About
_“After having graduated from SU Drama, I feel safe saying that I was sufficiently prepared for my future in the performing arts. Outside of theater technique, I also came away with a solid sense of responsibility, ambition, and drive, which continues to assist me throughout various endeavors today.”—Taye Diggs ’93
The Department of Drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts was created in the early 1930s by Sawyer Falk, one of the nation’s leaders in the development of theater programs at academic institutions. In 1974, Syracuse University hired Arthur Storch to serve as artistic director of Syracuse Stage, a LORT, Equity theater company, and also as director of the Department of Drama in order to create a symbiotic relationship between the two organizations for the purpose of enhancing the students’ experiences while at SU. This relationship flourished under James A. Clark’s guidance as producing director from 1992 to 2007, with Tazewell Thompson and Robert Moss serving as artistic directors for Syracuse Stage. Timothy J. Bond recently began his tenure as producing artistic director for the Stage and the department with a vision to enhance and strengthen this unity even further.
This unique affiliation between the drama department and Syracuse Stage provides opportunities for our students to gain professional experience in all areas of study while working towards their undergraduate degrees. This close relationship between a major professional theater serving the city and a vigorous university program for training young professionals is fostered by their common home in one theater complex.
The Department of Drama offers four conservatory-style bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree programs in acting, musical theater, stage management, and theater design and technology. It also offers a bachelor of science (B.S.) degree program in drama for students who are passionate about theater and wish to explore the many career possibilities in the field but who also want a more flexible curriculum that takes advantage of educational opportunities available at SU.
Undergraduates put classroom theory into practice through productions and various special opportunities, including Wednesday Lab, study abroad, and numerous community engagement initiatives. These productions and programs are open to the community at large in fulfillment of the University’s academic mission of Scholarship in Action.