• Individual Attention: Theatre classes are capped so that they remain small, enabling our students to receive quality and personalized instruction.
• A Synthesized Liberal Arts and Fine Arts Education: Our goal at Susquehanna University is to cultivate the Artist/Scholar. Therefore, the coursework in the Production/Design and Performance Emphases challenges our students academically and artistically, preparing them for advanced study in a graduate program or work in the professional theatre. Our performance and technical courses rival those of any conservatory or B.F.A program in intensity and quality, and our diverse academic courses would be at home in the most prestigious and cutting-edge B.A. programs.
• Superior Instruction: Susquehanna University has four full-time theatre professors: Dr. W. Douglas Powers, Associate Professor, Artistic Director, and Head of the Department of Theatre, as well as facilitator of the Performance Emphasis; Mr. Andrew Rich, Associate Professor of Theatre, facilitator of the Design and Technology Theatre Emphasis and Scenographer for the department; Mr. Erik Viker, Assistant Professor of Theatre, Technical Director, and facilitator of the theatre minor; and Ms. Elizabeth Payne, Lecturer in Costuming. All four write, publish, present at conferences, and work as union-affiliated theatre professionals. All four hold one or more terminal degrees in their fields.
• Exceptional Opportunities: Susquehanna University theatre fills the academic calendar with four large and several small productions, impressive for any program. Theatre majors and minors, as well as students from other disciplines with an interest in theatre, have the opportunity to immerse themselves fully in theatre at SU, onstage and off. The small student body means students immediately work closely with faculty in practical production positions- - even freshmen can work as assistant designers and assistant technical directors for mainstage productions, and experienced students often serve as lighting or scenic designers under faculty supervision.
• Outstanding Facilities: Three excellent venues: a modern 450-seat proscenium teaching theatre with a counterweight fly system, an intimate black-box studio theatre, and a classic 1,500-seat theatre with revolving stage that offers opportunities for hands-on exploration of traditional theatre techniques such as sandbag and rope rigging. All facilities possess state-of-the-art lighting and sound capabilities.

I feel students should study Theatre at SU because it is excellent education in all aspects of the theatre field, creating intelligent and professional artists able to take on many - or any - tasks.

Matthew Saltzberg SU '03, MA in Theatre, C. W. Post University, Long Island, NY; PhD in Theatre, Candidate, the University of Missouri-Columbia

In my four years as a theatre major at Susquehanna University, I had a plethora of opportunities, both on the stage and in the classroom, that fostered my growth as an artist/scholar. The individual attention that I received addressed my personal strengths and weaknesses and pushed me to new heights, while the ensemble nature of the program forged friendships that I value greatly. When I came to graduate school, I realized that the demanding nature of the courses and the superior quality of the productions at SU are a rarity among undergraduate institutions. I feel more prepared than many of my peers to tackle the challenges of a graduate education and pursue a career in my field.

Brett Johnson SU '04, PhD in Theatre, Candidate, the University of Missouri-Columbia

Studying theatre at Susquehanna University will instill any student with a firm foundation in both performance and scholarship.  The coursework and diverse opportunities for performance, as well as personable and passionate faculty left me feeling well prepared for whatever I may face in the post-graduate world.

Matt Cornish SU '04, MFA in Acting, Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University

The theatre program at SU gave me tools I needed to become a self-sufficient artist while allowing me the opportunity take a bite of all aspects of theatre and find those that I had a taste for. It is a place of talented students and professors that nurtures and challenges. Don't come here if you don't want to work hard and leave and much better person and artist.

Aaron White SU '04, MFA in Acting, University of Houston

Theater at SU is more than a major, it is a family of people that helps you to grow, not only in your art but personally and emotionally. This school gives you the groundwork to achieve any goal that you set for yourself.

Ashley Leitzel SU '02, MFA in Wig and Makeup Design, North Carolina School of the Arts

The close-knit environment of the Theatre Department at SU lends itself to fostering excellence in a way very few other programs can offer. Fellow students in the program become much more than friends, they become family, encouraging eachother in the most positive of ways.

Jared Nelson SU '02, MA in Theatre, Villanova University

I began working with the Theatre Department during my first year as a non-major. I had an interest in performance, but it was definitely not my primary field of study. The professional atmosphere and encouraging attitude of both the students and professors in the department helped to inspire my love for theatre until I ultimately picked up the major. In my four years at Susquehanna, I was not only given the chance to develop my artistic passion, but also to find my place in the discipline. The department's emphasis on the well-rounded practictioner gave me the opportunity to work both onstage and backstage, and my work in the classroom led me to my current position as a graduate student in theatre.

Robert Thompson SU '05, Ph.D. candidate in Theatre, The University of Maryland-College Park

Whether one's interests lie on, behind, or in front of the stage, Susquehanna provides the opportunities and resources to experience all aspects of the theatrical world in order for the student to find his or her niche in the Susquehanna theatre family. And that is truly what your fellow students become: your family.

Katie Mull SU '05, MA candidate in Theatre, Villanova University