Student-Produced Theatre Projects: A Vital Aspect of Collegiate Theatre

Abstract

Theatre business professionals are a close-knit community of people who run in similar circles. Likewise, it is nearly certain that every college theatre major knows another student studying theatre at a different college or university. Through relationships with students studying elsewhere, I have learned about outlets instated at other universities that allow students the ability to practice theatre through supervised student-run experiences. Most college level theatre programs, both B.A. and B.F.A., typically have a student-run theatre project company that encourages undergraduate production of full-length plays and musicals. East Carolina University; however, did not have a formalized organization to fosters student-run theatre productions where they put what is taught in the classroom into practical use. By initiating a subcategory of the East Carolina Musical Theatre Association (ECMTA) that funds student produced theatre, I have created additional acting, designing, and directing opportunities for undergraduate students to practice the methods they are learning in their training at East Carolina University. This theatre company, called 5th Street Players, will provide the Greenville community with an entirely student-produced theatre organization that contributes relevant, thought-provoking theatrical productions.