Welcome to the Department of Drama!
On this website, you’ll find information about courses, degrees, performances, and other opportunities in Theatre and Dance at UVA. You can also learn about the Virginia Theatre Festival, a professional summer season affiliated with the Department.
The Department of Drama fosters a vibrant community dedicated to making, studying, and sharing theatre, dance, and performance. Our programs nurture artistic discovery, critical inquiry, and imaginative collaboration across the university and beyond. Please visit the Mission page to learn more about our values and commitments.
The department welcomes everyone interested in creating, designing, performing, and studying theatre and dance. Nearly all of our undergraduate courses are open equally to majors and non-majors, and every semester we enroll over 500 students from all over the university. Some plan professional careers in theatre or dance, and others combine their performance interests with studies in other areas.
In everything we do, the faculty and staff are committed to creating equitable, welcoming spaces for learning and performance, and to producing and teaching content that reflects the diversity of our students and our community. Please visit the Equity page to learn more about our actions and goals.
Our courses cover every aspect of theatre and dance, from acting to filmmaking, from choreography to improv, from lighting design to theoretical inquiry, and beyond. Each year we present dance concerts, stage plays, musicals, films, staged readings, and multimedia events. Our students, staff and faculty are regularly joined by guest artists from around the country and the world.
The department’s faculty are nationally and internationally known and share a passionate commitment to creative and scholarly research, teaching, and advising. They have produced work for theatres and festivals around the globe; published books, plays, and articles; and received many prestigious grants and awards.
Located on the John and Betsy Casteen Arts Grounds at UVA, the Drama building includes three state-of-the-art theatres, as well as shops, studios and classrooms. The glass-fronted lobby, looking out on the Arts Grounds lawn, is one of the most beautiful gathering places at the university a great place for studying, socializing, impromptu rehearsing, eating, and the occasional karaoke session.
This website is your gateway to learning more about the department’s events, faculty, and programs, and you should be sure to look for us on Facebook and Instagram. We invite to you to explore, discover, and participate!
Best wishes,
Richard Will
Chair, Department of Drama