Senior Projects and Honors
Seniors majoring in theater are strongly encouraged to pursue a senior “capstone” project
that will serve as the culmination of their undergraduate studies. Usually, the senior
project will evolve directly from the student’s concentration within the major. (e.g.
directing, designing, or acting in a full length production, etc.) Applications for Senior
Projects must be submitted to the Theater program secretary by April 1st of the student’s
junior year. If the project requires assignment of space in Little Theater or an alternative
venue, the project application must be accompanied by a LT application, available from
Janice Sanborn in the Theater office.
CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL OF PROPOSED PROJECT
In The Area of Acting
1) A thorough, thoughtful and well-written proposal
2) Exceptional achievement in at least one significant role in a Little Theater or
mainstage production
3) Exceptional achievement in all studio course work
4) It should be noted that Acting candidates may propose to be considered for a role
in a faculty or guest-directed production as their Senior Project. If approved, the
student must audition for and be awarded a role in one of the mainstage plays.
Alternatively, Acting candidates may propose to play a role in a production
directed by a senior peer that has been approved as a senior project. In such cases,
it is customary for actors and directors to propose the project as a “joint” project,
with all considerations being made prior to completing and submitting the
proposal.
In The Area of Directing
1) A thorough, thoughtful and well-written proposal
2) Exceptional achievement in directing as evidenced through a realized production
in Little Theater, or through OSTA, OMTA and/or Directing II
3) A demonstrated experience and knowledge of the technical aspects of theater
4) Exceptional achievement in all studio course work
In The Area of Design
1) A thorough, thoughtful and well-written proposal
2) Exceptional achievement in design and technical work as evidenced through a
realized production in Little Theater, or through OSTA, OMTA and/or Design
and Technical Theater course work.
In The Area of Critical Studies or Dramaturgy
1) A thorough, thoughtful and well-written proposal
2) Exceptional achievement in critical studies as evidenced through appropriate
course work. Research projects, and/or participation in production work as a
dramaturg.
In The Area of Playwriting
1) A thorough, thoughtful and well-written proposal
2) Exceptional achievement in playwriting as evidenced through work in CRWR 330
and a demonstrated ability to collaborate with other theater artists through
production of a staged reading or full performance of your original work.
3) Submission of a preliminary draft or detailed treatment of the proposed project.
Procedures for Students Approved for a Senior Project
Following the submission of applications, the Theater faculty will take each application
under consideration according to the above-listed criteria. All proposals will either be:
rejected; approved as a senior project; or forwarded for consideration as an honors project
according to the criteria listed below. If a project is approved, the student will be assigned
an advisor and, if appropriate, a slot in the upcoming Lab Series season. . Successful
applicants will be informed by mid-May; and practical details about the project (such as
performance space, production dates, budget, and technical support) will be finalized at
this time, as well. Students may now enroll for credit for their Senior Projects under
THEA 425, Senior Project during the semester that the project is produced. It is the
responsibility of the student to proactively pursue assistance from their assigned advisor,
whom they should contact immediately after notification of approval.
Honors
The honors program is designed to offer a few exceptional theater majors the opportunity
to undertake a full year (i.e. two semester) creative and/or scholarly project under the
close supervision of a faculty advisor. These students will be invited by the faculty, from
the pool of Senior Project applicants. In order to qualify for Honors status, applicants
must meet all of the criteria listed above, as well as:
 Possess a proven ability to successfully complete a significant
scholarly/research project, as evidenced through course work and/or
submission of a significant sample of scholarly writing
 Have a minimum GPA of 3.65 both overall and within the department
In most cases, the proposed project will evolve organically from the student’s area of
concentration within the theater major. For example, a student with an emphasis in
History/Criticism/Theory would be expected to write a thesis of approximately 60—75
pages focusing on the work of a particular playwright, director, or designer, a specific
period of theater history, or a concept that helps illuminate a key aspect of theatrical art.
Similarly, students with a practical concentration in performance would be expected to
direct or design a full-length production of a serious work of dramatic literature or
perform a major role in such a production. Projects culminating in a performance or
production must also include a substantial written thesis (approximately 20--30 pages in
length) intended to provide the honors student with an opportunity to reflect upon his or
her creative process and to “situate” the final production within a broader intellectual
context consistent with the aims of a liberal arts education.
All honors projects will culminate in an “Honors Defense,” (lasting approximately sixty
minutes) during which the honors student will respond to questions about the thesis and
the project as a whole, posed by a committee of three examiners. This three-person
committee will consist of the student’s primary advisor for the project, a second member
of the theater faculty, and an Oberlin College faculty member from another department or
program which is related in some obvious way to the specific project.
Honors projects typically extend over both semesters of the student’s senior year and
earn between four and six credit hours toward graduation. Credit is granted through the
course THEA 420: Honors Project. In most cases, the creative project will count toward
60% of the final evaluation and the written thesis will count for 30 %. The final ten
percent will be based on the quality of the student’s Honors Defense. In the case of
projects that are entirely scholarly, the thesis paper will count for 80 per cent of the final
evaluation and the Honors Defense will account for the remaining 20%.
In addition to assigning a letter grade for the project, the three person examining
committee will also recommend that the honors student be awarded one of three “levels”
of excellence: Departmental Honors, High Honors, or
Highest Honors. This
recommendation is conveyed to the College Committee on Honors at Graduation, which
makes the final decision on awarding particular levels of excellence. Their goal is to
maintain reasonably uniform standards throughout all college departments and programs.
These decisions are not revealed to the honors candidate until Commencement, when
they appear in the printed Commencement brochure.
Timeline for The Honors Program.
Preliminary research and planning for the project will be conducted over the summer. At
the beginning of the fall semester, the honors candidate will register for a minimum of
four and maximum of six credit hours for the project (to be distributed over two
semesters). The student will arrange for a series of weekly meetings with his or her
advisor; and some of these meetings-- especially those scheduled for early in the
semester--- will take the form of group meetings with other honors candidates and their
advisors. Prior to fall break, the student (in consultation with his or her faculty Honors
advisor) will select the other two members of the examining committee and will schedule
a date for the honors defense. (All three members of the committee will be expected to
evaluate both the creative and scholarly components of the project.)
By the end of the first week following Fall Break, the honors student will be expected to
complete a detailed outline of the thesis paper and submit this outline to his or her
primary advisor. At this time, the student and advisor will decide on the stylistic and
bibliographic conventions to be employed in the final paper (typically utilizing the
Chicago Manual of Style ) By the end of the semester , in consultation with his or her
advisor, the student must decide on a date by which a solid working draft of the thesis
paper will be submitted to the advisor. Usually, the deadline for submitting this draft
will fall just before or just after spring break. Note: Failure to submit an acceptable draft
of the thesis paper by this date will normally disqualify the student for honors. The thesis
will then be revised in ways that take account of the advisor’s suggestions. Copies of the
revised and final paper must be submitted to all three members of the student’s
examining committee at least ten days prior to the Honors Defense.
Note: Because the final recommendations for Honors must be in the hands of the College
Honors Committee by the beginning of the last week of classes (often May 9 or even
earlier), it is imperative that all aspects of the honors project, practical and creative as
well as scholarly, be completed by this date as well (that is: at least ten days in advance
of the Honors Defense.) And the defense must be scheduled at least a day or two in
advance of the final deadline for reporting honors recommendations to the College
Honors Committee. In actual practice, this means that in most instances, all honors
related work must be completed at least two weeks before the end of the semester.