Get To Know Us

 Welcome to Theatre at Alma College!

The Theatre Department is motivated by the belief that the performing arts are vital and necessary to the human experience. At its heart, theatre explores the mystery and exhilaration of human relationships. The infinite aspects of our relationship to self, to each other, to our world and to larger spiritual forces.

Theatre has the power to profoundly affect the development of human potential. This influence can be felt by both the participants actively engaged in the creation of a production and by the audience actively engaged in the viewing of a production.  

We strive to teach each student not only the craft of theatre, but also to inspire each student to the heights of art – which at its best is a quest for truth. A quest where truth is found not only in the result but also in the process of the journey – a process that focuses on the questions that are raised rather than only on the answers to those questions.

Even though adversity and conflict are at the very core of drama, our journey is a process which demands that a community of artists strives to work collaboratively to illuminate the human experience.

This quest for truth begins with each artist’s individual contribution and continues in the collaboration of the design, technical, and rehearsal studios. It is not complete until the communal efforts of the artists are shared on a stage with the larger community with whom we have a relationship.

In this vital final step of the process we must strive to present our best possible work, but we must 
never be afraid to take the risks to truthfully explore the questions. The Theatre Department is committed to:

• challenge students to aspire to high standards of excellence and reach new heights in the development of their craft and artistic growth;
• awaken in students the importance and value of the culture, history and tradition of theatre;
• promote critical and analytical skills, and demonstrate that these skills are enhanced by creative thinking;
• provide quality opportunities for both majors and non-majors to actively participate in all areas of production;
• expose students to various styles, genres and methods of performance and production;
• prepare students with the necessary skills to pursue vocations in Theatre.      

     

“A painter doesn’t paint the bowl of apples on the table in front of him.  He paints what the apples mean to him, how the apples impress him, how he feels about them.  Similarly, an actor must create every moment of his performance out of what it means to him, how he really feels about it.”~~ William Esper

  

At Alma, students have the option to participate in a Theatre Company class. This class ranges from being involved in working in the scene shop, costumes shop, working as backstage crew, wardrobe work, make-up and acting. These blog posts are written by students involved in an effort to give the community a better idea of how the students experience Theatre and everything that goes into it.