A. Requirements for Performance/Production/Playwriting

GENERAL REMINDER: Thesis work in these areas is by invitation of the departmental faculty only. Meeting the following requirements does not guarantee invitation. They are the minimum expectations which must be fulfilled to be eligible for a thesis in these fields. Students who are invited to work on a thesis in acting, directing, or design will be invited to complete a specific project designated by the department. For example, a student will not be invited to do an "acting thesis." Instead, the student will be asked to play a specific role in a specific production. For directing, a student will be invited to direct a specific play. For design, the student will be invited to accomplish the design for a specific production. Students who decline these specific invitations may be ineligible to complete a thesis in these fields

Acting Requirements: Course work: Theater 261 plus one additional course in acting or performance; Theater 263 Production work: One major role in a faculty-directed production at Bates.

Design Requirements: Course work: Theater 130 plus one additional course in design. Production work: One major design responsibility for one faculty-directed production at Bates; stage management of one faculty-directed production.

Directing Requirements: Course work: Theater 370 Production work: One production directed at Bates for credit as a 360 in Theater after successfully completing 370; stage management of one faculty-directed production.

Playwriting Requirements: Course work: Theater 240 plus one additional course in playwriting. Additional work: One completed script.

Performance Art Requirements: Course work: Theater 227 plus one advanced acting course plus one 360 in performance art.

Dance Requirements: Course work: Theater 250, 251, 252, and s29, plus a minimum of three years of dance technique and performance. Production work: Choreograph one piece for performance after successful completion of 251 or an independent study in choreography.

B. Honors Thesis Honors involves a two semester project through Theater 457 and 458, and an oral examination by faculty members and an outside evaluator. Participation in the honors program is by invitation of the theater faculty. The fact that a student meets these minimum standards is no guarantee that he or she will be invited to pursue honors. The faculty reserves the right to exercise its judgment in each case. The following are minimum objective criteria for such an invitation. Overall grade-point average: 3.00 Departmental average: 3.30

For Honors Acting Theses: Major roles in at least two Bates productions (exclusive of directing-class shows), at least one of which must have been faculty-directed; distinguished work in at least one acting course beyond Beginning Acting.

For Honors Directing Theses: Distinguished work in Theater 370, and at least one additional production directed under departmental auspices.

For Honors Performance Theses: Successful completion of course 227 and a substantial document on the work created.

For Honors Design Theses: Distinguished work in the relevant design courses, and design work on at least two productions at Bates, at least one of which must have been faculty-directed.

For Honors Theses In History, Literature, And Criticism: Distinguished work in the relevant courses at Bates, including a demonstrated ability to write vivid, coherent English.

For Honors Theses In Playwriting: Successful completion of at least two one-act plays, or one full-length play before senior year.

FOR ALL HONORS THESES: A substantial section (i.e., 25-50 pages) of the written portion must address scholarly, historical, and theoretical questions.

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