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Activate your Imagination, Move your Body, Join in Community: Take a Virtual Theatre Class! If you’re looking to fulfill a UCOR 1300 Creative Expressions requirement or wanting a Cool Elective to keep you motivated about taking classes on zoom, check out our 2-minute video.

Nurturing the Individual

The Seattle University Theatre program nurtures your ambitions and strengths while delivering you a comprehensive education in all areas of theatre, including acting, design, directing, history and production. We offer major and minor degrees as well as Departmental Honors.

You will have the chance to take advantage of our faculty mentorship, a signature characteristic of our educational philosophy. Our small class sizes allow you to develop close one-on-one working relationships with theatre faculty.

Practical Learning

In tandem with classroom learning, you will receive practical training through our Mainstage Season working on all aspects of production: from acting to stage management, dramaturgy to assistant direction, backstage crew to design. The Mainstage Season is produced in the Lee Center for the Arts, which features a state-of-the-art 120-seat flexible space theatre, costume and scene shops.

Further performance and production opportunities are available to you  through programs such as Scratch, a student-run showcase series; Stretch, which brings together artists-in-residence to work with you and faculty on workshops and performances; directing scene showcases; and student honors performances.

Our Degrees

If you are interested interested in a holistic education in all areas of theatre, Theatre at Seattle U is for you. You receive the opportunity to work with faculty and in the community through university productions and internships with local theatre groups

Connecting to Community and the World

Seattle is, at its heart, a hotbed for theatre and the performing arts. Through our program, you can connect to the wider arts community in a variety of ways: the theatre faculty is comprised of working artists with strong ties to the professional theatre community; artists-in-residence are brought in to work with faculty and students through our Stretch program; professional guest artists work alongside you in the Mainstage Season and you are encouraged to connect with the rich and vibrant theatre scene in Seattle through internships.

We encourage you to go beyond our town and study abroad and learn about theatre traditions and practices in other cultures. Theatre students have studied in London, Italy and Ireland.

Our ultimate goal is to equip you with a strong foundation in all aspects of theatre, in order to prepare you to enter the professional theatre community as resourceful emerging theatre artists or to pursue specialized training in graduate schools.

Learning Outcomes

Theatre students should be able to:

  • Embody and communicate their artistic vision
  • Analyze and Interpret theatre texts and performance with an understanding of historical and social contexts
  • Understand and apply design principles and processes
  • Understand and apply performance principles and processes
  • Collaborate effectively in the production process
  • Engage as professionals in the culture of theatre
a paper boat floating on a lake with a rocky bottom
Uncharted Waters

Undergraduate theatre programs Seattle University, Cornish College of the Arts, and the University of Washington join forces to combat artistic isolation and build creative community. Read about it in American Theatre 

Jasmine Ritter ('21)
Jasmine Ritter ('21)

This summer Jasmine worked on a production of Richard the 3rd, playing Lady Anne, Dorset and The Merchant of Venice, understudying Portia, while also assisting in creating Sock Puppets with Young Shakespeare Workshop. 

Kailee Ka'eo ('21)
Kailee Ka'eo ('21)

Kailee worked as a Microphone Technician for Maui Academy of Performing Arts' run of Disney's Frozen Junior. This has been Kailee's first paid  theatre job, and that has been a very important part of the experience for her as a growing student.

Stefania Giron Zuluaga ('22)
Stefania Giron Zuluaga ('22)

Stefania spent the summer Stage Managing "Beethoven and Misfortune Cookies" for the OC-Centric New Play's Festival at Chapman University in Orange, California. 

Audition for our next production

Contacts

Kevin Maifeld
Acting Chair, Performing Arts and Arts Leadership
Director, Arts Leadership
206-296-5370
maifeldk@seattleu.edu

Aly Bedford
Program Coordinator
206-296-5360
abedford@seattleu.edu

Stefanie Fatooh
Director of Arts Programming
206-296-2340
sfatooh@seattleu.edu

Ready to Transfer to SU?