UHM Theatre & Dance to Present New Degrees
New degrees reflect the department's commitment to a unified approach and support for Native Hawaiian learning.
The Department of Theatre and Dance in the College of Arts, Languages and Letters at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa announces that all of its undergraduate and graduate degrees in “Theatre” and “Dance” have been renamed as degrees in “Theatre and Dance.” The purpose of this merger is to become a more unified department. Important new additions to the curriculum support the University's goals to be a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning and to enhance the workforce in the state.
Undergraduate students in the new Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theatre and Dance can pursue one of two concentrations: Dance or Theatre. The new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance (BFA) will maintain its previous concentration in Dance and will add one in “Acting for Theatre, Screen and New Media.” This new BFA concentration in Acting demonstrates our department's commitment to strengthening ties with the developing film and TV work in the islands by providing training and education for students to move directly into the workforce in Hawai'i, the continental United States, and globally. According to department chair Markus Wessendorf, the new concentration “responds to an often-heard plea from top casting directors in Hawai'i for more trained actors for professional roles in Hawai'i's film and television industry.”
For the MA, a new non-thesis emphasis in Theatre Education is now available, matching the existing Dance Education emphasis. Both MA plans support statewide efforts to expand teacher education. The curriculum of the UHM Theatre and Dance MA degree supports the department's commitment to developing educators familiar with Hawaiʻi and its arts.
Finally, UHM has approved a groundbreaking new PhD concentration in Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance. Doctoral study in this area will center performance practices of Hawai‘i in a global context through the study of Indigenous performance traditions, Indigenous methodologies and concepts, as well as Indigenous language, culture, politics, history, environment, and sustainability. The steadily increasing enrollment of the already existing MFA program in Hawaiian Theatre and the local, national, and international attention it has received clearly indicate the potential of Hawaiian performance as a major subject of scholarly and creative research. According to Jonathan K. Osorio, Dean of the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, the new PhD concentration is “imperative to the continual development of Hawaiian arts and sciences on this campus and to the continual strengthening of the presence and relevance of the Hawaiian language in our country.”
All graduate degrees in our department are now degrees in Theatre and Dance. Graduate students in the new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Theatre and Dance can pursue one of two concentrations: Dance or Theatre; in the Master of Arts (MA) in Theatre and Dance students may select one of three concentrations: MA in Dance, Theatre, or Performance Studies; in the new Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Theatre and Dance students may choose one of three concentrations: Asian Performance, Hawaiian and Indigenous Performance, or Performance Studies.
For information on the curriculum and the application process for these degrees, please contact department chair Markus Wessendorf (wessendo@hawaii.edu).
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The Book of Mormon Neal S. Blaisdell Center [Concert Hall] (11/25-12/06) |
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Late Night Raqs UHM Kennedy Theatre - Earle Ernst Lab Theatre (4/23-4/25) |
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ONO: Maury King Presents Two x Twelve Maui OnStage (9/14-9/14) |
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The Storyteller UHM Kennedy Theatre - Earle Ernst Lab Theatre (11/18-11/22) |
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The Book of Mormon (Non-Equity) Neal S. Blaisdell Center [Concert Hall] (11/25-12/06) |
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Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Manoa Valley Theatre (9/10-9/27) |
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Aloha Theatre (9/04-9/13) |
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The Wizard of Oz UHM Kennedy Theatre (10/23-10/31) |
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Hey, Black Child! UHM Kennedy Theatre - Earle Ernst Lab Theatre (4/14-4/18) |
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MFA/BFA Dance Concert UHM Kennedy Theatre - Earle Ernst Lab Theatre (2/03-2/07) |