DISTANCE LEARNING: BACHELOR OF ARTS, THEATRE STUDIES DEGREE

Helen Grigal, Founder/Artistic Director and Walter Anderson, Executive Director of The Baltimore Actors' Theatre and Conservatory are pleased to announce an association with Rose Bruford College, United Kingdom, to offer a distance learning Bachelor of Arts, Theatre Studies degree beginning in the 2006-2007 academic year.

This new and exciting association will allow The Conservatory's Professional Development students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor's degree through distance learning with weekly seminars to support and enrich their learning experience. The three-year degree is the only one of its kind in the United Kingdom, validated by the University of Manchester. Members of the Rose Bruford faculty have developed the program of studies. Tutors from the college deliver individual courses, providing a learning experience equivalent to a face-to-face session with the tutor. The program is both challenging and convenient since students can do most of the work at home yet have direct contact with their teachers, while meeting in seminars to discuss and exchange ideas which the program generates at the BATC.

This unique program affords those who have an active career in the theatre but have not considered a degree as an option can do so, earning credit for their experience, while gaining necessary academic underpinnings for their practical career. Also, those who love the theatre and have experienced it from the audience perspective can also join this program to enhance their perspective and develop a body of knowledge that will enrich their theatre experience.

Those students who want to develop their theatre performance skills may also consider in tandom the Trinity College London International Examination Program. Students can earn professional credentials in Speech and Drama, Musical Theatre, and Music Study at the diploma level: Associate, Licentiate, Fellowship. All credentials are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in the United Kingdom and carry college credit. For students who want a balance of performance and academic study in college studies, this is an excellent opportunity, all at an affordable cost. Students who choose this option work with the Baltimore Actors' Theatre in all its performances and gain a performance resume as they earn their various credentials.

Applicants 18 years and older may apply. Those who have college credits and/or have experience are also encouraged to apply. This new program provides an exciting opportunity to acquire a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre Studies and/or Professional Diplomas in performance through Trinity College, London.

For information, contact:

Walter Anderson
The Conservatory
Baltimore Actors' Theatre
The Dumbarton House
300 Dumbarton Road
Baltimore, Maryland 21212
410-337-8519
batpro@baltimoreactorstheatre.org

The Conservatory's Professional Development division was established to provide a professionally intensive three-year college level training program in theatre, music, and dance study. Classes include Music History/Listening, Music Theory, Group Singing, Solfege, Class Piano, Choral Singing, Theatre History (play based), Voice Class, Acting, various workshops in related drama and theatre areas, Ballet, Modern, and workshop programs in Tap, Jazz, and Musical Theatre technique. Some classes are also held in the evening throughout the program. Students are required to take all classes if they wish to earn Trinity College, London. diplomas.

Students may opt to earn diplomas in the following areas: Speech and Drama, Musical Theatre, Voice, and/or Recital. There are three diploma levels: Associate, Licentiate, and Fellowship. Students in the Professional Development program must earn the Associate Diploma (first level Diploma) in Speech and Drama followed by the Licentiate Diploma (second level Diploma) in Speech and Drama. It will take three years to complete both diplomas. If a student wishes to take the Associate Diploma in Musical Theatre, they usually do this in the second year of study. Also, students may elect to take the Voice graded or Diploma levels if they are prepared to do so. This program develops the skills needed in today's complex world of theatre and to prepare the total performer or "triple threat."

The Conservatory is an associated institution of Trinity College, London. both in graded and diploma examinations. Students in the Professional Development Division work towards the Trinity diplomas in Speech and Drama and/or Music. These professional diplomas are recognized in over fifty countries throughout the world, and for those qualified undergraduate students who do not choose to include the academic component of a degree program, the Trinity diplomas are the perfect opportunity to participate in an intensive program of theory, practice, and performance in their chosen field. The Trinity College, London diplomas are accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) of Great Britain and have been placed in their National Qualification Framework at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In the United States, the Trinity diplomas are equivalent to advanced undergraduate and graduate credit. For example, the ATCL is valued at 60 advanced undergraduate credits in the subject of the diploma. In many American conservatories there are those students who wish to pursue their art intensively, which then prepares them for professional careers. The breadth, depth, and rigor of these programs are the same, or in many cases exceed, the performance requirements of a degree program, although entrance requirements are identical. The Professional Development Division and Trinity College, London have associated to provide this unique program for the serious student wishing to pursue his/her art on the professional level. The Professional Development Division provides students 18 years and older an alternative to attending traditional college while still earning an international post-secondary credential..

