Opportunities in Theater and Dance

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Sound Board

We welcome students who may choose not to major in Theater and Dance to take as many courses with us as they'd like -- and to actively participate in our production program. All of our production work involves many students participating on an extracurricular basis, including students of any major, new students, and Five College students. Our courses are also open to all students. 

COURSES

Every semester, we offer 100-level and 200-level courses that require no prior experience or course prerequisites. These courses focus on principles of collaboration, creative problem-solving, and improvisation in areas like movement, acting, design, and playwriting. We also offer courses in the history, literature and theory of theater and dance, as well as beginning courses in dance techniques and spoken expression.  For non-majors, any of these courses would fulfill the distribution requirement for Latin Honors eligibility.

Upper-level courses explore more specific disciplines and topics within theater and dance.  You do not need to be a Theater and Dance Major to take additional upper-level courses in the department.

We encourage students with interests in creative writing, poetry, music, video and film, visual art, and architecture, to complement your studies with a related course in Theater and Dance. Students who take courses in our department also often discover interdisciplinary connections with topics related to history, psychology, anthropology, political science, cultural studies, and issues of race, gender and sexuality, among others.

See the Courses page to get a feel for what may interest you. Please feel free to contact any faculty member to discuss interests and course options.  

AUDITIONS

Auditions are open to everyone, including first-year students. Usually, no preparation is necessary.  To find out more, visit our Auditions page or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Students frequently join run crews or stage management teams. Contact a faculty member about a specific project in which you are interested, or our Production Coordinator, Jon Doyle at jmdoyle@amherst.edu.

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Student worker in production shop

For opportunities in the costume shop, contact our Costume Shop Supervisor, Carla Froeberg at cgfroeberg@amherst.edu.

PAID WORK

We have a variety of work-study paid positions in technical theater, audience services and publicity.  Go to this link to learn more:

Student Employment Opportunities in Theater and Dance