Bachelor of Arts - Theatre Arts

The University of La Verne’s Theatre Arts Department offers an outstanding environment for both theatre education and production experiences. Beginning in their first year of study, students immerse themselves in significant performance and technical opportunities that teach every aspect in putting together dramas, comedies, and musical of all shapes and size. More important, the small class sizes afford a comprehensive curriculum with intimate, individualized instruction and mentorship. The faculty aren’t just committed to providing a strong foundation in theatre, they are experienced professionals who have made the stage their home.

Students interested in learning the history of theatre, working on strengthening their craft as an actor or performer, or staging productions of their own are invited to learn more today. While the world’s a stage – and we, merely players – what better way to learn how that stage operates than by seeing it from all sides?

The Theatre Arts Department presents a wide range of entertaining challenging, thought-provoking, and high-quality productions each season. There have been more than 60 in the past decade across number performance venues on the central La Verne campus: the Dailey Theatre mainstage, the Jane Dibbell Cabaret, and more.

Music theatre and vocal production are integral parts of the program. Most seasons contain at least one musical; there are productions of established classics such as Into the Woods, Company, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Rocky Horror Show, as well as plays with music such as Marat/Sade, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The King Stag, and Brecht- Fest with Weill. Plays are produced with original music and sound design by students or faculty, such as Hamlet, Green Cabaret, Good Woman of Setzuan, and Approaching Simone.

Theatre Arts has a strong relationship with the Music Department, which has a variety of choirs and offers private vocal and instrumental lessons. Only a green lawn separates the two departments, and many students are involved with both.

The mission of the Theatre Arts Department is to prepare undergraduate students to be self-sufficient theatre artists with comprehensive skills in performance, technical theatre, directing and/or management, as well as an understanding of theatre history and literature. Students will equip themselves to be productive members of a larger theatre community that includes both professionals and non-professional theatre practitioners.

Theatre majors will: