Program Recognition
•B.A. Theatre program emphasizes professional stage acting, hands-on production skills, and versatile storytelling training
•Russell Sage is investing in performing arts as part of a broader commitment to the creative workforce
Training
•44-credit curriculum includes foundational and advanced acting, contemporary scene study, stagecraft, theatre history, stage makeup, stage combat, and professional careers seminar
•Small classes and a 10:1 student-to-professor ratio support close faculty mentorship
•Faculty include theatre professionals, Broadway-connected artists, and arts leaders including Robin Lewis and Todd Dellinger
Performance & Productions
•Five to seven shows each year give students frequent stage and backstage experience
•Theatre Institute at Russell Sage is a professional company on the Troy campus, giving students experience as performers, technicians, and teaching artists
•Playhouse Stage Company partnership includes a shared scene shop steps from campus for set fabrication and technical theatre production
Notable Alumni
•Anna Shields, actor, writer, and producer of independent films including The North Witch •Danielle Lee Greaves (class of 1988), original Broadway casts of Hairspray and Show Boat, tours of Parade and The Lion King •Lucas Aurelio (class of 2018), TV credits include Bridgerton and The Witcher Professional Development
•Required internship and performance practicums connect classroom work with professional theatre practice
•Students build experience in acting, directing, stage management, stagecraft, technical theatre, and arts administration
•Connections across New York's Capital Region and western Massachusetts create additional theatre and film opportunities
Facilities
•Schacht Fine Arts Center Auditorium offers a 700-seat proscenium stage with rehearsal, classroom, and music practice spaces
•James L. Meader Little Theater provides an intimate 130-seat flexible black box setting
•Russell Sage is planning multi-million-dollar performing arts space upgrades, including a new dance studio for 2026
Location
•Troy offers a historic, arts-forward campus setting in New York's Capital Region
•The region supports professional and community theatre groups, filmmakers, and performance venues, with The Gilded Age filming on and around campus
