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Creativity, imagination and improvisation will be essential skills for the fast-changing 21st century.
For more information:
Drama
Department Chair:
Joe Mattys, PhD
Phone: 804-752-4704
E-mail: jmattys@rmc.edu
Drama
If all the world's a stage, then a major in drama can help prepare you for whatever role your future demands. Focusing both on performance and production, the drama major introduces students to the long, rich history and flourishing contemporary role of theatre.
On-stage and off: From the diverse body of dramatic literature to the sweat-and-greasepaint challenges of staging a production, the drama curriculum offers a strong academic foundation while demanding the creative, problem-solving skills that go into staging a live performance.
Curtains up: R-MC's drama department stages an average of five productions a year, from the timeless works of Shakespeare and the Greek playwrights to Broadway favorites and contemporary dramas, with students often taking lead roles not only as actors but also as directors and lighting and stage designers. James Murray '09 arrived at R-MC interested in law and politics, discovered a love of theatre, and found himself four years later with a degree in English and Drama and more than 30 theatrical productions to his credit.
Road show: R-MC students take advantage of the college's strong study abroad program, which includes January-term travel classes such as professor Joe Mattys's The Arts in London. And students in the drama department also have the opportunity to participate in academic internships with professional theatre companies.
Your next act: Graduates of R-MC's drama program are pursuing careers in fields including television production design, non-profit fundraising, web design, PR and new media, education, and music performance.
| The opportunity to pursue a wide range of interests
Who's a drama major? At R-MC, it's students like Becky Johnsen '10, who majored not only in drama but also in economics/business, and added a minor in Spanish as well, pursuing multiple interests in the course of her college career. Outside of the classroom, she also managed a busy extracurricular schedule, volunteering, taking part in the debate team and the drama club, and serving as editor-in-chief of the Yellow Jacket newspaper, among other activities. Now an intern at the Federal Reserve Bank, Johnsen said of her multi-faceted college experience, "One of the happy by-products of a liberal arts education is that you get great exposure to a variety of disciplines."
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