MFA and BFA Program Expectations

 

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The following expectation statements are based on the premise that the FAU Department of Theatre and Dance strives to fulfill the following departmental mission and values statement:

Mission

The mission of the Department of Theatre and Dance is to produce innovative artists and scholars through a pursuit of academic and creative excellence.

Values

The Department of Theatre and Dance values:

  • Engaging in the highest quality of professional training
  • Providing an experiential approach to the collaborative nature of theatre and dance
  • Integrating production experience with a scholarly understanding of theatre and dance as artistic forms
  • Encouraging innovative exploration through classic and contemporary methodologies in theatre and dance
  • Developing excellence in research and creative expression in the classroom and production process
  • Encouraging and celebrating diversity in our community
  • Providing active leadership in the contribution to South Florida culture
  • Engaging with our various campus and regional communities

General Standards and Expectations

As such, the Department of Theatre and Dance requires all department majors to adhere to the following expectations:

  • To demonstrate a commitment to their degree program and its associated curricular requirements
  • To demonstrate professional behavior when engaged in departmental activities
  • To treat faculty, staff, and fellow peers with respect and courtesy
  • To remain a positive advocate for the arts in general and for theatre and dance in particular

Additionally, the Department of Theatre and Dance defines specific criteria for those students in the MFA and BFA degree programs. With the recognition that these programs are intended to develop students who are prepared to enter the professional arena, the standards for these students are more rigorous and the expectations for achievement are set higher. Therefore, the Department of Theatre and Dance expects all MFA and BFA students to successfully meet the criteria for their degree program as set out below.

MFA

Standards and Expectations:

  • MUST AUDITION FOR ALL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS*
  • Must accept roles as cast
  • Must attend all rehearsals to which the actor is called (emergency requests to be excused from a rehearsal must be submitted to the director of the production for approval)
  • Must attend all scheduled performances (emergency requests to be excused from a performance must be submitted to the director of the production and the Chair of the department for approval)
  • Must arrive to rehearsals and performances on time and prepared
  • Must demonstrate professional behavior in rehearsal and performance and recognize that they are mentors and role models
  • Must participate in the end-of-semester evaluations and commit themselves to continued artistic growth
  • Must attend all departmental MFA meetings
  • Must fulfill all assistantship assignments
  • Must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or above with the recognition that any course grade below a B+ is cause for concern. Any course with a grade of C or below will not count towards graduation and will need to be retaken
  • Must remain open to the training process, be an enthusiastic proponent of their own development and growth, a supporter of their peers, and a positive contributor to the program and department

*Under circumstances of extreme hardship (ie. emergency medical or family situations) a student may petition to be exempt from auditioning. PETITIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR PRIOR TO AUDITIONS. The Chair will present the petition to the faculty for a determination and then inform the student of the decision.

Failure to comply with the above expectations will result in:

  • 1st Infraction: A written warning and placement on probation
  • 2nd Infraction: Recommendation to the Graduate College that the student be dismissed from the MFA program. Students who are dismissed from the MFA are not eligible for re-admission.

Please Note: While circumstances of hardship may present the need to hold an outside job, said employment is incompatible with participation in the MFA. The demands and time commitment necessary to successfully progress in the MFA program are such that holding an outside job with a regular schedule is not sustainable. Requests for approval for any temporary outside work must first be submitted in writing to the Chair of the Department who will then bring the request to the faculty for approval. If it is determined that a student has been holding an outside job without prior approval, said student may be put on probation and may be recommended for dismissal from the MFA.

Graduate Assistantship Guidelines

Assistantship hours.

Graduate assistants in Theatre Performance and Theatre Design and Technology are assigned twenty hours per week of assistantship work.  There are a few reductions in these hours:

  1.  Theatre Performance GAs receive a five hour per week reduction in their Assistantship Assignment to compensate for time spent in the rehearsal hall, reducing the number of hours in the lab to fifteen per week. This is applied to all Theatre Performance GAs whether cast in a particular show or not since the overall rehearsal demands among grads will even out over the long term.
  2. When any Graduate assistant is assigned to teach, that assignment will be considered as carrying a 7.5 hour per week Assistantship load.  This includes three hours per week for classroom contact, three hours per week for office hours, and 1.5 hours per week for grading and class preparation. This will result in a 7.5 hour reduction in the remaining Assistantship work load. This means Theatre Performance GAs, when teaching, will continue in their regular duties for 7.5 hours per week and Design/Tech GAs will continue in their regular duties for 12.5 hours per week.

The faculty and staff will establish a schedule of fifteen hours per week that all Graduate Assistants in Theatre Performance are expected to work.  This schedule will be coordinated with rehearsals and classroom activities.  Design and Technology students are expected to maintain the same schedule, in addition to scheduling the remainder of their hours with their mentor and shop manager.

Attendance and promptness.

It is the philosophy of the Department of Theatre and Dance that the assistantship assignments should be treated with the same respect as is accorded to the rehearsal hall and performance calls.  We request that each Assistant be present and ready to work at the beginning of the period and return ready to work as soon as the break ends.  Do not leave the work area without explicit permission of the Shop Manager at any time.

Please schedule appointments outside of work hours, and come to your hours ready to work.  There will not be time to eat or perform other activities during breaks.

Breaks.

There are ten minute breaks scheduled every 2.5 hours and five minute breaks set 60 to 90 minutes apart between ten minute breaks.  The shop manager is responsible for the break schedule and only the shop manager may call breaks.  Should safety require adjusting a break time, the shop managers may use their discretion to insure safety of all students and property, but will provide the break as soon as possible.

Sign in and out each time you are present.

Please make sure you sign in and out each time you are present for work, including what you accomplished during the day.  This sign in and out serves as a time card record of your work.

Lateness and unexcused absences.

The policy of the department is that being late three times to return from a break or missing your call time will result in a report being sent to the chair of the department about your lateness.  You will meet with the chair and your committee supervisor to explain these instances.  Missed call times and tardiness will be reported to the faculty at the end of each semester and be used as part of the evaluation process in the continuation of the assistantship.

BFA

Standards and Expectations:

  • MUST AUDITION FOR ALL MAINSTAGE PRODUCTIONS*
  • Must accept roles as cast
  • Must attend all rehearsals to which the actor is called (emergency requests to be excused from a rehearsal must be submitted to the director of the production for approval)
  • Must arrive to rehearsals and performances on time and prepared (emergency requests to be excused from a performance must be submitted to the director of the production and the Chair of the department for approval)
  • Must demonstrate professional behavior in rehearsal and performance
  • Must participate in the end-of-semester evaluation auditions
  • Must attend all departmental BFA meetings

* Under circumstances of extreme hardship (ie. emergency medical or family situations) a student may petition to be exempt from auditioning. PETITIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT CHAIR PRIOR TO AUDITIONS. The Chair will present the petition to the faculty for a determination and then inform the student of the decision.

Failure to comply with the above expectations will result in:

  • 1st Infraction: A written warning
  • 2nd Infraction: Removal from the BFA Program.

Students who are dismissed from the BFA may be permitted to petition and audition for re-instatement upon approval of the faculty after one term. The student must petition the faculty for reinstatement through an official letter submitted to the department Chair; once the faculty approve consideration, the student will then be given an audition appointment.

Please Note: While circumstances of hardship may present the need to hold an outside job, said employment cannot inhibit adherence to the Standards and Expectations as set out above. Conflicts that interfere with fulfillment of the degree program requirements are incompatible with participation in the BFA. If said conflicts cannot be avoided then the student must withdraw from participation in the BFA and continue on in the BA program.