Theatre and Film
D&E Theatre and Film: the first line of the greatest story you will ever tell!
The Theatre & Film program at D&E is always an adventure. You may find yourself on a large 60-foot stage or performing in a banquet hall. You might be running a state-of-the-art lightboard, or tweaking lights on location in a lush forest. The variety of stage and film work you’ll encounter at D&E will always keep you engaged!
Purpose
The D&E Theatre & Film program prepares you with a strong foundation in acting, design, and community-engaged theatre as well as advanced skills in a specialty of your choice. Acting, design, directing, dramaturgy, film production, playwriting, stage management, theatre management – the possibilities are endless. Not sure which area you want to specialize in? Try them all! Flexibility in the Theatre & Film program allows for growth and self-discovery through exploration, observation, innovation, and collaboration.
But what do you do with a BA in Theatre & Film? Whatever you want! Our students have gone on to successful careers and graduate programs in a wide variety of fields from theatre and film to marketing. The skillset you learn in the Theatre & Film program at D&E prepares you for communication, creative thinking, and arts entrepreneurship – all elements highly sought after in the job market of the future. Alumna have gone on to act professionally, light rock shows, write for Pixar, produce television shows, craft life size puppets, and much, much, more!
Whether you’re a major, minor, or just love theatre and film, you’ll experience hands-on learning through courses, trips, and productions. From the moment you step on campus, you’ll have opportunities to participate (and even star!) in mainstage shows, film productions, and student driven works. Small class sizes and dedicated faculty provide individualized education and a tight knit learning community.
Check out the Theatre & Film Instagram @theboilerhouse
Program at a Glance
Degrees: B.A. in Theatre; Minor in Theatre; Minor in Film Production
Nationally Accredited with the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST).
Scholarships available to majors, minors, and non-majors. Contact Professor Lonnie Martin, martinl@dewv, for more information.
Theatre and Film Students Can Get Training in …
• Arts entrepreneurship
• Advanced acting techniques
• Comedy web series creation
• Community-engaged theatre
• Contemporary theatre
• Collaboration and devising
• Design and tech
• Dramaturgical methods
• Filmmaking and editing
• Improvisation
• Movie Production
• Playwriting and Screenwriting
• Voice and movement
• See Program Requirements link below for a full list of classes
Past Productions
2023-2024 Season
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
Twin Flame by Kyla McGill [Senior Thesis]
Legally Blonde The Musical by Heather Hach, Laurence O’Keefe, and Nell Benjamin. Based on the novel by Amanda Brown and the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture.
Student Film Showcase
2022-2023 Season
She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen
Legacy Bid [Original Movie Production] by Lonnie Martin and Lauren Whittier
Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind by Greg Allen
Very Still and Hard to See by Steve Yockey
Student Film Showcase
2021-2022 Season
Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin
Based on C-R-E-P-U-S-C-U-L-E by Rebecca Feldman
Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins
Student Film Showcase
2020-2021 Season
Proof by David Auburn
Student Film Showcase
2019-2020 Season
Frankenstein – Playing with Fire by Barbara Field, based on the novel by Mary Shelley
The Apple Tree by Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Jerome Coopersmith
Based on The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain, “The Lady, or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton, and Passionella by Jules Feiffer
2020-2019 Season
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Murdered to Death by Peter Gordon
Leading the Way.
Facilities
Harper-McNeeley Auditorium
As of 2021, the Harper-McNeeley Auditorium has a new look and feel with renovations expanding backstage space, installation of state-of-the-art light and rigging system, as well a curtain system with false proscenium curtain, legs for the wings, and valances. Additional curtains in the house allow the space to be adaptable for a variety of audience sizes, large and small. The 350 – 1,000 seat performances space is perfect for Shakespearean spectacle and contemporary musicals alike!
The Boiler House
Constructed in 1924, the Boiler House functioned, as its name suggests, to provide steam heat to the original buildings of the College. Now home to the scene shop, the Boiler House is equipped to work with everything from foam to steel. Stocked with a wide array of tools and equipment, it provides the opportunity to work with the tools and materials used by professional scene shops. This is where the real learning takes place for theatre designers and technicians. Being able to apply the knowledge acquired in class to the practical world of theatre gives the student a more well-rounded college theatre experience.
Found Space
We also perform “guerilla style” in “found” spaces both on and off campus. We look for ways to train you for any venue: from our on-campus mansions, outdoor pavilion and amphitheatre, and chapel to spaces in the community, we prepare you for the demands of making theatre when you leave your undergraduate surroundings.
Department Directory
Lead the Way at D&E. Contact us today.
