Join one of the best colleges for performing arts in the country and prepare for a rewarding career in theater.
What can you do with a degree in theatre? You can perform on the stage or in television series or film projects, teach acting or develop your own stage plays, media channel or video productions. You can pursue directing, production or arts communications, playwriting or work behind the scenes doing set design, costumes, sound, stage management or lighting. Or you can be involved in community engagement through theatre.
Isuri Wijesundara ’18, a theatre arts major now studying at the Yale School of Drama, is featured in Adelphi’s Spring 2022 episode of The College Tour on Amazon Prime.
To study theater at Adelphi University is to find accomplished working professors, friends-for-life classmates, the proximity of New York City and a legacy of successful, supportive alumni. Adelphi trains “people of the theater,” said Maggie Lally ’82, associate dean of faculty programs and associate professor of theater. “The professional experience of our faculty and their…
Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center has been recognized among the 35 Best University Performing Arts Centers in the U.S. by Clickit Ticket—which described it as “a haven of creativity” and one of “the best places in the United States to see dynamic student productions as well as those by world-renowned artists.
I am passionate about theater because it is an exciting and dynamic art form that can entertain or challenge an audience. I’m invested in the success of every student and view their education as a collaborative endeavor between myself and the student.
Sean Sullivan
Associate Professor, Department of Theatre
Our acting concentration prepares you for work on stage or screen. You’ll learn the vocal and physical skills required of an actor and participate in a wide array of performance activities, including chamber theater, cabaret, solo and ensemble work.
Only acting majors and minors are allowed to audition for departmental productions; every student is guaranteed performance opportunities and may earn many more through auditioning.
As a major in theater design/technology, you’ll train in the many aspects of design and technical functions of the performing arts, including set and costume design, props, drafting, lighting design and pulling it all together as a producer.
You’ll analyze and compare the historical, critical and aesthetic contexts in which the dramatic tradition has developed. In your third year, faculty will review your portfolio and advise you on which area—theater technology, scenic design, costume design, lighting design or stage management—you should specialize in.
Ideal for students who have a passion for theater, a minor allows students to specialize in either theater acting or theater design/technology. The theater minor is compatible with any course of study and allows you to express your creative abilities regardless of your major.
Katie Goz, a senior acting major, shares her experience interning at the New York Theatre Workshop.
Meet Lead Costume Designer Sarafina Bush '12.
As a student in our theater arts program, you’ll participate in more than 20 productions in the Adelphi University Performing Arts Center, recently named one of the 35 Best University Performing Arts Centers in the country. And you’ll benefit from master classes taught by stars from the entertainment world.
Adelphi’s close proximity to New York City gives our students the opportunity for class trips to attend musicals, plays and theatrical performances. Recently, our fourth-year students successfully landed internships with companies large and small in the metropolitan area, including:
To apply for this program, submit the appropriate application requirements.
All undergraduate students have the opportunity to apply for the following programs to expand their educational landscape:
