FLORENCE, AL - The Department of Cinematic Arts and Theatre degree program has been established at the University of North Alabama; Professor Michael Johnson has been named the Department Chair. Along with the department, students are now eligible to apply for the newly created degree program.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinematic Arts and Theatre (CAT) has three concentrations: Acting, Production Design and Tech, and Film Production.

"The merged program will make Cinematic Arts and Theatre students better prepared for the professional realities of their industry," Johnson said. "The shared degree program will assure program health and sustainability. The collaboration between these dramatic disciplines is already showing great rewards. CAT has the potential to be a premier film production and theatre program in the Southeast."

The program is under the School of the Arts umbrella, both of which are part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Already, a multi-purpose production space, teaching facility, and screening room - AlleyCAT - have opened in downtown Florence and have provided a facility for hosting workshops and roundtables with industry professionals.

"Even with the ongoing pandemic, our faculty, staff, and administration have found ways to keep our students engaged," Johnson said. "The arts are essentially essential, and they have sustained us through this pandemic. I believe there will be a renaissance in both film and theatre once we're on the other side, and we're dedicated to making sure our students are prepared for it."

This program has been several years in the making, according to Dr. Terrance Brown, Executive Director of the School of the Arts.

"The School of the Arts is delighted to serve as advocate and catalyst for the new Department of Cinematic Arts and Theatre," he said. "This department and degree program are evidence of the collective work performed by the faculty and staff of the former cinema program and the theatre program. I am especially appreciative of the work performed by former Professor Charlton James and the new Chair of CAT, Michael Johnson."

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I's ASUN Big South Conference. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: www.una.edu and www.una.edu/unaworks/