The Theatre Program

The School of Dance, Theatre, & Arts Administration
Photo of dancers rehersing at the Ballet Center

Preparing Students to Perceive Possibilities and to Make Choices—In Life and Art

Creating theatre is about making choices: how to bring a playscript to life, construct a designer's rendering, or embody a role. As a Theatre student at The University of Akron, you acquire the skills and knowledge that allow you to perceive the possibilities and make the necessary choices. These choices may lead to a career in theatre, education, or you may branch out successfully into another field. Whatever path in life you pursue, a degree in theatre serves as a foundation for making choices that help you achieve your best.

The mission of the Theatre Program at The University of Akron is to provide undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to explore and expand their educational and cultural horizons through comprehensive experience in all facets of theatre arts.

The UA Theatre Program offers a high quality liberal arts education in theatre. The curriculum strives to integrate academic rigor with practical theatre experience, artistic excellence with student-centered creative work, the traditional with the cutting edge, the global with the grass-roots.

Theatre has been a vital part of The University of Akron for more than 100 years. Today a diverse student body collaborates with a distinguished faculty in small classes and dynamic stagings of classic and contemporary plays that demonstrate theatre's excitement and relevance to the University community and the Northeast Ohio region.

The strengths of the UA Theatre Program lie in the following areas:

  • nationally and internationally recognized faculty members
  • excellent student-faculty ratio, allowing for small class sizes and individual attention
  • emphasis on student learning in both the classroom and production/performance laboratory
  • an array of opportunities to develop skills as actors, directors, designers, technicians, and teachers in a variety of theatre productions and styles
  • exciting guest artists
  • a dynamic relationship with the Northeast Ohio theatre community and opportunities to train and work internationally with New World Performance Laboratory