Theatre Brochure

THEATREat Berry A NOTE Tap from the department chair

Welcome! Thank you for taking the time INTO YOUR to explore theatre at Berry. Our program will encourage you to dive deeply into your specialization while gaining experience in HUMANITY. other areas and acquiring a broad liberal arts foundation. We offer in-depth academic studies, state-of-the-art facilities and Find practical, hands-on work in our very own theatre company that will give you years of THE ROLE OF experience before graduation. At Berry, theatre is a way of being. Our faculty are committed to broadening the A LIFETIME. consciousness of student artists and patrons about theatre worldwide while instilling a sense of collaboration on the local level among students from diverse backgrounds. You’ll find opportunities for self-expression and creative fulfillment while developing time management and emotional/social intelligence — qualities Why our theatre highly valued by employers.

Get to know us. When the time is right, I encourage you to visit our beautiful program will WOW you. campus, see a show as our guest and discover why Berry College is a great place to learn your craft.

Warm regards, 50+ fine arts performances and Adam Hayes, D.M.A. art exhibits annually Chair, Department of Fine Arts Associate Professor of Music With a B.A. DEGREES BACHELOR OF ARTS MINORS YOU DO IT ALL WHILE IN THEATRE Theatre Musical Theatre FINDING YOUR FOCUS

When it comes to planning a career in theatre, the program at Berry is as real as it gets. With a firm liberal arts grounding, the B.A. in theatre ensures a combination of academic and co-curricular studies that results in transferable skills across disciplines and career paths within the theatre industry and beyond it.

You’ll receive the academic studies and professional foundations essential for your fulfillment as a human being as well as your success in the field. Breadth and depth characterize the student experience — in all levels of theatrical production. Understanding the role of each company member gives our graduates a competitive edge. For example, if acting is your primary focus, you can still learn about directing, set construction, lighting, props, costuming and makeup. Or you can dive into playwriting, script analysis and theatre history. If the business side of theatre appeals, you can concentrate on house management, box office, marketing, publicity and sales.

Putting theory into practice is the hallmark of our curriculum. Frequent productions will allow you to use skills learned in class. As a theatre major, you will be involved in at least six main-stage productions by graduation. Through these experiences, collaboration with other students and close faculty mentoring, you will mature artistically while cultivating discipline, humility and tolerance.

For Better or For Worse, an interactive cyber theatre production, directed by 18 student-to-faculty11:1 ratio 97%of faculty have a Ph.D. students per class on average Visiting Artist-in-Residence, David Alford An immersive EXPERIENCE Get involved! Open to the college community, Berry College Theatre Company (BCTC) operates on that goes professional principles, offering three main-stage shows and a student-produced, second stage show BEYOND A B.F.A. during the academic year. Students and theatre faculty work together to produce the season. Through BCTC, you can participate in service projects and social outings, including a fundraising Instead of a narrow focus on just tech or performance, a event to benefit the broader community. theatre degree at Berry takes a comprehensive approach WHERE OUR to academics and professional training. The integration of Recent productions: liberal arts disciplines ensures you’ll graduate as a well- STUDENTS l Molière’s Tartuffe rounded individual who will thrive in your career and lead in l 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee TAKE THEIR your community. l Dogfight (written by Pasek and Paul, creators CRAFT of Dear Evan Hansen) Strategically combining a theatre major with a minor — l Silent Sky (written by America’s most bolstered by LifeWorks opportunities — delivers a package Training in our theatre produced playwright of 2017, Lauren that is more than B.F.A. worthy. For example, a theatre program leads to summer Gunderson) major and a minor in musical theatre, along with hands-on and post-graduate l Neil Simon’s Rumors experience, are comparable to a B.F.A. in performance. A opportunities with: l Broadway musical Urinetown theatre major plus a minor in creative technologies, as well l Make Merry (an original student-written piece) Berkshire Theatre Group as work with state-of-the-art equipment, offers the career Disney Cruise Line preparation of a B.F.A. in theatre design and technology. Students also participate in the Kennedy Center Georgia Theatre American College Theater Festival, Georgia Conference GAIN YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL Theatre Conference and the Southeastern EXPERIENCE — AND GET PAID Jacob’s Pillow Theatre Conference, the largest regional theatre Here’s your chance to learn by doing — and prepare for Porthouse Theatre conference in the country. professional opportunities! Through Berry’s LifeWorks Shenandoah Summer program, the Berry College Theatre Company employs Music Theatre Membership in the Kappa Alpha chapter of Alpha about 50 students in various areas — with on-campus jobs Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society, is Southeastern Summer guaranteed every semester. More than 95% of our students awarded for hard work and dedication on BCTC Theatre Institute work at some point during their four years, with more than productions. Members work continually to discover Theatre Aspen 85% working during any given year. Choose from a variety and perfect methods of performance, playwriting The Lost Colony of positions in the following areas: administrative, box office, and tech/design. They also study and understand publicity, costume shop and scene shop. classical and contemporary theatre, and support the work of their peers. CUTTING-EDGE WHERE STORIES FACILITIES COME ALIVE

