International Theatre Production
Ohio Northern University offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in International
Theatre Production through the Department of Communication Arts. The
program has the foundation of a liberal arts education while focusing
on the areas of theatrical design, production and stage management
in the concentration classes. What is unique about this program is
that it exposes the student to the different methodologies employed
by theatre artists from across the globe which will help our students
gain a broader understanding of the theatre arts. The program facilitates
this diverse approach by hiring in designers, directors and playwrights
from around the world. In the past guest artists have come from Scotland,
Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.
Equally important is a study aboard or international internship experience.
Students can travel to Estonia, Scotland, Australia, Mexico, or New
Zealand to name a few. Every three years we also travel to the Fringe
Festival in Edinburgh where most recently we brought our annual International
Playwrighting Festival and original American dance choreography. These
experiences, coupled with symposiums, master classes and other formal
instruction is the foundation of our approach to teaching.
Every year we host an International Playwrighting festival. We commission
15 to 20 minute works from different international playwrights which
we production in an evening of On Acts. This year the playwrights
will be from Venezuela and Argentina. In the past we have had playwrights
from Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugul to
name a few.
Our hope is that with the world becoming more globalized through
the internet and mass communication we can better prepare our student
for opportunities in areas that are traditionally very culturally
diverse such as; touring production, dance and Opera, as well as just
give them a broader palette to draw ideas from and help them understand
that there are many, many ways to collaborate and find creative solutions.
