2. Dean Dr. Bill Richardson was born in Tennessee, but grew up in California, where he studied Russian history and literature at the University of California’s campuses in Santa Barbara and Berkeley.
3. Musical Theatre If you have a serious passion for musical theatre, our bachelor of arts degree will be the catalyst you need to launch your career. With a rigorous, professional program model, we give you not only an intense performance oriented program that focuses on the “triple threat” disciplines of acting, singing, and dancing, but also a practical and marketable skill set that includes advanced knowledge of theory, criticism, history, literature and production design.
4. Theatre of Performance The area of performance represents the very heart of the theatrical process. Given the broad focus of our program, we propose to train a select ensemble of talented students in traditional as well as non-traditional approaches to acting and performance. Our program provides solid training in classical, modern, postmodern and contemporary performance styles, including revisions of the classics, new works, dance theatre and performance art. Above all, we seek to instill into future performers the ethics and responsibilities of being part of an ensemble and a theatre company.
5. Theatre Design and Technology As a Design and Production major, you will be a part of a company that produces 2-3 main stage musicals, 2-3 main stage plays, a dance concert, at least 2 student produced plays, and various other events each year. That equates to opportunities to assistant design and design costumes, sets, lights, props and sound, including possible main stage opportunities. When you depart Coastal your portfolio will be filled with the kind of practical work that professional companies look for. But more than that, you will be armed with a strong theatrical education that will enable you to fulfill your dreams of becoming a theatre artist.
6. Wheelwright On June 14, 1981 , the first center for the performing arts in northeast South Carolina was dedicated. Built with a graceful Georgian design of columns and colonnades, the $3.1 million Wheelwright Auditorium was funded almost entirely by private donations from local residents and businesses, including a gift of more than $1 million from the late Dr. and Mrs. William Kimbel. The auditorium is named for Mrs. Kimbel's maternal grandfather, John Wheelwright, who was involved in the early 1900's with the cotton trade in South Carolina.
7. Edwards Blackbox The Edwards Black Box Theatre is a state- of-the-art flexible space able to host everything from student cabaret events to modern musicals. The theatre was completed in 2000 and has hosted a myriad of events since then.
8. Costumes, Scenic, and Painting Studios Coastal Carolina University employs the professional model of off-site production studios. All three studios are located less than a mile from the main campus; the costume and paint studios are accessible by bus. The studios are state-of-the-art facilities with several thousand square feet dedicated to departmental production and the training of our students. Each studio is supervised by highly qualified managers with years of professional experience ranging from Broadway to the academic stage. It is in these studios that our students obtain rigorous professional training in all aspects of technical production.
9. Acting and Dance Studios Spacious acting and dance studios serve as the unofficial home away from home for most of our performance majors. Students spend hours in these spaces preparing for their careers. Acting, Movement, Tap, Jazz, Ballet and even occasional Hip Hop classes are taught in the studios.