At Berry, you’ll have the space to learn and grow while practicing your allows flexible staging and lighting from minimal to elaborate. It’s the craft in the Sisters Theatre at Blackstone Hall. You’ll work with faculty perfect environment to support high production values while offering and fellow artists in all disciplines to craft a story that entertains while opportunities for professional hands-on learning. Moreover, it’s the tapping into the audience’s empathy. ideal venue for staging an experimental theatre experience known as Interactive Cyber Theatre — in which the audience interacts with Dedicated in 2017, the 9,226 square-foot theatre has a black-box players to steer the outcome of the story. Innovative uses of technology stage and adjustable seating for up to 276 audience members. This and improvisation result in a different performance every time. simple, open space readily connects performers to the audience and IN THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT where our graduates shine where our graduates shine

TRIPLE THREAT TALENT: PLAYWRIGHT, EDUCATOR, DIRECTOR FROM BACKSTAGE VOLUNTEER TO STAGE DESIGNER

Emily McClain ’04 is a professional playwright and head of the Bitten by the theatre bug her freshman year, Lindsey Purvis ’16 theatre program for the Gwinnett County School of the Arts in jumped into the theatre program working backstage. After four Lawrenceville, GA. A member of Working Title Playwrights and years of theatre-based student work and a New York internship, she the Dramatists Guild, she currently serves as board president for earned a master’s degree in stage design at Cincinnati’s prestigious Gwinnett Classic Theatre. Her playwriting credits include: College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) — certain her work at l Julie’s Place: full-length comedy selected for JOOKMS Berry set her up for success: “Not everyone has the opportunity to

Spotlight Series (2020) David Hanks Photography build and paint entire sets, weld, hang lights or run shows. Having l Cheek by Jowl: featured playwright with Elephant Room actual practical experience put me ahead of the curve.” Productions; featured in Essential Theatre’s Bare Essentials Play Reading Series (2020) Lindsey’s productions include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Government Inspector and l Children of Combs and Watch Chains: finalist for Risk Theatre International Lady Windermere’s Fan at CCM; Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Wonderful Life and Go, Dog. Go! at Competition (2020). Rose Theater; and Cabaret at Northern Kentucky University. She has also won awards from the l Slaying Holofernes: co-winner of Essential Theatre’s New Play Festival, with Southeastern Theatre Conference and Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. world premiere production (2019) l Terminus Andronicus: finalist, Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries Competition (2019) at the American Shakespeare Center l Short plays: Santa after Hours (2018, 2019 ) and Women’s Shorts (2019) THRIVING AS AN ACTOR IN REGIONAL THEATRE at Out of Box Theatre; Amplifest (2019) at Merely Players; Culture Series (2018) at Atlanta AppCo; Los Angeles Library Series (2019) at Raze The Lyndsay Ricketson ’09 graduated from Berry College with a B.A. Space; Ten-Minute Play Contest Winner (2019) and Ten-Minute Play Finalist in musical theatre. She has performed regionally, including Next to (2020) at Theatre Oxford; Courtroom Drama Series (2019, 2020) at Actor’s Normal (Geva Theatre Center) and A Chorus Line and An Evening Express; Snowdance (2020) at Sixth Street Theatre with Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mill Mountain Theatre). l Audio dramas: Copper Angel (2021) by Borderless Productions; My Brother’s Secret Keeper (2021) and Children of Combs and Watch Chains (2021) by Based in Atlanta, Lyndsay has worked at Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Quarantine Players Lyric Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, Stage Door Players, Georgia l Published through Smiths Script and Stage Rights, with additional work found Ensemble Theatre and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Represented in film and television on New Play Exchange by the People Store, she enjoys writing, directing and producing her own projects. IN THE SPOTLIGHT IN THE SPOTLIGHT where our graduates shine where our graduates shine

