THEATREat Berry

A NOTEfrom the department chair

Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to explore theatre at Berry. Our program will encourage you to dive deeply into your specialization while gaining experience in other areas and acquiring a broad liberal arts foundation. We offer in-depth academic studies, state-of-the-art facilities and practical, hands-on work in our very own theatre company that will give you years of experience before graduation.

At Berry, theatre is a way of being. Our faculty are committed to broadening the consciousness of student artists and patrons about theatre worldwide while instilling a sense of collaboration on the local level among students from diverse backgrounds. You’ll find opportunities for self-expression and creative fulfillment while developing time management and emotional/social intelligence — qualities highly valued by employers.

Get to know us. When the time is right, I encourage you to visit our beautiful campus, see a show as our guest and discover why Berry College is a great place to learn your craft.

Warm regards,

Adam Hayes, D.M.A.Chair, Department of Fine ArtsAssociate Professor of Music

INTO YOUR HUMANITY.

THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME.

Why our theatre program will WOW you.

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50+fine arts performances and

art exhibits annually

YOU DO IT ALL WHILE FINDING YOUR FOCUS

When it comes to planning a career in theatre, the program at Berry is as real as it

gets. With a firm liberal arts grounding, the B.A. in theatre ensures a combination

of academic and co-curricular studies that results in transferable skills across

disciplines and career paths within the theatre industry and beyond it.

You’ll receive the academic studies and professional foundations essential for

your fulfillment as a human being as well as your success in the field. Breadth and

depth characterize the student experience — in all levels of theatrical production.

Understanding the role of each company member gives our graduates a competitive

edge. For example, if acting is your primary focus, you can still learn about directing, set

construction, lighting, props, costuming and makeup. Or you can dive into playwriting,

script analysis and theatre history. If the business side of theatre appeals, you can

concentrate on house management, box office, marketing, publicity and sales.

Putting theory into practice is the hallmark of our curriculum. Frequent productions

will allow you to use skills learned in class. As a theatre major, you will be involved

in at least six main-stage productions by graduation. Through these experiences,

collaboration with other students and close faculty mentoring, you will mature

artistically while cultivating discipline, humility and tolerance.

With a B.A.

18students per class

on average

11:1student-to-faculty ratio

97%of faculty have a Ph.D.

For Better or For Worse, an interactive cyber theatre production, directed by Visiting Artist-in-Residence, David Alford

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN THEATRE

MINORSTheatreMusical Theatre

DEGREES

Instead of a narrow focus on just tech or performance, a

theatre degree at Berry takes a comprehensive approach

to academics and professional training. The integration of

liberal arts disciplines ensures you’ll graduate as a well-

rounded individual who will thrive in your career and lead in

your community.

Strategically combining a theatre major with a minor —

bolstered by LifeWorks opportunities — delivers a package

that is more than B.F.A. worthy. For example, a theatre

major and a minor in musical theatre, along with hands-on

experience, are comparable to a B.F.A. in performance. A

theatre major plus a minor in creative technologies, as well

as work with state-of-the-art equipment, offers the career

preparation of a B.F.A. in theatre design and technology.

GAIN YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE — AND GET PAIDHere’s your chance to learn by doing — and prepare for

professional opportunities! Through Berry’s LifeWorks

program, the Berry College Theatre Company employs

about 50 students in various areas — with on-campus jobs

guaranteed every semester. More than 95% of our students

work at some point during their four years, with more than

85% working during any given year. Choose from a variety

of positions in the following areas: administrative, box office,

publicity, costume shop and scene shop.

EXPERIENCE

WHERE OUR STUDENTS TAKE THEIR CRAFT

Training in our theatre program leads to summer and post-graduate opportunities with: Berkshire Theatre GroupDisney Cruise LineGeorgia Theatre ConferenceJacob’s PillowPorthouse TheatreShenandoah Summer Music TheatreSoutheastern Summer Theatre InstituteTheatre AspenThe Lost Colony

An immersive

that goesBEYOND A B.F.A.

Open to the college community, Berry College

Theatre Company (BCTC) operates on

professional principles, offering three main-stage

shows and a student-produced, second stage show

during the academic year. Students and theatre

faculty work together to produce the season.

Through BCTC, you can participate in service

projects and social outings, including a fundraising

event to benefit the broader community.

Recent productions: l Molière’s Tartuffe l 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee l Dogfight (written by Pasek and Paul, creators

of Dear Evan Hansen) l Silent Sky (written by America’s most

produced playwright of 2017, Lauren

Gunderson) l Neil Simon’s Rumors l Broadway musical Urinetown l Make Merry (an original student-written piece)

Students also participate in the Kennedy Center

American College Theater Festival, Georgia

Theatre Conference and the Southeastern

Theatre Conference, the largest regional theatre

conference in the country.

