BA in Theater

Theater

On Campus

On Campus

From commanding the spotlight to operating it, you’ll explore every aspect of theater production and learn to use the stage to make an impact on the world.

Theater students pose in dramatic lighting during a dress rehearsal at the Quinnipiac Theatre Arts Center

Program Overview

Shot of the actors in a scene of the theater production of "Rage" — Theater program students in a scene from “RAGE,” a play that explored gun violence in schools and an author's remote role in it.

Discover your role

Theater production is both a fine art and a technical craft. A great performance depends on the dramatic presence of its actors, the vision of its director, creativity of its set and costume designers, and precision of its stage technicians.

Our BA in Theater is a preprofessional program that is ideal for expressive and highly motivated students who embrace collaboration and wish to pursue creative careers within the theater arts. Our program prepares you for all areas of theater performance and production — from acting, directing and playwriting, to stage managing, design and arts administration.

You’ll take advanced courses and engage in hands-on production work, as well as complete a competitive internship with a local professional theater. Participation in the theater department’s Main Stage season will be central to your experiences that culminate with a senior capstone project and a fully developed portfolio of work. Both are designed to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge, skills and experiences to potential employers and graduate theater programs alike.

Program Statistics

100% Success Rate

Percentage of our 2022 program graduates who are either employed or pursuing graduate study six months after graduation.

Director’s Message

Student actor singing dramatically into a microphone

Welcome to QU Theater!

A Letter from Abbey Copeland

Quinnipiac Theater is the exciting home to new musicals, world-premiere student-written and student-directed plays, theater for the community and so much more!

We offer an exciting theater major and a minor that explore all areas of theater production, performance and design. We’ve developed the program with enough flexibility that you can easily double major in theater and just about any other area of study at the university.

We also have many on and off-stage opportunities including faculty and student-directed productions, a student theater organization, an improv troupe, theater workshops, musical theater and new play development. These opportunities are open to all Quinnipiac students, regardless of major.

You will work with guest artists from New York, New Haven, and around the world to develop new plays and musicals, as well as imaginative interpretations of the classics. Be a part of a world premiere!

Quinnipiac Theater also works in partnership with individuals and organizations in using the power of theater within the community. Projects in recent years have included the musical Rage and the As We Emerge project, which focused on gun violence and stories of those recently incarcerated, respectively.

This program is highly individualized and you will be sure to find a path that’s right for you.

Are you a prospective student? Please contact me to discuss all the opportunities Quinnipiac Theater has to offer.

Past Theater Productions

A large cast of students sing a song and reach their hands to the sky during a theater scene — "Baltimore," a timely drama about racism on college campuses, was presented by the Quinnipiac University Theater Department in Fall 2019. Faculty members were included in the cast.

A group of student actors surround the two main characters who look frightened in a theater scene — RAGE. Book & lyrics by Elizabeth Dinkova; Original music and additional lyrics by Frederick Kennedy; Directed by Elizabeth Dinkova. February 27-March 1, 2020. Quinnipiac University Theatre Arts Center. The play with music RAGE tells the story of a writer’s decades-long struggle with his first novel, Rage, a diary of a school shooter, which “inspired” readers with deadly results. As the writer plunges back into his early work to discover the causes of teenage disenfranchisement and violence, he is forced to confront uncomfortable truths about the thin line between creation and destruction.

A student playing a swimmer in a play talks with his coach during a scene from Quinnipiac Theater Company — Red Speedo. By Lucas Hnath; Directed by Mariah Sage. October 10-13, 2019, Quinnipiac University Theatre Arts Center. Ray has swum his way to the eve of the Olympic trials. If the makes the team, he’ll get a deal with Speedo and he’ll never need a real job. So when someone’s stash of performance-enhancing drugs is found in the locker room fridge, threatening the entire team’s Olympic fate, Ray has to crush the rumors or risk losing everything. It's a sharp and stylish play about swimming, survival of the fittest, and the American dream of a level playing field – or of leveling the field yourself.

Two students sit side-by-side and sing a song together during a theater scene — Next to Normal. Book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey, Music by Tom Kitt; Directed by Rory Pelsue. February 27-March 3, 2019, Quinnipiac University Theatre Arts Center. An unflinching look at a suburban family struggling with the effects of mental illness.

Colorful costumed actors star in a scene from A Midsummer Night's Dream — A Midsummer Night's Dream. By William Shakespeare; Directed by Keely Baisden. Oct 12-21, 2018, Theatre Arts Center. Shakespeare's popular comedy of love, intrigue, magic and mayhem!

Students talk to one another and get feedback after acting out a theater scene — New Play Festival. April 14, 2018, Quinnipiac University Theatre Arts Center. Tomer Adorian, Directing Mentor with The Barrow Group, speaks with Quinnipiac theater students prior to the New Play Festival.

Two student actors in a scene where one sits on a park bench while the other kneels on the ground — Colby's Trucks. By Danielle Radeke. April 21, 2018, The Barrow Group’s Mainstage Theater, Times Square, NYC. Colby's Trucks was one of seven short plays written by Quinnipiac University students and selected to be performed in The Barrow Group’s Off-Broadway MainStage Theatre during the New Play Festival.

Two students act out a scene in a play in which a male character pleads with a female character — Little Shop of Horrors. By Alan Menken and Howard Ashman; Directed by James Noble. March 1-4, 2018, Theatre Arts Center. The smash musical become one of the most popular shows in the world. The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names "Audrey II" after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it — blood!

A group of students act out a scene in which one character dressed in all white is surrounded by blue costumed actors — The Imaginary Invalid. By Moliere; Directed by Drew Scott. November 9-11, 2017, Quinnipiac University Theatre Arts Center. In this entertaining gem, a hypochondriac, victimized by two pompous doctors, tests his daughter's loyalty and discovers the greed and contempt of his scheming wife.

Theatre Arts Center

Exterior photo of the Theater Art Center building.

Our Theatre Arts Center is located at 515 Sherman Ave. in Hamden, just around the corner from the York Hill Campus. The facility features a state-of-the-art black box theater, scenic shop, design studios, classrooms, faculty offices, a student lounge and additional rehearsal space.

Learn more about our Theatre Arts Center and view a list of upcoming and past productions at our Quinnipiac University Theater site.

Explore Theater Opportunities

Career Paths

Our BA in Theater program positions you for a growing number of specialized and in-demand opportunities. Graduates gain valuable skills suited for a wide array of potential careers.