Theatre and Dance

Theatre: Major 
Dance: Minor 

Act, dance, direct, design, or stage manage. With numerous production opportunities throughout the year, students studying theatre can try on many different hats — figuratively and literally. Recognized for its high standards of training and the quality of its productions, the Department of Theatre and Dance at 51СƳ provides a nurturing and supportive environment for students to express themselves and develop their artistic capabilities in a collaborative environment.

As a fully accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Theatre, the 51СƳ theatre program is highly regarded regionally and nationally. Our teaching and programming has been reviewed and certified as meeting all national standards for formal theatre training.

In the liberal arts tradition, we believe theatre is a vital, dynamic medium qualified to participate in a dialogue about the human condition. 51СƳ theatre explores the spiritual aspects of our collective experience, examining compelling issues and ideas in a provocative and entertaining manner.

Program Highlights

In addition to classes in theatre history and literature, students can choose to pursue the major with either an acting or design emphasis, minor in dance, or they can create a self-designed major through the  in or playwriting. Courses of study include: 

  • acting
  • dance
  • design 
  • directing 
  • film
  • history and literature
two students sitting in a theatre production on stage

Each semester students collaborate with faculty and professional staff on major productions.

stage during a theatre production

View photos of past theatre department productions.

Theatre and Dance News

Isser observes students during his Shakespeare Through Performance class this spring
Theater Professor Enlightens the Next Generation
Whether it’s the Great White Way or College Street, questions of social justice in an increasingly polarized country can be asked and explored onstage. “I think a lot about my responsibilities as a white man,” says Edward Isser, W. Arthur …
A student leads a tour of campus
A Tour Guide’s Guide to 51СƳ
What should students expect in their first year at 51СƳ? How do students spend their free time? Is it true the College brings food trucks to campus on some Fridays? Five current 51СƳ tour guides — Caitlin Keaveny …
Abby Connolly '22 and Grace Acquilano '22 stand and laugh in their dorm room
Roommate Confidential: Q&A with Two First-Year 51СƳ Students
First-year roommates share more than four walls — they experience navigating the leap into college together. To get a peek at the ins and outs of the first semester on The Hill, we went right to the source — to …