Active Learning

Theatre Director

Jessica Gast
Rice Lake, Wis.
Theatre major, performance concentration

To earn her bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre, Jessica Gast has to do more than just act in plays put on by University Theatre. She also needs to take classes in set design, stage management -- and a capstone course that requires her to direct other students in a one-act play that's open to the public.

"This is a requirement for an acting degree. It's important to experience both ends of the spectrum, both acting and directing," says Gast (at far right in this photo), shortly before hamming it up a bit with her actors. "It helps me gain more respect for what it takes to be a director."

Capstone courses give students an opportunity to pull together the classroom knowledge they've gained and apply it in a real-life setting.

"I've learned how to communicate more effectively with an actor," Gast says, "and to be more precise about the choices I make in directing a play, and in communicating those choices."