Theatre
The artist-scholar. That is the animating principle behind Middlebury Theatre, where students immerse themselves in all aspects of theatre making and in the rigorous study of theatre’s many histories, theories, practices, and literatures.
Through a process that is both creative and collaborative, students delve into the latest movements in theatre design, acting, stage management, playwriting, and directing.
At its core, the department aims to be an artistic home where students reimagine traditional distinctions and strive to become innovators and collaborators, capable of shaping our culture.
Get Involved
Auditions
Design and Technology
Master Classes and Workshops
Traditions
Professional Connections
Interdisciplinary Curriculum
The Theatre Department offers a diversity of courses designed to provide a balance between the study of history, literature, and theory, and the making of theatre.
Theatre itself is inherently interdisciplinary, and our students enjoy exploring connections between classes offered in dramatic literature, visual creativity, the creative process, playwriting, acting (improvisation, scene study, acting styles), directing, set design, lighting design, and costume design. As a program in a liberal arts setting, students also reference classes taken outside the discipline in order to provide depth and context.
Spring 2025 Auditions!
Interested in acting in a faculty- or student-directed show? Then you’re in luck! Auditions for the Spring 2025 semester will take place this November 1st from 6pm to 9pm at Mahaney Arts Center, Room 232. For more information on the shows, callback dates, and the audition process, visit here.
Introducing our Fall '24 Artist in Residence
Ashley Nicole Baptiste is a multidisciplinary professional artist whose work as an actor, educator, and producer has been showcased in many different places. She hails from the sunny lands of San Diego, California, and has recently been working and living in the NY/NJ area. As the Associate Artistic Director of Jersey City Theater Center, she has produced new works as well as created “Black Space,” an online digital archive created with interviews featuring Black artists from all over the world. Ashley is one of the proud creators of the Youth Theater Program “Spotlight”. Her work with New Jersey City University and Colby College has helped hone her skills as an educator and refined her ability to motivate and empower students to reach their fullest potential. Professional theatre credits include Still, Premiere Stages; Cadillac Crew, Vermont Stage; Chicken & Biscuits, Bristol Riverside Theatre; When Day Comes, Crossroads Theatre Company; Seven Guitars, Artists Repertory Theater; Jitney, Portland Playhouse; and In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play), Profile Theater. Television: Grimm, NBC; Notes from the Field, HBO; and New Amsterdam, NBC. Educational credits: California State University Fullerton, BFA Acting. Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts, MFA Acting. For updates: ashleynicolebaptiste.com
Our Productions
Each year we stage numerous full-scale productions that involve theatre majors and faculty as well as others from the community who audition. We also offer workshops and smaller-scale performances featuring our many artists in residence. More about productions.
Our Facilities
The performing arts are central to Middlebury’s life and culture. Students have a multitude of facilities available for their use, including a design lab with plotters, drafting, and rendering stations, two scene and costume shops, a lighting lab equipped with a grid and an ETC Ion console, and acting labs. Venues include Wright Memorial Theatre, Seeler Studio Theatre, and Hepburn Zoo Theatre.
Introducing The Dogteam Theatre Project
The Dogteam Theatre Project provides transformative experiences for emerging and professional artists, creating meaningful theatrical engagements for diverse audiences. Among its programs, the Dogteam Theatre Project provides training opportunities for emerging theatre artists in all realms of the field, including but not limited to acting, directing, playwriting, and design disciplines. The Dogteam Theatre Project produces theatrical works, including works in translation, reflecting the stories of our more connected world.
Featured Events
More Events-
29th Annual First Show: Echoes of Truth
The newly devised theater production, titled “Echoes of Truth,” embarks on a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between truth and humanity. Through a series of interconnected scenes, the performance weaves together diverse narratives that challenge perceptions and provoke introspection. Each vignette presents a unique lens on truth—be it personal, societal, or existential—inviting the audience to witness the conflicting realities of its characters.
Hepburn Zoo
Open to the Public
-
29th Annual First Show: Echoes of Truth
The newly devised theater production, titled “Echoes of Truth,” embarks on a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between truth and humanity. Through a series of interconnected scenes, the performance weaves together diverse narratives that challenge perceptions and provoke introspection. Each vignette presents a unique lens on truth—be it personal, societal, or existential—inviting the audience to witness the conflicting realities of its characters.
Hepburn Zoo
Open to the Public
-
29th Annual First Show: Echoes of Truth
The newly devised theater production, titled “Echoes of Truth,” embarks on a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between truth and humanity. Through a series of interconnected scenes, the performance weaves together diverse narratives that challenge perceptions and provoke introspection. Each vignette presents a unique lens on truth—be it personal, societal, or existential—inviting the audience to witness the conflicting realities of its characters.
Hepburn Zoo
Open to the Public
-
Coco
In this Day of the Dead classic, aspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family’s ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.
Dana Auditorium (Sunderland Language Center)
Open to the Public
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Dia de Muertos Celebration '24 Procession
Join us in celebrating our ancestors and departed loved ones on Día de los Muertos. Meet outside the Anderson Freeman Center (Carr Hall). Along the procession there will be music, performances, dance, and much more. Visit: go/ddlm24/ for more information. Bring along a memento of your loved one, a photo, favorite food, an object to honor your dead on the Procession… open to all!
Anderson Freeman Resource Center
Open to the Public
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King Lear
Directed by Michole Biancosino.
An aging monarch plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. But when he asks them first to prove how much they love him, he sets off a series of events which turn the daughters into enemies, the state into a maelstrom. One of the greatest tragedies ever written, in a new adaptation featuring music by Clint Bierman ’97 and Professor of Theatre Alex Draper in the title role.
Please join us for a post-show talk back with the director and company after the Friday performance.
Wright Theatre
Open to the Public
$10/8/5
-
King Lear
Directed by Michole Biancosino.
An aging monarch plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. But when he asks them first to prove how much they love him, he sets off a series of events which turn the daughters into enemies, the state into a maelstrom. One of the greatest tragedies ever written, in a new adaptation featuring music by Clint Bierman ’97 and Professor of Theatre Alex Draper in the title role.
Please join us for a post-show talk back with the director and company after the Friday performance.
Wright Theatre
Open to the Public
$10/8/5
-
King Lear
Directed by Michole Biancosino.
An aging monarch plans to divide his kingdom between his three daughters. But when he asks them first to prove how much they love him, he sets off a series of events which turn the daughters into enemies, the state into a maelstrom. One of the greatest tragedies ever written, in a new adaptation featuring music by Clint Bierman ’97 and Professor of Theatre Alex Draper in the title role.
Please join us for a post-show talk back with the director and company after the Friday performance.
Wright Theatre
Open to the Public
$10/8/5