BWW Student Center's School in the Spotlight: University of Alaska Anchorage

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. 

This week, BWW shines its spotlight on the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Alaska Anchorage! UAA promotes a liberal arts approach to its programs with comprehensive training in all aspects of the theater arts culminating in a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre degree. Courses offered by the program are wide-ranging and include acting, directing, stagecraft, scene design, lighting, costuming, makeup, dramatic literature, theatre history, dramatic theory and criticism, and playwriting.

UAA pays special attention to performance opportunities hosting four plays and two dance concerts per academic year. Shows such as 'Singing in the Rain', '12 Angry Jurors', and 'The Accidental Death of an Anarchist' have been seen on the UAA stage in recent years. (Check out all past productions here!). The 2011-2012 school year began with productions of 'The Language of Trees' and 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Up next is John Millinton Synge's 'The Playboy of the Western World' on stage from February 10 thru 26 in the UAA Mainstage Theatre. The year will close off with a blend of puppets and live actors in the family production 'Bring Back the Sunshine' running from March 30 thru April 15 at the Harper Studio Theatre. For more information and tickets, click here. 

UAA also offers a dance minor and students pursuing the BA in Theatre may also opt for a 'dance emphasis' option. Various techniques are taught at UAA including Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Dance for Musical theatre, Salsa, Alaska Native Dance and Modern Dances of the African Diaspora. Students can also take courses in theory and improvisation, composition and interdisciplinary dance studies. In the Spring, the Dance Department will stage a presentation of new choreography works entitled New Dances 2012 from April 13 to 22, 2012. For more information on Dance at UAA, click here. 

To learn more about the University of Alaska Anchorage, visit their website http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/

To all in the Department of Theatre and Dance at UAA: Congratulations on your hard work this year and on deservingly taking this week's School in the Spotlight!  

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

Photo of Steven De Loose, Jaron Carlson in '12 Angry Jurors' (2010-2011). Photo Credit: Caitlin Cordery