We're living in one of the most vibrant, creative periods in the history of the American performing arts. New theatre technology and design are revolutionizing the way movies, plays, musicals and dance are presented. This fervent creativity was reflected in a New York Times projection that the current decade is seeing the performing arts become one of the main growth industries in America, with employment rising over 150% in the entertainment industry. It's truly a great time to be in the biz.
Wright State Department of Theatre Arts is playing a central part in this new American Renaissance in the performing arts. Our graduates are becoming some of the leaders in their fields. They're winning Emmy's for supervising HBO specials with Tom Hanks. They're dancing, singing, and acting on national television, on major regional tours, and on Broadway. They're studying at the leading graduate schools, such as Yale School of Drama in Costume Design, NYU School of the Arts in Musical Playwriting, DePaul University in Acting, Northwestern University, and the Drama School of London. They’re filming documentaries in China and Africa. They’re gaining internships in stage management at leading regional theatres, including the La Jolla Playhouse and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. And they're charting new paths in the arts, developing new plays, working as designers, shop heads and technicians at professional theatres throughout America.
At Wright State we continue to break records and win national awards. Our original creative collaboration between students, faculty and staff, 1913: The Great Dayton Flood, played to over 10,000 people and won a record number of awards from the American College Theatre Festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 1997. Our dance piece, Aftershock also played the Kennedy Center, winning national recognition from the American College Dance Festival in 1995. A junior film, Drymount, placed among the top three new short films at the prestigious Sundance Festival. WSU Design/Tech area won first place in 1995 and 1997 at the Tech Olympics of the University Schools Institute of Theatre Technology. And our new Acting/Musical Theatre program has become the degree of choice for record numbers of students setting their sights on becoming quadruple threats - those who can sing, dance, act, and fill the stage with life!
One reason that our graduates succeed and our students thrive is that the WSU Department of Theatre Arts emphasizes professional training for the undergraduate only. Students do not compete with graduate students for roles, design opportunities, equipment, scholarships, or access to faculty and staff. In fact, one of our three theatres, the Directing Lab, is given over entirely to students and their creative projects. . More
