Mission:
The Roger Williams University Theatre program aims to provide each student with a well-rounded, general mastery of all areas of the theatre arts and an appreciation of the place of theatre in our world. Through the study of theatre the program also hopes to imbue students with love of learning while honing their tools of thought and expression. Our goal is to prepare students for further academic study, and careers in theatre and other liberal arts related areas. We seek to serve both those specializing in the study of theatre and those for whom theatre is studied as an adjunct to areas of concentration.
The formal course curriculum and the production program are designed to work symbiotically. The production program is designed to provide the working laboratory where the ideas and skills taught in the classroom are demonstrated, reinforced and mastered. The plays produced are chosen to afford students opportunities to research and to experience a range of materials in a variety of styles and genres.
In addition to the goals mentioned above, the program's courses, productions, and activities are intended:
- To deliver historical and global perspectives on the cultures of the world and the theatre's place in those cultures. Through its semester abroad in London the program is able to expand and reinforce the multicultural and international nature of theatre. The London program is integrated into the curriculum and functions as a crucial step in the intellectual development of our students.
- To teach students necessary professional and life skills, such as communication, collaboration, self-discipline, self-discovery, self-reliance, creative problem resolution, and critical thinking all aimed toward a heightened consciousness and appreciation of the human condition.
- To help students to develop research, analytical, organizational, and communication skills that are fundamental to the theatre as well as to a wide variety of business and creative pursuits. Students are required to take courses that develop all of these skills and are then encouraged to use and apply these skills to production and courses in other studies.
- To expose students to high quality productions and professionals through field trips, our London program, workshops, and visiting artists.
The Theatre program, through curriculum, productions, and activities, also strives to challenge and enrich the wider academic and regional communities intellectually, culturally, and artistically by providing a range of theatrical events for all to experience.
