About
Welcome to the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre
Why are film, television and theatre important?
Film, television, and theatre are major industries that extend across the globe and offer a wide variety of careers. Film, television and theatre are storytelling mediums that enable personal expression and deep cross-cultural connections. They provide an evening’s entertainment and can become cultural touchstones for decades or even centuries. Movies, TV shows, and plays tell us about ourselves and our culture, and they open windows to other cultures, and other moments in time that help create empathy, identification, and understanding.
What makes our program unique?
The Department of FTT will provide you with a liberal arts approach to the study of film, television, and theatre. Our program offers a unique mix of design and production, writing and performance, history and criticism. In having film, television and theatre in one department, we prepare you for the real world where actors, directors, writers, and other artists frequently move between and among these different entertainment spheres. Rather than specialize in one narrow area, you will can learn a broad base of production skills in classes and collaborations, including:
- acting
- directing
- cinematography
- editing
- playwriting
- screenwriting
- video art
- lighting design
- costume-making
- set design
- sound design
- musical performance
Along with creative tools to make film, TV and theatre, you will learn to do critical analysis of movies, TV shows, and plays; to understand their style, structure, and meaning; and to consider historical context. You will gain knowledge of narrative, history, aesthetics, industry, methodologies, and ideas that shape and underpin screen and stage cultures, including:
- live-action fiction film
- documentary
- animation
- television
- video games
- sport media
- plays
- musical theater
Our facilities
You will take courses and have access to the renowned facilities of the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, which has five performance venues, including the Regis Philbin Studio Theatre, the Patricia George Decio Theatre, and the THX-certified Browning Cinema, as well as a scene shop, costume shop, dressing rooms, rehearsal hall, recording studio, editing rooms, classrooms, and faculty offices.
Our faculty
As researchers and creative artists, our faculty lead and innovate in their subfields. Our faculty publish their work in high-impact journals and with well-regarded university presses. They work with top theatre companies and festivals, such as the Goodman Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, and Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
Our faculty have won prestigious fellowships and external grants such as the Guggenheim, Fulbright, and National Endowment for the Humanities to support their ongoing work as scholars. They have won prizes for their work as theatre and film artists and distinguished career achievement awards for their art and scholarship.
Many of our faculty are on editorial boards for top journals in their fields and have served in leadership roles in scholarly societies, such as the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the Shakespeare Association of America.
Our faculty serve in key leadership roles across campus and are involved in various interdisciplinary programs and institutes such as Gender Studies, the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, the Nanovic Institute for European Studies, the Kroc Insitute for International Peace Studies, the Department of Africana Studies, and the Notre Dame Initiative on Race and Resilience. Finally, several of our faculty have won college- and university-wide awards for their teaching, including the prestigious Sheedy Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Our alumni
Our alumni work in the industry as writers, directors, and actors, or on the business side of entertainment. Some pursue graduate studies to get an MFA or Ph.D. in acting, writing, filmmaking, video game design, media studies or other related fields. Some take the analytic and storytelling skills they learned in FTT into careers in law, public relations, advertising, government, medicine, and myriad other careers. As an FTT major, you can connect with alumni through our vast alumni network.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusion
Here in FTT, we work to ensure the inclusion of our faculty, staff, and students regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. We are committed to anti-racism and racial justice. We want FTT to be a welcoming and inspiring home for you.
What's Your Story?
Study it
Direct it
Perform it
Write it
Design it
Share it.
Discover your stories in FTT.
Pamela Robertson Wojcik
The Andrew V. Tackes Professor and Chair
Department of Film, Television and Theatre
The Department of Film, Television, and Theatre welcomes your support in any number of ways. We value the time, talent, and treasure of our graduates and friends and welcome collaborative efforts to further our work. You can make a gift or connect with the department about other ways to get involved.