Theatre and Drama Studies
The study of Theatre, Drama and Performance examines the relationship between the artists who create written texts intended for production, the artists who turn scripts into performances, and the audiences who experience the resulting theatrical event. It is the study of the event itself, and the acts of creation involved in producing that event.
Honours Bachelor of Arts
Program Plans
Plan your degree with these academic and co-curricular program overviews.
Tip Sheets
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- Arts Administrator
- Director
- Costume Designer
- Actor
- Producer
Admission Requirements
Regional Requirements
Admissions RequirementsSupplementary Requirements
Audition required. U of T degree plus Sheridan College diploma earned.
Life in Theatre and Drama Studies
Buzz Around Campus
University of Toronto Mississauga alumnus George Alevizos wants to ensure actors with disabilities are supported and represented in the Canadian entertainment industry. Alevizos, who uses a wheelchair, is working with the actors’ union ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) to audit the accessibility of casting facilities in Toronto.
Playwright David Yee (HBA, 2000) took notice of the Cecil Hotel before he’d even heard a whisper of its sordid past. When creative research directed Yee to finally take a peek into the lodging’s long history, he found a trail of deaths, disappearances and other eerie happenings stretching from its opening in the 1920s right to the present day.
The University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College are working to ensure students in its Theatre and Drama Studies program can practise their craft in a safe and comfortable way. For its season-opening production of Metamorphoses, UTM’s Theatre Erindale hired an intimacy director to provide guidance on performing in physically intimate scenes in ways that involve respect for personal boundaries. The theatre produced a video on the experience of staging intimacy for the play.
Sample Courses
A theoretical and historical study of the relationship between live and recorded media, with special consideration of the translation/adaption from theatrical production to film and television production.
A theoretical and historical examination of the theatrical performance with a focus on the role of the audience. The second part of the semester will be devoted to a series of historical case studies.
An introduction to the art and craft of writing for the stage. Through a variety of practical exercises, students will be encouraged to explore the unique properties of the theatrical environment.
Other Programs to Consider
Dramaturgy and Drama Studies
Dramaturgy and Drama Studies (DDS) integrates creative and scholarly approaches to theatre through a common emphasis on dramaturgy. The DDS program includes courses that examine theatre history, dramatic literature, critical theory, playwriting, devising, and intermedial performance, among others.
English
This program specifically focuses on how literature in English has developed through the centuries, all over the world, and in a rich variety of different forms and modes, from oral recitations to digital media. Students will be introduced to the full range of literary genres and traditions.
Language Teaching & Learning: French
The Language Teaching and Learning programs are specially designed to provide a comprehensive study of how languages are taught and learned, whether in a second or foreign language context. In this program, the specific focus is on the French language.