Welcome to the Department of Theatre at UNCW

As a newly independent Department of Theatre,  we are thrilled to now inhabit our spectacular, state-of-the-art, $34 million Cultural Arts Building. This extraordinary facility houses two fully-equipped theatres, excellent shops, and first-rate studio spaces. Any student interested in theatre won’t find better facilities in North Carolina. We are ideally located in Wilmington, NC, where the arts thrive in a beautiful coastal setting that is home to an active film industry and growing television market.

Paul Castagno, Director

We have revised our curriculum (implementation 2008) toward three concentrations: stage and film performance; production design and technology; and general theatre studies. While maintaining the flexibility of our B.A., these concentrations offer professional training for access into the theatre and film businesses. The reduction in major credits from 48 to 43 credits affords you the opportunity to double major.  We offer an interesting selection of courses and plenty of production opportunities on our two stages.

In fall 2007, nationally-renowned voice and movement expert, Scott Nice joined our excellent faculty.

This past summer we completed our second Summer Theatre Camp for kids and it reached full capacity. We also hosted the nationally recognized Carolina Ballet, for a month-long residency in our new theatre spaces. Both these programs are running again this summer.

We completed our first full season in both new theatres with productions of Southern Girls , Bus Stop, Birthday Party and Scapino. We continued our Playwright's Festival of new student work in the fall and held our first dance concert in the spring. We are beginning a student lab series and look forward to putting that into place over the next few months.

We are proud to note that many of our acting graduates have been successful in landing roles in feature films and television. Two recent examples are – Academy Award nominated Munich, and End of Spear – and performing in television shows such as Surface and One Tree Hill. Other students have found their careers in theatres such as San Diego’s Old Globe, or signed on with major agencies in New York City. Some of our most recent grads have found new homes in topnotch graduate programs. Our faculty also acted in network television shows, which are shot right here in Wilmington. Opportunities abound for the talented and driven student.

We ask that our students bring a strong sense of commitment to excellence and a passion for the theatre – we can then help them hone their skills to achieve their dreams. Our students have many opportunities to perform and work backstage or design once they are matriculated into the program.

Please contact my Office Assistant, Susan Wilder at 910 962 2061, if you would like to set up an appointment to discuss your further interests in our Department of Theatre.