Program Recognition
•Flexible BA major integrating theater, dance, design, media and performance, and performance studies
•Students design their own pathway through the major (20 credit hours of self-directed coursework)
•No audition required for admission
•Core values: collaboration, leadership, justice, and community reciprocity
Training
•41-credit-hour major with courses in common, area requirements, and self-directed pathway
•Area requirements span production (stagecraft, stage management) and praxis (design, activism, directing, choreography)
•Up to 12 credit hours may be taken outside the department
•Senior capstone required (Senior Scholars, Honors Thesis, Independent Study, or class declaration)
•Annual production season features student, faculty, and visiting artist work
•All performances free and open to the public
•All courses and production experiences open to non-majors
Notable Alumni
•Laurel Coppock ''99, actor known as "Toyota Jan," Crazy, Stupid, Love •Sara Gibbons ''15, associate choreographer on Broadway''s Indecent
•Daniel Martin ''01, showrunner of So You Think You Can Dance
Facilities
•Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts (74,000 sq ft, opened 2023)
•300-seat Performance Hall with customizable acoustics and orchestra pit
•Three dedicated studios: experimental (36-ft ceiling), black box theater, and sprung-floor dance studio
•50-seat film screening room, scene shop, costume shop, and Lyons Arts Lab
•Partnership with Waterville Opera House (810-seat historic theater)
