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Theatre ArtsCollection Development Policy
Sylvia Tag, Librarian
The Theatre Department offers an undergraduate degree with concentrations in Acting, Directing, Dramatic Literature, Dramatic Writing, Educational Theatre, Theatre Management, Costume Design, and Lighting Design. A Master of Arts degree is offered with two tracks. Option one is for students interested in entering a PhD program and option two for students interested in MFA programs or careers in professional performance.
The collection is well represented in the areas of European Renaissance, 19th/20th century American and European Drama, historical and contemporary Noh drama, 20th century puppetry
Although there is no formal collection development coordination, there are a number of disciplines that augment and enhance the theatre collection, most directly, music, dance, art, education and English. The Music Library has materials that support research and performances. Students and faculty in the theatre department make extensive use of the music library holdings, especially for musical and operatic productions. Dance and movement are integral to the study of theatre arts. While the actual use of dance materials by theatre faculty and students is difficult to capture, the intersection of ballet, modern dance and improvisation appears in numerous theatre productions, student work and research. Artwork, sculpture and color principles are fundamental to costume design and stage craft. Art books, encyclopedias, online databases and journals are used extensively by faculty and students. The department makes all costumes for all performances in their costume shop. Theatre students and faculty use the education collections to supplement their research and teaching. There is a definite need for improvement in the collection regarding the writing, production and direction of children's drama. The children's literature collection is particularly relevant to reader's theatre and theatre for youth. English materials and collections may include authors whose works include dramatic literature. The MLA, Modern Language Association, database is a primary tool for theatre research. Reference materials in the area of literacy criticism and biography are essential for theatre faculty and students. Courses in film studies are taught through the English department and there is resource sharing for these reference materials as well. It is worth noting that the SUMMIT interlibrary loan system is only marginally helpful in terms of theatre and drama materials. The best theatre/drama collection in the system, at the University of Washington, is a non-circulating collection.
Note on Electronic Databases. Theatre Arts is interdisciplinary by definition and practice. Beyond the actual literature of theatre, and associated criticism, representation and techniques, there is the cultural context of performance and the international scope of the performing arts as well as the playwrights and theatre critics. This results in an extensive list of indexes and databases that are used by the faculty and students in the department.
Standing orders for academic theatre arts series enhance the collection. Examples include: Asian theatre and drama: The collection includes print and media materials in many aspects of East Asian and South Asian theatre including Japanese Noh and Indonesian puppetry, dance and masks.
Central to the study of theatre arts at Western, as stated in the WWU Bulletin, is ``the knowledge of major works of dramatic literature representative of diverse cultures, knowledge of the history of theatrical production - its styles, conventions and social context - from the ancients to the present day, knowledge of the means by which theatrical production is realized, and knowledge of the role of theatre in forming the past, present, and future of society.'' The emphasis of the theatre department is on performance as evidenced by the numerous productions that take place each year. Dramaturgy has emerged as new emphasis for courses and faculty research over the last several years. Performances encompass classroom work, independent projects, Studio Theatre, Summer Stock, and the WWU Performing Arts Center main stage. Each performance includes costume design, stage craft, play analysis (language, culture, popular and scholarly criticism and historical context), playwriting and actor training. The collection must provide resources for students and faculty for the researching, direction, and creation of productions. Of course, the ultimate ``audience'' for this collection is the audience at productions and performances. The graduate program provides advanced research and training. For each play performance,l no matter how grand or small, the department creates all the costumes and all the sets. For example, the costume design shop serves as a learning studio for students who are specializing in this particular aspect of theatre production. This opportunity for student mentoring is provided in all aspects of theatre arts, including stagecraft, directing and playwriting. As was noted in the Resource Sharing section, the SUMMIT interlibrary loan system is only marginally helpful in terms of theatre and drama materials. The best collection in the system, at the University of Washington, is a non-circulating collection. Strategies to move the collection towards level 3c.: 1) Maintain the current journal collection in electronic format and selected archival print journals. 2) Update the materials on the writing, production and direction of children's drama. This may be accomplished through individual acting scripts, play collections and/or anthologies. 3) Enhance the collection of Drama as Literature, PR 621-739, through the acquisition of seminal and significant playwrights, play analysis and criticism. 4) Update the circulating monograph collection to include seminal works and significant retrospective materials that support curriculum and courses for the theatre graduate program with particular attention to dramaturgy. 5) Maintain the reference and circulating collections to include discussions of research techniques and strategies in the fine and performing arts. 6) Intentional and thoughtful integration of electronic resources available through public domain and proprietary resources. |
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