Department Overview

Theatre plays an important role in campus life at Lewis & Clark, for majors and nonmajors alike. As commentary on social history and philosophy, theatre makes a significant contribution to the discussion of ideas at the College. Theatre students interpret the nature of human existence in special presentations for courses and symposia, as well as in the theatre department’s own season of full-length plays, one-acts, dance concerts, and student projects. Productions ranging from the classics, to the most demanding contemporary plays, to experimental works provide abundant opportunities for all students to engage in high-quality theatre experiences.

Lewis & Clark’s theatre program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the literature of the theatre and the nature of theatrical communication. It emphasizes the development of creative and collaborative abilities as well as writing and speaking skills. Theatre majors are required to study all aspects of the theatre through coursework in classic and contemporary dramatic literature; acting; directing; theatre design, where offerings include courses in costuming, scene design, lighting, and makeup; and dance, with offerings including stage movement, contemporary dance, and ballet. Many students also participate in our growing playwriting program.

All theatre courses are limited to 20 students per section. Introductory courses are available to students with little or no theatre background, and advanced classes are open to all students who meet the applicable prerequisites.

Lewis & Clark’s theatre program is distinguished by the opportunities available to students for advanced creative work. Students who follow the appropriate course sequences and demonstrate ability are encouraged to engage in work involving a high level of responsibility and skill development. With department approval, students may direct plays; design sets, costumes, or lights for faculty-directed productions; write plays for production in the Black Box; or choreograph dance concerts. All theatre majors do senior projects, which may involve creative approaches, research, or both.

Lewis & Clark sponsors two Main Stage productions annually. Participation in major productions is open to all College students; the theatre department practices a policy of color-blind casting based solely on ability. Each semester, theatre students also direct and act in productions in our flexible Black Box space. Some of these plays are written by students.

Students minoring in theatre with dance emphasis are encouraged to develop theatre and dance skills in conjunction with a study of aesthetics, history, and criticism. They have opportunities to perform in faculty- and student-choreographed works, as well as to choreograph their own pieces. Students also may participate in the annual Northwest Regional American College Dance festival during the spring semester.

Department graduates are well prepared to enter the highly competitive world of professional theatre, television, and film. Some choose to pursue advanced studies: recent graduates have been accepted to graduate programs at Yale University, New York University, American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, and University of Washington. Our students have also gone on to work successfully in fields such as architecture, graphic design, teaching, business, and communication.

Facilities

Lewis & Clark’s theatre building is one of the finest theatre arts teaching facilities in the Pacific Northwest. Designed to support a process-oriented program, our integrated facility contains a 225-seat Main Stage and a studio or Black Box theatre with flexible seating arrangements for up to 125 people. It also houses complete production facilities, including a scenery shop, a design studio, a costume construction room, dressing rooms, rehearsal areas, and a student lounge.

Community resources

As part of their coursework, students frequently attend performances of local companies at Portland Center Stage and Artists Repertory Theatre as well as events featuring visiting companies, such as Robert Wilson/Philip Glass or Theatre Simple. Recent visiting artists have included Wakako Yamauchi (playwright), Dawson Nichols (performance artist), and Rachel Katz Carey (director). Many theatre students do internships at Portland theatres or as part of their coursework during the New York study program.

Examples of New York student internships

"Saturday Night Live," NBC

• Atlantic Theatre
• New Dramatists (literary)
• Second Stage
• Lincoln Center
• Circle Repertory Theatre (production)
• Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute
• I.D.E.A.S. (a theatre group working with deaf students)
• The Acting Company
• Phyllis Huffman Casting
• Jim Henson International Puppetry Festival

Examples of London student internships

• Cinenova Film Distribution Company
• Young Vic Theatre
• New End Theatre

Examples of positions obtained by theatre graduates

• Professional actors and scene designers working in major theatres in New York, Los Angeles, and around the country
• Professional theatre and arts administrators
• Graduate students in acting, design, film, and dance programs around the country and abroad
• Theatre teachers in secondary schools
• Professors of theatre
• Actors, directors, technical directors, and artistic directors in Portland-area theatres.
• Film industry workers, including casting agents, set dressers, and assistant directors
• Design associates, Michael Curry Design

Recent Fir Acres Theatre productions

• Chekhov!!! One Acts and Vaudevilles, by Anton Chekhov
• The Winter's Tale, by William Shakespeare
• The Laramie Project, by Moisés Kaufman and the members of Tectonic Theater Project
• The Hour Between Dog and Wolf, by Daniela Fischerova
• Angels in America: Millennium Approaches, by Tony Kushner
• Killing Game, by Eugene Ionesco
• Mother Courage, by Bertolt Brecht and Margarete Steffin
• Yerma, by Federico Garcia Lorca
• The Illusion, by Tony Kushner
• The Balcony, by Jean Genet
• Anna in the Tropics, by Nilo Cruz
• Tartuffe, by Moliere
• Iphigeneia at Aulis, by Euripides
• A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare
• The Memory of Water, by Shelagh Stephenson