Department of Theatre and Media Arts

The TMA Department has three core initiatives that are aimed at the improvement of Theatre and Media Arts education in the BYU program, in public schools, and in the family. These initiatives focus on spiritual growth, children's media, and education, as detailed below.

Faculty and students in the BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts have been exploring various ways film can “move” us—emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually—for many years. In 2006, we launched a public initiative we called “Spirituality and the Moving Image” to encourage consideration of how we see, listen, and think about film and how it influences our spiritual development.

We know that film "moves" literally, as the succession of still photographic images magically seems to show motion; and we know that it moves us emotionally and intellectually—to feel and to think. We must consider both cinematic challenges and solutions to how the ineffable can be made visible on screen and extend into our hearts and minds.

We ask the question: How has film helped you find out who you are and what matters most to you in the world? (That's both making films and watching them).

The Media Arts Program continues to include conversations exploring film and spirit. We will explore how the ways we see, listen and think influence who we are and what we create. Thoughtful guests will join us to consider how seeing, listening and thinking about "Moving Images" stimulates intellectual, creative and spiritual growth.

These conversations will encourage us to:

We are pleased to present a series of films that explore the range and depth of spiritual inquiry and affirmation in the international cinema. Notwithstanding the perception among many religious adherents that contemporary letters and modern media are largely corrupt, these works remind us how frequently and effectively film has sought the sacred. It has done so through diverse means, and the selections in this series confirm both how variable and how valid these spiritual expressions can be.

Included here are major milestones and less heralded works, offerings from the commercial mainstream as well as from the leading edges of art cinema. Different times and places and styles are represented. This means that viewers will recognize and respond to films that correspond to their cultural sensibilities and their religious worldviews. They will also be prodded by confident and deeply convicted expressions that are utterly unfamiliar. A disciple comforted by the assurance of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism may well find that exposure to such statements is disconcerting. She may also find humility, charitable stirring and feelings of unexpected gratitude. Here, too, are things derived from God’s image; here, too, are evidences of God’s grace.

The Children's Media Initiative (CMI) is a course at BYU that focuses on the adaptation of stories and poems, making them accessible to young audiences and families. The stories hold deeply rooted values or lessons, which prompt discussion within the family. This program allows Media Arts students to develop scripts and produce short films.

Children's Media Review

The TMA Department is involved with several initiatives that are aimed at the improvement of both Theatre and Media Arts education in public schools and in the family. For several years, TMA students and faculty have sponsored and participated the Young Company, an acting company that performs plays for schools and young audiences. Recently, the TMA Department has launched its Children's Media Initiative, a program designed to help families and communities understand, enjoy and make edifying use of the media in their lives. The department has also sponsored the Daylight Media Project, which features websites where educators can download and share lesson plans for theatre and film classes.

Theatre Education Database

Media Education Database