What you will study
The University of Central Missouri’s Theatre Minor program curriculum is designed
to build upon your existing skills with traditional coursework, performance experience
and hands-on projects.
You’ll start with core courses such as:
- Oral Interpretation
- Script Analysis
- Stagecraft
- Directing
- Literature and History of the Theatre I and II
Our flexible Theatre Minor also allows you to choose from diverse electives each semester,
so you can tailor the curriculum to meet your needs and goals.
Excellence in Theatre
- Nationally accredited by the National Association for Schools of Theatre.
- Top 15%: Most Popular Colleges for Visual & Performing Arts (College Factual, 2022)
Unique learning opportunities in Theater
At the University of Central Missouri, we offer our Theatre minors many hands-on and
extracurricular activities that will help you put the skills you’ve learned in the
classroom to work in real-world scenarios:
- Classroom projects: You’ll complete classroom projects alongside peers and faculty members to bolster
your acting and theatre production skills — and to ensure you’re getting the most
out of the undergraduate program. You'll have opportunities to direct scenes performed
by your peers and work together in the scene shop to build sets for UCM mainstage
productions.
- Performance and design technology: Take advantage of dozens of performances each semester, including UCM’s Black Box
Theatre productions, mainstage plays, musicals and other performances across campus.
You’ll act, write, produce and perform alongside your fellow students and professors
to produce professional-level stage productions that continue to raise the bar of
excellence at UCM.
- Student clubs: Practice your performance and improvisational skills alongside your colleagues in
the Shenanigans Improv Troupe. You can also stretch your legs in UCM’s student Dance
Club, which offers a variety of opportunities to practice your craft outside of class
and spend leisure time with other theatre and dance students.
- Production teams and planning: Explore what goes on behind the scenes in the theatre world by joining student teams
in charge of performances on campus. Roles within these teams, including positions
in public relations, marketing, fundraising, digital media, sound and lighting and
more, give you hands-on experience while diversifying your skill set and complementing
your major area of study.
What can you do with a minor in Theatre from UCM?
Theatre minors from the University of Central Missouri pursue a wide range of career
paths after graduation. While your chosen major and career aspirations will help direct
your trajectory, a minor in Theatre provides you with invaluable experiences and practical
skills for virtually any professional role — where you take these valuable skills
is up to you.
Many of our Theatre minors pursue careers in acting, directing, private teaching in
dance and theater, public school and university teaching positions or arts administration
and beyond. Your theatre training will also improve your ability to speak in front
of audiences and coworkers, provide leadership and direction to others and boost your
memorization skills.
What’s after a minor in Theatre?
Use the interactive tool below to learn more about job possibilities, salaries and
other career data for Theatre program graduates.
Financial assistance options for your Theatre minor
At the University of Central Missouri, we strive to provide you with the best possible
financial resources and support. We award approximately $20 million in institutional
aid per year, and about 94% of our undergraduates receive some form of assistance.
Our financial advisors will help you choose the best options to finance your college education, such as scholarships, loans, grants or work-study programs.
UCM offers university-wide scholarships for freshmen, continuing students, transfer
students and out-of-state students. You can also apply for scholarships that are reserved
for students in the UCM Theatre program, including:
- Mancow Muller Theatre Scholarship
- Lucy Bergman Memorial Scholarship in Theatre
- Theatre & Dance Ambassador Scholarship
- Department of Theatre and Dance Scholarship Fund
Learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the .
Meet James H.
Public Relations major, Theatre minor '18
“Pursuing a minor in Theatre built on my background to help me further myself in the
entertainment industry. The UCM Theatre and Dance faculty continuously encouraged
me to excel in the field of theatre, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without the
skills I learned and my time spent in the theatre program.”
Meet Dr. Aaron Scully
Assistant Instructor of Theatre
The recipient of the 2017 Innovative Teaching Award for Graduate Students from ATHE
and KCACTF, Dr. Scully teaches acting, playwriting, theatre history, theatre management
and more at UCM. Working closely with Dr. Scully, a widely produced playwright, actor
and director, will give you insight into and career inspiration from the professional
world of theatre.
Meet Ashley Miller-Scully
Chair, Theatre and Dance
Mrs. Miller-Scully is UCM’s Meridith Harmon Sauer Distinguished Professor of Theatre.
She holds an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of New
Mexico. As a Theatre minor, you’ll benefit from her diverse teaching and choreography
experience, as well as her involvement with professional dance associations in Missouri
and throughout the region.
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Professional Organizations and Student Groups
● Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
● American College Dance Association
● Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri
● USITT
● Southeast Theatre Conference
● U/RTA Auditions and Portfolio Reviews
●Theta Alpha Phi
● UCM Dance Club
● Film Makers And Actors' Coalition
Theatre Learning Community
The Theatre Learning Community in Nickerson Hall is designed for students minoring
or majoring in theatre. This designated living space provides close proximity to the
department’s Black Box Theatre, a lounge to rehearse lines and blocking, a fully equipped
dance studio and access to dining facilities.
Performance and Design Technology Opportunities
● KCACTF Irene Ryan Scholarship Auditions
● KCACTF Professional Auditions
● UCM Main Stage Production Program
● Studio Theatre One-Act Series
● Richard Herman Black Box Theatre Program
● Film Makers And Actors' Coalition
● Assistant Design or Design in Main Stage Season
● Stage Manage or Assistant Stage Manage in Main Stage Season
● Technical Direction or Assistant Technical Direction in Main Stage Season
● Front of House Operations
● Box Office Management
● Public Relations Assistant
● Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
● Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri
● USITT
● Southeast Theatre Conference
● U/RTA Auditions and Portfolio Reviews
