Department of Theatre and Dance

About
Degree Options
Special Requirements and Information
Faculty

Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts, Room 2099
Phone: (307) 766-5242
Email: theatre_dance@uwyo.edu
Web site: uwyo.edu/thd/
Department Head: Christie Zimmerman

About

The theatre and dance department offers innovative and energizing curricula that bring together student demand with professional preparation for careers in, around, and beyond the dance and theatre arts. Our degree programs amplify the interdisciplinary and collaborative nature of the performing arts and highlight transferable skill development in a way that emphasizes culture, community, and student success.

Outcomes:

In addition to disciplinary specific learning outcomes, the departmental core curricula emphasize the development of transferable skills as applicable to artistic practice, and to broader professional practice as well. All Theatre and Dance students, upon graduation will be able to apply the following transferable skills to their career goals:

Career & Self Development - Demonstrate awareness of their strengths, weaknesses, and transferable skills, and are working towards their career goals.
Communication - Clearly and effectively communicate their ideas in writing, speech, and visual media.
Critical Thinking - Utilize logic, facts, and data to analyze issues, make decisions, and solve problems.
Global/intercultural fluency - Demonstrate respect, openness, and a desire to learn from people of different backgrounds.
Leadership - Motivate and organize others and use interpersonal skills to coach and develop others.
Professionalism/work ethic - Be accountable for their work behavior, including dress, communication, punctuality, and ethical choices.
Teamwork/collaboration - Work well with others from different backgrounds to achieve common goals.
Technology - Navigate technologies to support relevant, effective, and creative construction of ideas.

Additionally, the department of theatre and dance, and its various curricula, are organized into three content areas:

Dance - The dance curricula are designed to provide students with a broad foundation of physical, creative, analytical, and practical skills for the field of dance. Students pursuing this coursework will have opportunities to enhance physical and artistic skills in modern, ballet, and jazz with access to additional movement offerings; to develop choreography and teaching skills; to understand the functionality of the body; to analyze the historical and cultural impacts of dance; and to experience multiple elements of the production process.
Design, Production, and Management - The Design, Production and Management curricula offer a wide range of technical and design experiences intended to develop the interdisciplinary skills necessary to succeed in the technical theatre industry. Students concentrating in Design, Production and Management can expect to graduate proficient in two areas of theatre technology and one area of theatrical design. Coursework covers the production and artistic aspects of costuming, hair/makeup, lighting, sound, digital media, scenic, props, painting, stage management and production management.
Theatre - The theatre curricula provide students with a foundational understanding of the art of theatre, including performance, production, and theatrical history and literature in programs that emphasize experiential learning, collaboration, creative analysis, and the artistic development of the individual. Students are able to explore a broader study of theatre with the Bachelor of Arts degree or pursue performance concentrations with the pre-professional Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. These programs prepare students to pursue a career in the theatre arts or for continued study at the graduate level.

Degree Options

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Arts

Theatre and Dance, B.A.
- Theatre and Dance, B.A. -Dance Track
- Theatre and Dance, B.A. -Theatre Track

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Minors options:

Special Requirements and Information

Students may not take a course for S/U credit to satisfy course requirements in the major. This does not apply to courses offered for S/U only. Requirements for students majoring in the areas of the department are indicated below.

Faculty

Professors:

CECILIA ARAGÓN, B.S. McMurry University 1991; M.A. University of New Mexico 1996; Ph.D. Arizona State University 2003; Professor, Theatre & Dance 2017, 2005.

CHRISTIE ZIMMERMAN, B.A. University of New Orleans 2000; M.F.A. University of California, Irvine 2002; Professor, Theatre & Dance 2023.

Associate Professors:

SCOTT TEDMON-JONES, B.F.A. University of Wyoming, 2001; M.F.A Carnegie Mellon University, 2010; Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2024, 2018.

AARON WOOD, B.F.A. University of Wyoming, 2003; M.F.A. University of Utah, 2007; Associate Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2025, 2022.

Assistant Professors:

ERIN CARTER, B.F.A. Webster University, 2016; M.F.A. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2019; Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2023.

MATTHEW GREENBERG, B.F.A. Ithaca College, 2015; M.F.A. The Ohio State University, 2021; Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2022.

ERIC JORGENSEN, B.F.A Drake University, 1999; M.F.A. The George Washington University, 2004; M.A. New York University, 2011; Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, 2019; Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2025.

CAT KAMRATH, B.A. Loyola Marymount University, 2013; M.F.A. University of Utah, 2016; Assistant Professor, Theatre & Dance, 2022.

Associate Lecturers:

JASON BANKS, B.F.A. University of Florida 2004; M.F.A. The Ohio State University 2007; Associate Lecturer, FTRC, 2024, 2020.

Assistant Lecturers:

LANDEE LOCKHART, B.T.D. University of Wyoming, 2001; B.A. University of Wyoming, 2001; M.F.A. University of Houston, 2006; Assistant Lecturer, FTRC, 2022.

ZACHARY MCCULLEY, B.M. University of Denver 2017; M.M. University of Southern California 2020; Assistant Lecturer, FTRC, 2025, 2022.

BETH TWIGS, B.S. Colorado State University, 2020; M.F.A University of Washington, 2024; Assistant Lecturer, 2024.

Assistant Instructional Professor:

SARAH LASS, B.A. Kenyon College, 2013; M.F.A. Smith College, 2018; Assistant Instructional Professor, 2024.

Assistant Professor of Practice:

MELISSA SPARKS, B.A. Mississippi State University 2007; M.F.A. Columbia University School of the Arts 2022; Assistant Professor of Practice, FTRC, 2025.

Emeritus Professors:

Larry Hazlett, Rebecca Hilliker, Leroy Hodgson, Marsha Knight, Ron Steger, Leigh Selting, Margaret Wilson