Educational Programs

Summer Term
Begins May 29
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We have added a number of general education liberal arts and sciences classes to this year's summer schedule, along with several career and technical courses.

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MCTC Foundation Scholarships

The MCTC Foundation awards numerous scholarships each year to students in need as well as to students with high academic potential. During the 2010-2011 school year, the MCTC Foundation awarded over $387,000 to 291 students. Scholarship information for the 2012-2013 school year is now available. Please refer to the scholarship packet to see available scholarship opportunities.

The scholarship application deadline is May 25, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in T.2500.

Download the MCTC Scholarship packet

Theatre Arts

Program description

The Theatre Arts program, which has cross-disciplinary connections with Filmmaking, Video and Digital Arts, Art, Music, English and Humanities gives you a solid base in classical, modern, contemporary and multicultural theatre. With professional theatre artists as your teachers, you will learn through doing in a program that integrates the artistic, technical and academic disciplines of theatre practice.

Program start and location

Fall enrollment is recommended. Classes are held on the MCTC campus.

Degree options and requirements

A.F.A Degree in Theatre Arts—60 credits

Click here for program and course information.

What you will learn

  • MCTC’s A.F.A. in Theatre Arts will give you training in the basic skills necessary for creative expression in the performance and technical aspects of the theatre arts, and, if you choose, provide you with the ability to transfer to a B.A. or B.F.A. degree in Theatre. It will also qualify you for the first half of a cooperative B.A. degree in Theatre Arts with Metropolitan State University, the only state college or university outside of the University of Minnesota to offer a B.A. degree in Theatre Arts in the Twin Cities.
  • You may choose an emphasis in acting, directing or technical theatre skills. You will also learn to interpret and understand global theatre history as well as contemporary and classical dramatic literature.
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  • Your instructors will be theatre artists with professional experience and graduate degrees in theatre. Their classes focus on developing the fundamentals of acting, stage movement, vocal production, play directing and producing, scene design and lighting, playwriting and written and oral response to theatre.
  • The Theatre Department’s stage productions will serve as your learning laboratory, an opportunity to enter into creative collaborations with faculty, community members and artists-in-residence. You may find yourself acting, directing, designing or viewing productions at any given time to learn all aspects of the theatre experience, from lab theatre to the Main stage. The productions and your coursework combine to give you a solid base in classical, modern, contemporary and multicultural theatre.
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Points of pride

  • MCTC instructors bring the theatre arts to life. These professional educators also hold advanced degrees in the theatre arts and bring acting and directing experience as artists with many local and national theatres.
  • You may find yourself acting, directing, designing or viewing productions at any given time. Students can participate in three Main stage productions each year, entering into creative collaborations with faculty, community members and artists-in-residence.
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  • Let the stage be your learning lab. Experience the exhilaration of performing on three different stages—proscenium, thrust stage or black box—as part of the program’s faculty-directed productions.
  • The program’s smaller size fosters faculty and student interaction and creates a more personal learning experience.
  • MCTC is in the heart of a vibrant theatre community that includes and multiple downtown stages, including the internationally acclaimed Guthrie Theatre.
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Where you could work

  • Local, regional and national theatre companies
  • Music, dance and opera companies
  • Local and regional TV production
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  • Local and regional film production
  • Local and regional commercial production houses
  • Live event production agencies
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Potential job titles

  • Actor
  • Artistic director
  • Producer
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  • Announcer
  • Stagehand
  • Lighting designer
  • Director/assistant director
  • Casting director/assistant
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Occupational outlook

Employment for Actors, Directors and Producers is expected to grow 11 percent during the 2008–18 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Attendance at live theater performances should continue to be steady, and drive employment of stage actors, producers and directors.

Beyond-the-classroom opportunities

On-campus productions—three each year—give students the opportunity to collaborate creatively with other students, faculty and artists-in residence.

Articulation Agreements and Common Course Outlines

Click here for articulation agreement information.

Click here for Common Course Outline information.