Welcome to the Department of Theatre

About the Department of Theatre

OUR MISSION

The Department of Theatre provides a student-focused liberal arts education that develops theatre artists, scholars and teachers to investigate current best practices and emerging entrepreneurial methods in theatre and other kinds of professional performance. Aligning with the university’s commitment to open-access education, we integrate the values of equity and inclusion to drive vibrant intellectual inquiry, ethical and informed community engagement, and innovative creative research practices.

OUR VISION AND VALUES

We see theatre education as a path to a career in the professional and educational theatre industries as well as any profession that requires innovation, creative thinking, strategic collaboration and communication skills. Our vision for the future aligns with our commitment to the following actions and values:

Community and Collective Action

● We embrace our institution’s commitment to an open access education and welcome students from across the state and beyond regardless of their prior level of preparation in the theatre field.

● We serve the rich cultural life of our urban region and facilitate partnership-oriented projects with the Charlotte metro area and its diverse communities.

● We foster an inclusive student community of citizen artists engaged in theatre practices that facilitate community change and social justice through partnerships and collective action.

Anti-racism

● We recognize this is a complex process, a journey, and we are committed to taking that journey as colleagues, teachers and mentors.

● We offer culturally responsive pedagogies and production practices in service of equity, inclusion, diversity and anti-racism.

● We open space for anti-racism work that addresses current inequities in our community and region.

● We commit to participating in conversations with other communities and regions as they aim to take on their own anti-racism work.

● We examine robust global historical perspectives for theatre-making that interrogate past practices and pedagogies in service of a more equitable and inclusive curriculum.

Inclusivity and Collaboration

● We embrace a wide and inclusive range of approaches to the study and practice of theatre with respect to race, nationality, gender, age, sexuality, ability, economic status, and disciplinary focus.

● We seek the voices and perspectives of all students, faculty, and staff and strive to create an equitable environment that includes room for thoughtful discussion and the active practice of compassion and inclusion.

● We engage in collaborative processes while celebrating the individual voice, the synthesis of multiple perspectives and the acknowledgement of all contributions.

Investigation and Discovery

● We center the role of creativity in all of our research modalities.

● We examine the impact of theatre beyond our stages and interrogate how theatre challenges and/or reflects the current state of society.

● We engage in research that fosters innovative theory and practice.

● We emphasize a process over product approach to the study and practice of theatre.

● We create opportunities for students to develop critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills and to apply them to theatre-making and theatre studies with an ultimate goal of shaping the next generation of creatives/scholars/citizens.

We offer a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Theatre and a Minor in Theatre. Coursework in the Department of Theatre is available to all students enrolled at the University, as are the auditions for our productions.

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UNC Charlotte Department of Theatre Statement on Black Lives Matter and Racial Injustice

The Faculty and Staff in the Department of Theatre at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte condemn the brutal murder of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police and other citizens. We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement as voices around the world are raised in grief and outrage in pursuit of justice and equality.

Like you, we have different experiences, different journeys. Some of us are intimately familiar with what is happening, while others are just beginning to process the full effect of systematic racism. Though our personal responses might vary, as a department we all share an unequivocal care for you, our students, for your physical and mental health, and for your safety. As we see you fight and engage in dialogue, we are inspired.

We understand that standing in solidarity is not enough. To this end, we pledge to confront the ways in which white supremacy has insidiously taken hold in all aspects of our shared American Life, in our classrooms and our department. We vow to identify and combat systemic racism by doing the work to stand with those who have been most maligned by this terrible reality, and also with other communities that have experienced horrific acts of dehumanization and prejudice. We will examine actionable steps within our department.

As individuals and as a department, we have made mistakes, and we will likely make more, however we will be more vigilant and learn from those mistakes. We are taking a stand to hear you, but not put the labor solely on you. To those students who have spoken up and spoken out, we see you and we hear you. To those continuing that hard work, we see you and we hear you.

~The Faculty of the University of North Carolina Department of Theatre

A message to Niner Nation from the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Black male theatre student in a fraternity jersey dancing on stage

"My favorite thing about The Department of Theatre would be the staff and professors. Not only do these professionals care about their artistic craft, they genuinely care for us students and our personal, artistic, and professional development. If not for the faculty and staff at UNC Charlotte, I wouldn’t have found my calling as a future arts administrator or the confidence to pursue it." - Alex Gomes, BA Theatre Performance, BS Health Systems Management '21