Our students agree that our program receives nothing but praise for creating a sense of community among students as well as students, faculty and alumni who often work together closely. "We know that whenever we get together, we can always make theatre happen," says Taylor Burnside, a  junior in our BFA program.

Our students experience theatre at its fullest: On stage, in the costume and scene shops, through lunch and guest artist series, local theatre opportunities, European exchange programs, and more. Our mentoring program makes sure that students have the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the season productions.

Our students know they have a voice. At the beginning of  each year school year, Robert Hetherington, chair of the Department of Theatre & Dance, holds a town hall meeting to find out which shows our students want to produce during the next season, and it is not uncommon that student suggested productions become part of our season.

Throughout the season,  undergraduate and graduate students work shoulder to shoulder with faculty and staff in our design and scene shops and take lab hours in  publicity, lighting, and sound as well as stage management. Our theatre performance  program allows incoming freshmen to audition and be cast during their first semester. Design students will also hit the ground running and participate in the department's productions during their first semester. We understand that great theatre is a truly collaborative effort and we want every student, freshmen included, to take part in our season productions and contribute to our very vibrant theatre community.

Our graduate program concentrates on directing and theatre design rather than theatre performance, which means that our undergraduate students don't have to compete with graduate level talent for casting opportunities. However, our graduate students' directing projects frequently offer additional performance and design experience for undergraduate students.