The program in theatre is at the heart of the liberal arts experience at Hamilton. It focuses not only on the process of creating performance art, but on the growth of the performer as well. Students in theatre develop the tools with which to approach other disciplines with creativity and rigor. The demands and rewards of artistic performance encourage personal responsibility and empowerment, and they build a sense of community both within the creative ensemble and between performer and audience. Through classes, workshops, projects and productions, students are helped to find and develop their own identities.
Theatre is a demanding discipline at Hamilton. It challenges students to develop intellectually, creatively, physically and emotionally. In addition to teaching the skills of theatre as an art form, the Hamilton curriculum emphasizes ideas, imagination, problem solving, spontaneity, discipline, cooperation and commitment. Majors maintain high academic and artistic standards as they work on individual and collaborative projects. Students may major in theatre or minor in theatre or design and production, taking a series of courses that balance performance and nonperformance workshops and classes.
What ultimately distinguishes the theatre program at Hamilton is what one professor calls its “contemporaneousness.” Productions are innovative and often provocative. They not only entertain but also explore the many social and multicultural dimensions of performance. It is a dynamic, challenging community that aims to awaken and cultivate every student’s creative potential and presence.
Theatre is by definition inclusive and interdisciplinary. Courses, productions and concerts at Hamilton offer a broad perspective on the history and role of the performing arts and their place in different cultures. Students learn to recognize and honor difference and diversity as they are immersed in unfamiliar cultures in performance and study. Through a balance of theory and practice, students gain an understanding of Western performance techniques and dramatic literature, non-Western forms and drama, and non-text-based genres of performance. And they become acquainted with the ways in which Western forms of theatre increasingly blend with and affect non-Western theatre.
In the classroom, in rehearsal and in tutorials, our program depends on close collaboration between students and faculty members. The process of learning and making theatre always involves close interaction, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes in small groups. The result is a way of teaching and learning that transcends what is found on paper or in books; it engages the student's entire being.
Hamilton's program in theatre focuses equally on performance and scholarship. Each student receives a thorough grounding in performance, history, criticism and creative techniques in a classroom environment, then applies it in the laboratory of the theatre. Formal and informal opportunities for performance abound, from major productions to senior projects to playwriting, directing and acting showcases.
Theatre is by definition inclusive and interdisciplinary. Courses, productions and concerts at Hamilton offer a broad perspective on the history and role of the performing arts and their place in different cultures. Students learn to recognize and honor difference and diversity as they are immersed in unfamiliar cultures in performance and study. Through a balance of theory and practice, students gain an understanding of Western performance techniques and dramatic literature, non-Western forms and drama, and non-text-based genres of performance. And they become acquainted with the ways in which Western forms of theatre increasingly blend with and affect non-Western theatre.
In the classroom, in rehearsal and in tutorials, our program depends on close collaboration between students and faculty members. The process of learning and making theatre always involves close interaction, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes in small groups. The result is a way of teaching and learning that transcends what is found on paper or in books; it engages the student's entire being.
Hamilton's program in theatre focuses equally on performance and scholarship. Each student receives a thorough grounding in performance, history, criticism and creative techniques in a classroom environment, then applies it in the laboratory of the theatre. Formal and informal opportunities for performance abound, from major productions to senior projects to playwriting, directing and acting showcases.
Theatre is by definition inclusive and interdisciplinary. Courses, productions and concerts at Hamilton offer a broad perspective on the history and role of the performing arts and their place in different cultures. Students learn to recognize and honor difference and diversity as they are immersed in unfamiliar cultures in performance and study. Through a balance of theory and practice, students gain an understanding of Western performance techniques and dramatic literature, non-Western forms and drama, and non-text-based genres of performance. And they become acquainted with the ways in which Western forms of theatre increasingly blend with and affect non-Western theatre.
In the classroom, in rehearsal and in tutorials, our program depends on close collaboration between students and faculty members. The process of learning and making theatre always involves close interaction, sometimes one-on-one and sometimes in small groups. The result is a way of teaching and learning that transcends what is found on paper or in books; it engages the student's entire being.
Hamilton's program in theatre focuses equally on performance and scholarship. Each student receives a thorough grounding in performance, history, criticism and creative techniques in a classroom environment, then applies it in the laboratory of the theatre. Formal and informal opportunities for performance abound, from major productions to senior projects to playwriting, directing and acting showcases.
