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About the BA in Theatre Degree

Why Study Theatre at Cedarville?

At Cedarville University, we do theatre differently than most universities. While our highly regarded BA in theatre degree will prepare you for a wide variety of fulfilling career options in theatre, what sets us apart is our distinctly Christian approach to theatre. Plays are carefully selected for each season to model Cedarville's Christ-centered learning community, with a wide range of theatrical genres — from the Golden Age of Greece to the modern era. The goal of each season's title selection is to incorporate plays and musicals that train students to be excellent artists who glorify God in a competitive industry.

You'll graduate ready to take on a number of positions in the theatre field, including acting, directing, designing, stage management, dramaturgy, arts administration, and more. Whether on stage or behind the scenes, you'll be equipped to use your God-given talent and passion to become an excellent, relevant, and God-honoring theatre artist.

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Theatre Program Highlights

Program Overview

Program Highlights

Abundant Opportunities — With three main stage productions, senior theatre project, in-class scene performances, and more, you’ll have dozens of opportunities to get hands-on experience in all aspects of theatre.

Award-Winning, Mentoring Faculty — Our faculty and staff have received many local and regional honors, and they stay active as professional performers, designers, dramaturgs, researchers, scholars, and consultants.

Outstanding Facilities — You will learn and perform in the DeVries Theatre, an impressive 400- seat theatre with modern technology and staging, as well as a movement studio, makeup suite, computer design lab, scene shop, costume shop, and dressing rooms. Student productions utilize the Alford Auditorium facility.

Placement Success

We're proud of our successful graduates. A three-year average of 97.4% of Cedarville graduates were employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation. Check out Cedarville's other placement rates.

Cedarville's Placement Rates

What Can You Do With a Theatre Degree?

Theatre graduates have a multitude of career possibilities:

  • Arts Administration
  • Design and Technology
  • Dramaturgy and Literary Management
  • Ministry and Special Needs
  • Performance-Related
  • Theatre Education

Our graduates have found exciting, fulfilling work in professional, educational, and ministry settings such as:

  • Minneapolis Children's
  • Theatre Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, IL
  • The Contemporary American Theatre Company, Columbus, OH
  • The Human Race Theatre Company, Dayton, OH
  • Williamstown Theatre, MA

Our theatre graduates have been accepted into graduate programs at schools such as:

  • E15 Acting School in England
  • Carnegie Mellon
  • The Ohio State University
  • University of Southern Utah

Opportunities to Learn Outside the Classroom

Main Stage Productions — Audition for one of our three stunning current season main stage productions or work on props, costume, lighting, hair/makeup, or set crew behind the scenes. View past performances on our production archives page.

Senior Theatre Capstone Projects — As a graduating senior, you will have the chance to act, direct, design, and even write your own full-length, fully produced capstone project with the help of a faculty adviser.

Dramaturgy — Help advise one of the main stage directors as a dramaturg, create an educational user guide about the production, and facilitate a talkback for the audience following a performance.

Study Abroad Program — Through Cedarville’s Study Abroad program, you can travel to places like London or Prague to study and experience theatre productions internationally.

Masterclasses and Workshops — Learn about specialized areas of theatre from exciting guest experts such as Rocco Dal Vera in dialects, Matthew Wilson in commedia dell’arte, and Scott Stoney in professional auditioning.

Professional Internships — Gain real-life, resume-building experience in many different internship opportunities locally or in a major U.S. city. Our students have interned at:

  • Ahmanson Theatre/ Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, CA
  • Asolo Theatre, Sarasota, FL
  • Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA
  • Texas Shakespeare Festival, Kilgore, TX
  • Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL
  • Jericho Project, Springfield, OH
  • Contemporary American Theatre Company, Columbus, OH
  • Dayton Ballet, Dayton OH
  • Springfield Museum of Art, Springfield, OH
  • Muse Machine, Dayton, OH
  • CultureWorks, Dayton, OH
  • Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, OH
  • Sight and Sound Theatre, Ronks, PA

Theatre Festival Field Trips — Travel with other Cedarville theatre students to see productions in some of North America’s best theatres, such as the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, and Blackfriar’s Playhouse in Staunton, Virginia. Exciting local trips include research at Cincinnati Museum of Art and professional performances at the Cincinnati Ballet, Dayton’s own Human Race Theatre, and multiple Broadway tours.

Main Stage Productions

Take a look at the main stage productions scheduled for the current season. There's something for everyone!

Explore our production archives for photo galleries from past main stage productions. You'll find thought-provoking dramas, hilarious comedies, and lively musicals.

Theatre Scholarships

Male actor talks with small boy
We are pleased to offer Theatre Scholarships to new theatre majors, ranging from $1,000-$2,000. Awards are based on you audition or design portfolio review, theatrical experience, academic merit, and financial need.

Program Curriculum

As you major in theatre, you can choose from two concentrations — performance or design — that allow you to tailor your coursework to match your career goals, with individualized mentoring and career guidance.

Building on your general education liberal arts and Bible minor courses, you will take core theatre courses as well as courses in performance or design, depending on your chosen concentration.

Program Format and Related Programs

Cedarville offers both graduate and undergraduate programs, with flexible completion options. You may also want to consider these related programs as you consider the degree or program that is a best fit for you.

Program Level and Format

  • Undergraduate
  • Residential
  • 4-Year
Actors in full costume on stage

From Our Students:

  • "Cedarville’s theatre professors helped prepare me for a future career by teaching all aspects of theatre-making: performance, dramaturgy, directing, and design. And they did so while fostering biblical thinking about the arts and approaching creative fields with a servant’s heart."
    Gabrielle Bauman '18 Department of Art, Design, and Theatre
  • In ways I never imagined possible, I have seen the Cedarville art and design program prepare me to make creative breakthroughs and cultivate artistic talent. What a blessing to be a part of a supportive, rewarding department that teaches art in a Christ-centered way and helps develop professional skills I will use for a lifetime.
    Joy Prichard
    Joy Prichard
Job and Grad School Placement

Program Faculty

Photo of Diane Merchant

Diane Merchant, PhD

Professor of Theatre

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Photo of Rebekah Priebe

Rebekah Priebe, MFA

Associate Professor of Theatre

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Photo of Stacey Stratton

Stacey Stratton

Assistant Professor of Theatre

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Department of Art, Design, and Theatre
School of Arts and Humanities

Program News