Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan-Flint fosters a vibrant learning environment, blending intensive training with social awareness. Our programs prepare students for artistic and community leadership, valuing collaboration, empathy, and service.
Theatre Bachelor’s Degree Programs
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre
This is our most flexible degree, as you can choose different tracks: performance, musical theatre, literature & history, or the broad general track, where you can devise your course of study and mix-and-match courses across design, technology and performance.
Bachelor of Science in Theatre Design & Technology
This flexible program allows you to glean skills and knowledge across theatre production: costumes, scenic, lighting, sound, & stage management. Many classes are hands-on studio-style, meaning you’ll dig right into props, carpentry, sewing, hanging lights, and managing rehearsals. You’ll also take classes in design theory that allow you to study plays and learn how to create a three-dimensional world for the characters.
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre
This is our most flexible degree, as you can choose different tracks: performance, musical theatre, literature & history, or the broad general track, where you can devise your own course of study and mix-and-match courses across design, technology and performance.
Minors
Academic Advising
At the University of Michigan-Flint, we are proud to have many dedicated advisors who are the experts students can rely upon to guide their educational journey. Explore all the possible pathways for your future with Therasa Martin, the dedicated academic advisor for Theatre majors. You can contact her at [email protected] or 810-424-5496.
2024 Season Performances
Proof
By David Auburn
Directed by Stephanie Dean
March 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 2024
Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 2 p.m.
UM-Flint Theatre
Proof is a Pulitzer Prize-winning play that revolves around Catherine, a young woman who cares for her brilliant and mentally unstable father, Robert. After his death, a groundbreaking mathematical proof is discovered in his notebooks, leading to questions about its authorship and authenticity. Catherine must grapple with her own mathematical talent and the weight of her father’s legacy while dealing with the doubts and expectations of those around her. The play dives into themes of genius, family dynamics, mental illness, and the line between brilliance and madness.
Scholarships for Theatre & Dance Students
UM-Flint provides many scholarships that are specifically for theatre and dance students. They include:
- Carl and Sarah Morgan Theatre Fund
- Carolyn M Gillespie Fund for Theatre and Dance
- Stephen Landon Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund
- Ralph M. and Emmalyn E. Freeman Theatre Scholarship
- Kay Sampson Kelly Theatre Merit Scholarship Fund
- UM-Flint Theatre and Dance Friends Scholarship
- Brian K. Mcdonald Scholarship Fund
- Shakespeare Club of Flint Scholarship Fund
- Jeffrey F Garfield Scholarship Fund
Our Office of Financial Aid also offers a variety of other scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study opportunities. They’re all part of our effort to make your world-class University of Michigan-Flint education affordable.
Mon’Quez Deon Pippins
Theatre Performance 2003
Mon’Quez is a singer, songwriter, actor, and chef. Before starring in such productions as the first Broadway tour of The Color Purple, he honed his craft with UM-Flint Theatre & Dance. He remembers his professors fondly for pushing him to constantly improve.
“All of my professors, they pushed us to use our chops. They didn’t want us to sit comfortably. They wanted us to work hard to make these characters come through…UM-Flint Theatre taught me to DRIVE and fight for my goals.”
Career Paths in Theatre & Dance
The skills and abilities developed through your coursework in theatre and dance serve as the building blocks for a wide range of occupations and career paths. It is important to realize that the activities represented by these job titles might be found in business, government, educational institutions, non-profit agencies, or arts-related businesses. These job titles are examples of some of how theatre and dance students have applied their skills and abilities. In general, an advanced degree is required for those occupations marked with an asterisk (*) on the list that follows:
- Actor/Actress
- Choreographer/Stunt Coordinator
- Playwright/Screenwriter
- Production Support Services
- Carpenter
- *Arts Council Director
- *Arts Administration
- Director/Producer
- *Theatre Librarian
- Theatre Teacher
- Designer
- Scenic, Costume, Lighting, Sound, etc.
- *Community Arts Center Director
- Marketing Positions
- Theatre Teacher
- *Managing Director Publicist/Public Relations
- And more!
Courageous – Flexible – Compassionate
The central focus of Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan- Flint is to provide our students with a challenging educational environment and richly diverse learning experiences. We strive to provide students with opportunities to work alongside professionals on and off the stage. We are committed to providing our students with the necessary artistic and personal tools to meet the demands of an ever-evolving world and profession.
Through intellectual inquiry, imaginative daring, intensive training, social awareness, and practical experience, our students stand ready to assume responsibility in the community and excel as courageous artists, flexible workers, and compassionate citizens.
We value collaboration, responsibility, balance, empathy, and service.
Skills Applied
The study of theatre and dance equips a student with a broad range of communication and organizational skills applicable to many careers, including those in the performing arts. A theatre and dance student’s presentation skills, ability to perform in public, and control of the voice and body provide a solid basis for working effectively with others.
Theatre and dance also develop the ability to concentrate intensely, listen introspectively, observe keenly, solve problems creatively, think critically, develop a project collaboratively, work independently, work under pressure, meet deadlines, and maintain composure when faced with the unexpected. Well-developed communication skills enable graduates to contribute and to succeed in many professions. A sample of representative skills and abilities follows:
Analysis
- Problem-solving
- Understanding ideas within historical/social context
- Comparing and contrasting ideas/information
Artistic/Technical
- Explaining concepts
- Sound, lighting, costuming, makeup, and design techniques
- Good health, stamina, and body coordination
Communication
- Public speaking
- Speaking articulately and listening introspectively
- Voice control/modulation
- Body language
Organization
- Self-discipline
- Interacting and collaborating with colleagues in a team setting
- Ability to maintain composure when faced with the unexpected (improvisation)
Calendar of Events
