Move. Speak. Transform.
At St. Mary’s College of Maryland, the Theater, Dance, and Performance concentration invites students to explore the power of embodied storytelling through rigorous study and creative practice. Rooted in the liberal arts and driven by collaboration, this interdisciplinary program blends performance, critical theory, and technical skill to help students develop their unique artistic voice. Whether devising original work, engaging with classical and contemporary texts, or experimenting with movement and multimedia, students learn to think deeply, create boldly, and perform with intention. With access to dedicated performance spaces and a vibrant artistic community, students cultivate the skills—and the courage—to make meaningful work on stage and beyond.
94%
career outcome rate: employed, in school, volunteering, or in the military
29
Study Abroad programs for students
10:1
SMCM's student-to-faculty ratio supports students through their time on campus and beyond
Our Approach to Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies
Our approach to the study and practice of theater and dance is grounded in
– educating artist/citizen/scholars who create theater and dance that is relevant to their own local, national and global communities, using the collaborative skills of the performing arts to tackle issues and questions of importance in our own time.
– Preparing students to imagine the future of theater and dance: how can we create new ways of working that are just, equitable, inclusive and that promote the health, wellbeing, joy, complexity and full humanity of all involved? How can students use the skills they are learning to make and imagine new and exciting performance projects, ways of working, and ways of communicating with audiences?
– Giving students opportunities to think of how performance of various kinds can serve as a method of research and communication that intersects in productive ways with other fields in the arts, sciences, and social sciences.
Performing Arts Major - Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies Concentration
During their time in TDPS, students will have opportunities to
- develop a wide range of skills necessary for the creation and performance of music, theater and/or dance.
- collaborate and apply performing arts skills in public performances that have a reputation for excellence and innovation.
- identify artistic and professional values and goals based on an understanding of the world of performing arts beyond SMCM and begin to take steps to carry out those goals.
- locate and use a wide range of evidence and theoretical frameworks in the Performing Arts.
- construct clear, specific and well supported analyses and interpretations of the performing arts
- communicate ideas about the Performing Arts through writing for various audiences, discussions, and formal presentations
- evaluate how historical and contemporary sociocultural contexts, inequities, and systems of power affect and are influenced by the performing arts
- identify, imagine, and practice forms of expression, structures, processes and systems within the performing arts that advocate for historically oppressed and marginalized groups and people.
Theater Studies Minor
Our students often combine a minor in theater studies with a major of a different discipline, such as psychology, art, anthropology, biology, English, history, economics, and so on.
Another attractive opportunity is combining a theater studies minor with one of the cross-disciplinary minors, such as Asian studies, African and African Diaspora studies, environmental studies, museum studies, or women, gender, and sexuality studies.
When you minor in theater studies, you will acquire a breadth of knowledge and an array of skills that will translate into many different fields. For instance, theater studies minors have gone into law, business, medicine, scientific research, secondary and higher education, broadcast and print journalism as well as into careers as theater educators and scholars, stage and film performers, stage managers, designers, TDs, and stage directors.
Courses Offered
Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies Courses
- Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies Courses>
Performing Arts Courses
- Performing Arts Courses>
Honors College Promise
Expand your learning beyond the classroom with opportunities like studying abroad, internships, hands-on classes, or independent research. These experiences help you see the bigger picture.
At St. Mary’s College of Maryland, you’ll benefit from experienced professors, unlike at larger universities where teaching assistants may lead classes. You’re more likely to have the same professor for multiple courses, work with them on your St. Mary’s Project, or have them as your academic advisor.
When you need letters of recommendation for jobs or grad school, you’ll have professors who know you well and can write strong, detailed letters. This close relationship between faculty and students makes your experience at St. Mary’s unique compared to larger schools.
"QUOTE BODY"
- QUOTE ATTRIBUTION
Main Stage Season
We maintain an active production season so students learn through active practice by creating public performance for live, in-person audiences. Each incoming cohort of students will have the opportunity to practice their critical and creative skills on interpretations of existing historical and contemporary texts and choreography and also to imagine, write and produce new plays and devise performances of their own invention through engagement with their communities.
After you Graduate
A degree in Performing Arts from a liberal arts college prepares you for a variety of undertakings following graduation. Careers in law, education, business, politics, journalism, public service, and even scientific fields, as well as the more obvious pursuits of theater-related and film or media- related futures, may be built upon the foundation of studies done in preparation for this degree. You may even jump-start your career or do preparatory work toward graduate study by completing a post-graduation internship.
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All the faculty here at St. Mary's College of Maryland want to help you explore your interests and set you up for success. We look forward to connecting with you and meeting you on campus.
