Theatre Majors - Theatre Internships - Careers in Theatre

Theatre

(Photo, above, from "Caroline, or Change," Spring 2008 production)

Theatre students at Hollins participate fully in every aspect of theatre production, including acting, musical theatre, design, directing, stage management, and technical production. At the same time, classroom work provides a solid foundation in history, theory, aesthetics, and technique.
   Across the spectrum of the program, three complementary processes -- the individual creative process, the collaborative process, and the critical/analytical process -- are given equal attention. The course of study culminates in the senior project, which demonstrates the student's knowledge of theatre, integrates formerly compartmentalized areas of study, and poses new questions and challenges.
   Hollins' theatre program provides a solid foundation for those wishing to pursue graduate level work in theatre, professional theatre apprenticeships, or any environment where creative problem solving, collaboration, and research/analysis skills are valued. The major and minor are compatible with many majors, including business, communication studies, dance, English, film, history, philosophy, and other majors. In addition, Hollins students benefit greatly from a close relationship with Mill Mountain Theatre, the largest professional equity theatre in the area.
   The Certificate in Arts Management is available to majors with a special interest in arts marketing, development, and general business/management. With careful scheduling, a student may incorporate most of the certificate requirements into her major and general education studies.

Hollins' "Paper Cup Ocean" Is Theatre Festival Finalist
Hollins' Theatre Department's production of "Paper Cup Ocean" was selected as a finalist in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). The original, full-length play by Rachel Nelson, a 2007 graduate, was one of five productions from throughout the southeastern United States showcased during regional competition at Clemson University in February 2008. The Association for Theatre in Higher Education subsequently honored the Theatre Department with a cash prize for "Paper Cup Ocean" in the national student playwriting contest sponsored by the KCACTF.

"Very few original student works make it to this level, and we are honored to be in this group," said Theatre Department Chair Ernest Zulia.

"Paper Cup Ocean" was also staged at the first-ever Roanoke Arts Festival in October 2007.

Come play with us!
The Hollins Theatre Department offers a B.A. in theatre, presenting a wide spectrum of courses that helps build a strong foundation in all aspects of theatre. We present two main stage productions (one musical) and two studio theatre productions every year. Special projects include children's theatre productions that tour the region, and also bring hundreds of school children to the Hollins campus.

In January 2007, the department produced a regional symposium on the work of playwright Wendy Wasserstein. Academy Award-winning actress Jane Alexander, and Tony Award-winning designer William Ivey Long joined college students from the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Radford University, Washington & Lee University, and Roanoke College to celebrate this great writer with the Hollins community.

In spring 2007 we produced an innovative and dynamic production of the Tony Award winning musical Into The Woods by Stephen Sondheim.

The department also sponsors January Short Term theatre tours to New York and London. Next year the department will bring Theatre Improv to campus, creating a forum for students to participate in regularly scheduled improv nights on campus.

Facilities
The 550-seat proscenium theatre is remarkably intimate, with a flexible front-apron configuration. In addition, students have access to:

fully equipped scenery and costume shops

design studio, makeup studio, and light lab

a black box theatre and acting studio and

sound, projection, and computer labs

Hollins Players
This drama association consists of student actors, directors, designers, and technicians who seek to stimulate dramatic activities on campus and to assist in the staging of all departmental workshops and major productions, as well as productions of visiting dramatic groups. Hollins Players offers an opportunity for involvement in the theatrical events and stage works of all types to interest members of the Hollins community. Apprenticeship is available to every person expressing an interest in the organization, and membership is earned by subsequent work on productions.

Alpha Psi Omega
Hollins Theatre offers membership to Alpha Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society. Membership is based on outstanding contribution to theatre and strong scholastic standing. Members are honored at the annual Honors Convocation.

Broaden Your Experience with Hands-on Internships
The January Short Term is an ideal time to gain practical experience in an area of special interest to you. Recent theatre internships have included:

The Producing Office (Broadway producers of Rent, Avenue Q, and others): producing assistant

The Seattle Rep: technical direction internship

Seattle Children's Theatre: production assistant

"The Tyra Banks Show": production assistant

The Cleveland Play House: artistic assistant

Modern Masters Festival at the Actors Theatre of Louisville: marketing and development intern

Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works at Roanoke's Mill Mountain Theatre: stage management

Dallas Theatre Center: administration

Disney's Beauty and the Beast (New York City): production

Mill Mountain Theatre (Roanoke): interns worked in the costume shop, in stage management, and as assistant stage combat choreographer

Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington, D.C.): stage management

Hollins Graduates: Where are they now?
Hollins graduates have been successful in careers in theatre, dance, and film. After graduation, many majors find jobs in the field, while others go on to graduate study. Many nonmajors, whose interest was sparked at Hollins, pursue the theatre as an avocation by acting in productions, teaching classes, or serving on arts councils. Here's what some of our recent theatre majors are doing:

Stage manager, Louisville, Kentucky, and Norfolk, Va.

Film production, New York City

Artistic director, Roanoke Ballet Theatre

Actor, New York City and Los Angeles

Member of improvisational theatre company, Atlanta

Assistant box office manager, Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota

Graduate school, American University, University of Southern California, University of Texas-Austin

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Theatre:

Courses & Major Requirements

Faculty

Past Productions

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CONTACT
Ernest Zulia, chair
(540) 362-6259
ezulia@hollins.edu
Hollins University
P. O. Box 9602
Roanoke, VA 24020

London Theatre Tour: During January Short Term 2006 students from Hollins, Roanoke College, and Cazenovia College saw five plays and musicals, from Elton John's smash hit Billy Elliot to the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of Comedy of Errors. They took backstage tours at Drury Lane Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, where they attended a Shakespeare acting workshop as well. The group also enjoyed sightseeing trips to Stonehenge, Bath, Stratford-on-Avon, Westminster Abby, and the Tower of London.

What theatre majors have to say about Hollins

"The faculty and staff at Hollins are unbelievably supportive and nurturing’Äù says Rachel Nelson '07 "and are constantly working one-on-one with you to become the best theatre artist you can be, whatever your specific interests happen to be. In addition to many acting opportunities, I had firsthand experience with technical theatre, lighting, and scene design, and I was able to write two shows that were fully produced and funded by the theatre department. This program has given me a deep appreciation for the legacy of theatre, as well as a strong sense of what my place is in the modern world of professional theatre. Hollins is an amazing place to study theatre because it's a place that is always focused on self-discovery and exploration."

Rachel double majored in theatre and English. For her senior project, she wrote, directed, designed, and acted in a play she wrote during the summer and fall of her senior year. The production earned her an Irene Ryan nomination and was one of five finalists in the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Rachel plans to attend graduate school for an M.F.A. program in playwriting.

Lucia Del Vecchio '98 said she didn't now how she'd stack up in a theatre graduate program after majoring in theatre and double minoring in creative writing and history at Hollins. But when she arrived at the University of Texas in Austin (She was one of two graduate students admitted each year to their playwriting program, ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report), she realized she was very prepared to be there.

At Hollins, she said, theatre students do everything: costume design, set design, lighting, play-writing, and acting. In addition, Lucia had a work study position in the theatre department from the time she was a first-year student. "I wore many different hats. When you're writing a play, you can lose track of the different elements, but this experience kept me in a more realistic frame of mind. I know more about limited budgets and the reality of the amount of characters. Also, I know what the costume designer thinks, and I'm able to give direction to lighting directors."

Lucia wrote and directed a play for her senior project, and another senior did the set and costume design for it. "We ended up doing everything ourselves, and this was great," she said. The play had four scenes about 90 minutes long, and ran through two productions.