There can be few subjects as broad, or as fundamental to human civilization, as those of Drama and Theatre. While Drama is rightfully considered an entertainment, it is an entertainment that begins with the greatest literature ever written – from the classics of Euripides, Shakespeare and Molière to modern Americans like Tennessee Williams, August Wilson and David Henry Hwang – as presented in the most sophisticated performance techniques from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas they have developed over three thousand years. And Theatre – the practice of Drama – is a hands-on collaboration that involves real-time interactions with other artists, and displaying the results of your work to real-life audiences.
And so studying for your B.A. in Drama is part of a larger education that will include your close consideration of world history and politics; human psychology and desire; music, dance, literature and art; visual and aural aesthetics, and both ancient and contemporary technologies of communication.
The program itself, as you will see, consists of a comprehensive study of acting, directing, design, music theatre, playwriting, stage management, theatre production, and dramatic theory, criticism, literature and history. Plus it involves hands-on participation in productions – as an actor, designer, writer, technician or stage manager – throughout your study at UCI. Regarding which, you should know that auditions for all productions at UCI are open to undergraduates, and some are open exclusively to undergraduates.
On the pages to come, you will see a wealth of information on the program but an additional resource, particularly for degree requirements for the Drama (B.A.) major and the Music Theatre (B.F.A.) major, is the UCIrvine General Catalogue. Program Learning Outcome information for the B.A. program can be found here; and for the B.F.A. program, can be found here.