The Theatre/Musical Theatre program produces 6 mainstage theatre shows per school year. Our students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of plays and musicals from classics to contemporary to devised/new works. Our commitment to new works affords students the opportunity to be a part of premiere productions of original new plays and musicals. We produce shows in our blackbox Studio Theatre in the Katzen Arts Center, and in the Greenberg Theatre, a 296-seat proscenium theatre near AU's main campus. In addition to the 6 shows, we also produce Overture (and first-year showcase), the annual 1440 Festival (24 Hour Play event), a New Works Showcase, and Senior Capstones.

Yes, there are many opportunities in stage management and technical theatre for both majors and non-majors. Our Design and Production major allows student stage managers and design and technical theatre students to enjoy the same liberal arts foundation courses as our other majors, in addition to gaining terrific hands-on experience. Non-majors can take courses, stage manage, and work on production build/run crews, as well as designing and working student-run productions. Our design and technical students get work on and off campus!

The Katzen Arts Center brings all the visual and performing arts programs at AU into one 130,000 square foot space. Designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts, the center provides instructional, exhibition, and performance space for all the arts disciplines. Most of our Theatre/Musical Theatre classes and many of our rehearsals take place in Katzen. The Katzen Studio Theatre is an 80-seat blackbox, which also serves as our primary acting classroom.

The 300-seat Greenberg Theatre on Wisconsin Avenue is accessible to campus, restaurants and the Metro. It is a short walk or bus ride from the main campus. The Greenberg is used for rehearsals and some production classes.

You don't have to be a major or minor to get involved. Non-majors can take many of our major classes. We also have an open casting policy – meaning any AU student can audition for the shows.

Additionally, student-run groups provide opportunities for actors, directors, playwrights, designers, stage managers, etc. These groups draw students from across the campus and from many disciplines, in addition to our majors and minors.

Double majors are encouraged at AU, and our Theatre/Musical Theatre majors are designed to allow students the opportunity to double major in any other area of study. Nearly half of our students double major.

The abroad experience is a big part of AU, and about half of our T/MT students go abroad, usually during their junior year. The most popular program is LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), but we have had students do abroad programs in dozens of countries. Communicate early with your academic advisor and the AU Abroad office to sort out logistics and credits.

We do not do a showcase. As a BA (Bachelor of Arts) and liberal arts program, a showcase doesn’t match our philosophy. Additionally, showcases are not common for any of the DC-area universities. Each senior completes a Senior Capstone and can invite industry professionals to observe their culminating project. We offer courses like Business of Acting, which helps prepare students for life after graduation. We also have a course called Audition Techniques, which regularly invites industry professionals to work with and observe the work of our students, and the course ends with an audition for local casting and artistic directors.

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Theatre is a broad, liberal arts degree requiring general education and allowing time for a minor or double major. A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is an intensive, conservatory-style degree where 65% - 80% of your coursework is hyper-focused on a specific craft, like acting, musical theatre, or stage management. We only offer a BA in Theatre/Musical Theatre at AU, because we strongly believe that a student should not only understand all aspects of theatre, but also should go across campus and explore different disciplines and ideas. A well-rounded education helps create an artist of creativity and complexity.