The School of Theatre will offer a new degree program, a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in film and television, in the fall 2021 semester.
The School of Theatre currently offers classes to cater to students interested in film and television, but this new program will provide a hands-on experience through providing “deeper and more experiential training” for film and television production, Assistant Professor of Film and Television Isaac Pletcher said. Pletcher will serve as head of the new BFA program.
“If you want a program that is going to help prepare you to be ready to be in the entertainment industry, this is going to be the best option for you,” Pletcher said.
By following professional world guidelines in theatre and film, the students can take what they have learned from these specific courses and apply them to their real-world experiences in their fields.
“What we’ve done here is build a really strong program to help students prepare and be ready for work in Louisiana’s entertainment industry,” Pletcher said.
Pletcher will work to provide students with access to places where they can use their training. The program also allows students who have a passion for both theatre and film and television to fulfill both interests.
“We have a huge pool of theatre personnel who have an interest in film, and by doing this we’re going to find more ways to have the two worlds work together,” School of Theatre Managing Artistic Director Vastine Stabler said. “What this program is providing is a talent pool that we need for the economy of our state to grow our film program.”
With the program continuing to build their facilities, skills and products that students get to work with, the department is able to provide students with greater opportunities when it comes to professional training.
“We have opportunities for students to make films with funding from the school,” Stabler said. “We are making a lot of efforts to help build up of great tools. We are very excited about the future and opportunities this can provide.”
The School of Theatre is accepting applications for the new degree program. The School of Theatre was recently ranked the second public university on OnStage Blog’s list of top university theatre programs, according to a University press release.