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Wesleyan University

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No PrescreenNo AuditionNo InterviewUniversity App Required

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Study Abroad

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ProgramOfficial Program Page

Program snapshot

Admissions

No PrescreenNo AuditionNo InterviewUniversity App Required

Program profile

Study Abroad

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BA Theater

ProgramOfficial Program Page

Program snapshot

Admissions

No PrescreenNo AuditionNo InterviewUniversity App Required

Program profile

Study Abroad

Program Recognition

•Liberal arts approach to theater education combining critical and creative study

•Courses in acting, directing, playwriting, puppetry, solo performance, costume/lighting/scenic/media design, and performance studies

•Founded in the 1930s by Ralph Pendleton; faculty artistic work has been recognized with Creative Capital and Obie Awards and National Endowment for the Arts support

Performance & Productions

•Multiple faculty, guest-artist, and student-directed productions staged each year across several theatrical forms

•State-of-the-art Center for the Arts Theater (400 seats) and historic Patricelli '92 Theater, both flexible black-box spaces

•A new black-box space in the Fries Arts Building opened fall 2025 with a glass wall for indoor-outdoor performance and was named the Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater in May 2026

•Recent guest artists include Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and the performance company Elevator Repair Service

Notable Alumni

•Lin-Manuel Miranda '02 — Tony, Grammy, and Pulitzer Prize winner; wrote the first draft of In the Heights as a Wesleyan undergraduate, and the university named its newest black-box theater for him in 2026

•Bradley Whitford — Emmy Award winner for The West Wing and The Handmaid's Tale

•Dana Delany — two-time Emmy Award winner for China Beach

Study Abroad

•British American Drama Academy London

•CIEE Buenos Aires

•C.V. Starr Chile

•Queen Mary University of London

•Trinity College Dublin

•Students may petition for approval of programs in other countries

School Info

Snapshot

3.90

Avg GPA

16%

Admit Rate

school-wide

93%

Grad Rate

3.1K

Enrollment

$74K

Earnings

10yr after

Costs & Aid

Tuition & Fees

$76,320

Before aid

Cost of Attendance

$100,730

Before aid

Average Net Price

$30,177

After aid

Official source College Scorecard

Program info updated 3d ago

Program Highlights

Program Recognition

•Liberal arts approach to theater education combining critical and creative study

•Courses in acting, directing, playwriting, puppetry, solo performance, costume/lighting/scenic/media design, and performance studies

•Founded in the 1930s by Ralph Pendleton; faculty artistic work has been recognized with Creative Capital and Obie Awards and National Endowment for the Arts support

Performance & Productions

•Multiple faculty, guest-artist, and student-directed productions staged each year across several theatrical forms

•State-of-the-art Center for the Arts Theater (400 seats) and historic Patricelli '92 Theater, both flexible black-box spaces

•A new black-box space in the Fries Arts Building opened fall 2025 with a glass wall for indoor-outdoor performance and was named the Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater in May 2026

•Recent guest artists include Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and the performance company Elevator Repair Service

Notable Alumni

•Bradley Whitford — Emmy Award winner for The West Wing and The Handmaid's Tale

•Dana Delany — two-time Emmy Award winner for China Beach

Study Abroad

•British American Drama Academy London

•CIEE Buenos Aires

•C.V. Starr Chile

•Queen Mary University of London

•Trinity College Dublin

•Students may petition for approval of programs in other countries

Program Highlights

Program Recognition

•Liberal arts approach to theater education combining critical and creative study

•Courses in acting, directing, playwriting, puppetry, solo performance, costume/lighting/scenic/media design, and performance studies

•Founded in the 1930s by Ralph Pendleton; faculty artistic work has been recognized with Creative Capital and Obie Awards and National Endowment for the Arts support

Performance & Productions

•Multiple faculty, guest-artist, and student-directed productions staged each year across several theatrical forms

•State-of-the-art Center for the Arts Theater (400 seats) and historic Patricelli '92 Theater, both flexible black-box spaces