GRAD PURSUES MUSICAL THEATRE IN THE BIG APPLE MENTORS AND NETWORKING SPARKED CAREER SUCCESS

After earning kudos for theatre roles and a Bachelor of Music Ashley Rutkowski ’18 earned a B.A. in theatre and is now in Performance at Berry College, Kenny Morgan ’20 enrolled pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in costume technologies from in the prestigious New York University Steinhardt to earn a Ohio University. She previously worked with The Alley Theatre Master of Music in vocal performance with a concentration in Houston, Texas; Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida; Berry in music theatre. Trained in voice, acting and dance, College Theatre Company in Rome, Georgia; Kennesaw State Kenny accumulated an impressive list of credits during his University Theatre & Performance Studies Program in Kennesaw, undergraduate career, including: Georgia; Central Piedmont Community College’s Professional l 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dogfight, Urinetown and Summer Theatre program in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Georgia Ensemble Theatre Peter and the Starcatcher at Berry College in Marietta, Georgia. l A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cheating Death, Seussical, Stopping at Ellis Island and The Tempest at Providence Theatre “My time at Berry taught me so much!” Ashley says. “The faculty members were always encouraging me to be better and helping me find the best opportunities that were perfect A three-week musical theatre intensive experience in London (partially funded by for me. I have created lifelong friends and, thanks to our program’s fundraising to go to a grant from Berry’s Office of International Experiences) solidified Kenny’s decision conferences, an abundance of networking opportunities and connections. The training to follow his passion in theatre: “Being able to perform in a broad spectrum of things and diversity of options allowed me to be so well-rounded.” over my four years really helped establish my hunger for this as my profession. I did everything from singing Mozart’s Requiem to performing in a play that was a spinoff of Peter Pan, from dance concerts to singing a lead in a musical my senior year. Berry simply floods you with opportunity, and that puts you at a great advantage RECENT EMPLOYERS over many of your peers that come from larger programs.” Appalachian Creative Theatre, Black Hills Playhouse, Buford City Schools, WHERE OUR GRADS GO Concordia College, Georgia Department of Education/Fine Arts Department, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Gulfshore Playhouse, New York University University of North Carolina Horizon Theatre Company, Kennesaw State University, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University at Chapel Hill Ohio University, Oxford College of Emory University, Santa Fe Opera Company, University of California, Los Angeles University of Southern California The Second City, The Prizery Theatre, “The Walking Dead,” Universal Orlando University of Cincinnati School of Cinematic Arts Resort, University of Maryland, Walnut Street Theatre, Walt Disney Studios, University of Florida University of Southern Mississippi Walt Disney World, Yale Repertory Theatre University of Tennessee, Knoxville Join us! THEATRE SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS/INTERVIEWS

WE INVITE YOU TO APPLY IF YOU’RE A STUDENT: Be sure to bring a headshot, current resume and two letters of recommendation l With plans to major or minor in theatre or musical theatre at Berry from teachers, directors, etc., who can speak to your qualifications and dedication to l With experience and demonstrated talent in acting, stage management, theatre. playwriting or design/technical FOR AUDITION DATES AND THE THEATRE AUDITION APPLICATION, VISIT IF YOU’RE AN ACTOR, prepare two memorized, contrasting monologues from a (more information will be available in early Fall 2021): published play, approximately 60 seconds each in length. You might pair classical berry.edu/theatre/auditions. and contemporary monologues OR serious and comedic monologues. Here are a few helpful tips: Typically, we welcome visits by students with opportunities to observe a class, l Choose material that you respond to personally, and read the entire play tour our space and meet with students and department faculty. We also offer before the audition. (Successful applicants prepare their pieces several complimentary tickets to productions. Currently, rehearsals and performances are days to weeks in advance.) scheduled. However, please contact BCTC for updated information on situational l Go beyond demonstrating an emotion or personality. Use your changes due to COVID: [email protected] imagination. What is the character’s objective? Which vocal and physical choices will you make to accomplish this objective? l Five questions to get started: QUESTIONS? 1. Who am I? Contact Tessa Nedvin, admission counselor, at [email protected] or 706.368.6909. 2. Where am I? (Consider environment — time and place.) 3. Who am I talking to? 4. Why am I saying this now, or what makes it important to say this now? 5. What am I hoping to achieve by saying this? Or, how do I hope things will change because I say this?

IF YOU’RE A DESIGNER OR TECHNICIAN, prepare to share a portfolio with design renderings, technical drawings (ground plans/light plots/costume renderings, etc.) as well as production photos.

IF YOU’RE A STAGE MANAGER, prepare to share prompt scripts.

IF YOU’RE A PLAYWRIGHT, bring several writing samples. THE SHOW MUST GO ON and it did!

All images on this spread: Tartuffe Make Merry (Or How to Survive Your Family on the Holidays)

Office of Admission Department of Fine Arts | Theatre 800.237.7942 706.236.2289 PO Box 490159 PO Box 495013 Mount Berry, GA 30149-0159 Mount Berry, GA 30149-5013