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 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 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. 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

campus beauty shot
Says Farewell to Seven Retiring Professors
They’ve taught generations of students in classrooms, laboratories, arts venues and even locales abroad. Now, these esteemed faculty members are retiring: Robert Bertin, Distinguished Professor of Science; Thomas Cecil, Distinguished Professor of Science; Barbara Craig, associate professor of …
Photo courtesy of Valerie Curtis-Newton
Artistic Director Valerie Curtis-Newton ’81 Named One of Seattle’s Most Influential People of the Decade
Valerie Curtis-Newton, graduate of 1981 and an award-winning artistic director, has been named one of Seattle’s most influential people in the past decade by the Seattle Times. Other notable figures making the list include: Amazon founder and CEO …
Students in costume stand in a circle and talk
Embracing Honest Curiosity: Alumnus Directs Fall Production “Ah, Wilderness”
Eric Butler ’06 might have officially left over a decade ago, but that hasn’t stopped him from returning to Mount St. James — and not just for reunion. Butler, who double majored in psychology and …