Bachelor of Arts in Theatre | Cedarville University -沙巴体育

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About the BA in Theatre Degree

Why Study Theatre at Cedarville?

Are you looking for a theatre program that will prepare you for a wide variety of career options while embracing a distinctly Christian approach? Cedarville's highly regarded BA in theatre program is designed for you! At Cedarville, we do theatre differently, carefully selecting plays for each season to reflect Cedarville's Christ-centered community. From Greek plays and musicals to Shakespeare and the modern era, the diverse range of theatrical genres you'll study offers countless opportunities to hone your skills and grow exponentially as an artist.

When you graduate, you'll have the excellent training and hands-on experience to work as an artist who glorifies God in the competitive world of theatre. You'll leave Cedarville ready to take on a number of positions in the theatre field, including acting, directing, designing, stage management, dramaturgy, arts administration, and much more. Whether onstage or behind the scenes, you'll be equipped to use your God-given talent and passion to become an excellent, relevant, and God-honoring theatre artist.

If you're passionate about theatre but pursuing another major, Cedarville also offers a theatre minor designed to fit your unique interests and goals. You'll gain foundational theatre skills while customizing your experience by choosing from a range of theatre electives.

Theatre Program Highlights

Biblical Worldview

The Bible is the authority for research and study in every class you'll take.
Mentoring Christian Faculty

You'll be taught by highly-credentialed professors who want you to succeed.
Exceptional Facilities

You'll learn and practice your discipline in state-of-the-art facilities.

Program Overview

Main Stage Productions — Audition for one of our three stunning current season main stage productions or work on props, costume, lighting, hair/makeup, or set crew behind the scenes. View past performances on our production archives page.

Senior Theatre Capstone Projects — As a graduating senior, you will have the chance to act, direct, design, or even write your own full-length, fully-produced capstone project. You could also choose to complete a pre-professional capstone internship to gain outside experience that aligns with your specific interests and abilities.

Dramaturgy — Help advise one of the main stage directors as a dramaturg, create an educational user guide about the production, and facilitate a talkback for the audience following a performance.

Study Abroad Program — Through Cedarville’s Study Abroad program, you can travel to places like London or Prague to experience theatre internationally.

Masterclasses and Workshops — Learn about specialized areas of theatre from exciting guest experts on topics like voice over and dialect work, commedia dell'arte, professional auditioning, and period acting styles and movement. You'll also get to attend annual festivals offered by the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) and the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) to learn from acclaimed experts in the industry through workshops and masterclasses.

Professional Internships — Gain real-life, resume-building experience through various internship opportunities locally or in a major U.S. city. Our students have interned at:

Ahmanson Theatre/Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California
Asolo Theatre, Sarasota, Florida
Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, Massachusetts
Texas Shakespeare Festival, Kilgore, Texas
Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Bay View Music Festival, Petoskey, Michigan
Contemporary American Theatre Company, Columbus, Ohio
Dayton Ballet, Dayton, Ohio
Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine, Florida
Muse Machine, Dayton, Ohio
CultureWorks, Dayton, Ohio
Victoria Theatre Association, Dayton, Ohio
Sight and Sound Theatre, Ronks, Pennsylvania

Theatre Festival Field Trips — Travel with other Cedarville theatre students and faculty to see productions in some of North America’s best theatres, such as the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, and multiple Broadway tours. You can also attend regional and national conferences to grow your professional network, audition for theatre jobs, interview for graduate programs, and compete for scholarships.

Professor Stratton leading a theatre rehearsal onstage.

From Our Students:

The variety of roles and jobs within the major allowed me to receive a well-rounded education and hands-on experience in my chosen career field. Since graduating, I have had weekly Gospel conversations with people who are searching for beauty in this world full of chaos and confusion. I am more thankful for the education experience in Cedarville’s theatre program everyday as I recall quotes from professors, materials from my classes, and truths from conversations. Above all, the program honors God as the greatest Creator. The professors are lovely people who care for you both as an artist and a Christian. I was accepted into multiple BFA programs, but in the end I went with the one in the cornfields because of the people. The smaller environment ensured that I had ample opportunities to learn and gain experience in almost every area of production and received a personalized education experience.

