Honors

Honors in Dramatic Lit, History, and Theory

Honors in Drama

Overview

The Honors in Drama is a designation designed to recognize the generalist undergraduate Drama student, one who has chosen to focus on breadth in their education as opposed to depth in one area. Such students are often ineligible to be considered for Honors in a specific area (Acting, Design, etc.), and the Honors in Drama designation is a recognition of the high quality of scholarship and work that the student has accomplished within the Department.

Download application form

Minimum Requirements for Consideration
* At least one year in good standing as a Drama Major
* Anticipated graduation date within one year of application.
* Not currently receiving any other Honors through the Drama Department
* Completion of at least 3 upper division courses, spanning at least three areas (Acting, Directing, Design, Stage Management, Music Direction, Dramaturgy, or Literature/Theory/Criticism)
* Minimum 3.2 GPA at UCI. Minimum 3.4 GPA in UCI Drama courses.
* Completed participation in at least five UCI Drama mainstage, director class projects, or faculty-mentored productions as Cast, Designer, Stage Manager, Dramaturg, Crew Chief, Assistant Director, Assistant Designer, or Assistant Stage Manager (Drama 100, 198, or 199)
* Completion of four 101 units.

Application Process

* Student must have a faculty recommender
* Student may apply directly, or faculty members may nominate.
* Completion of Honors in Drama application form
* Presentation of resume/CV/dossier/portfolio to faculty for review
* Applications are due on the first day of spring quarter
* After reviewing the application and resume/CV/dossier/portfolio, the Area Heads will vote on admissions to the Honors in Drama program. A simple majority is required to make the award. In the event of a tie, the chair shall cast the deciding vote.

Criteria for Selection

* Demonstrated commitment and contributions to UCI Drama productions and scholarship that spans multiple areas of the Department, including Acting, Directing, Design, Stage Management, Music Direction, Dramaturgy, Literature/Theory/Criticism, Producing, Technical Production, and/or Playwrighting
* Demonstrated commitment and contributions to UCI Drama’s culture, including issues of leadership, diversity, and/or mentorship.

Benefits

* Honors in Drama designation on official transcript

Download application form

Honors in Acting

Admission to the Honors in Acting Program requires both eligibility and a special audition.

The eligibility requirements for sophomore-level transfer students and native UCI students are:

At least one year in good standing as a UCI Drama major
Completion of Drama 130 or Drama 136 and at least one section of Drama 135 or Drama 142, at UCI
Honors students must possess and maintain a minimum of 3.2 cumulative GPA and 3.4 GPA in all acting courses
Performance in at least three Drama at UC Irvine productions
Completion of at least 6 units of Drama 101 (Production/Crew). Must be enrolled for final units.
Completion of the eligibility form (download the form)

The eligibility requirements for junior-level transfer students are:

At least one year in good standing as a UC Irvine Drama major
Completion of Drama 130 or Drama 136, at UCI
Honors students must possess and maintain a minimum of 3.2 cumulative GPA and 3.4 GPA in all acting courses
Completed performance in at least one Drama at UC Irvine production
Completion of four units of Drama 101 (Production/Crew)
Completion of the eligibility form (download the form)

A student’s audition will determine final admission to Honors in Acting. Auditions for eligible candidates are held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 from 5-6pm in the Nixon. The sign-up sheet will be on the callboard.

Only truly exceptional students will be admitted to the Honors in Acting program, perhaps 10- 20% of eligible students. Auditions will consist of a standard presentation: one classical and one modern monologue, totaling no more than 3 minutes in length. Bring 5 headshots (photocopies are fine) and resumes. These will be available to pick up at the Drama office after decisions have been made.

Honors in Acting Program students receive:

The "Honors in Acting" notation on their official transcript at graduation
Nomination and recommendation for national University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) auditions

Honors in Acting students may be eligible to join MFA Acting students in on-campus auditions for professional theatres and attend MFA Actors' "Dynamics" classes.

Eligibility forms are due Wednesday, April 30, 2025. Please email Cynthia Bassham cbassham@uci.edu.

Honors in Design

The Honors in Design Program provides the opportunity for Drama majors to concentrate on the study and practice of scenery, costume, lighting, or sound design. Honors in Design students study basic and advanced design techniques, participate in classes with graduate design students, serve as an assistant designer to graduate students or faculty designers, and possibly design a production at UCI.

