Hartwick College Theatre Arts students in production of the musical Chicago

Welcome to Hartwick Theatre Arts

WHY STUDY THEATRE ARTS AT HARTWICK?

You want a career onstage, backstage or in front-of-house. You’re passionate about performance, design, management, marketing, playwriting, costumes and makeup.

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Here’s why our theatre arts program stands out:

  • Dive into both onstage and backstage roles from day one—no waiting!
  • Gain experience in all facets of production: costume, set, and lighting design, as well as acting, stage management and playwriting.
  • Combine your studies with an education certification, art or social work to leverage theatre as a way to make a difference in people’s lives.
  • Participate in “24,” Hartwick’s annual 24-hour theatre festival.

Theatre Arts Major and Minor Requirements

Theatre Arts Department

Many Career Paths

A theatre arts major opens doors to diverse careers within the entertainment industry. Beyond acting, the theatre serves as a gateway to related fields, offering numerous pathways to build a fulfilling career in the arts and entertainment sector. Here’s just a sample of where Hartwick alums are putting their theatre arts degree to work:

  • Franklin Stage Company
  • The Farmers Museum
  • Sing-a-Song-of Broadway
  • Leftfield Pictures
  • Kevin Davis Productions
  • Dance Concert Company
  • Otsego Media

WHERE WILL YOUR HARTWICK THEATRE ARTS DEGREE TAKE YOU?

A Career

Chase O’Neill ’16’s most recent musical production, Here There Be Dragons, premiered in June 2022 at the Players Theatre in New York, N.Y. He received a master’s in fine art in musical theatre writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is now the assistant technical director of Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C.


Zac Whitenack ’17 is the assistant technical director at the Penobscot Theatre Company in Bangor, Maine. In addition to his behind-the-scenes expertise on productions, Whitenack helped refurbish the theater, including the scene shop and dressing rooms, for their 2021 Christmas season.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

  • Explore all aspects of performance, prop making, costume, light and set design, or direct, then choose which area you’d like to focus on.
  • Expand your horizons during J Term by studying theatre in England, seeing Broadway shows in New York City or joining a local theatre company for a community production.
  • Create and produce your own theatrical production and perform it during the Student Showcase.
  • Collaborate with friends to start a podcast in our production studio.
  • Showcase your writing talent by submitting a play to the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Faculty

Gary Burlew

Technical Director
607-431-4601

Barbara Kahl

Associate Professor of Theatre Arts

Marc Shaw

Associate Professor of Theatre Arts & Department Chair
607-431-4909

Kathryn Smith

Adjunct Lecturer of Dance
607-431-4705

Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree Program.

Ready to move faster? Get the full Hartwick theatre arts experience in three-quarters the time at three-quarters the cost.

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