Department of Theatre & Drama

The Department of Theatre & Drama provides students with a stimulating blend of intellectual rigor, professional experience, and cultural diversity all in an intimate and supportive atmosphere.

The department commits to inquiry and self-assessment, ongoing dialogue, and above all, to actions that will lead to equitable theatre processes. Committed to attracting, recruiting, and retaining students with wide-ranging backgrounds and identities, the department continues to examine repertoire and performance techniques, approaches to pedagogy, amplifying traditionally under-represented voices both on stage and behind the scenes, and is dedicated to developing each student’s unique voice and talent. The notable faculty comprises accomplished working professionals including actors, directors, designers, technicians, playwrights, and published scholars. The program combines rigorous, conservatory-style training within the context of a liberal arts education at one of the nation’s leading research universities. SMTD supports a comprehensive set of class offerings, encourages community connections and involvement, multiple performance opportunities both on stage and off, and a rich schedule of acclaimed guest teachers and artistic residencies. Renowned for their breadth of experience, Michigan theatre alumni work on stage, on camera, and in all behind-the-scenes roles, and they boast one of the strongest and most supportive networks in the industry.

The 2026-27 Theatre & Drama Performance Season

All scheduled Theatre & Drama events for the 26/27 academic year are listed below. Ticketed Productions (marked with a ticket icon below) require the purchase of tickets to attend; all other performances are free and open to the public. You can confirm performance times by visiting our events calendar closer to the performance.

Time Passes: 8 Short Plays by Samuel Beckett

October 1–4 / October 8–11
Arthur Miller Theatre
Ticketed Production
Directed by Malcolm Tulip

The Fairytale Lives of Russian Girls, by Meg Miroshnik

October 16–17
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Naomi Parr

Crumbs from the Table of Joy, by Lynne Nottage

October 8–10
Newman Studio
Faculty-Led Studio Production
Directed by Tiffany Trent

Othello, by William Shakespeare

November 13–14
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Jeffrey Wagner

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, by Moíses Kaufman

November 19–22
Mendelssohn Theatre
Ticketed Production
Directed by Halena Kays

McNeal, by Ayad Akhtar

February 25–28
Power Center
Ticketed Production
Directed by Geoff Packard

Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches, by Tony Kushner

February 26–27
Newman Studio
BFA Directing Thesis
Directed by Gonzalo Delgado

Murakami by the Sea

April 8–11 / April 15–18
Arthur Miller Theatre
Ticketed Production
Devised & directed by Tzveta Kassabova

Single tickets for the 26/27 ticketed productions go on sale July 30, 2026.

Faculty

Theatre & Drama department faculty members are dedicated, passionate, and accessible teachers who maintain active professional lives, providing a balance between their commitment to teaching while enabling them to keep abreast of current trends and techniques. They foster a nurturing climate that encourages personal growth and builds lifelong relationships.


Paul Bonin-Rodriguez

Professor of Music and Professor of Theatre & Drama
Entrepreneurship & Leadership

José Casas

Associate Professor of Theatre & Drama
Playwriting

Mark Colson

Assistant Professor
Acting, Acting for the Camera

Antonio Disla

Clinical Assistant Professor of Theatre & Drama
Acting, African-American Drama

Patrick Drone

Theatrical Properties Shop Manager and Adjunct Lecturer in Theatre & Drama
Theatrical Properties

Jenna Gerdsen

Assistant Professor of Theatre & Drama
Theatre & Drama, Theatre History

Jungah Han

Assistant Professor of Theatre & Drama
Scenic Design

Amy E. Hughes

Professor of Theatre & Drama
Dramatic Literature, Theatre History

Kevin Judge

Associate Professor of Theatre & Drama and Faculty Secretary
Scenic Design

Halena Kays

Assistant Professor
Directing, Theatre & Drama

Jeffrey Kuras

Executive Director of University Productions; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music
Performing Arts Management, Production Management

Richard Lindsay

Technical Director, University Productions and Adjunct Lecturer in Theatre & Drama, School of Music, Theatre & Dance
Walgreen Scene Shop

Ashley E. Lucas

Professor of Theatre & Drama and LS&A Residential College
Prison Creative Arts Project, Theatre for Social Change

Jenn Rae Moore

Clinical Assistant Professor of Theatre
Production Management

Christianne Myers

Claribel Baird Halstead Collegiate Professor of Theatre & Drama
Costume Design

Mbala Nkanga

Associate Professor of Theatre & Drama, Head of Theatre Studies

Sarah M Oliver

Associate Professor of Theatre & Drama
Costume Technology

Jay Pension

Assistant Professor
Entrepreneurship & Leadership

Creativity Lives Here

Theatre & Drama students perform, study, rehearse, and collaborate in a wide array of places and spaces designed to support all facets of performing arts education. Among dozens of venues and facilities across campus where students study and perform, here are a few highlights of the buildings that play an important role in daily life at SMTD.

Walgreen Drama Center

The sleek and modern home for musical theatre and theatre & drama students features 100,000 square feet of space and includes the Arthur Miller Theatre, Stamps Auditorium, state-of-the-art classrooms, and studios for design, sound, screen acting, and performance, as well as extensive theatre shops.

Power Center for the Performing Arts

This 1,300-seat theatre is primarily used for our dance, musical theatre, theatre, and large-scale opera performances.

Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre

In this 600-seat theatre, many of our smaller, more intimate theatre, musical theatre, dance, and opera productions are held.

Arthur Miller Theatre

A flexible performance space used for theatre & drama and musical theatre, this venue can accommodate proscenium and thrust stage configurations and an audience of up to 280.

 

Performance, Production, and Engagement Opportunities

Students in the Department of Theatre & Drama have a wide range of opportunities available to them outside of the classroom, both on and off the stage–depending on your major. View a list of all our Past Productions.

Several female actors on stage, dressed in period greek costumes.
Performance Opportunities

Performance Opportunities
The Department of Theatre & Drama, in collaboration with University Productions (the producing arm of SMTD), presents four to five fully-mounted mainstage shows each year, with casts comprised entirely of acting majors.

Extracurricular performance opportunities are also available through a variety of student-run groups, as well as local professional theatres.

Our Stories

Alumni Notes

Gordon Granger (BFA ’11, theatre & drama) recently entered his 10th season in the properties department of Lyric Opera of Chicago and his second season as head prop fabricator. He is a proud journeyman of his union, IATSE Local 2 Stagehands. He works at various venues throughout the city as a stagehand, carpenter, and rigger. (Fall 2025)
Abi Farnsworth (BFA ’24, design & production) completed first-year graduate studies at NYU/Tisch, while making her New York stage lighting design debut with CM Performing Art Center’s Rock of Ages. She continued as resident company lighting designer for Timber Lake Playhouse in summer 2025 and also drafts custom lighting for ShowFab.
Shea Fairaday (BFA ’21, theatre & drama) voices the playable character Cipher in the English dub of Honkai: Star Rail, a popular role-playing gacha video game boasting over 25 million players across over 150 countries. Fairaday has also done voice work for another popular game, Genshin Impact, and for the Las Vegas revue show Awakening. (Fall 2025)

Show Your Support

Any gift to SMTD helps launch the next generation of artists, scholars, educators, and entrepreneurs who challenge and inspire the world.

You can support the Department of Theatre & Drama with a contribution to the following funds:

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