Riley Howell '23
One of the greatest strengths of this program is the emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. In a highly competitive and often cut-throat field, it’s refreshing to view your classmates not as competition, but rather as partners. I also loved my professors who went above and beyond to make sure I left the program in the best possible position. Not only did they encourage me in my coursework, but they would even sacrifice their own time to look over and critique my personal projects. This has helped me gain confidence and hone my skills in the areas I was most passionate about. While the program may be small, I truly believe it has the potential to become an unparalleled place to study the art of theatre through a Christian worldview. There is a desperate need for a program like this one that not only takes the implementation of faith into the arts seriously, but also respects the arts as more than just 'entertainment.'

Samuel Acosta '23
My time at Cedarville was instrumental in any and all success I’ve since had. I’m currently working as a professional theatre actor/artist in Chicago, Illinois. Over the course of the years since graduating, I’ve utilized nearly every area of training that the Cedarville Theatre program provided me, even more so than the MA I received after Cedarville. That graduate program was helpful, but it didn’t provide the hands-on, real-life experience that Cedarville provided. It is not an exaggeration to say I would’ve gotten nowhere in this field without Cedarville’s training. Whether it be directing, acting, stage managing, lighting, ushering, playwriting, prop work, and numerous situations for which I recalled past problem-solving, I can thank Cedarville for nearly everything about my success.

Hunter Johnson '21
The variety of roles and jobs within the major allowed me to receive a well-rounded education and hands-on experience in my chosen career field. Since graduating, I have had weekly Gospel conversations with people who are searching for beauty in this world full of chaos and confusion. I am more thankful for the education experience in Cedarville’s theatre program everyday as I recall quotes from professors, materials from my classes, and truths from conversations. Above all, the program honors God as the greatest Creator. The professors are lovely people who care for you both as an artist and a Christian. I was accepted into multiple BFA programs, but in the end I went with the one in the cornfields because of the people. The smaller environment ensured that I had ample opportunities to learn and gain experience in almost every area of production and received a personalized education experience.

Riley Howell '23
One of the greatest strengths of this program is the emphasis on teamwork and collaboration. In a highly competitive and often cut-throat field, it’s refreshing to view your classmates not as competition, but rather as partners. I also loved my professors who went above and beyond to make sure I left the program in the best possible position. Not only did they encourage me in my coursework, but they would even sacrifice their own time to look over and critique my personal projects. This has helped me gain confidence and hone my skills in the areas I was most passionate about. While the program may be small, I truly believe it has the potential to become an unparalleled place to study the art of theatre through a Christian worldview. There is a desperate need for a program like this one that not only takes the implementation of faith into the arts seriously, but also respects the arts as more than just 'entertainment.'

Samuel Acosta '23

Job and Grad School Placement

Program Faculty

Photo of Stacey Stratton

Stacey Stratton, MFA

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Program Staff

Photo of Tim Phipps

Tim Phipps

Theatre Production and Technical Director

Photo of Debbie Izer

Debbie Izer

Administrative Assistant - Art, Design & Theatre

Department of Art, Design, and Theatre

School of Arts and Humanities

Program News

Cedarville’s Theater Major: A Small Program With Big Results

Graduates from the theater program at Cedarville University, a southwest Ohio university ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the nation’s top three evangelical universities, have proven that a small program yields big results through a 100% placement rate of 2023-24 graduates.
Cedarville University to Stage “Radium Girls,” a Gripping Historical Drama

Cedarville University’s theatre department will bring “Radium Girls,” a powerful historical drama written by D.W. Gregory, to the stage February 13-23. The production explores the events of 1926, when young women working in a watch factory used radium-based paint to create a luminous glow — only to later face devastating health consequences.

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