Theater
Tradition and innovation are hallmarks of theater at Connecticut College.
The College has offered a theater major for more than 20 years. The program emphasizes acting and directing, yet students are encouraged to study and work on all elements of theater - acting, directing, design, technical theater, playwriting, dramaturgy, and dramatic literature - so that they understand the entire process of creating theater.
Recent theater productions evidence a broad stylistic scope, from Shakespeare's As You Like It, to Lisa Loomer's The Waiting Room, and Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs. The College's performing arts series, onStage, brings professional theater companies to campus for performances and workshops.
Innovation is evidenced in the musical theater initiative of 2007, which presented four shows in one weekend. That's a unique undertaking for a small liberal arts college, but not unusual for Conn. Expanded theater course offerings will bring several artists to the campus to encourage students to explore the wide variety of musical theater styles and genres. The initiative was made possible in part by the Dayton Artist-in-Residence program funded by The Oakleaf Endowment Trust for Connecticut College.
Other highlights:
- Any student can audition for virtually any theater production. There are four mainstage and several smaller productions each year.
- Group Art Attack, the student theater organization, produces six to 10 shows in a year.
- Experimental productions often evolve from advanced students' work in playwriting, directing, lighting and stage design.
- Theater majors may choose a concentration in acting, directing, or dramaturgy and deepen their knowledge through intensive study away programs and a senior project.
- Internships exist locally and internationally, through the College's long-standing affiliations with the nearby Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and National Theater Institute, and abroad with the National Theater Institute in Moscow and British American Drama Academy.
Many theater majors intend to make theater their career, either as actors, directors, stage-managers, technicians, producers or educators. Connecticut College alumni are administrators in New York theaters, stage-managers for professional companies and actors in regional repertory companies, on Off-Off Broadway and on television and in film.