Graduate Degree Programs

PhD in Theatre: Theatre for Youth            

The PhD concentration in Theatre for Youth is designed to give you a broad knowledge of theatre, as well as special research, production and teaching skills in Theatre for Youth. Studies include theatre history, theory and literature; the teaching of theatre to grades K-12 and university students; and the theories and principles governing how young people learn to create and respond to theatre and performance.

Each Theatre for Youth PhD student follows a course of study including required and elective classes to prepare for exams, to demonstrate general literacy in theatre history, criticism and literature as well as in-depth understandings and research perspectives in theatre and drama with and for young people. You may take courses in directing, acting, design, playwriting, theatre history and theatre theory and criticism. Tutorial courses with major professors are encouraged, as is graduate study in other departments offering courses in research methods, educational theory, critical theory and arts education.

Application and Admission
You must meet all admission requirements of the Graduate College. In addition, the School of Theatre and Film requires:

1. Acceptable scores on the GRE and on the Test of English as a Foreign Language or equivalent (where applicable)
2. Three letters of recommendation
3. Current résumé
4. Scholarly writing sample
5. Statement of purpose

Application Deadline
The application and test score deadline is Feb. 15. After that date, admission is subject to space availability.

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Program of Study
A total of 60 semester hours after completing the master's degree is required. The concentration in Theatre for Youth requires a core of 30 hours, distributed over the following courses:

Additionally, 24 hours in research and dissertation preparation; and six hours of research methodology, approved by the supervisory committee; or successful examination in a foreign language approved by the committee.

In meeting these requirements, you, with the advice of the supervisory committee, may select theatre courses in areas such as theatre education, directing, acting, design, playwriting, theatre history and theatre theory/criticism, in addition to tutorial courses. You may also take courses outside the School of Theatre and Film in areas such as critical and cultural studies, area studies, languages and literatures, educational theory and methodology, aesthetic theory, the arts and arts education, and children's literature. You are encouraged to be involved in on- and off-campus productions, teaching and research. All activities are selected to help you meet the goals of the program and develop the capability of becoming a leader in the field.

Preliminary Reviews
Reviews of a student's performance in courses and development of research skills, artistic skills and teaching competencies are conducted by the supervisory committee at the end of each semester.

Comprehensive Examinations
These examinations are composed of written and oral components centering on theatre history, literature and criticism; Theatre for Youth and theatre education; and the research area.

Dissertation Requirements
A dissertation based on original research work of high quality, demonstrating proficiency in the student's special field, is required. (See doctoral dissertations.)

Financial Assistance
University scholarships, fellowships, grants and other forms of financial assistance are available. See financing graduate studies, assistantships and associateships for more information. The School of Theatre and film grants graduate assistantships. Information concerning graduate assistantships is available through the graduate secretary in the school.

Research Activity
The School of Theatre and Film's doctoral concentration in Theatre for Youth provides unique opportunities for you to advance your knowledge in your respective fields. Recent PhD dissertations completed in Theatre for Youth include the following:

Where the West Stays Young: Child Re-Enactors in Contemporary Wild West Shows, by Jamie Romine.

Shaking up Identity: Using Theatre of the Oppressed Techniques to Examine Cultural Identity and the Importance of Shakespeare in a Secondary School, by Caitlein Ryan-Whitehead.

Regarding Representation of Race in Classical Performance Literature for Children; or, the Case of "Little Black Sambo", by Jodi Gibson.

A Phenomenology of Youth Circus Training at Fern Street Theatre, by Doyle Ott.

Intergenerational Drama and the Child: Documentation of the Influences and Effects of Participation, by Jennifer Kulik.

Energy Matters: An Investigation of Drama Pedagogy in the Science Classroom, by Megan Alrutz.

A Cultural Interrogation of the Film "The Wiz", by Sharron T. Greaves.

Constructing Community: Youth Arts and Drama Federal Funding Policy and Social Services, by Lori L. Hager.

Breaking Down Barriers, Building Dreams: Using Theatre for Social Change to Explore the Concept of Identity with Latina Adolescents, by Christina Marin.

Borderlands Children's Theatre: The Roles and Representations of Mexican-American Children in Chicana/o Drama for Young Audiences, by Cecilia Josephine Aragón.

Aesthetic Moments in the Classroom: An Action Research Study, by Manuel Benson.

Additional information about the Theatre for Youth Program
PhD Theatre for Youth Handbook
Theatre for Youth Newsletter

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