WCSU Theatre Arts Program Named One of 10 Best in 2015

DANBURY, CONN. — The awards keep racking up for the Western Connecticut State University School of Visual and Performing Arts (SVPA). Last month, the campus building that houses the SVPA, the Visual and Performing Arts Center, was ranked No. 9 on the list of “Amazing Campus Arts Centers” by Collegedegreesearch.net. The Visual and Performing Arts Center also received a shout-out in an October 2014 New York Times article about reasons for the migration from New York to Danbury.

The latest accolade comes from OnStage, a Connecticut-based blog dedicated to “promoting theatre from Broadway to your hometown,” with the announcement that Western’s Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts program is one of the 10 best in the country in 2015.

In naming WCSU’s theatre program to the Top-10 list, Chris Peterson, OnStage editor-in-chief, wrote:

“It’s very rare to find a state university commit as much to the theatre arts as WCSU has in the past couple years. This past fall they opened their brand new $97 million Visual and Performing Arts Center. This stunning new facility is home to a 350-seat theatre, a 125-seat studio theatre, a 350-seat concert hall, an art gallery, a recording studio and state-of-the-art rehearsal, classroom and studio art facilities.

“The program at WCSU is also very strong. Students can receive their B.A. in Theatre Arts with concentrations in Performance, Design/Technology, Theatre Arts Management, Drama Studies or receive their B.A. in Musical Theatre. While learning from professional resident faculty, students will have the chance to participate in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an annual New York City Showcase, ‘WCSU Off-Broadway.’ They also do a ton of community outreach by performing children’s productions throughout the year. Upcoming productions include You Can’t Take It With You and Smokey Joe’s Café. The tuition is quite reasonable for a state institution and given the quality of the program and the facilities you can work in, I’d say this is a steal.”

According to Peterson, “… a ton of research went into deciding these. The criteria used included tuition/value, faculty, facilities, productions and resources beyond campus. Colleges with both B.A. and B.F.A. degrees have incredible facilities and faculty because they have both programs; this list only contains schools that have B.A.’s alone.”

WCSU rounds off a list that includes James Madison University, the University of Alabama, the Catholic University of America, Muhlenberg College, Drew University, Wesleyan University, Bennington College, Pepperdine University and Willamette University.

The rankings can be found at http://onstageblog.com/2015/02/19/the-best-b-a-in-theatre-programs-in-the-country-in-2015/.

For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.

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Submitted by New Milford, CT

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