Performing Arts

In the past decade, Washington, DC has become such a large, diverse, and thriving theatre community with over ninety (90) professional theatres active in the area, making it the second-largest theatre city in the United States.

Student exposure to a wide, varied range of theatrical genres and styles—as well as touring, international, and multicultural performances—is guaranteed, whether as a participant or patron. With all of this in our backyard, now is the perfect time to be a Gallaudet Theatre Arts major/minor.

Yes. For Theatre Arts majors, a professional internship—Field Experience (THE 320)—is required for graduation. It is highly recommended, but not required, for minors to seek out internships.

Graduates find employment in a wide range of possibilities related to theatre. Though there are no guarantees, in professional theatre especially, graduates of Gallaudet’s Theatre and Dance program have appeared on stage, television, film, off-Broadway, and regional theatres across the nation.

You may contact the Theatre and Dance program director, professor Ethan Sinnott, or any member of our faculty and staff.

Per non-pandemic year, we usually mount two (2) productions, one (1) per semester. Each production is directed by faculty, guest artists, or qualified Theatre Arts majors and/or recent alumni. There is also the occasional Student Directors’ Showcase.

Yes. With over 90 theatre companies active in its radius, there are a plethora of opportunities for theatre work in the Washington, DC area. Our Theatre Arts major comes with an internship requirement.

We have an open casting policy. Any Gallaudet student can audition for Gallaudet theatrical productions: s/he does not need to be a Theatre Arts major/minor. Preference is given to Theatre Arts majors/minors if we are casting a lead role, but historically, almost all of our productions have cast actors with majors other than Theatre Arts.

However, Gallaudet undergraduates who are non-theatre majors cannot perform in a mainstage production without being registered for Theatre Practicum (THE 281), which may be considered a general elective.

Considering the fact that the d/Deaf community is a linguistic minority, with opportunities for participation in Deaf and sign language productions limited across the nation, we welcome professional members of our community to audition for our productions.

Yes. First-year Gallaudet students can audition for all Gallaudet productions if roles remain available. As needed, an announcement will be made through our Facebook page and Gallaudet’s Daily Digest.

Auditions for plays regularly take place during the last week of classes in the semester prior to the performance.

For example, if a play is scheduled to take place in a fall semester, auditions will occur during the last week of classes in the spring semester before, and vice versa. It affords all cast students space and time to register for Theatre Practicum (THE 281).

If you are a student who successfully auditions for a play during the first week of the same semester of the play, the registration process becomes more complicated as you would be registering for Theatre Practicum (THE 281) after the University’s deadline, you would need to obtain permission from the Chair of the Department of Art, Communication, and Theatre (ACT), as well as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS).

Not necessarily. There are numerous benefits and skillsets that students receive from majoring in Theatre Arts.

No. It often happens that a student’s appreciation, passion, and talent for theatre reveal themselves during the taking of a course or involvement in a production experience. If you do, great, but if you don’t, it’s not an obstacle.

In any given semester, should you decide you are interested in pursuing a Theatre Arts major/minor, you would need to contact the Theatre and Dance program director, or a member of our faculty, by e-mail—by the last week of classes that semester—to inform him/her of your intent to declare.

Shortly after, an interview appointment will be scheduled—with you being given your choice of 20-minute time slots—on Study Day as designated in the University’s academic calendar. You would be expected to honor your appointment, and if you cannot make it, please communicate with the Theatre and Dance program director in advance for special arrangements to be made.

Yes. You can combine a Theatre Arts major with almost any other major at Gallaudet. You would need to take the necessary GSR (General Studies Requirement) courses while following the curriculum for each individual major. You need a minimum of 120 credits to graduate, and you will have two majors on your diploma in addition to a transcript.

We have many students who are double majors—something we recommend if your parents and/or vocational rehabilitation counselors express concerns about the value of a BA degree in Theatre Arts.

Students who do not have a second major will likely consider a minor in another area, and they are encouraged to do so.

Yes there is a Theatre Arts minor.

You may begin taking theatre courses your first semester at Gallaudet University.

Yes. All our faculty serve as academic advisors as well.

Yes. All students acting in or doing backstage/technical work for, productions can register for Theatre Practicum (THE 281). Students receive 3 credits for production work, depending on the assignment.

The course requirements are set up to provide the Theatre Arts major necessary engagement with all aspects of drama, theatre, and performance culture. By graduation, students are expected to understand the basic working of all areas of theatre, from acting, design, directing, and playwriting, to the formal study of drama, theatre history, and the critical theory of drama, theatre, and performance.

Since theatre is an undertaking that emphasizes and fuses classroom education and hands-on experience, majors are expected to be actively involved in onstage and/or offstage aspects of production work as well.