The World is Your Stage

Maybe you are a natural born performer. Or you discovered your passion for the stage while working on a high school play. At Saint Mary’s, you can pursue your passion while preparing for your career. You can even tailor your major to feed your creativity with a concentration in musical theatre. And whether you aspire to be a professional performer, stage manager, pursue a career in design, or use your stage presence in your future career as a lawyer, teacher, or sales representative, Saint Mary’s theatre program has a place for you.

• 100%said Saint Mary’s prepared them well or very well for graduate school
• 10:1Student to faculty ratio
• 51%of students study abroad

Tailor your major with a musical theatre minor

Our minor in musical theatre lets you explore the marriage of dance and music on the theatrical stage. Take courses in voice, acting, stagecraft, piano, and dance to propel your skills to the next level of amazing. Feed your passion and talent under the limelight as you connect with audiences through song, movement, and dialogue. Learn how to express and create a common vision through close collaboration with other students, professors, and visiting artists. Complete your triple threat status with just a handful of courses, and chassé towards graduation and into your future career.

A Fashion and Costume Minor at Saint Mary's

The Fashion and Costume Minor (FaCO) is a manageable, 13-credit hour minor that helps students be more marketable in Fashion and Costume-based fields, such as fashion merchandising, marketing, museum studies, stage design, and fashion design. This program is designed to offer students a working vocabulary of practices associated with Fashion and Costume. Students will develop a proficient, introductory knowledge of historical and aesthetic terms and practices; prepare for post-graduate work in any field with a foundational understanding of marketing and professional aspects; and articulate ethical issues related to the field, demonstrating her attention to the Catholic value of justice. Students of any major are welcome. 

Career paths for theatre majors

Employers value the public speaking, critical thinking, and creative skills exhibited by theatre majors. These skills easily translate to the boardroom, courtroom, classroom, and beyond. In fact, you’ll find our theatre alumnae achieving great things all over the country, and as part of the Saint Mary’s sisterhood, they serve as valuable professional connections.

Our graduates pursue careers as professional actors, directors, stage managers, costume and set designers, playwrights, film editors, art critics, talent managers, casting directors, and more.

Adriana Trigiani '81
Theatre major
Bestselling author
New York, New York

Sheila Hanahan Taylor ’91
Theatre major
Film Producer
Los Angeles, CA

Go behind the scenes and around the world

Spend your fall break in New York City viewing plays, design exhibits, and backstage tours. It’s all part of our Theatre As a Profession course, offered every other year. The one-credit course culminates in the four-day NYC trip, where you’ll enjoy behind-the-scenes show tours and visit with industry professionals.

Each year our students also have the opportunity to attend the American College Theatre Festival (ACTF), along with hundreds of other theatre majors from midwest schools. At ACTF, students can choose from more than 40 workshops per day in areas such as stage combat, prosthetic makeup, costume design, playwriting, and more. Or you can travel abroad and take a theatre course offered every other summer on the European Summer Study Tour.

Get feedback on your craft
from influential actors

Each year Saint Mary’s hosts renowned national and international artists through the Margaret Hill Visiting Artist Series, which you won’t find in another undergraduate theatre program. Receive professional feedback on your craft from the likes of Sigourney Weaver, Lily Tomlin, Glenn Close, Hal Prince, Dianne Wiest, Audra McDonald, and The Second City. You’ll also enjoy master classes, lectures, and lunches with these talented stars.