Shakespeare at Mary Baldwin College

In partnership with the internationally acclaimed American Shakespeare Center (formerly Shenandoah Shakespeare) and its authentically recreated Elizabethan theatre, Mary Baldwin College has combined the academic and applied aspects of Shakespearean theatrical studies to offer a unique Master of Letters/Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance. This marriage of scholarship and stagecraft sets this program apart from other graduate programs. Launched in fall 2001, MLitt/MFA attracts applicants from all over the country. The MLitt/MFA program is open to qualified men and women.

Development of the program was underwritten by a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, a national foundation with a commitment to understanding the major problems facing us as a people, and a willingness to invest in a nontraditional approach to solving these problems. Providing generous funding for operations is the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

The Master of Letters Degree

What's in a Name?

Some programs stress scholarship, others stagecraft. Ours gives you both. So we have given this new degree an uncommon title: Master of Letters. In the first year, Master of Letters students explore the scholarly and theatrical conventions of early modern drama. In the second year, students may select a special emphasis in acting, directing, dramaturgy, or teaching or they may choose an interdisciplinary focus and select 36 hours from among the program’s courses, including the required core courses. Students choosing to apply for MFA degree candidacy must select a special emphasis in acting, directing, or dramaturgy. Please see the MBC academic catalog online for more details about each emphasis.

Acting
Fine tune your abilities through practice in the fine points of Shakespearean stagecraft: voice, movement and dance, stage combat, playing the clown, playing to a visible audience. Acting Students take REN 660: Acting for the Early Modern Stage in the second year. Candidates accepted for MFA course work will take REN 710: Advanced Acting for the Early Modern Stage in the third year, along with REN 800: Thesis to reflect work on the MFA Final Acting Project.
Directing
The program requires that MLitt directing emphasis students take REN 553: Directing I in the first semester of the second year, after a firm grounding in early modern drama conventions in the first year. Directing emphasis students take REN 650: Directing II in the second semester of the second year. Candidates accepted for MFA course work will take Directing III in the third year, and REN 800: Thesis to reflect work on the MFA Final Directing Project.
Teaching *
The teaching emphasis focuses on methods for bringing Shakespeare and his contemporaries to life in the classroom setting. In addition to the required core courses, MLitt teaching emphasis students must complete REN 510: Shakespeare and Textual Culture, REN 551: Classroom Staging, and REN 557: Shakespeare’s Contemporaries.
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy, the art of writing for the theatre, is the discipline which unites scholarship and stagecraft. Dramaturgs use their knowledge of the Early Modern social, historical, and cultural context to contribute to choices made by actors, directors and designers in rehearsal and in production. The dramaturgy emphasis leaves little room for elective classes. The program advises MLitt dramaturgy students to begin taking MFA required courses during the two MLitt years because some of the required courses are offered every other year

* NOTE: Although not a part of the MLitt. program, post-baccalaureate teacher licensure (PBTL) is offered through the academic outreach office of MBC's Adult Degree Program. For more information contact the ADP office at 1-800-822-2460 or adp@mbc.edu.

The Master of Fine Arts Degree

Qualified MLitt graduates with a minimum GPA of 3.3 may apply for advanced work leading to the terminal MFA degree in acting, directing, or dramaturgy. The MFA requires the MLitt degree, an additional 30 hours of course work, and a thesis and defense.

Director

Dr. Paul Menzer, Director of the MLitt/MFA Program in Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature in Performance; BA, University of Maryland; AM, Georgetown University; PhD, University of Virginia.

For further information, contact Dr. Menzer at pmenzer@mbc.edu, or at 540-887-7058.