Eligibility requirements are:

At least one year in good standing at UCI as a Drama major
Completion of Drama 50 A, B, C, D for Scenic or Costume designers, or completion of 50 C, D and two of 50 A, B or F for Sound and Lighting Designers
Completion of at least two courses selected from Drama 50E, upper-division studio courses (Drama 150–162, 167–169, 171, or 179) or graduate-level design courses, including at least one from the design area in which the student is applying for honors
Possess and maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.2, with a GPA of 3.4 or higher in all design and production technique courses
Completion of four out of eight units of Drama 101 (Theatre Production)
Completion of the eligibility form

Admission to the Honors in Design Program is competitive. Students may be admitted as early as the winter quarter of their sophomore year but no later than the fall quarter of their senior year. Upon completion of eligibility requirements, the student will schedule an informal portfolio review with a member of the design faculty appropriate to the student's specialty area(s).

If the faculty mentor determines that the student is a good candidate for the Honors in Design Program, the mentor will present the student’s portfolio to the Design Faculty. The Design Faculty, led by the Head of Design, will then decide if the student shall be admitted to the Honors in Design Program.

Honors in Design students receive:

The "Honors in Design" notation on their official transcript.
An assistant designer assignment with a graduate student or faculty designer.
Special consideration to design a budgeted and technically supported production.
Honors in Design students may also receive nomination and recommendation for national University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) interviews.

Honors candidates are expected to maintain their GPA at eligibility levels. They will meet with their faculty mentor at the beginning of every quarter to evaluate their progress and with the Head of Design to check that all grade and course requirements are being satisfied. Should a student, having been previously admitted to the Honors in Design Program, develop an ineligibility, the Design Faculty will meet to evaluate the situation; the student may lose their Honors in Design status and have to re-apply to the Program.

For more information, refer to the Drama section of the UC Irvine General Catalogue or contact Professor Michael Hooker, Head of Design in Drama, at mhooker@uci.edu.

Honors in Directing

The Honors in Directing Program provides the opportunity for Drama majors to concentrate on the study and practice of stage direction. Honors in Directing students study basic and advanced directing techniques, participate in the directing studio classes with graduate Directing students and direct two full plays in the Director Class Project series. Honors students also have the opportunity to receive credit as an assistant director to a Drama Department Main Season show or as a production intern with a professional theatre company.

Admission to the Honors in Directing Program is competitive. Candidates must first complete Drama 184 (Directing) and receive instructor approval to enroll in Drama 185 (Advanced Directing). Candidates must apply, as a director, for Drama 198 (Director Class Project) by submitting a proposal to direct a play in the Director Class Project series. If the proposal is accepted, the candidate must declare to the Head of Directing that the production is to be counted as an audition for admission to the Honors in Directing Program. A committee of three Drama faculty members, including the Head of Directing, will then see and evaluate the production for clarity of interpretation, unity of style, strength of acting, and ensemble performance, and will examine the candidate's self-evaluation and the evaluations of the director by members of the cast. The Head of Directing will inform the candidate of the committee's decision as to whether or not the candidate is admitted to the Honors Program.

Undergraduate Drama majors can be admitted into the program as early as the winter quarter of their freshman year but no later than the spring quarter of their junior year. Students may be admitted to the program retroactively if all the requirements for Directing Honors have been met by their final year, but only if a faculty committee of three has seen their workshops and agrees to admit the candidate.

To achieve the Honors in Directing distinction, students must fulfill all the courses required of the regular Drama major, with an overall GPA of 3.2 or higher. In addition, students must complete the following courses with a GPA of 3.4 or higher:

1. Drama 184 (Directing).

2. Two courses in Drama 185 (Advanced Directing). In this course, undergraduate Directing students enroll and participate in a Graduate Directing studio class.

3. Two Director Class Projects, one of which must be taken as Drama 198 (Drama Workshop) with the candidate serving as director. The candidate must stage a second Director Class Project as Drama 199 (Projects in Theater), for which a letter grade is earned.

4. Four additional units to be satisfied by any of the following: Drama 199 (as a summer internship, approved by the Head of Directing, with the candidate serving a professional theatre company as director, assistant director, or production assistant); Drama 199 (as an independent Project); Drama 100 (as assistant director to a faculty director); or Drama 199 (as assistant director to a graduate director's thesis production).

Honors candidates meet with the Head of Directing at the beginning of every quarter to evaluate their progress and to check that all grade and course requirements are being satisfied. Successful graduating seniors will receive the "Honors in Directing" notation on their official transcript and will receive a nomination and recommendation for national University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) interviews.

