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Wesleyan University

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Admissions

No PrescreenNo AuditionNo InterviewUniversity App Required

Program profile

Study Abroad

Program

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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

Avg GPA

3.90

Admit rate

16%

school-wide

Grad rate

93%

Enrollment

3.1K

Earnings

$74K

10yr after

Costs & aid

Tuition & fees

$76,320

Before aid

Cost of attendance

$100,730

Before aid

Average net price

$30,177

After aid

Cost Of Attendance · wesleyan.edu College Scorecard

Program info updated Aug 25, 6:54 PM

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

Program AppApplication

Fee

SlideRoom Supplement Fee

Prospective Students · wesleyan.edu

Submission Requirements

Essay (Required)

Up to 250-word essay on the relationship between theatre and a liberal arts education; this is the sole piece of supplemental material accepted — no recorded material, screenplays, or set drawings

Prospective Students · wesleyan.edu

Verified 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

Avg GPA

3.90

Admit rate

16%

school-wide

Grad rate

93%

Enrollment

3.1K

Earnings

$74K

10yr after

Costs & aid

Tuition & fees

$76,320

Before aid

Cost of attendance

$100,730

Before aid

Average net price

$30,177

After aid

Cost Of Attendance · wesleyan.edu 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 Aug 25, 6:54 PM