Dramatic Arts

A student actress on stage as a WWI nurse on her knees holding an actor playing a fallen soldier. Another WWI nurse is seated behind them.

Program Type

Major, Minor
Degrees Offered

B.A.
School

School of Arts & Sciences

Bring your truthful voice and unique self to your craft. Develop skills for the professional stage and more.

What You’ll Learn

You will explore Linklater vocal training, Meyerhold viewpoints, Grotowski movement exercises, and clowning. You will also receive on-camera training for television and film work that will prepare you for a professional performance career or any career path that emphasizes strong communication and presentation skills.

Get Stage Time: Our program presents two main-stage productions and at least one student-directed production every year.
Play a Part in Professional Film Productions: You’ll be mentored by and collaborate with professionals from the region and from New York and Los Angeles.
Unpack the Great Texts: From Shakespeare to Lin-Manuel Miranda, from Greek tragedy to the latest Broadway drama, you’ll examine the elements of effective storytelling for the stage.
Engage Your Whole Self: Studying the art and craft of theater at Mary will engage you intellectually, physically, and emotionally.

Program Information

Please visit our catalog for admission requirements and a full list of our courses.

Careers & Outcomes

Employment Trends

Mary’s dramatic arts program prepares students for a professional career in the theater and gives students strong communication skills that position them for success in a wide range of fields. A dramatic arts background is a strong foundation for fields such as business, advertising and marketing, the nonprofit sector, education, and more.

Career Paths

Professional Actor
Arts Administrator
Director
Educator
Arts Advocate
Nonprofit Director
Creative Director
Marketing Director
Entrepreneur

The cast from the classic production of Titanic wave goodbye after a performance by the University of Mary Theater Department.

A University of Mary student actress playing Joan of Arc in torn up clothes and bandages faces the judge during a scene from a University of May performance of Joan of Arc.

Tevye says goodbye to his daughter in the University of Mary Theater performance of Fiddler on the Roof.

Chaos erupts in the wake of murder during the Univesity of Mary theater performance of The Mousetrap.

With their guns in hand, student actors perform a scene from ND Voices of the Great War, a production written by the University of Mary Theater Department.

Featured Faculty

Daniel Bielinski

Director of Dramatic Arts Program, Fellow in Catholic Studies

Daniel serves as chair of dramatic arts at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, where he lives with his wife and five children. In 2018 he founded Canticle Productions to create film and theater that celebrates the history, land, and culture of North Dakota. ND feature films include A Heart like Water (Winter 2021), Sanctified (Spring 2022), End of the Rope (Fall 2022). Original theater includes Voices of Dakota Prairie (2021) and Voices of the Badlands (2022).

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