First Year Students
First Year Lab Experience:
Every fall semester, our incoming freshmen and transfer Theatre majors participate in “First Year Lab.” This experience is designed to help facilitate your transition into Salem State Theatre. You will become acquainted with your student cohort and our production procedures, and you immediately become part of a creative ensemble! Together with your classmates, you will create a unique production based on your group’s ideas, talents, and experiences.
This Lab is not just for actors; are you an aspiring playwright, choreographer, stage manager, technician, director, or designer? All concentrations and skills are incorporated into this great event! You will have rehearsals with your First Year Lab group several times a week September 5-26 after day classes, culminating in a live performance on Friday, September 27, 2024 at 7:30pm.
First Year Lab counts as your first Theatre Department production at SSU and is part of your required coursework- you will earn credit for your THE91 Theatre Participation class for it!
Note: Participation in this production is mandatory for all first year (freshmen and transfer) students.
Click HERE for more information about First Year Lab
First Year Student Events:
Theatre Department Orientation Meeting
Welcome back to Salem State Theatre!
Join us at our annual Theatre Department Orientation Meeting in the Mainstage of the Sophia Gordon Center to catch up on all the great things that are happening this year! All of our faculty, staff, theatre majors and minors are required to attend, so you’ll get all of the important information about our upcoming season, auditions, advising, Juries, Peer Mentoring, and much more!
Thursday, September 5, 2024
4:30pm-6:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center Mainstage
Other Meeting Highlights you Don't Want to Miss:
1. Updates from the Student Theatre Ensemble, Yes Andy's (improv), and The Wright to Perform (playwrighting) student groups!
2. Nominations for 2024-2025 Theatre Student Representatives.
3. The Fall 2024 Theatre Participation Job Fair will be held at the end of the meeting. There are lots of ways to get involved, and we'll tell you all about them!
See you there!
Theatre Participation Job Fair
Join us immediately following the Theatre Department Orientation Meeting for the Fall 2024 Theatre Participation Job Fair! Students will have the opportunity to sign up for positions on our Theatre Department Productions SILENT SKY, the 6th annual VETERANS 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL, and ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE: MILLENNIUM APPROACHES.
Fall 2024 Theatre Participation Job Fair
Thursday, September 5, 2024
6:00pm-6:30pm
Sophia Gordon Center Lobby
CCPA First Year Arts Night
Welcome to the Salem State creative community! You will find a vibrant arts scene on campus and in the city of Salem and I hope you take advantage of all of it.
On Tuesday, September 10, the Center for Creative and Performing Arts (CCPA) is hosting its annual First Year Arts Night for students majoring /minoring in the creative disciplines. The event runs from 5:30-7:30 pm and we will gather in the lobby of the Sophia Gordon Center on Lafayette Street, you may remember this spot from Orientation.
Please plan to join us for an evening exploring our many arts spaces, meeting your fellow student creatives, seeing student performances, and engaging with some of the arts faculty informally. We will also have prizes and food!
You are welcome to just show up, but I will also say a big thanks if you take a moment to reply via email and let me know you are coming. We will be moving to different spaces on campus during the evening so if you have any questions /concerns about that please reach out.
We are so excited to welcome you to campus this year and can't wait to see all the things you create!
Best,
Karen Gahagan
Director, Center for Creative and Performing Arts (CCPA)
The Fall 2024 Add/Drop period ends 9/10 at midnight
The Add/Drop period for Fall 2024 Undergraduate classes ends at midnight. Any changes to your fall schedule must be made before this deadline.
Please see your faculty advisor or Ashley O’Toole in the Theatre Department Office with any scheduling questions.
Meet Your Major
First Year Theatre Majors: Join us in the Mainstage on Monday, September 16 to learn about our Theatre Programs, upcoming auditions, and so much more! You're also have the opportunity to ask Ashley and current theatre students any questions you have about the department.
Monday, September 16, 2024
11:00am-12:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center Mainstage
*Required for all first year (freshmen and transfer) Theatre Arts majors
BFA Info Meeting
Monday, September 16, 2024
12:00pm-1:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center Mainstage
Current Salem State students: Join the Theatre faculty & staff in the Sophia Gordon Center Mainstage to learn about the BFA program and the BFA Jury process. All students who are interested in the BFA program are strongly encouraged to attend.
See you there!
Resume and Portfolio Workshop
Current Salem State students: Join the faculty to learn how to make a theatre resume and/or portfolio for auditions, interviews, and BFA Juries.
Monday, September 23, 2024
11:00am-12:00pm
Sophia Gordon Rehearsal Room (SG208)
See you there!
First Year Lab Performance
You're invited to enjoy the fabulous, unique production our First Year Theatre students have created during their first month at SSU!
Friday, September 27, 2024
7:30pm
Sophia Gordon Center Mainstage
356 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA
Directed by Ginger Eckert
Admission is free, and no reservations are required. See you there!
Fall 2024 BFA Juries
Fall 2024 BFA Juries for all concentrations will be held on Monday, September 30, 2024. Jury timeslots will be scheduled from 8:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-4:30pm.
Locations: Performance Classroom (SB005) for Performance/Directing/Playwrighting Juries and the Cynthia McGurren Conference Room for Design/Tech/Stage Management Juries.
DEADLINE TO SIGN UP FOR JURIES: Friday, September 20, 2024.
BFA Jury Timeslots will be sent out via SSU email on Monday, September 23, 2024.
First Year Student Resources:
Peer Mentoring
Every First Year Theatre major is assigned an upperclass Theatre Peer Mentor for their first two semesters. Peer Mentors assist first year students with advising and answering general questions about the theatre program, auditions, classes, TPP, and more!
First Year students should please complete the Peer Mentoring Quiz by 9/8/23 so we can find your perfect Peer Mentoring match!
Theatre Department Play Library
Stop by the Theatre Office (Administration Building #2) during open office hours to check out plays and resource books from over 3,000 plays, books, and more! Play Library materials can be checked out with Ashley for two weeks.
SSU_CAMPUS MAP_WEB_06_18.pdfFind Your Class
CLASSROOM MAPS SITE
Brought to you by the First Year Experience
Questions? Contact FYE at: 978.542.2618, firstyear@salemstate.edu, or private message us in your Facebook Class Page
Helpful Tips: How to compose an email to your professor
Always include your full name and SSU student ID number.
The subject header should be informative.
Use professors' names when addressing them.
Write grammatically, spell correctly, and avoid typos.
Keep it brief, to the point, and polite.
Advice for New Students
Read the full article HERE
"Professors can be your greatest allies, so link up with a few you can trust. They want to help you cut through the bureaucracy, so you can get to the thing you’re there for- learning."
"With time, I learned that interest and success are highly correlated — do what you love, and you’ll be good at what you do. Don’t be afraid to take classes that challenge your suppositions."
"I implore [first generation students] to extend grace to yourself and have confidence in the fact that you were chosen not only for your academic competency but also for the perspective you have to offer your peers and professors. You are now part of a conversation that would be lacking without your voice. Speak even louder, and help others understand a life story they may not have considered before they met you."
"The important people to develop relationships with? Department secretaries. These people may be your first real adult friends. They don’t think they’re ancient or disconnected from today’s youth and neither should you."