Abstract

This paper provides a case study of the evolution of the Theatre Management program at Wayne State University (WSU) in Detroit, Michigan. The examination looks at the transformation of the WSU program in three stages, from its inception as a support function, to the first stage of academic alteration inspired by the work of Dan Martin of Carnegie-Mellon University, to recent structural changes that have generated dramatic improvement within the program. The author hopes that tracing the trajectory of this evolution in such fashion will help educators and practitioners in the field to better understand both the roots and the continuing development of this particular aspect of academics, with the goal of setting the stage for further refinements to the field.