The mission of the Department of Theatre is to invigorate and advance the understanding and practice of theatre arts, and to prepare graduates who will serve diverse local and global communities through artistic and scholarly expression. We are committed to equipping diligent students with the requisite skills and knowledge for a successful career in the theatre by providing rigorous education in design, performance, pedagogy, playwriting, technology, and theatre scholarship. We also reach out to all University students with thoughtful, stimulating classes which will fulfill both their University requirements and their desire for personal expression and expanded horizons. The Department encourages faculty in their own artistic and research pursuits, for the purpose of enriching the learning experience in the classroom, design studio, and performance space. Faculty and staff are passionately committed to excellence in their fields and to guiding students into significant, challenging artistic and academic exploration and growth in a collaborative environment. Moreover, by creating productions of high artistic merit which share with the University and larger community the soul-nourishing and boundary-stretching art of the theatre, the Department participates actively in the project of making the world wiser and more humane.