Theatre Studies At Capital

Theatre Studies is one area of emphasis in the Communication program at Capital. Other areas of emphasis include: Communication Studies, Organizational Communication, Strategic Influence and Civic Leadership, and Communication with Education Licensure. Our approach to co–curricular learning prepares you for your life as a performer, director, writer, producer, or manager. Our connections and proximity to local and national artists and theatre organizations provide even more opportunities for you to develop your talents and make your mark in the arts community. The theatre department sponsors a chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honorary and we welcome all students to join.

Complementary Programs

Taking Center Stage

Whether you’re an actor, playwright, director or technician, your desire is to bring art to life.

Theatre Studies

Theatre is a collaborative art. Each person in a production plays an important role, working and performing together to create something memorable and truly remarkable. The art involved in such work is obviously important, but the communication that takes place between artists and audience is also a key to creating dynamic art. At Capital, Theatre Studies is a co-curricular program. This means that you’ll gain a strong liberal arts foundation in your coursework, and then you’ll practice your learning through participating in an active production season. If acting is your passion, you may find yourself in a role on the main stage or even participating in ensemble and group work in the prestigious Conservatory of Music. If your interests are in managing or creating productions, you’ll have numerous experiences designing scenery, directing plays, running sound, and marketing our shows.

What can you do with a degree in this academic area?

  • Stage Manager
  • Theatre Education Director
  • Touring Actor and/or Director
  • Playwright
  • Costume Specialist
  • Scene Shop Manager
100+

Years of Theatre at Capital University

12:1

Student to Faculty Ratio

1

On Stage or Backstage from Day One

Explore this Program

Experiential Learning

As a Theatre Studies major, we supplement class instruction with pre-professional activities designed to give you personalized, hands-on learning opportunities. You can earn academic credit onstage while taking center stage in a University Theatre production or an improv show. Or if the backstage is your performance space, you can earn credit as you design, build, direct, or stage manage in our theatre or at an outside community venue. The department sponsors four main stage shows a season in the Cabaret Theatre and auditions and participation in theatre events are open to the entire campus community. To round out your learning, the department sponsors a Reader’s Theatre Program and the Fat Tuesday Debutantes, our improvisational comedy group, and more. Most theatre students pursue internships and work with summer theatres during non-academic periods.

Your Place to Perform

Capital’s own Cabaret Theatre is an intimate performance venue offering a black-box space located in the Harry C. Moores Student Union. The theatre seats 120 guests with the option for flexible seating and staging. The full theatre is equipped with a scene shop, control booth, and a production office/design lab. The spaces combine to provide students, faculty and the Capital community the opportunity to collaborate on a variety of theatrical productions, from musicals and contemporary drama, to Shakespeare and premiers of original work.

Where You'll Go

Our Theatre Studies graduates are active professionals in the world of theatre. So if your ambitions take you to Broadway or if your path keeps you local, there are numerous possibilities. Here is a sample of what our students have done after graduation:

  • Stage managed for opera companies
  • Director of Education, Columbus Children’s Theatre
  • Toured with Madcap Puppet Theatre
  • Opened in a Broadway musical
  • Published plays
  • Managed a scene shop
  • Designed and costumed shows
  • Worked at Schell Scenic Studio and Costume Specialists
  • Served on the board of directors for a community theatre
  • Earned Equity Union membership

Sample Classes

  • Storytelling
  • Performance Studies
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Stagecraft
  • Scenic Design
“When I started at Capital, I had no idea where that journey would take me. I met countless kind, dedicated, hardworking, talented, highly intelligent people. TheCapFam is real. My very first film role was in a student film at Capital and it was in those student films and productions at the Cabaret Theatre that I developed and sharpened my skills, both as an actor and as a director.”

-Cedric Gegel, Theatre Studies, Class of 2017

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