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Discover The Drama Department

The department of Drama offers a program balanced between practical theatre and academic study of dramatic literature and theatre history. Our aim is to permit undergraduates to explore the subject as a liberal arts discipline and prepare them for graduate, professional, and conservatory schools.

The department offers Major and Honours programs designed to expose students to all facets of theatre practice and study as well as provide them with the flexibility to orient their program towards a particular field of study: Dramatic Literature and Theatre History, Performance (acting, directing, and playwriting), and Production (technical, stage management, and design).

By the end of their final year students will have had ample opportunity to work on the department 's season of productions in the Studio Theatre and Centennial Theatre (including at least three productions in the Studio, one mainstage production in Centennial during the second semester, the New Plays Festival and the student produced Theatre Activ). A number of students will also have had the opportunity to become Theatre Assistants for Centennial Theatre, receive an honorarium, and be responsible for the proper running of the facilities ' operations.

Interested in Bishop’s Drama?  Our Department is happy to answer your questions.  Student representatives Kai Barker and Lesley McKirdy at Liz and Kai and Department Chairperson Rebecca Harries rharries@ubishops.ca will tell you what you’d like to know about life and learning at Bishop’s University Drama.

Why study Drama at Bishop’s?

An intense study of Drama in an intimate setting, students can experiment and try out all of their theatrical interests over their time at Bishop's in a supportive and collegial atmosphere.

Program strengths

• A 6 production season in 2 performance spaces
• Committed Faculty with significant professional experience
• Visiting artist program
• 2 Student Festivals each year (New Plays and Theatre Activ )
• Countless opportunities for involvement, backstage and onstage.

Popular courses

• Concentration in performance with 3 levels of Acting followed by 3 full productions
• 2 levels of Playwrighting and Directing
• Senior seminar courses ie: Topics in Shakespeare, Contemporary Theatre Practice, and more !

Did you know?

• Student playwrights have the opportunity to see their scripts staged and student directors put theory into practice during our annual TheatreActiv student festival and bi-annual New Plays festival.
• The New Plays Festival not only provides student writers with an opportunity to showcase their work, but also gives first year students the chance to become involved in a play almost immediately upon arrival at Bishop's

Craig Taylor
Author, journalist and Bishop's alumnus will discuss his latest work, serialized in the Guardien and in publication this year.

January 7, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Old Library
Free; all welcome.
Reception to follow

Craig Taylor's non-fiction has appeared in The Guardien, The Globe and Mail and the New York Times. He is the author of Return to Akenfield (Granta 2006) and One Million Tiny Plays About Britain (Bloomsbury 2009. He is also the editor of Five Dials, a digital literary magazine.

People at BU

Amy Lee Lavoie (2006)
is currently in her 3rd year of the playwriting program at the National Theatre School (NTS) in Montreal. Her play, Tuning Venus, was produced by Blue Muse Productions in the Montreal Fringe Festival this June. It was an exciting project in that it brought together the talents of Bishop's graduates - Cristina Cugliandro, Naomi Aldrich, Sarah-Marie Langlois, Kat Weldon and Michael Broadhurst. This two-hander was directed by Bishop’s professor, Greg Tuck, and performed by Amy Lee and Michael. The play received a Frankie Award for "Best English Text." ...read more.

Through the generous support of our alumni, Bishop's Drama offers a wide variety of programme enrichment activities.

Kotler Fund > >