Students in the Professional Development Division have the unique upportunity to perform with the Baltimore Actors' Theatre in their performance activities at Oregon Ridge. BAT has year-round productions in both children's and adult theatre that allow the Professional Development student the chance to use the skills developed in the program in a professional arena. Rehearsals and performances for these productions are an integral part of the learning process and are expected of the Professional Development student. As well, the Conservatory produces two concerts a year in which all professional Development students participate. Professional Development students have a full resume of their Oregon Ridge activities when they complete the program.

Applicants should arrange an inverview/audition to determine their eligibility. Past experience and training are taken into consideration in acceptance and placement of the qualified applicant. Classes are kept small to afford each student individual attention. The Professional Development Division is a unique opportunity for those who desire professional training and performance culminating in an internationally recognized diploma in Speech and Drama and/or Music from Trinity College, London..

The Conservatory - Baltimore Actors' Theatre and Huron University USA in London (www.huron.ac.uk) have entered into a Partnership Agreement between both institutitions. Students in the Professional Development program of The Conservatory, who have completed their requirements for the Trinity College, London diplomas, will be able to take their general education requirements at Huron University and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies: Theatre. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges accredit Huron University through Huron's academic partnership with Southern New Hampshire University, which means that any credits earned at Huron are transferable to other accredited college or university programs in the United States.

Conservatory students who earn the Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama and the Associate Diploma in Musical Theatre from Trinity College, London or earn an Associate Diploma in either Speech and Drama or Musical Theatre and a Licentiate Diploma in either subject will be able to transfer the allotted credits as outlined in the official credential evaluation and BATC transcript sent to Huron University. Trinity College, London Assocaite Diplomas are equivalent to 60 undergraduate college credits each and the Licentiate Associate Diploma at 90 undergraduate credits from an American college, university or conservatory. Once Huron has received verification of successful completion of the program from The Conservatory, students are then required to earn 36 college credits while in residence at Huron. If a student has any Advanced Placement Examination passes at 4 or 5 or college transfer credit, aside from Trinity Diplomas, Huron will accept these and the students will be exempted from some general education requirements which would give more elective space for internships or other course work. The courses Conservatory students will have to enroll are as follows:

1. MAT 101 College Mathematics

2. ENG 204 Argument and Persuasion

3. GED 125 Multicultural London

4. GED 150 Perspectives in Social Science

5. SCI 101 Introduction to Theory and Practice in the Sciences

6. Six further credits of Social Science

7. Three further credits of Science/Computing/Mathematics

8. HUM 433 Capstone Project (a 4-credit senior project)

9. 8 credits of elective (including an optional internship)

Professional Developement students will have the opportunity to spend time in London, next to the British Museum and the campus of University College London, while completing their degree requirements. Usually these can be completed in three semesters plus summer school. Tuition for the Huron program includes room but does not include board. However, the rooms have kitchen facilities and Huron students can eat their meals at subsidized UCL dining halls within a few seconds' walk from the dormitories and the classroom building. Huron students also have access to UCL libraries and other facilities and can join the UCL Student Union.

Huron also offers a wide variety of internship opportunities. Even through Professional Development students are there primarily to complete general education requirements for a bachelor of arts degree, they can also undertake an internship program with an arts organization and have a unique professional experience while earning college credit.

We at The Conservatory are extremely excited to have this partnership and know that our students will find their international experience at Huron University to be both challenging and rewarding.

For further information on this and other opportunities offered through The Conservatory - Baltimore Actors' Theatre, please contact us.

Walter E. Anderson, Ed.D., Headmaster

Email: batpro@baltimoreactorstheatre.org

Baltimore Actors' Theatre
Trinity College, London
The Conservatory