The Penn State School of Theatre is finding itself in the spotlight as the department's success creates more competition for those applying for its programs.
The School of Theatre will welcome 12 incoming freshmen this fall into the undergraduate program -- chosen from about 450 applicants.
Penn State's School of Theatre rivals the strongest programs in the country, said Barbara O. Korner, dean of the College of Arts and Architecture.
"We can tell that we rank among the top five to 10 programs in the country because of other places that our top students audition, which represent the strongest programs in the country," Korner said.
The theatre program's competitiveness may be a result of multiple aspects of the department, including graduating students' ability to procure jobs.
"Virtually all graduates of our BFA and MFA programs find work in their field right out of school or shortly thereafter," said Dan Carter, the director of the School of Theatre since 1995.
Carter said while fields such as technology and stage management offer more opportunities for "regular employment," Penn State's performance alumni have also found terrific success, specifically on Broadway. Since January 2009, 13 alumni at one time have performed on Broadway, not including those working in production and design, Korner said.
William Doan, associate dean for administration, research and graduate studies for the College of Arts and Architecture, said he believes Penn State's musical theatre program has rightfully earned its prestigious reputation.
"My short experience with it here has proven that they deserve the reputation they have ... the talent of the students that are recruited is really impressive," he said. "Not only are they talented, but they're bright and they bring great energy to the School of Theatre."
Because all Arts and Architecture programs are studio based, the college keeps them small intentionally, Korner said. Musical theatre is one of the most competitive arts programs to enter, she said.
"They have to have a strong enough academic background that they're going to be successful at Penn State," she said.
Korner added that musical theatre applicants must audition, and Penn State faculty members travel around the country to see auditions and recruit students.
And it's not only the students: the School of Theatre's faculty is something Penn State should be proud of, too, Doan said.
The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) holds a leadership institute each year "for faculty interested in leadership roles in their institutions or professional associations," according to www.athe.org. The event, held from Aug. 6 to 8 in New York City, celebrated its tenth year with about 1,500 people attending, co-director Korner said. President Graham Spanier was the event's keynote speaker this year.
"I think it [helps] in the sense that when you have nationally recognized things going on in your program ... it helps keep the spotlight on your programs," said Doan, who has been involved with ATHE for twenty years and is president-elect of the organization.
While there are older theatre programs with longer records of achievement and greater recognition, such as Yale University, Carnegie Mellon University and The Juilliard School, Carter said he believes that the Penn State School of Theatre is second to none in terms of what it offers.
