STUDENT PRODUCED THEATRE PROJECTS: A VITAL ASPECT OF COLLEGIATE THEATRE

Abstract

Theatre business professionals are a close-knit community of people. It is nearly certain that every college theatre major knows another student studying theatre at a different college or university. Most college level theatre programs have a student-run theatre company that encourages undergraduate production of full-length plays and musicals. East Carolina University, however, did not have a formal organization to foster student-run theatre productions for students to use what is taught in the classroom in an environment separate from their professors. By initiating a subcategory of the East Carolina Musical Theatre Association (ECMTA) that funds student produced theatre, I created additional acting, designing, and directing opportunities for undergraduate students. This theatre company, called 5th Street Players, provides the Greenville community with an entirely student-produced theatre organization that contributes relevant, thought-provoking theatrical productions.