Department of Theatre & Dance

The Theatre and Dance Department’s mission emphasizes the value of performance as a vital means of working for social justice and personal transformation…

The Department mentors majors and non-majors alike in explorations of the many ways theatre and dance artists interpret and affect society. Students and faculty collaborate on creative research projects designed to raise awareness, create community, foster self-expression, challenge stereotypes, evoke compassion, and represent diverse perspectives. Advanced seminars and capstone experiences enable students to develop and articulate their own unique senses of vocation, purpose and creative vision for life and art beyond college.

Theatre and Dance Department performance events entertain and challenge Gustavus audiences with dynamic, innovative productions. The department also seeks to serve the greater St. Peter community with the artistic excellence and educational outreach so important to our work…

…[the program] prepares students for graduate study and/or for professional work in the fields of Theatre and Dance. It also provides students with experience and confidence with collaboration, creative imagination, self-expression, problem-solving, critical analysis and empathy—abilities crucial to every walk of life.

View our full mission statement

New Scholarships Available in Theatre for Social Justice!

Are you part of a social justice theatre troupe at your school or church? Are you interested in issues-based theatre or educational youth or children’s theatre? Are you passionate about the power of theatre as a tool for social change? Then Gustavus has a program (and a scholarship) designed for you.

Gustavus is known for our award-winning social justice theatre troupe I Am We Are.  This student-directed company creates shows dealing with personal, local and global issues for performance at first-year orientation, conferences, schools and many other venues. The Department of Theatre and Dance also offers coursework including Theatre and Society, Creating Social Justice Theatre, Playwriting and Playmaking, and others that help develop this important theatre work, and will continue to build our program in theatre for social justice. A new category in the Anderson scholarships has been created to support students interested in this area.

Read about the Anderson Scholarships for details. Questions? E-mail Dr. Amy Seham at aseham@gustavus.edu