a group of theatre students perform "Babes In Arms"

Theatre

Minor

Mercyhurst’s Theatre program helps students develop into engaged artists, impactful leaders, and compassionate members of a global community. 

An 18-credit minor is available to all Mercyhurst students. Courses in acting, theatre history, dramatic literature, and script analysis offer a breadth of knowledge about the discipline, while electives allow students to customize their program of study. Classes are small, enabling students to receive individualized instruction.

Our mainstage production season provides numerous opportunities for students to develop their skills as directors, actors, designers, and technicians in a wide repertoire of classic and contemporary plays and musicals. Recent productions include “Our Town,” “Saturday Night” (regional premiere), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Lucky Stiff,” “She Kills Monsters,” “A Dickens of a Carol” (world premiere), “Anne of Green Gables” (world premiere), and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.”   

Students also work closely with guest artists. Each year, the Theatre program offers a series of master classes, workshops, and Q&As with industry professionals. Recent guests include Betty Buckley, Chita Rivera, Bryce Pinkham, Anika Larsen, and Elizabeth Ashley.

Fast Facts

  • An 18-credit minor in Theatre is available to all Mercyhurst students. Courses in acting, theatre history, dramatic literature, and script analysis offer a breadth of knowledge about the discipline, while electives allow students to customize their program of study.
  • Mercyhurst Theatre Club aims to provide hands-on learning experiences in all aspects of theatre appreciation, production, and management and to foster a sense of community among students interested in theatre; thereby enriching the cultural life of our students.

Course Requirements

Students are expected to participate in departmental productions and complete 18 semester hours:

Four Required Courses:
  • THEA 110: Acting I (3 credits)
  • THEA 245: Script Analysis: From Page to Stage (3 credits)
  • THEA 290: Topics in Theatre History (3 credits)
  • THEA 401: Practicum (3 credits)
Two Electives chosen from the following courses:
  • DANC 100: Dance Appreciation (3 credits)
  • ENG 200: Literary Studies (3 credits)
  • ENG 316: Oral Interpretation (3 credits)
  • ENG 330: The English Drama (3 credits)
  • ENG 334: Shakespeare (3 credits)
  • ENG 356: Contemporary Drama (3 credits)
  • ENG 358: Modern American Drama (3 credits)
  • FASH 120: Contemporary Fashion Analysis (3 credits)
  • FASH 130: Introduction to Fashion Construction (3 credits)
  • FASH 330: Textiles I: Fiber to Fabric (3 credits)
  • FASH 410: Fashion Evolution (3 credits)
  • FREN 132: French Theatre in English Translation (3 credits)
  • ID 100: Design Basics (3 credits)
  • ID 220: History of Interior Design and Architecture I (3 credits)
  • ID 221: History of Interior Design and Architecture II (3 credits)
  • ID 380: Color and Light (3 credits)
  • MUS 104: Music History I (3 credits)
  • MUS 105: Music History II (3 credits)
  • THEA 140: Special Topics in Theatre (3 credits)
  • THEA 220: Acting II (3 credits)
  • THEA 330: Acting III (3 credits)

See You at the Theatre

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  • The Theatre Program opened its 2023-2024 season with "The Government Inspector," Nikolai Gogol’s deeply silly satire of small-town corruption. 

     

    Actors on stage in the Government Inspector
  • Cast of the Government Inspector
  • Students and alumni came together for a one-night concert event in September 2023, to celebrate the Theatre Program's 10th anniversary.

    number 10 made out of photos
  • Past Productions

    Past performances include the Crucible (pictured), Cabaret, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Tempest, Urinetown, and many others. 

    The Crucible actors on stage
  • Theatre Club

    The Mercyhurst Theatre Club boasts over 50 members from nearly every major on campus.

    male students at center stage performing "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
  • Theatre students on stage
  • The Government Inspector actors on stage in Taylor Little Theatre
  • Theatre students on stage