Membership in the Kappa Alpha chapter of Alpha

Psi Omega, the national theatre honor society, is

awarded for hard work and dedication on BCTC

productions. Members work continually to discover

and perfect methods of performance, playwriting

and tech/design. They also study and understand

classical and contemporary theatre, and support

the work of their peers.

Get involved!

At Berry, you’ll have the space to learn and grow while practicing your

craft in the Sisters Theatre at Blackstone Hall. You’ll work with faculty

and fellow artists in all disciplines to craft a story that entertains while

tapping into the audience’s empathy.

Dedicated in 2017, the 9,226 square-foot theatre has a black-box

stage and adjustable seating for up to 276 audience members. This

simple, open space readily connects performers to the audience and

CUTTING-EDGE FACILITIES

WHERE STORIES COME ALIVE

allows flexible staging and lighting from minimal to elaborate. It’s the

perfect environment to support high production values while offering

opportunities for professional hands-on learning. Moreover, it’s the

ideal venue for staging an experimental theatre experience known

as Interactive Cyber Theatre — in which the audience interacts with

players to steer the outcome of the story. Innovative uses of technology

and improvisation result in a different performance every time.

IN THE SPOTLIGHTwhere our graduates shine

TRIPLE THREAT TALENT: PLAYWRIGHT, EDUCATOR, DIRECTOR

Emily McClain ’04 is a professional playwright and head of the

theatre program for the Gwinnett County School of the Arts in

Lawrenceville, GA. A member of Working Title Playwrights and

the Dramatists Guild, she currently serves as board president for

Gwinnett Classic Theatre. Her playwriting credits include: l Julie’s Place: full-length comedy selected for JOOKMS

Spotlight Series (2020) l Cheek by Jowl: featured playwright with Elephant Room

Productions; featured in Essential Theatre’s Bare Essentials Play Reading

Series (2020) l Children of Combs and Watch Chains: finalist for Risk Theatre International

Competition (2020). l Slaying Holofernes: co-winner of Essential Theatre’s New Play Festival, with

world premiere production (2019) l Terminus Andronicus: finalist, Shakespeare’s New Contemporaries

Competition (2019) at the American Shakespeare Center l Short plays: Santa after Hours (2018, 2019 ) and Women’s Shorts (2019)

at Out of Box Theatre; Amplifest (2019) at Merely Players; Culture Series

(2018) at Atlanta AppCo; Los Angeles Library Series (2019) at Raze The

Space; Ten-Minute Play Contest Winner (2019) and Ten-Minute Play Finalist

(2020) at Theatre Oxford; Courtroom Drama Series (2019, 2020) at Actor’s

Express; Snowdance (2020) at Sixth Street Theatre l Audio dramas: Copper Angel (2021) by Borderless Productions; My Brother’s

Secret Keeper (2021) and Children of Combs and Watch Chains (2021) by

Quarantine Players l Published through Smiths Script and Stage Rights, with additional work found

on New Play Exchange

David Hanks Photography

THRIVING AS AN ACTOR IN REGIONAL THEATRE

Lyndsay Ricketson ’09 graduated from Berry College with a B.A.

in musical theatre. She has performed regionally, including Next to

Normal (Geva Theatre Center) and A Chorus Line and An Evening

with Andrew Lloyd Webber (Mill Mountain Theatre).

Based in Atlanta, Lyndsay has worked at Alliance Theatre, Atlanta

Lyric Theatre, Synchronicity Theatre, Stage Door Players, Georgia

Ensemble Theatre and the Center for Puppetry Arts. Represented in film and television

by the People Store, she enjoys writing, directing and producing her own projects.

IN THE SPOTLIGHTwhere our graduates shine

FROM BACKSTAGE VOLUNTEER TO STAGE DESIGNER

Bitten by the theatre bug her freshman year, Lindsey Purvis ’16

jumped into the theatre program working backstage. After four

years of theatre-based student work and a New York internship, she

earned a master’s degree in stage design at Cincinnati’s prestigious

College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) — certain her work at

Berry set her up for success: “Not everyone has the opportunity to

build and paint entire sets, weld, hang lights or run shows. Having

actual practical experience put me ahead of the curve.”

Lindsey’s productions include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Government Inspector and

Lady Windermere’s Fan at CCM; Winnie the Pooh, It’s a Wonderful Life and Go, Dog. Go! at

Rose Theater; and Cabaret at Northern Kentucky University. She has also won awards from the

Southeastern Theatre Conference and Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

IN THE SPOTLIGHTwhere our graduates shine

MENTORS AND NETWORKING SPARKED CAREER SUCCESS

Ashley Rutkowski ’18 earned a B.A. in theatre and is now

pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in costume technologies from

Ohio University. She previously worked with The Alley Theatre

in Houston, Texas; Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida; Berry

College Theatre Company in Rome, Georgia; Kennesaw State

University Theatre & Performance Studies Program in Kennesaw,

Georgia; Central Piedmont Community College’s Professional

Summer Theatre program in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Georgia Ensemble Theatre

in Marietta, Georgia.

