Could anyone at DePaul or anyone who has a student there tell me how prominently the Catholic elements of the university influence the theatre school? When I toured, it was never really mentioned, so I’m assuming it’s more secular than the rest of the university, but I don’t know that for certain. I’m not religious, and while it wouldn’t be a major deterrent for me, if the religious influences on the theatre school are heavier than what I’m expecting, I at least want to prepare myself for that. I spent seven years at Catholic school growing up, so I know what I might be getting into, at least.
Thanks!!
When I toured there, the guides described it as “Catholic with a lower-case c,” and that religion had no bearing on the theatre school whatsoever. I think you may be required to take a religious studies class, but since I don’t go there I can’t say for sure. I do know that religion is not a heavy feature at DePaul, from what the students I spoke to said.
@HannahMTheatre my daughter was curious about that when we toured. She was told that it doesn’t play a role unless you want to be involved. Catholic light. My brother in law attended there for two grad degrees and never felt that it was religious either.
@HannahMTheatre Did you apply to Fordham University? I understand they have a good BA Theatre Program with a few different tracks (Performance, Design and Production,Directing and Playwriting). It too is a Catholic school. People we know on the east coast think very highly of the school and seem to think religion is there for those who want it but those who don’t want it are not made to feel uncomfortable. From what I have heard, many of the students that attend Fordham (Theatre Program) are the same students who applied to the extremely competitive BFA/BA programs (i.e. NYU, CMU, BU etc.).
Depaul (and Fordham) are Jesuit schools, which really just means they were founded by the Jesuit order of priests. The focus, however, is on educational rigor and not necessarily religious fervor. Sometimes there may be a religious component (read: a single class) as part of the gen-eds. I’m not sure if that would be the case at Depaul where it’s a BFA vs. Fordham which is a BA. Oftentimes Jesuit schools will have a specific bent–like University of San Francisco, another Jesuit university, is very focused on social justice.
Really what it means is that you are going to get a great education, but you don’t have to be a Catholic or endure the dogma of Catholicism if that’s not your bag. Being accepted to and attending a Jesuit school (in my mind at least) is an excellent thing, regardless of religious affiliation.
My daughter is a junior at Fordham, double-majoring in playwriting and acting, She and her fellow students were also admitted to competitive BFA programs. Religion is not an issue except in small ways, e.g., you can’t get birth control from student health. But there is a Planned Parenthood nearby. FWIW, Jesuits are known for being liberal.
The one influence of the Jesuits that I think is very positive is their focus on social justice. Most theater kids at Fordham don’t choose to get involved with the social justice programs, but my daughter and several of her friends had become involved in outreach programs. There is an academic core requirement that means you need to schedule carefully to get all your requirements in. I’ve asked my daughter many times if she made the right choice and she’s adamant that it was the best place for her.
DePaul is not Jesuit…(it’s funny because I thought it was too) .but I agree with what you said!
Gah! You’re right. It’s Loyola in Chicago that’s Jesuit. I don’t know why I thought DePaul was Jesuit.