Admission Requirements
The Department of Theatre goes by the general NAU undergraduate admissions
requirements.
There are no audition requirements to declare a major in Theatre.
Policy on Admission to Focus Programs
Growing enrollments and limited faculty resources dictate that the Department of Theatre, in an effort to maximize the educational experience afforded all students, has limited the availability of course opportunities by capping course enrollment and requiring focus auditions/interviews for all students interested in Performance and Design & Technology foci. Only majors who have met the appropriate academic, performance, and portfolio standards will be allowed in one of the theatre focus programs.All new students will be expected to complete the following courses by the end of their second semester of residency:
TH 130, TH 135 and two of the following: TH 122, TH 123, and TH 124
Students wishing to be considered for admission to the Performance focus must audition. These auditions are held in March each year. Two one-minute, contrasting monologues are standard for these auditions.
Students wishing to be considered for admission to the Design & Technology focus must present a portfolio of all design and/or technology work at the departmental portfolio review held in the spring semester of each year.
A student not admitted to a focus will automatically become a Theatre Studies major for one semester and may re-audition for the focus following the completion of one full semester’s work (summers are not included) after the interview/audition. If the student is not admitted following a second audition/interview they may continue as a Theatre Studies major or as a Theatre minor.
Transfer Students
Transfer students must still complete the above coursework, or their equivalents,
before any admission to a focus. Transfer students are admitted to Theatre
Studies until the completion of the application and audition/interview requirement.
The interview/audition may be scheduled with the faculty prior to entering
NAU or during the regularly scheduled audition/interview period in March.
Transfer students, like freshmen, must formally apply by letter to a focus
program.
Northern Arizona University Theatre articulates with all community colleges
in Arizona. In-state transfers can expect little difficulty in transferring
hours in liberal studies or in their major, especially if they enter with
the Associate of Arts degree. Transferring without the AA degree may mean
additional hours in liberal studies; however, all theatre hours statewide
do transfer in some equivalent category. Out-of-state transfer hours are
dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Auditions, Casting and Production Assignments
By virtue of admission to the theatre program and any program focus, students acknowledge that participation in production assignments is essential to their educational experience. Performance focus students are required to audition for all departmental productions. Moreover, students are required to accept and fulfill roles assigned to them through the audition process. Design/tech students, theatre studies students, and theatre education students are likewise obligated to complete responsibilities as assigned. A student who reneges on production responsibilities after casting or assignment without the express consent of their advisor or a viable excuse deemed family or personal in nature is subject to administrative dismissal from the program. The production program is designed to offer opportunities to as many students as possible. With very few exceptions, students are typically cast in only one production per semester.