Department Facts

Key Allegheny Benefits

• Exploring the complexities of "communication" through study of rhetoric, mass media and theatre.
• Developing practical and creative communication skills-writing, speaking, acting, directing, audio-visual production, theatre design.
• Cultivating critical perspectives on a variety of communicative practices and texts, including speech, politics, popular culture, performance, news, drama, film, television and advertising.
• Engaging responsible citizenship and thoughtful professionalism for Allegheny College and beyond.

Allegheny Distinctions

• Fully-supported Senior Projects that prove to employers and graduate schools the ability to complete a major, original assignment.
• The Equity Guest Artist Program (see Other Special Opportunities).
• Collaborative projects with department faculty and staff.
• A practical, hands-on approach in many courses.
• Touring plays.
• Children's theatre productions.

Endorsements

• " Some would say that, as a young, independent filmmaker, I face impossible odds. But learning how to do the impossible at Allegheny got me this far." - Ken Hamm '92, on completing his first feature-length film "Moving In/Moving Out" in 1995.
• "There's a wonderful atmosphere that allows you to try out new things without fear of censure, though you can always expect healthy criticism. There is an emphasis on professionalism, and having interested professors makes the department a real individualized event." - Kim Nichols '74
• Allegheny graduates are regularly recognized for excellence in their fields. Their honors include:
  • seven Academy Awards
  • more than 100 Clios (advertising)
  • more than 30 Emmys (TV), and
  • the Pulitzer Prize (journalism).
• " Experience is one of the most important aspects of an actor's work, and a liberal arts college is an excellent place to get the kind of experience needed. You can study a wide variety of subjects and broaden your contact with people in all walks of life. " - Kathy Anne Williams '77
• "The Allegheny experience as a drama major has served me well in a hundred ways." - Sandra McLaughlin Byers '58, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Mellon Bank Corp.
• "Practical people with a sense of humor are rare among all the self-styled 'artists' and theoreticians in theatre. I'm glad there were 'real' theatre people at Allegheny. " - Sharon Strite '72

Facilities Strengths

• Three stages (Playshop Theatre, with 23-foot proscenium stage, Pro-Star computerized lighting control, and 212 seats; Studio Theatre; and Raymond P. Shafer Auditorium, with large stage and 1,700 seats).
• Student Experimental Theatre has second home in the Gardner Theatre at the Meadville Council on the Arts
• Scene shop with supervising technical director and latest power tools (e.g., mig welding).
• Costume shop with professional staff and computerized sewing machines.
• Academic, support, and theatre facilities in close proximity.
• Computerized, state-of-the-art TV studio (all the facilities of a small commercial station).

Student Research and Special Projects

Every Alleghenian completes a Senior Project in his or her major field-a significant piece of original work, designed by each student and a faculty advisor, that proves to employers and graduate schools the ability to complete a major assignment, to work independently, to analyze and synthesize information, and to write and speak persuasively. Communication Arts majors devise some of Allegheny's most creative and unusual projects, though they always include a written report and an oral defense of the work.

Recent Senior Projects

• The Village Celebrates: An Exploration of the Lake Effect Hardcore Collective (research project/paper)
• A Journey in Aesthetics: Scenic and Lighting Design for "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) "
• Big Six: A Journey in the Creation of Theatre (theatre performance/paper)
• Popular Press and Its Implications on the Status of Women in Business: 1975-1995 (research project/paper)
• A Public Relations Assessment of Eating Disorder Treatment at Allegheny College (research project/paper)
• Bad Rap: More Than Explicit Lyrics (an original essay and play)
• Television as an Educational Tool for Children: A Look at Sesame Street (research project/paper)
• Translating Theatre Performance onto the Screen: A Video Adaptation of Dorothy Parker's "Here We Are" (video production)
• An Exploration Between Rhetoric and Education: Linking Theory with Practice (research project/paper)

Independent Study

Even before the Senior Project, the department encourages Independent Studies advanced work done in a field of special interest, beyond the scope of scheduled courses. Some recent examples:

• Producing a video documentary
• Directing a production for Meadville Council on the Arts
• A study in advertising or public relations
• Interdisciplinary study of creativity in art and theatre
• Writing an original play

Selected Student Achievements

• Short story published in Allegheny Review (competitive national journal)
• Regional entries in American College Theatre Festival's Irene Ryan Acting Competition
• Acting and design auditions, University and Resident Theatre Association (URTA) and South East Theatre Conference (SETC)
• Three-city tour of a children's play
• Lighting design for Orchesis (modern dance)
• Student productions of The Colored Museum, Hair, and Once on This Island
• Student Playwrights' Festival of Original Plays