•A new black-box space in the Fries Arts Building opened fall 2025 with a glass wall for indoor-outdoor performance and was named the Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater in May 2026

•Recent guest artists include Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and the performance company Elevator Repair Service

Notable Alumni

•Bradley Whitford — Emmy Award winner for The West Wing and The Handmaid's Tale

•Dana Delany — two-time Emmy Award winner for China Beach

Study Abroad

•British American Drama Academy London

•CIEE Buenos Aires

•C.V. Starr Chile

•Queen Mary University of London

•Trinity College Dublin

•Students may petition for approval of programs in other countries

Key Info

Enrollment Term

Fall 2027

University AppApplication

Apply

Common App Scoir

Fee

$65

Deadline

Early DecisionNov 15, 2026

Early Decision IIRegular DecisionJan 1, 2027

First Year · wesleyan.edu

Submission Requirements

Creative Sample (Optional)

•Submit optional creative samples in theater that reflect educational goals in theater

Prospective Students · wesleyan.eduVerified for Fall 2027 entry

Good to Know

Application Logistics

•Submit the Common Application or Coalition Application via SCOIR

•Optional theater arts supplements are submitted through SlideRoom from the Common Application

•Faculty may review optional arts supplements as part of the holistic application

•Wesleyan does not accept supplemental arts materials from transfer applicants

•No separate Theater Department application is required

Admission Pathway

•Students are approved as Theater majors after completing or having underway gateway course categories by the fourth semester

•Gateway categories include Technical Theater, Theater Arts, and Theater Methods

Important Notes

•For a department visit, plan for a day when classes are in session because many faculty travel during break periods

What's The Process

Audition Process

•Admission to Wesleyan is based on academic standing

•No audition is required for acceptance to Wesleyan or the Theater major

•Department project auditions happen after enrollment for production opportunities, not for admission to the major

Contact

•Theater Department: (860) 685-2961

•Administrative Assistant: Dawn Alger at dalger@wesleyan.edu

Scholarship Info

Department Prizes & Production Funds

•Rachel Henderson Theater Prize: awarded annually to the student who has contributed most to theater at Wesleyan

•Outreach and Community Service Prize: awarded to a senior Theater major for significant community service through the Theater Department

•J. Peter Adler '90 Memorial Fund: provides fall and spring awards to support student theater productions, with preference for first-time directors of non-academic theater productions and, when possible, non-Theater majors

School Info

Snapshot

3.90

Avg GPA

16%

Admit Rate

school-wide

93%

Grad Rate

3.1K

Enrollment

$74K

Earnings

10yr after

Costs & Aid

Tuition & Fees

$76,320

Before aid

Cost of Attendance

$100,730

Before aid

Average Net Price

$30,177

After aid

Official source College Scorecard

Program Recognition

•Liberal arts approach to theater education combining critical and creative study

•Courses in acting, directing, playwriting, puppetry, solo performance, costume/lighting/scenic/media design, and performance studies

•Founded in the 1930s by Ralph Pendleton; faculty artistic work has been recognized with Creative Capital and Obie Awards and National Endowment for the Arts support

Performance & Productions

•Multiple faculty, guest-artist, and student-directed productions staged each year across several theatrical forms

•State-of-the-art Center for the Arts Theater (400 seats) and historic Patricelli '92 Theater, both flexible black-box spaces

•A new black-box space in the Fries Arts Building opened fall 2025 with a glass wall for indoor-outdoor performance and was named the Lin-Manuel Miranda Theater in May 2026

•Recent guest artists include Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegria Hudes and the performance company Elevator Repair Service

Notable Alumni

•Bradley Whitford — Emmy Award winner for The West Wing and The Handmaid's Tale

•Dana Delany — two-time Emmy Award winner for China Beach

Study Abroad

•British American Drama Academy London

•CIEE Buenos Aires

•C.V. Starr Chile

•Queen Mary University of London

•Trinity College Dublin

•Students may petition for approval of programs in other countries

Updated 3d ago