Stage Directing, Undergraduate Certificate
Overview
The undergraduate Stage Directing Certificate provides focused training through a sequence of theatre, design and storytelling courses. You’ll study acting, text analysis and rehearsal processes while learning how staging, pacing, visual composition and collaboration shape live performance. Coursework combines creative practice with critical thinking, helping you develop a clear artistic voice and approach to directing.
The interdisciplinary curriculum includes options in theatre, film, art and architecture, allowing you to explore directing through multiple creative perspectives. As you progress through the program, you’ll gain hands-on experience directing or assistant directing productions within the department or through professional theatre partnerships in the Milwaukee area.
By completing a capstone experience and building a directing portfolio, you’ll graduate prepared for entry-level directing opportunities or further study in theatre and related fields.
Faculty and Staff
Our inspirational faculty and staff make sure students feel welcome and empowered to think outside the box and explore all possibilities of making art at UWM. Visit the Peck School of the Arts directory to meet these artists, explore their biographies and engage with recent work.
Minors, Certificates and Microcredentials
Peck School of the Arts minors, certificates and microcredentials are open to all students who have already earned or are currently seeking a degree. Most certificates are also open to non-degree seeking students.
To be admitted individuals must meet general University admission requirements. To determine aid eligibility, please review all financial aid requirements.
Contact us to get started and one of our Peck School of the Arts advisors will connect with you about your interests and opportunities.
Undergraduate Advising
Academic advising is a collaborative process that empowers students to realize their maximum educational potential. Students are encouraged to visit the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page to meet with your advisor prior to each semester’s registration period. Advisors provide students with individualized appointments to assist with degree requirements, course selection, campus resources, college success strategies, graduation assessment, academic policies and more.
Credits and Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| THEATRE 260 | Storytelling: | 3 |
| or THEATRE 110 | Fundamentals of the Actor's Process | |
| THEATRE 230 | Acting 2: Text and Performance | 3 |
| THEATRE 213 | Play Analysis | 3 |
| THEATRE 410 | Stage Directing | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Choose 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Acting Topics: | ||
| Digital Filmmaking for Non-Majors | ||
| Choose 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Theatre Production and Design | ||
| 3D Studio: Form, Idea and Technique | ||
| Design I | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Choose 2 credits from the following with the option to repeat: | 2 | |
| Rehearsal and Performance: | ||
| Internship in Professional Theatre | ||
| Total Credits | 20 | |
Stage Directing Certificate Learning Outcomes
By the end of this Certificate, students will be able to:
- Analyze dramatic texts for structure, theme, style, and character to inform directorial choices.
- Interpret scripts with attention to historical, cultural, and social contexts.
- Articulate a clear and original directorial concept for a production.
- Integrate thematic and aesthetic ideas into a cohesive production approach.
- Design and implement effective rehearsal schedules, processes, and communication strategies.
- Demonstrate leadership, adaptability, and empathy in working with actors, designers, and stage managers.
- Collaborate productively with designers, dramaturgs, production teams, and performers to realize a shared artistic vision.
- Communicate complex ideas effectively through verbal, written, and visual mediums.
- Apply practical knowledge of staging, blocking, pacing, and use of space to shape performance.
- Demonstrate understanding of technical theatre elements (set, lighting, costume, sound, multimedia) in the service of storytelling.
- Critically evaluate rehearsals and performances using established and emerging theories of directing.
- Reflect on personal growth, artistic challenges, and the evolving role of the director in contemporary theatre.
- Direct with awareness of representation, inclusivity, and equity in casting, storytelling, and production practices.
- Engage with global and diverse directing traditions and styles.
- Assemble a directing portfolio (scripts, notes, prompt books, design research, and performance documentation).
- Demonstrate readiness for entry-level professional directing opportunities or graduate-level study.