ABSTRACT
Theatre and film undergraduate programs train students in acting, directing, and production. Others train actors who might apply acting skills to related professions within and outside of the entertainment industry. The establishment of film in entertainment and education created a setting in which film could become fully realized in the academy. When TV broadcasts brought acting into American homes on TV in the 1950s, the cinematic arts began to gain market share in entertainment and the academy. To become artist-citizens with the entrepreneurial skills essential to the modern entertainment industry, students need effective oral and written communication across media, critical thinking and analysis, problem solving, cultural sensitivity, awareness of diversity, and transmedial acting skills. In most undergraduate theatre programs, students develop their process by writing and sharing stories, acquiring practical acting skills, collaborating across disciplines, and conducting independent research.
