Theatre Arts & Dance

Department Office
Ives Hall 205
(707) 664-2474
web.sonoma.edu/theatreanddance

Department Chair
Ed Beebout

Performing Arts Program Specialist
Douangta Sorensen

For faculty information, please see Faculty or the Theatre Arts faculty web page.

Vision

We believe in a world where the artist is transformative, essential and engaged.

Mission

The Department of Theatre Arts and Dance offers students a home where they can seek their potential and develop their voices as artists, through the study and collaborative making of live performance.

Core Values

Student centered

We believe first and foremost in creating experiences that serve our students’ needs and passions.

Rigor

We believe that performance training can inspire us to the highest standards of professionalism and personal achievement.

Full Engagement

We believe in making work that has value beyond the dance and theatre world and directly engages our campus and local community.

Theatre Arts and Dance majors and minors gain professional training for a career in the arts; a deep impression of ensemble and individual creativity; key academic and critical thinking skills; and a lasting sense of community. We feature a rich set of courses; a wide range of performance styles and opportunities; personal contact with faculty and guest artists, with particular connections to the contemporary Bay Area scene; focused and comprehensive individual advising; and a supportive and caring staff.

Students of theatre and dance develop artistic skill and kinesthetic intelligence while growing in human understanding and empathy. They learn to embody and project their own beliefs and to explore the cultures and beliefs of people who are different from them. Our theatre and dance faculty cultivate innovative approaches to theatre and dance, while respecting and learning from the past.

The department offers numerous performance opportunities and actively encourages and supports the development of new work by both students and faculty. The Department of Theatre Arts & Dance program is closely associated with SSU’s Department of Music in the area of voice and musical theatre. Together, the Department of Theatre Arts & Dance and the Department of Music form the Center of Performing Arts which offers over 200 student performances of theatre, dance, and music each year.

Programs

Major

Concentration

Minor

Theatre Arts, Minor