Your Future audience

Take the stage – literally and figuratively – with a major or minor in Theatre. The program allows you to explore the intellectual, artistic and theoretical dimensions of theatre performance, literature and history. You’ll apply what you learn in the classroom to performances, bringing to life your expressive side, preparing you for whatever comes next.  

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Student SpotlightEngaging Opportunities

derrielle faulkner '25

Building off their experience as a stage manager at Hobart and William Smith, Derrielle got professional advice and opportunities to network in the performing arts field during the 64th USITT Annual Conference and Expo. 

 

Honors
Honors and Research

And Research

Theatre students looking to engage more in their work can study and complete Honors and research projects in their chosen topic with the guidance of a faculty member.

Past examples of Honors projects include:

  • Christina Marie Roc '24: Writing Find This Star: An Honors Project in Advanced Playwriting
    Christine, Woodworth, Adviser
  • Margaret Hollister ’20: From Marivaux to Modern Theatre: Translating an 18th Century Play for a 21st Century Audience
    Christopher Hatch, Adviser

Experiential EducationAll the World's a Stage

Students on the Behind the Scenes networking trip in Los Angeles

Attend a staged reading by artist-activists at the Fisher Center for the Study of Gender and Justice or explore careers during the Behind the Scenes networking trips to Los Angeles and New York with the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education.

At Hobart and William Smith Colleges, learning goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. You’ll gain high-impact practical experience that deepens learning and opens doors.

 

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No Borders:Global Education

Study Shakespearean literature in England or masked performance in Indonesia.

Wherever you go, our top-ranked global education program will allow you to apply classroom knowledge, develop cultural understanding and build global connections that expand your personal capacity and sense of purpose.

Indonesia

Discover and employ the methods, ideas and practices of theatre.

Thtr 160 - stagecraft

Gain a practical overview of the technical production aspects of live theater and performance.

thtr 290 - theatre for social change

Learn a variety of movements, practitioners and approaches to creating theatre that encourage communities to work outside of dominant (and often violent/repressive) structures to instigate social change.

thtr 424 - writing about performance

Explore traditional theatre criticism and its inherent challenges of description, interpretation, and evaluation, while also delving into the intersection of performance writing with cultural studies, archival research, and dramaturgy. 

FacilitiesLearning Spaces

Bring your classroom experience to the stage when you take theatre classes in the 2,450 square-foot McDonald Theatre located within the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts. You’ll get access to modern technology and performance space in an intimate setting.

 

 

Alum ImpactInspiringCareers

troy tedeschi '22
master of fine arts student in film and animation

Troy's inspiration for a career in cinematography began when he served as the driector of photography for HWS Theatre's production of Memories of Overdevelopment. He is continuing on that path as a master's student at Rochester Institute of Technology. 

Companies that employ our graduates

  • Alley Theatre 
  • Atlantic Theater Company
  • Berkeley Repertory Theatre
  • Children’s Theatre Company
  • Climb Theatre
  • Hilberry Theatre Company
  • Illinois Shakespeare Festival 
  • Playwrights Horizons
  • Portland Stage Company
  • Roundabout Theatre Company
  • Studio Theatre (DC)
  • The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts