Theater Pre-Orientation

Each year we invite those First-Year students who have expressed an interest in theater to join us for a three day pre-orientation program immediately proceeding college orientation. Students have all agreed that this has been the best possible introduction to Skidmore's Theater Department.
Pre-Orientation is a wonderful opportunity to get to know one another, meet the faculty, and to find out about all of the opportunities in the department. We have discovered that students enrolled in this program become fully engaged in all of the activities of the department as soon as the semester begins.

The Skidmore College Department of Theater is committed to the principles of liberal arts studies. All of our productions are informed by our studies in other disciplines. Whenever we produce a seminar or studio production we seek to combine the intellectual and practical aspects of theater production as fully as possible. Students participate in a weekly seminar class through which the production work is synthesized with the liberal arts. These seminars deal with the study of pertinent theatrical, literary, philosophical, social, political, and economic aspects of the play and its themes. We often involve guest speakers, many of whom teach in other disciplines on campus.

During Pre-Orientation we hope to introduce new students to these important principles.
The program is run by faculty members of the Skidmore Theatre assisted by sophomore and junior peer advisers who have become committed theatre students.

Here are the Scheduled Activites for Last Year's Program

• Introduction and theatre games with Marie Glozbach.
• Introduction to the Skidmore Theater Program and Tour of the Theater
• Discussions with faculty members from the Theater and other departments about the department's fall productions
• Scene work based upon the fall productions - faculty members and guests explore the staging of scenes with groups of students.
• Audition workshop. The faculty give some helpful tips to students planning to audition this semester and offer monologue coaching.
• Visit to Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox, Massachusetts to see their current production. In past we've seen such productions as The Taming of the Shrew, Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Antony and Cleopatra. After the performance members of the cast often meet with students and share some pizza.
• Theater Company Meeting. An introduction to Skidmore's unique organization for producing theatre.
• Theater Dinner.

Sample Schedule (2010)

Call 580-5431 with questions and for any additional information