NOTE: All of the above courses are open to all students even though they may not qualify for the Honors Program.

For more information, refer to the Drama section of the UC Irvine General Catalogue or contact Professor Juliette Carrillo, Head of Directing, at juliette.carrillo@uci.edu.

>> Download the eligibility form

Honors in Dramatic Lit, History, and Theory

The Honors in Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory Program is designed to challenge superior students beyond the scholarly requirements of the Drama major. It provides them with the opportunity to advance their knowledge of dramatic literature, history, and theory and to further develop their writing, analytical, and research skills. An additional purpose of the program is to better prepare students for graduate study not only in dramatic literature, history, and theory, but in fields ranging from the humanities to the social sciences and law.

Eligibility requirements for entry into the Honors Program are:

Completion of Drama 40A, B, C and two upper-division courses selected from Drama 103-129 (for upper division writing credit with the W designation), or approved equivalents to these courses from other institutions
Maintenance of an overall GPA of at least 3.2, with a GPA of 3.4 or higher in all dramatic literature, history, and theory courses
Completion of the application form (download the form)
Approval by the Honors Program

Admission to the Honors in Dramatic Literature, History, Criticism and Theory Program is competitive and very selective. Students must apply to the Program prior to the spring quarter of their junior year. Upon completion of the eligibility requirements, applicants must submit at least two critical essays, most likely written previously for courses, totaling no more than 30 pages. These essays will be used by the Honors Committee (comprised of the Head of Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory and two additional members of the Drama faculty) to determine admission.

Following admission to the program, and in addition to fulfilling the regular requirements of the Drama major, IN ORDER TO COMPLETE the Honors Program, students must also take three upper-division courses in dramatic literature, history and/or theory, one of which must be focused on theory. Course numbers that fulfill this requirement are: 103, 105, 109, 110, 112, 116, 118, 121, 122, 123, 126, 129, and 180. By approval, upper-division courses in other departments may be used to fulfill these requirements.

The Thesis

Honors students must also write an Honors Thesis, a 30-40 page research paper written under the supervision of a faculty member on a topic chosen by the student. The faculty adviser for this project is selected before the end of the fall quarter of the student's senior year. Students develop their projects until the spring quarter when they enter the writing phase. It is only during the spring quarter that students achieve full course credit for their work on the thesis, in the form of an independent study course with their advisor. This independent study is the final course of the program.

Successful graduating seniors will receive the "Honors in Dramatic Literature, History, and Theory" notation on their official transcript.

For more information, refer to the Drama section of the UC Irvine General Catalogue or contact Professor Daphne Lei, Head of Honors Program / Doctoral Studies in Drama, at dlei@uci.edu.

Honors in Stage Management

The Honors in Stage Management program provides the opportunity for Drama majors to concentrate on the study and practice of stage management. Honors students study basic and advanced stage management techniques, participate in classes with graduate stage management students, work as assistant stage managers with graduate student stage managers on graduate student-directed and faculty-directed productions, and stage manage a graduate student-directed or faculty-directed production at UCI.

Eligibility requirements are:

At least one year in good standing at UCI as a Drama major
Completion of Drama 50A, B, C, D, or equivalent courses
Completion of Drama 50E
Possess and maintain an overall GPA of at least 3.2, with a GPA of 3.4 or higher in all stage management and production technique courses
Completion of eight units of Drama 101 (Theatre Production)
Completion of the eligibility form (download the form)

Admission to the Honors in Stage Management Program is competitive. Students may be admitted as early as the winter quarter of their sophomore year but no later than the spring quarter of their junior year. Only truly exceptional students (no more than 10 to 20 percent of those eligible) will be admitted as determined by the Honors Committee. Upon completion of eligibility requirements, the student will submit to the Honors Committee:

Two prompt books
A resume including all stage management and production experience
Letters of reference from two directors with whom the student has worked
A written paper on the subject of stage management

Honors in Stage Management students receive:

The "Honors in Stage Management" notation on their official transcript
Nomination and recommendation for national University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA) interviews
Assistant stage manager assignments working with graduate student stage managers
A stage management assignment on a graduate student-directed or faculty-directed production

Honors candidates meet with the Head of Stage Management at the beginning of every quarter to evaluate their progress.

For more information, refer to the Drama section of the UC Irvine General Catalogue or contact senior lecturer Don Hill, Head of Stage Management in Drama, at (949) 824-3882 or donhill@uci.edu.