“My time at Berry taught me so much!” Ashley says. “The faculty members were always

encouraging me to be better and helping me find the best opportunities that were perfect

for me. I have created lifelong friends and, thanks to our program’s fundraising to go to

conferences, an abundance of networking opportunities and connections. The training

and diversity of options allowed me to be so well-rounded.”

GRAD PURSUES MUSICAL THEATRE IN THE BIG APPLE

After earning kudos for theatre roles and a Bachelor of Music

in Performance at Berry College, Kenny Morgan ’20 enrolled

in the prestigious New York University Steinhardt to earn a

Master of Music in vocal performance with a concentration

in music theatre. Trained in voice, acting and dance,

Kenny accumulated an impressive list of credits during his

undergraduate career, including: l 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Dogfight, Urinetown and

Peter and the Starcatcher at Berry College l A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cheating Death, Seussical, Stopping at

Ellis Island and The Tempest at Providence Theatre

A three-week musical theatre intensive experience in London (partially funded by

a grant from Berry’s Office of International Experiences) solidified Kenny’s decision

to follow his passion in theatre: “Being able to perform in a broad spectrum of things

over my four years really helped establish my hunger for this as my profession. I did

everything from singing Mozart’s Requiem to performing in a play that was a spinoff

of Peter Pan, from dance concerts to singing a lead in a musical my senior year.

Berry simply floods you with opportunity, and that puts you at a great advantage

over many of your peers that come from larger programs.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHTwhere our graduates shine

New York University

The Ohio State University

University of California, Los Angeles

University of Cincinnati

University of Florida

University of North Carolina

at Chapel Hill

University of Southern California

School of Cinematic Arts

University of Southern Mississippi

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

WHERE OUR GRADS GO

Appalachian Creative Theatre, Black Hills Playhouse, Buford City Schools,

Concordia College, Georgia Department of Education/Fine Arts Department,

Georgia Ensemble Theatre, Georgia Public Broadcasting, Gulfshore Playhouse,

Horizon Theatre Company, Kennesaw State University, Northwestern University,

Ohio University, Oxford College of Emory University, Santa Fe Opera Company,

The Second City, The Prizery Theatre, “The Walking Dead,” Universal Orlando

Resort, University of Maryland, Walnut Street Theatre, Walt Disney Studios,

Walt Disney World, Yale Repertory Theatre

RECENT EMPLOYERS

THEATRE SCHOLARSHIP AUDITIONS/INTERVIEWS Join us!

WE INVITE YOU TO APPLY IF YOU’RE A STUDENT: l With plans to major or minor in theatre or musical theatre at Berry l With experience and demonstrated talent in acting, stage management,

playwriting or design/technical

IF YOU’RE AN ACTOR, prepare two memorized, contrasting monologues from a

published play, approximately 60 seconds each in length. You might pair classical

and contemporary monologues OR serious and comedic monologues. Here are a

few helpful tips: l Choose material that you respond to personally, and read the entire play

before the audition. (Successful applicants prepare their pieces several

days to weeks in advance.) l Go beyond demonstrating an emotion or personality. Use your

imagination. What is the character’s objective? Which vocal and physical

choices will you make to accomplish this objective? l Five questions to get started:

1. Who am I?

2. Where am I? (Consider environment — time and place.)

3. Who am I talking to?

4. Why am I saying this now, or what makes it important to say

this now?

5. What am I hoping to achieve by saying this? Or, how do I hope

things will change because I say this?

IF YOU’RE A DESIGNER OR TECHNICIAN, prepare to share a portfolio with

design renderings, technical drawings (ground plans/light plots/costume renderings,

etc.) as well as production photos.

IF YOU’RE A STAGE MANAGER, prepare to share prompt scripts.

IF YOU’RE A PLAYWRIGHT, bring several writing samples.

Be sure to bring a headshot, current resume and two letters of recommendation

from teachers, directors, etc., who can speak to your qualifications and dedication to

theatre.

FOR AUDITION DATES AND THE THEATRE AUDITION APPLICATION, VISIT

(more information will be available in early Fall 2021):

berry.edu/theatre/auditions.

Typically, we welcome visits by students with opportunities to observe a class,

tour our space and meet with students and department faculty. We also offer

complimentary tickets to productions. Currently, rehearsals and performances are

scheduled. However, please contact BCTC for updated information on situational

changes due to COVID: bctc@berry.edu

QUESTIONS?

Contact Tessa Nedvin, admission counselor, at tnedvin@berry.edu or 706.368.6909.

THE SHOW MUST GO ONand it did!

All images on this spread:Tartuffe

Office of Admission800.237.7942PO Box 490159 Mount Berry, GA 30149-0159

Department of Fine Arts | Theatre 706.236.2289

PO Box 495013Mount Berry, GA 30149-5013

Make Merry (Or How to Survive Your Family on the Holidays)