Hanover Theatre Department
You learn to see through the eyes of others, to respond, to understand…Your mind becomes versatile – you can adapt. You learn art, history, politics, psychology, music, the sciences, self-discipline, skills, how to speak effectively, to communicate, to feel.
Jenny Thornhill, Class of 2006
Why Study Theatre?
Deciding upon a major can be an intimidating task and you may wonder if theatre would be a good fit for you. If any of the following is true for you, then the theatre department at Hanover College may be just what you have searched for.
You enjoy:
• Plays, musicals, films
• Performing in front of others
• Creative writing
• Exploring and analyzing great works of theatre
• Being creative
You want to:
• Create exciting, cutting-edge art
• Be an actor, director, designer, playwright or arts administrator
• Continue to hone your artistic craft and build your practical skills
• Support the arts through your involvement
What Hanover Theatre Offers
To study theatre is to explore the world of human experience. Theatre draws from many different art forms, as well as on technology, to reach audiences through storytelling, movement, music, lighting, costume and set design
In the Hanover theatre department, the stage is the real classroom. Through active, hands-on experience, you'll learn your most valuable lessons about the theatre and theatre production. With at least four mainstage productions a year, multiple student-initiated productions and a student-led improv group, there are countless opportunities for you to act, direct, design, write and create.
In addition to acting, directing, playwriting, design and technical theatre classes are history and literature courses. Complemented by core curriculum classes, these will provide you with a comprehensive theatre education. You can opt to combine your theatre studies with a second major, allowing you to tailor your education to your own specific needs and goals for the future.
As a theatre student, you will be encouraged to think independently and tap into your creativity. Also, with a small student-faculty ratio, you will receive close, personal attention to help you develop your artistic and analytical abilities. And, as you progress through the program, you will receive the support and guidance you need to make future career decisions based on your interests and skills. By providing you with practical experience and a comprehensive education, the theatre department at Hanover will prepares you for either graduate school and/or a fulfilling professional career.
Highlights
Hands-on experience
Along with the experience students gain through numerous plays produced each year at Hanover, you will gain hands-on experience through internships and off-campus work. These opportunities will give you the chance to apply the skills you have learned in a professional setting. Students have completed internships and apprenticeships with the following theatres and organizations:
• Warehouse Theatre
• People's Light & Theatre Co.
• New Jersey Shakespeare Festival
• Arden Theatre Company
• Smokey Mountain Shakespeare Festival
• High School Institute at Northwestern
• Actors Theatre of Louisville
• And many others!
The department also has a strong record of participation with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which is a national theatre program involving 18,000 college and university students nationwide. This program gives students a chance to have their work critiqued and for them to receive national recognition for excellence. During this time you can develop your skills and improve the overall quality of their work.
Spring Term
During the four weeks of spring term, you'll take only one course, providing an opportunity to study one topic in depth. Our Contemporary Theatre class is often structured as a summer stock experience, fully producing a play a week for each of the four weeks.
On alternate years, you may study Shakespeare while in residence in Stratford, England, for the entire term. Actors, directors and staff from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre visit classes to discuss plays and present workshops. Scholars from the University of Birmingham's Shakespeare Institute and the resident scholars of the Shakespeare Centre conduct other classes. A theatre visit to London is always part of the course, as is a long weekend for individual travel to other areas of interest in England and other parts of Europe.
Variety
One major highlight of the Hanover theatre program is the variety of theatre that you'll be exposed to. Instead of focusing on one specific genre, as atheatre major, you'll study and experiment with a number of forms. This gives you a greater, more complete understanding of the art of the theatre.
Some recent Hanover productions have included: "Royal Hunt of the Sun," "The World is a Comedy," "Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know," "Boston Marriage," "The Tempest," "Two Rooms," "Art," "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," "The Glass Menagerie," "She Stoops to Conquer," "Gideon," "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe," "The Government Inspector," and others.
Opportunities for Research
The theatre draws on all other disciplines and theatre artists must be learning new things continually. Wherever your interests may lie, the practice of theatre will draw them closer to you.
Career Opportunities
Studying theatre within the context of a liberal arts education equips you with the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary to continue on to a variety of careers and/or graduate school opportunities.
Some theatres where our graduates have become company members include:
• Actors Theatre of Louisville
• Indiana Repertory Theatre
• Mill Mountain Theatre
• Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati
• ArtReach Touring Theatre
• Tennessee Repertory Theatre
• Bridgework Theatre
• Boston Improv
• American Players Theatre
• Atlanta Shakespeare Co.
• South Carolina Repertory Co.
• Cincinnati Shakespeare
• Cincinnati Playhouse
• Celtic Arts Theatre, Los Angeles
Other career opportunities can be found in:
• International business
• Advertising
• Ministry
• Teaching
• Film and TV Production
• Business Management
• Law enforcement/military
Graduate school placements have included:
• Harvard University
• Northwestern University
• Indiana University
• University of Illinois
• Oregon State University
• Arizona State University
• Yale University
• University of Birmingham - Shakespeare Institute
• Florida State University - Asolo Theatre
• Boston University
• American Repertory Theatre
• Moscow Art Theatre School
• Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon-Avon
