BWW Student Center's School in the Spotlight: Duke University

Last year, BroadwayWorld.com, the largest theater website on the Internet, launched a comprehensive Student Database listing college and university performing arts programs across the country. This free service makes it easier for prospective students by showcasing programs searchable by schools, location, degrees and concentrations.

With the new school year in full gear, BWW has updated the fully-interactive Student Show Calendar with 2011-2012 student productions. We have also made it easy for schools to upload photos, videos, cast lists, articles and other media content for each of their shows. In addition, BWW will be combing through all content regularly and will launch weekly feature stories highlighting productions locally and nationally that have provided us with this extra content. 

Today, BroadwayWorld visits the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where the Department of Theatre Studies picks up this week's spotlight mention! Students at Duke University can choose to major in Theatre Arts earning credits toward a Bachelor of Arts or opt for a minor to complement another major. With the aim to "create enlightened artists and scholars", the Department of Theatre offers a varied curriculum consisting of courses in history, theory and performance. For more information on degree requirements and courses offered, click here.

In addition to mainstage productions produced by the department, students are encouraged to create their own works and given the chance to see their creation take life on the Duke stage as part of the annual production season. Past shows at Duke include 'A Doll's House', 'Cat on a Hot Tin Roof', 'Creditors', 'A Steady Rain', 'Love and Human Remains' along with student showcases. Click here to visit the school's production archive to see photos and videos of past shows. Up next is 'Lady in the Red Dress' playing at the Duke Players Lab Theater from March 16 thru 18 and the musical 'Ragtime' produced in collaboration with Theater Studies, Dance, Music, Hoof 'n' Horn and the Duke Chamber Players. 'Ragtime' will play April 5 thru 15 at the Reynolds Theater. For tickets and more information, click here. 

Alumni of the Theatre Department go on to successful careers in performance and production, working on regional and national shows, as well as on television and film. The list of notable alumni who have taken part in Broadway and Off-Broadway productions includes Aaron Lazar, Kerry O'Malley, Brian Charles Rooney, Jacqueline Langheim and many others. For a full list of alumni and to see what they're been up since their days at Duke, click here.

For more information on Duke University's Department of Theatre Studies, visit http://theaterstudies.duke.edu/

Questions/concerns/suggestions related to BWW's student center can be addressed to studentcenter@broadwayworld.com.

Photo: Production of 'A Doll's House'. Courtesy of Duke University.