Theatre
Areas of Study
- Students interested in majoring in Theatre can choose either a Performance or Design emphasis.
- Students interested in minoring in Dance will complete six courses (see Dance Minor).
- Students can complete both a major in Theatre and a minor in Dance. Please note, students cannot double-count a course to fulfill requirements in both programs.
- Students can also create a self-designed major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in areas such as Film Studies.
Requirements
All Theatre Majors must complete the following requirements regardless of their area of emphasis:
- Acting 1 (THEA 101)
- Theatre History (THEA 161)
- Modern Drama (THEA 170)
- Cultural Perspectives in Theatre Requirement
- To complete this requirement, students must take a dramatic literature course that emphasizes the cultural perspectives of marginalized voices. Examples of courses that fulfill this requirement include:
- Asia on Stage (THEA 126)
- Queer Theatre (THEA 145)
- To complete this requirement, students must take a dramatic literature course that emphasizes the cultural perspectives of marginalized voices. Examples of courses that fulfill this requirement include:
- Scene Design (THEA 227)
All majors must complete 2 technical theatre labs. These are 0.5 credits and do not count as classes:
- Theatre Practicum 1 (lab, THEA 110)
- Advanced Theatre Practicum (lab, THEA 210)
Students in the Performance emphasis must take the following performance courses:
- Voice in Acting (THEA 202)
- Movement 1 (THEA 199; Spring 2027)
- Advanced Acting (THEA 203) or Shakespeare Through Performance (THEA 360)
- Lighting Design (THEA 228)
- 2 of the following:
- Sound Design (MUSC TBD; Spring 2026)
- Costume Design (THEA 230)
- Directing 1 (THEA 240)
- An Advanced Design Course
Single majors need 4 - 6 electives , while double majors need 2 - 4 electives. Students should consult with their advisors about which electives they want to take. While some majors will want to sample a variety of courses, others choose to take courses focused on particular topics.
- Singing for Broadway Stage I & II
- Directing I and Advanced Directing
- American Drama and Modern British Drama
- Advanced or Elective Design Courses
- World Film and Film as Narrative
All theatre majors are required to complete a capstone project during their senior year. The capstone requirement may be fulfilled by performing, directing, designing, or writing; other types of capstones may be proposed for department approval.
Opportunities
Mainstage Auditions
Open auditions are held twice a year for the Department’s mainstage productions. Students, faculty and members of the Holy Cross community are welcome.
Balinese Arts Program
Holy Cross is one of just a handful of colleges in the country that has a Balinese Performing Arts Program. Students can learn about the rich traditions of Balinese culture by taking Music courses in the gamelan orchestra or Theatre & Dance courses in Balinese Dance. The students in these courses perform together every semester as part of Holy Cross’s Gamelan Gita Sari ensemble.
Production & Performance
In addition to its coursework, the Department offers a wide variety of co-curricular opportunities for students to get involved, including acting, dancing, directing, stage management, technical crew, and design.
Alternate College Theatre
The student-run theater group offers the opportunity to direct, perform, design, produce, stage-manage or work within any other production aspect of theatre. ACT hosts a variety of events throughout the year and produces both a play in the fall and a musical in the spring under the mentorship of the Department of Theatre and Dance.
Film Studies
In conjunction with the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, the department sponsors students seeking a concentration in Film Studies. Students learn the history of film and acquire the analytical tools to critique a wide range of cinematic genres.
Awards
The Department of Theatre & Dance offers three awards annually:
The Robert Edmond Jones Award for achievement in Design and Technical Theatre
The Nellie Bransfield Award for achievement in Acting
The George Bernard Shaw Award for achievement in Writing
Student Advisory Council
The Student Advisory Committee (SAC) is a group of student representatives elected by the Theatre & Dance majors in the spring of each year. The SAC administers course evaluation forms, participates in faculty evaluations, and represents the majors at Department meetings.
Past Productions
"Enron," by Lucy Prebble - Spring 2025
"Sweeney Todd," by Stephen Sonheim and Hugh Wheeler - Spring 2025
"Cymbeline," by William Shakespeare - Fall 2024
"The Heiress," by Ruth and Augustus Goetz - Spring 2024
"Oklahoma!," by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, II - Spring 2024
"The Good Person of Setzuan," by Bertolt Brecht - Fall 2023
Distinguished Alumni
Holy Cross students graduating with a major in Theatre have gone on to matriculate at some of the most prestigious conservatory and doctoral programs in the United States.
Holy Cross alum Ann Dowd ’78 has over 100 credits on her IMBd. In 2017, she won an Emmy as outstanding supporting actress in a drama series for her work on Hulu’s acclaimed "The Handmaid’s Tale." She has also received a best supporting actress award from the National Board of Review and nominations in that same category from the Critics' Choice and Indie Spirit awards for her performance in the 2012 movie "Compliance."
Holy Cross alum Bartlett Sher '81 is resident director at Lincoln Center Theatre in NYC. He was nominated for the 2015 Tony Award for best director of a musical for "The King and I." The production was nominated for 9 Tony Awards, two Drama League Awards, and five Outer Critic Circle Nominations. Nominated eight times for the Tony Award for Best Director — most recently in 2018 for "My Fair Lady" — Bart Sher was the winner in 2008.
Holy Cross alum Peter Jankowski '86 is president and chief operating officer of Wolf Films Inc., and executive producer for three television series on NBC: “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Chicago Fire,” and “Chicago PD.” His documentary “When You're Strange” about Jim Morrison and The Doors won a Grammy in 2011 and was nominated for an Emmy.
