Season Selection Process

1. Student diversity
Title selection represents the diversity of the student body, creates more expansive opportunities, and gives voice to people from diverse and under-represented backgrounds.

2. Stylistic diversity
Title selection represents a diversity of artistic styles: realism, absurdism, epic, etc.

3. Student needs
Title selection takes into consideration theatre student populations and the needs for multiple opportunities that help students build both their theatre specific skills (acting, design, playwriting, technical theatre, etc.) and foundational skills (collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking) that result in success in their chosen field and can transfer to other disciplines.

4. Area needs
Title selection takes into consideration theatre area pedagogical needs to provide necessary experiences for student growth.

5. Cultural currency
Title selection takes into consideration University student/faculty audiences, and what conversations we want to have with them to build a better world and foster campus dialogue and community.

6. Personal investment
Title selection takes into consideration artistic investment in work by lead artists.

Subscription Series:

This is a four-six show series selected by the Season Selection Committee in conversation with Faculty with a more typical 6-to-8 week rehearsal process. This series will include:

a musical
a classical play or a contemporary classic
a undergraduate show
the ArkType New Works Festival

What is the Student Spotlight Series?

This is a flexible series steered by the Season Selection Committee in conversation with Students (grad/undergrad) with a studio production aesthetic in mind. The series spotlights student interests, both cultural and artistic, allowing for a greater multiplicity of voices and subjects explored. This series encourages student leadership and initiative and celebrates student engagement and agency. Student proposals ALL go to the Season Selection Committee and are selected from the same set of Six Guiding Priorities, and considers parameters based on pedagogical needs and resources of various areas indentified by the faculty.

We expect these titles will include opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Parameters for the Student Spotlight Series

The Student Spotlight Series will operate on a nimble, studio aesthetic, which reflects--and prepares--students for the conditions and the realities they will encounter when they leave the University. Students applying for the Spotlight Series should be ready to take ownership of ALL aspects of the proposed production--self-producing with minimal to no technical support, except what they can provide. The Department will provide guidelines for saftey and faculty mentors will provide guidance, but Spotlight shows are designed to encourage students to become leaders of their own processes.

A call for proposals for the Subscription Sereies will be made in the Spring/Fall and after all proposals are gathered, the Season Selection Committee will:

Review all proposals
Make season recommendation to chair/vice-chair based on Six Guiding Principles for the season
The Committee, in conversation with Chair/Vice, will apply real-world concerns and challenges (i.e. technical, budget, personnel limitations)
The Committee will revise/refine after understood challenges and concerns and recommend the season to the whole faculty for final approval