Creativity and collaboration are hallmarks of theater at Connecticut College
The College's theater program emphasizes both performance and study of literature and theory. We challenge students to work in all aspects of theater—acting, directing, playwriting, design, technical theater, dramaturgy and dramatic literature—so that they understand and engage in the process of creating theater, from initial creative spark to performance and post-performance evaluation and criticism.
We believe that a broad liberal arts education in theater produces graduates who are adaptable and self-directed. They are strong communicators, resourceful and resilient leaders, and creative and team-oriented collaborators. Theater study and training is ideal preparation for a life as a thinking artist and productive member of society.
You can participate in our main stage productions as well as in independent productions sponsored by the department or by student groups. The College's performing arts series, onStage, brings professional theater companies to campus for performances and workshops.
Other highlights:
- Any student can audition for virtually any theater production. You don't have to be a theater major to audition or take part in a production.
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All students are eligible for up to $3,000 for an internship, so you can take everything you’ve learned and put it to work. You can intern anywhere in the world, or locally through the College's long-standing affiliations with the nearby Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, the Long Wharf Theater in New Haven, and the Labyrinth Theater Company, which holds its annual training and developmental retreat here on campus. In recent years, students have completed summer internships at NYC's Pearl Theatre, the Culture Project, Signature Theatre, and The Public Theater, among others.
- Theater students may choose to polish their skills in conservatory-based study away programs, such as the National Theater Institute at the O'Neill Theater Center. Our students have studied theater in Russia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Many theater majors intend to make theater their career—as actors, directors, playwrights, 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 television and in film.
Visit the theater department's website for more on the student experience, study away, research and news and events.
Events at a Glance
SOLOS
Tansill Theater, Hillyer Hall
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
Talking With... by Jane Martin
Sonnets for an Old Century by José Rivera
Directed by David Jaffe
Talking With... gives us unique portraits of women exploring life and identity with humor, conflict, honesty and emotional depth. Sonnets For an Old Century gives us a group of sharply drawn characters that speak from their hearts and souls to what it is to be alive and what we may leave behind when we're gone.
Tickets on sale August 10, 2026.
Tickets: $12; Seniors: $7; Students: $7; FACULTY/STAFF: $7; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)
Macbeth
Tansill Theater, Hillyer Hall
Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 15, 2:00 p.m.
A modern verse translation by Migdalia Cruz
Directed by Ken Prestininzi
Smoked by a triumph in battle, the greatly admired Macbeths fall under the spell of their own potential as well as the prophecy of three witch-like seers who seemingly promise they can have it all. This cutting-edge translation of Shakespeare’s mesmerizing and terrifying Scottish play was commissioned from playwright Migdalia Cruz (Dramatist Guild Lifetime Achievement Award 2026) by Play On Shakespeare and invites us to newly experience his intimate portrayal of vaulting ambition, murderous intent and unchecked desire.
Tickets on sale August 10, 2026.
Tickets: $12; Seniors: $7; Students: $7; FACULTY/STAFF: $7; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)
Come From Away
Athey Center, Palmer Auditorium
Friday & Saturday, March 5 & 6, 2027, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 7, 2027, 2:00 p.m.
Book, music, and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein
Directed by Stephen Anthony
Musical direction by David Marottolo
Come From Away is a Tony Award-winning musical sharing the true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and a small Canadian town that welcomed them on 9/11. When 38 planes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, locals opened their hearts and homes, turning fear into trust and forging lasting friendships.
Tickets on sale August 10, 2026.
Tickets: $17; Seniors: $12; Students: $7; FACULTY/STAFF: $12; CC STUDENTS WITH ID: $7 (General Admission)
2027 Senior Theater Capstone Festival
various venues
April 29 – May 8, 2027; Various Times
Our annual Theater Capstone Festival is a collective opportunity for seniors to finish their college careers with a major creative project. We invite them to take risks, to deepen their work, and to find their voices as artists and scholars.
Free Admission (General Admission)