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The study of drama, complemented by hands-on experience in the Windsor Theatre, can be an interesting and rewarding part of your life at Mount Allison. You can build on your interest in drama in various ways, as a major or minor, by taking drama courses as electives, or by participating in shows as an extra-curricular activity.

The interdisciplinary Drama Program is an expression of Mount Allison's liberal approach to education: students are encouraged to find their own unique way of combining drama with other interests. For this reason, from the moment they arrive on campus, students are encouraged to audition for roles and to work on productions.

The Windsor Theatre is our laboratory where students work with production and design experts (including other students) to learn or refine skills which are enriching in the present and can be valuable in the future. With guidance from faculty and staff, students produce ten shows each year in this small but well-equipped studio theatre. Courses are also complemented by workshops in a variety of technical skills and areas of artistic expression that vary from year to year, depending on shows, interests, and needs.

Our Programs
Both drama majors and minors study acting, directing, production, design and dramatic theory, all of which can be complemented by projects mentored by faculty and staff, and for which they receive academic credit. Courses are also offered in areas of special interest; introduced in 2005, these courses have so far featured acting styles and the theatre of Samuel Beckett.

For majors, the drama courses are reinforced by study of dramatic literature, as Mount Allison students are encouraged to view drama as the stage representation of artistic insights and viewpoints articulated throughout the ages and in different cultures. Majors may also choose complementary courses in areas such as anthropology, Canadian studies, French, fine arts, music, sociology, and women's studies.

The Windsor Theatre is also home to Tintamarre, which produces bilingual plays (English and French) that the cast and crew help to construct; they are also toured to schools. As with other Windsor Theatre projects, participation is open to all Mount Allison students.

Opportunities
Drama students often participate in other campus activities such as the Garnet and Gold Society, which produces musical theatre, and SUSHI (the Sackville Underground Society of Housebroken Improvisers). Sackville's summertime Festival by the Marsh, known particularly for its productions of Shakespeare, employs Mount Allison students on both a paid and volunteer basis. Sackville is also the home of Live Bait Theatre, a professional company. Each year students work as technicians in the Windsor Theatre, receiving an honorarium and much valuable experience and training.

In addition to continuing faculty and staff, the Crake Drama Fellow also provides guidance to students; appointed for one or two years, this professional theatre practitioner brings a unique and valuable perspective to the Drama Program. The Crake Foundation also supports diverse workshops that enhance the Drama Program and the work of the Windsor Theatre. As well, each year, the Crake Graduate in Residence project brings back to campus a Mount Allison graduate who is pursuing a successful theatre career.

Awards
Students are eligible to receive annual awards: the Nathan Cohen Scholarship, the Crake Performance Award, the Kathleen Shaw Bigelow Prize, the Beth Robinson Award, as well as Crake Arts Internships and other grants available in the university-at-large. Every year, two students are also elected to the Drama Group which conceives and oversees policy affecting the practical dimensions of the Windsor Theatre and the Drama Program.

Beyond Mount Allison
Mount Allison graduates can be found in theatres throughout Canada and the United States, as well as in Europe. They are teaching at the National Theatre School, UBC, Brock University, and Mount Allison. They have studied at the National Theatre School, Studio 58, the Banff Centre, and others. They have both directed and acted in the Stratford Festival. They have worked on movies such as "Fantastic Four" and "X Men 3." One is director of a French state theatre. Others are working in venues such as the National Arts Centre, the Great Canadian Theatre Centre, the Tarragon Theatre, the CBC ("This Is Not The Opera"), Theatre New Brunswick, the Neptune Theatre, the Mulgrave Road Company, Infini-Théâtre, the Montreal Fringe, the Centaur Theatre, and the Blythe Summer Festival.

Department Website

Academic Calendar: Drama