Theater Studies
Frequently Asked Questions

A Program Centered in Liberal Arts Education

The Department of Theater Studies is committed to teaching theater as an integral part of a liberal arts education. Unlike many pre-professional conservatory programs, we require academically rigorous study as well as hands-on learning in the wide range of sub-disciplines of theater: literature and criticism, playwriting, performance, technology, design, and administration. In-depth courses and laboratory projects allow students to develop more specialized knowledge and skill, but always within the context of this broader understanding, which opens the mind to larger questions of psychology, culture, and history. The advantage is that our students can think, question and create outside of the box of "acting" or "design." They are encouraged to re-imagine and redefine theater rather than simply fit themselves into existing models.

Educating the Whole Person

We believe the range of theater study teaches and exercises creativity, real-world problem solving, leadership skills and teamwork, pragmatism and imagination, discipline, analysis of language, and a sense of personal connection to one's work. Theater study can integrate the body, voice, and imagination, while also challenging the cognitive mind.

Small is Good

Classes are small and provide extensive contact with our faculty, who are among the most highly regarded teachers in Emory College. Faculty and students grow acquainted and work together in classes and in Theater Emory projects. Faculty members also help students select courses and projects, and even initiate tutorials and experiments in areas of special interest.

A Professional Laboratory: Theater Emory

The Department has a unique partnership with Theater Emory, our resident professional theater that has attracted artists from across the continent and around the world. The faculty use Theater Emory as a laboratory where they and selected students, can work side-by-side with other professionals to explore the classics, new plays, and workshops addressed to particular questions. This chance to work with professional artists is a rare opportunity in undergraduate education.

After Graduation

Graduates of our programs have joined prestigious theaters in New York or London, or entered graduate MFA and PhD theater programs (Yale, Brandeis, Stanford, and Northwestern) and have started their own theater companies both in Atlanta and New York City. We have been equally pleased to see our students admitted to law, business, and medical schools, or initiate a path to other careers. Study and participation in theater can help prepare a student for a variety of professional lives as well as for a lifetime of learning.