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Department of Theatre

Department of Theatre


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At BSC, our theatre professors know that production skills are best learned through active participation in the classroom and on the stage. We place equal importance on learning and doing, and our students are well prepared for graduate work and for careers in professional and educational theatre – or for whatever path they choose. As well as nationally-recognized performers, we regularly have theatre majors go on to become doctors, lawyers, arts administrators, educators, and more.

Here’s what makes theatre special at BSC:

  • Our department is a small community of students and professors in love with what they are doing. They’ll help you find your passion, discover what you love to do, and develop your skills to their greatest potential.
  • We complete four major productions each year and six to ten student-led productions. That means you’ll get plenty of opportunities to learn the entire process hands-on, including acting, set and lighting design, costumes, choreography, company management, and playwriting.
  • Theatre students are active in productions throughout their four years at BSC; freshmen are encouraged to get involved as soon as they arrive on campus.
  • Our unique January E-Term gives you four weeks to work on a theatre project, take an audition class, write a play, or explore something else that interests you.
  • We offer a BA in theatre arts and a BA in musical theatre. Classes are provided for students interested in a career in the performing arts and for those approaching theatre with a more general interest.
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    Success Stories

    From a Rockette to the Wendy’s girl,

    Our graduates have gone on to perform in national tours of Show Boat, Cinderella, Kiss Me Kate, Damn Yankees, Big, and Ragtime; in Broadway productions of Tommy, Sunset Boulevard, The Life, Chicago, and A Stoop on Orchard Street, and in international tours of 42nd Street and The Sound of Music. Recent students have even gone on to be the Wendy’s spokeswoman and a Rockette!

    As well as freelance performance careers, we have many graduates head straight to graduate school or land internships and apprenticeships, or who go on to teach theatre arts to the next generation. Other BSC theatre majors go on to careers outside of theatre, but keep that passion close to their hearts, either by supporting theatre or participating in community productions.

    Here are just a few of the places our students have ended up.

    graduate school / internships, apprenticeships

    • Actors Theatre of Louisville
    • Alley Theatre
    • Catholic University
    • University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival
    • University of Florida
    • DePaul University
    • University of Kansas
    • California State University, San Diego
    • Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University
    • Oklahoma State University
    • Northwestern University
    • Wayne State University
    • Yale School of Drama
    • Alliance Theatre
    • New York University
    • Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts/LondonCompany, Gia Nappo, David Strickland
    • Boston Conservatory
    • Delmar Makeup Academy, London
    • Boston University
    • Arkansas Repertory Theatre
    • Actors Studio Drama School, New York

    professional theatre

    • National tours of Show Boat, Cinderella, Kiss Me Kate, From the Mississippi Delta, Damn Yankees, Big, Ragtime
    • Broadway productions of Tommy, Sunset Boulevard, The Life, Minelli on Minnelli, Chicago, A Stoop on Orchard Street
    • International tours of 42nd Street and The Sound of Music
    • Birmingham Children's Theatre
    • Shadowbox Theatre
    • Shakespeare Theatre, Washington
    • Manhatten Light Opera
    • Barter Theatre
    • Showboat Majestic
    • Galveston Outdoor Musicals
    • Williamstown Theatre Festival
    • Unto These Hills
    • Stage Door
    • Seaside Music Theatre
    • Theatre West Virginia
    • Merry-Go-Round Playhouse
    • The Lost Colony
    • Arkansas Repertory Theatre
    • Actors' Playhouse, Coral Gables
    • Alliance Theatre, Atlanta
    • Zoetic Stage, Miami
    • Slow Burn Theatre Company
    • Gablestage
    • Broward Center for the Performing Arts

    theatre/arts education

    • John Carroll High School, Birmingham
    • Shades Valley High School, Birmingham
    • Children's Dance Foundation
    • New York City school system
    • The Altamont School, Birmingham
    • Indiana State University
    • University of Cincinnati
    • Hoover High School, Birmingham
    • North Central College
    • University of Tennessee
    • Hoover Public Library
    • American Heritage School
    • New World School of the Arts
    • Miami Childrens Theatre

    Plus…

    A number of former students currently working as free-lance actors in Los Angeles and New York.

    As well as...

    Graduates who have used their theatre training to pursue careers in law, medicine, public relations, counseling, management, and engineering.

    "I cannot speak highly enough of my time at BSC. My education informed my passion for acting with excellent classes and performance opportunities. I also discovered the world of writing and music direction. Now, I’m in New York, making a living as an actor, writer, and music director! What was once a high-school dream is now an exhilarating reality. I am sure that whatever success I achieve is due to the preparation and training I received at Birmingham-Southern College.”

    MARTIN LANDRY ‘07 / Theatre
    Actor / Music Director / Writer living in New York.

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    Faculty & Staff

    Theatre

    The theatre faculty is committed to the concept of the artist/teacher, as evidenced by their continued work as actors, playwrights, and designers, as well as their commitment to directing and conservatory-style teaching in the liberal arts context. They remain active in local, state, and regional theatre organizations as a way of furthering their professional contacts, thus providing their students more career opportunities, both in and out of the theatre.

    The theatre staff has a long history of service and dedication to Birmingham-Southern College. Whether it be in the theatre office, the box office, or the costume shop, our staff's dedication to top-quality theatre production and professional customer service is a highlight of the Theatre Department.

    Faculty:

    Alan Litsey, Professor of Theatre Arts
    Acting / Directing / Playwriting  
    B.A., University of LaVerne  
    M.F.A., Michigan State University
    Ph.D. Wayne State University
    (205) 226-4788
    [email protected]

    Jennifer Luck, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre | Technical Production Coordinator
    M.F.A., Scenography, University of Kansas 2005 
    B.A., Theatre, Birmingham-Southern College 2002
    [email protected]

    Matthew Mielke,  Professor of Theatre Arts
    Set and Lighting Design / Technical Director  
    B.A., Gustavus Adolphus College  
    M.F.A., University of Minnesota
    (205) 226-4785
    [email protected]

    Rebecca Yeager, Visiting Assistant Lecturer of Theatre
    M.F.A., Performance, University of Southern Mississippi, 2013
    B.A., Musical Theatre, Cum Laude, Birmingham-Southern College, 2006
    [email protected]

    Adjunct Faculty

    List Gibbs, Adjunct Professor of Dance
    M.A., Arts Administration, Columbia University, 2008
    B.A., The Juilliard School and Virginia School of Arts, 2001
    [email protected]

     

    Staff:

    Patti J. Manning
    Costume Designer / Coordinator
    (205) 226-4787
    [email protected]

    Ms. Judy E. Pandelis
    BSC Arts Alliance Coordinator/Manager of the College Theatre Box Office/ Administrative Assistant for the Departments of Art & Art History, Media & Film Studies, Music, & Theatre and the Dance Program
    (205) 226-4782
    [email protected]

    Megan Pecot
    Costume Shop Supervisor
    B.A., Birmingham-Southern College
    (205) 226-4787
    [email protected]