When you first think of "theater," you automatically assume it means "putting on a play." But when you look closely, you see that doing theater means much more than that. The theater is actually a laboratory where you work with a wide range of life-important skills. Consider what actually happens over the course of a production:

you start with an idea, as in "Let's do HAMLET!"

you put together a group of skilled people, each bringing a special talent to the project;

you all work together to solve a range of problems in the most effective and creative way you can;

you meet deadlines;

you present your results to the public.

     To get the best education in these skills, you want the right combination of theory and practice—the most effective blend of classroom work and actual production experience. Whether your interest is acting, designing, technical theater, directing, playwriting, teaching, or some related area that only you can define, you'll find SIUC's Department of Theater has the opportunities you need to expand your own creative potential as far as you can and to give you the tools to survive in almost any career you choose. 

      Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Campus has a lot to offer our students.   For Theater majors and minors, our busy production schedule gives you the chance to really do live theater. Whether you write the play, direct it, design it, build it, or act in it, opportunities abound. For detailed information about Admission, Tuition $ Fees, or any other SIUC related information, visit the SIUC Homepage.

SIUC's Theater Program offers you opportunities in acting, directing, playwriting, and designing or theatrical productions.

SIUC offers course work in more than 125 undergraduate majors, specializations, and minors with which you can supplement your program.

SIUC's Theater Department has a student-to-faculty ratio of seven to one.

SIUC offers a Masters Degree inTheater and a doctor's degree in Speech Communication with an emphasis on Theater.

     In the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater. Our intimate and flexible black box space becomes almost whatever we want it to be and is never idle. Every Monday afternoon, there's a showcase in which students try out whatever they're interested in. Every Summer, there's a three-play season of student-written full-lengths. Every Spring, there's a fully mounted bill of student-written (and directed and designed) short plays. And once or twice a semester, there's another major production as well. 

     On the Road. Every year we send out two youth-oriented productions that tour Southern Illinois schools: the Youth Theater that produces original and inventive plays and the Opera On Wheels show that does a short opera.  Facilities also include our fully equipped scene and costume shops and lighting lab. Our publicity department, our business office, our box office -- all these major support functions give students the widest possible range of jobs to do. In addition, our building houses a Computer Lab and Media Center that give our students access to technical innovations and support.

     Here and There. The Southern Illinois area is rich with theater. Several community theaters, coffee houses, and found performance spaces provide additional places to practice live theater. The Shryock Auditorium on campus provides a performance venue for touring plays and musicals, concerts, dance recitals, and other cultural events. Many of our students supplement their experiences by getting involved in these venues.

     Practical experience is only a small part of what goes into theater. As an art form, theater reflects ideas and traditions of society at large. Therefore, to get the best education possible, it's vital that you understand and study theater in its broad, liberal arts context. The more you know, the better you work.

     All the Bachelor's degree programs at SIUC share a common core of courses. About a third of your time will be spent satisfying these Core Curriculum requirements in science, humanities, fine arts, human health, social science, communication and mathematics.

     In addition, about a quarter of your time will be devoted to our Theater Core classes, covering the essentials: theater history, play analysis, acting, stagecraft, introduction to directing, stage makeup. Also, to provide a well-rounded experience, you will work as a technician on at least one major project each semester up to four semesters.

     Once you have tasted this broad-based comprehensive program, you decide on those elective courses that appeal to your special area of interest.