First Year Information

Welcome Class of 2016!

On behalf of all the faculty, staff and students in the Department of Theatre and Dance, I'd like to welcome the incoming 2012-13 first year students to our department and our programs in theatre and dance. We hope you will find our programs intense, rigorous, challenging, and fun! We encourage to become as active as possible during your first year, and to develop the kinds of attitudes and skills that will make your four years with us exciting, educational, and successful.

This page is designed to provide you with some initial information and a reference point to get you a little oriented before the semester begins. You will also be receiving a letter from the department through electronic mail in early August. So make sure your Fredonia email address is active and working.

To being with, here are some important dates to remember and mark in your calendar:

• Monday August 27 - First Day of Classes
• August 27 @5:30 PM - Meeting of all first-year and transfer students in the Alice E. Bartlett Theatre. That is the black box theatre located in the lower level of the Rockefeller Arts Center.
• August 27 @7:00 PM - All Department Meeting. All student majors and faculty are required to attend this first meeting of the department to kick off the fall semester.
• Tuesday-Friday August 28-31 - Auditions for the 2012-13 theatre season. All our shows are open to all students registered at the university to audition. The directors make every attempt to cast the best possible person for each role regardless of major. Our season consists of the following shows: Chicago, The Piano Lesson, Stop The World-I Want to Get Off!, The Diary of Anne Frank, and the Fredonia Dance Ensemble Concert. Please note that The Piano Lesson  is already cast. You will be given a complete breakdown of audition information and times in the August letter. Generally speaking, you should prepare for these auditions with two 32-bar cuts of music from musical theatre (one ballad, one up-tempo) and two one-minute contemporary monologues (one comic or seriocomic, and one dramatic). Having these four pieces will be sufficient for all the different shows. Make sure these pieces are more or less in your age range and type ranges, roles you would be cast in NOW. Here is a list of who has to audition for what:
  • BFA Acting and Musical Theatre - these students must audition for all the plays and play as cast. They do not have to audition for the Fredonia Dance Ensemble, but they may if they choose.
  • BFA Dance - these students must audition for the Fredonia Dance Ensemble. There is nothing to prepare; just bring appropriate dance attire and shoes and be prepared to move. They may also choose to audition for the plays, but are not required to do so.
  • BA Theatre - these students have the option to audition for any show individually, all the shows (including the Dance Ensemble) together, or none of the shows at all.
  • BFA Technical Production and Design - these students are not required to audition for anything, but they may if they choose.
• Sat-Sun. Sept. 1-2 - Directors meet, prepare and post final cast lists for all shows. Casting must be approved by the department chair before any lists are posted.
• Monday Sept. 3 - Labor Day. No classes.
• Tuesday Sept. 4 - Shops open and training for first year students in the shops commences. Rehearsals commence for Chicago. It's on!

As you can see, that first week is busy! So we advise you to be prepared to hit the ground running, as there will be a lot to absorb in the first few weeks.

In addition to all those dates, there are also some academic dates to consider. During the first week of classes, should you need to make any changes to your schedule of classes, it is generally done at that time. Please see this web page to look at the important academic dates for adding and dropping classes. If you need help in the first week with your classes, you should see the department chair, Prof. Tom Loughlin, for help. You will not be assigned an academic adviser until the third week of school.

You should also take the time to make yourself as familiar as you can with the College Catalog and the Student Handbook. The Student Handbook for the Department of Theatre and Dance contains all the policies you need to adhere to for your work in the department, and is a contract between you and the department specifying your rights, requirements and responsibilities as a student major. Remember, the only person responsible for knowing all these policies and procedures is YOU!!! You are solely and completely responsible for fulfilling all the requirements for graduation and for staying in compliance with all policies. While there are many people here to help you along the way and to get you to understand all these requirements, they are not responsible for your failure to meet or complete these requirements. The link above will get you a copy of the Student Handbook in PDF format for 2011-12. The handbook is revised every year, and the 2012-13 handbook will be available by the beginning of classes.

The College Catalog is your contract with the university and contains all the various policies and procedures you need to know concerning your academic and student life. It also contains all the current graduation and course requirements for each degree program. The link takes you to the Theatre and Dance section of the catalog. This is the official page for all information on our degree programs. You may receive other checklists or see other listings for each degree program, but all of those other lists must be checked against the official page for accuracy. To graduate, you must complete all the requirements listed on the official page in the catalog. It's important not only to read and understand this section, but many other sections in the catalog. Things such as appealing a grade, changing advisers or majors, figuring out your GPA, the drug and alcohol policy, and many other aspects of student life are in this catalog. You have responsibilities, but you also have rights. It's a good idea to become familiar with both by reading the catalog.

If you have any questions over the summer, please feel free to email the department chair at loughlin@fredonia.edu. The summer is usually a slower-paced time, so your email may not be answered right away, but have patience - it will be answered. Our wonderful department secretary, Ms. Lisa Schrantz, can also help you out. Call 716-673-3596 to talk to her or email at lisa.schrantz@fredonia.edu.

Enjoy the rest of summer! We look to meeting you in August and helping you become a productive and successful member of our department.