performances through a “bare essentials” format that highlights the artistic and intellectual labor of theatre students.

The BFA in Theatre History/Dramaturgy gives students a proficiency in theatrical scholarship, especially as applied to stage production. The BFA emphasizes critical studies, historical awareness and the role of theatre in communities. BFA students are scholar-practitioners, honing their critical and creative skills by serving as dramaturgs for the Arizona Repertory Theatre.

The Theatre Studies faculty is strongly committed to undergraduate education and to the study of the theatre as a liberal art. Students in Theatre Studies receive a broad-based education that inspires their imaginations as lifelong theatre practitioners, audience members, or readers of dramatic literature.

The Theatre Studies Division also provides students crucial skills in critical and creative thinking, collaboration and communication—valued skills that are applicable across a wide range of careers.

Degree Programs: Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Production: Theatre History and Dramaturgy Theatre Minor

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SCREENINGS

Each year, the School of Theatre, Film & Television presents several public screenings of student work at film venues around Tucson. BFA senior thesis films are screened at I Dream in Widescreen each spring at the Tucson Fox Theatre in downtown Tucson. This gala event showcases the talents of our senior BFA filmmakers as well as the collaborative work of actors, production designers, cinematographers, editors, directors and producers. I Dream in Widescreen films are juried by well-known industry professionals, and films are selected for special recognition and a growing list of awards.

The Loft Cinema presents short documentaries at What’s up, Docs? and short fiction films at Magic Hour. Widescreen Wednesdays is an ongoing series featuring films selected and presented by film faculty to the campus community.

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Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) serves as the centerpiece of the professional theatre training program at The University of Arizona. Organized and operated as closely as possible to the structure and management of a professional theatre company, students develop their artistic talents while producing theatre in an environment that models the profession in which they are learning to work.

Actors, technicians, designers, dramaturgs and stage managers work alongside each other to create six, well-supported productions each season. Each production runs for three weeks, so students not only produce, but they also learn to sustain each production over a professional production cycle. ART normally produces two musicals and four non-musical works each season in both proscenium and flexible theatre spaces, affording students a wide variety of production experiences. Our theatres are supported by state-of-the-art production shops and excellent rehearsal and acting studios.

Student theatre artists not only work alongside our professional theatre faculty, but also have the opportunity to work with professional guest artists who bring a wealth of additional knowledge and skill to our production program.

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NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID TUCSON, AZ PERMIT NO. 190

photo by Ed Flores photo by Ed Flores