Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University’s Department of Theatre and Dance delivers a rigorous and collaborative liberal arts–based B.A. in Theatre, housed in the Scales Fine Arts Center. With a creative and collegial ethos, the department supports interdisciplinary learning and embraces inclusivity, intellectual curiosity, and social engagement as central to its mission.

The performance core comprises four main-stage productions each academic year, staged on the Harold C. Tedford MainStage Theatre and the intimate Ring Theatre. These seasons are supported by student-directed works and guest-artist events—a broad platform where students participate in acting, directing, design, and stagecraft from their first year .

Academic coursework includes foundational courses such as Acting I, Voice & Movement, Introduction to Design & Production, and History of Western Theatre I & II, along with electives in directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, and technical design. Majors select from scene, costume, lighting, or sound design pathways and participate in practicum and lab-based theatre experiences .

Wake Forest offers a theatre honors track for high-achieving majors (GPA thresholds apply), culminating in a creative or scholarly capstone like playwriting, directing, or design that is defended before a faculty committee. Graduating students also produce a portfolio and complete a senior assessment as part of the degree process .

Extracurricular arts groups—including the nationally recognized Lilting Banshees comedy troupe, the Anthony Aston Players, and Umoja ensemble—enhance the creative ecosystem. Through these groups, students gain leadership, writing, performance, and production experience beyond curricular productions.