The Department of Theater blends scholarship and practice in an academically based theater experience that provides students with broad based exposure to human experience and a sound foundation in the skills of theater craft. Class work in all areas of theater is complemented by a production program that reinforces both scholarship and practice, creating work that is as imaginative and highly polished as possible. Graduates will be able to apply their knowledge of performance, production, theater history, contemporary practice, literature and theory in a wide variety of theater venues. Graduates will also be able to demonstrate intrapersonal and interpersonal skills in the form of leadership qualities, self-discipline, creative expression, critical thinking, and the ability to work effectively as a part of a collaborative team. The development and guidance of talent and discipline, both characteristic of the artist/scholar, are the goals of the Department of Theater.
The Department of Theater maintains two theaters for public productions: the McLeod Theater, a proscenium stage seating approximately 500, and the Christian H. Moe Laboratory Theater, a flexible stage seating up to 110. The playbill typically encompasses a balance of contemporary, classic, and original works, and offers seven productions including a musical during the academic year. The summer season, McLeod Summer Playhouse, consists of several productions operating as a professional summer stock company, offering stipends and/or graduate credit.
The Department of Theater offers a graduate program of study leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater. An interdisciplinary doctoral study in Theater is sponsored by the Department of Communication Studies.
The Master of Fine Arts degree program in Theater emphasizes practical expertise in one of the following areas: directing, playwriting, costume design, lighting design, scene design and technical direction. The department encourages interdisciplinary study in related fields including performance studies, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, musical theater and opera. In most instances, a three-year residency is required of all M.F.A in Theater students.
By March of their first year of study, each student will undergo a review of his/her progress in the program. The criteria by which each area will make its evaluations are to be found described in detail in the M.F.A. in Theater handbook, in the appropriate section dealing with the area's specific requirements. The faculty can elect from the following actions: 1. Suggest areas the student needs to work on before he/she is allowed to proceed to the Qualifier/Thesis project. 2. Move the student along to the Qualifier/Thesis project. 3. Require the student to attend a 2nd Year Review. 4. Dismiss the student from the M.F.A. in Theater program.
September 2025
College of Liberal Arts
Southern Illinois University,
CARBONDALE,
Illinois,
62901, United States
To be eligible to be considered for admission to a graduate degree program, you must meet the following minimum Graduate School requirements: 2.7 (on a grading scale with 4.0=A; approximately a "B-" average) on the last two years of Bachelor's coursework; 3.0 on all previous graduate work (approximately a "B" average).
The English language requirement may be met by submitting: 550 on the paper-based TOEFL; 80 on the internet-based TOEFL; 6.5 on the IELTS; 5.0 on the iTep Academic Plus Exam; C1 required on the Cambridge English Exam.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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