Student Opportunities in Theater & Dance
Check out our frequently asked questions, especially if you are a new student, or a high school student wondering about submitting the Arts Supplement with your application.
EXTRACURRICULAR
All of our production and studio-project work involves students participating on an extracurricular basis, including students of every major, new students, and Five College students.
AUDITIONS
Auditions are open to everyone, including first-year students. Usually, no preparation is necessary.
To find out about performance opportunities, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, visit our Auditions page, or stop by the departmental lounge and office in Webster Hall.
BEHIND-THE-SCENES
In addition to performing, students frequently join run crews or stage management teams. Contact a faculty member about a specific project in which you are interested!
If you are interested in work-study or volunteering in the scene shop, contact our Production Manager, Jon Doyle, at jmdoyle@amherst.edu.
For opportunities in the costume shop, contact our Costume Shop Supervisor, Carla Froeberg at cgfroeberg@amherst.edu.
If you are interested in working front of house for our shows (box office and ushering), contact Suzie Rivers, our Academic Department Coordinator, at srivers@amherst.edu.
You can find a list of all work-study opportunites on our student employment page.
WORKSHOPS
From time-to-time, we invite professional guest artists to give workshops. Look for announcements on Facebook, Instagram and our Season Events page.
CURRICULAR
Every semester, we offer courses that require no prior experience. Our core courses offer a great introduction to the department.
We also offer courses in the history, literature and theory of theater and dance, as well as beginning courses in dance technique and spoken expression.
THE CORE COURSES
In the core courses, key experiences and principles of collaboration and creative problem-solving are applied to the fundamentals of improvisation and composition in movement, visual thinking, and acting. A course in studying performance in context is also open to anyone, with no pre-requisite. Our core courses require no prior experience, and are offered every year:
- THDA 111: The Language of Movement
- THDA 112: Visual Thinking
- THDA 113: Action and Character
- THDA 114: Case Studies: Contemporary Performance
FURTHER COURSES
Following an introductory course, non-majors may pursue a particular strand of interest in playwriting, choreography, acting, dance, performance installation, video production, visual and sound design, and directing.
We encourage students with interests in creative writing, music, video and film, visual art, architecture, and poetry, to complement your studies with a related course in Theater and Dance. Students also often discover interdisciplinary connections with history, psychology, anthropology, political science, cultural studies, and issues of race, gender and sexuality.
See the Courses page to get a feel for what may interest you. Please feel free to contact any faculty member to discuss interests and course options.