Aquinas College

Aquinas College offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, with focused tracks such as General Theatre, Performance, Technical Studies, and a distinctive Theatre for Social Change concentration. Grounded in liberal arts and rooted in its Catholic ethos, the program encourages students to explore how theatre can address pressing social issues. Core training spans acting, directing, stagecraft, design, script analysis, and theatre history, all delivered through small class sizes and personalized mentorship.

Undergraduates participate in four to five fully mounted mainstage productions each year, staged in the 410-seat Performing Arts Center shared with Community Circle Theatre and local high schools. Productions range from traditional works to socially engaged plays designed to provoke dialogue and reflection. In addition to mainstage offerings, students can stage self-produced work in a lab theatre—developing student-directed events, experimental pieces, and original writing.

Aquinas’s theatre curriculum integrates practical coursework with academic studies. Students enroll in practicum or production workshops and receive credit for each year of production participation. Applied theatre courses—like performance crew, costing, and scenic construction—ensure students graduate with real-world technical and creative experience suitable for campus and beyond.

Program leadership fosters a community-oriented environment rooted in partnership and social justice. Faculty and staff align their scholarship with community needs, and the department collaborates extensively with Circle Theatre and local schools. The emphasis on Theatre for Social Change reflects Aquinas’s belief in theatre as a tool for civic engagement, cultural empathy, and transformative conversation.

Graduates leave Aquinas equipped with practical portfolios—spanning performance, design, technical production, and original creation—and an awareness of theatre’s role in community dialogue. Whether pursuing graduate study, regional arts employment, or continued activism through performance, students emerge prepared to make meaningful contributions through theatre-informed leadership.