The Department of Theatre and Dance was established as a academic department in 1989 with six full-time faculty members in theatre and one 3/4 position in dance. At that time, our Programs of Study included majors in General Theatre and Theatre Education and a minor in Dance.
The fall of 2023 will mark the department’s 34th year. The Programs of Study have expanded to include Theatre concentrations in Performance and Design/Technology as well as a Dance Studies major. The Theatre Programs of Study are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and accrediation of Dance Studies by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD)
The department now has twenty full time faculty, fifteen in theatre and six in dance. Additionally, in most semesters the department also includes more than a dozen highly qualified adjunct faculty and an artist in residence. There are three staff positions: an administrative assistant, a technical director, and a costume studio supervisor.
The department faculty, staff and students are actively engaged in many professional organizations including but not limited to: North Carolina Theatre Conference, Southeastern Theatre Conference, United States Institute of Theatre Technology, The American Society for Theatre Research, and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Others are involved in the American College Dance Festival Association, Body-Mind Centering Association, Congress for Research on Dance, National Dance Education Organization, Pilates and Gyrotonic®/Gyrokinesis® Alliances, and other related professional organizations.
The department currently has rehearsal and performances spaces in three buildings on campus. Chapell Wilson Auditorium was renovated into the Valborg Theatre and opened on April 13, 1994. New dance studio space was renovated in Varsity Gym in 2008. In addition, the department uses the intimate I.G. Greer Studio space for rehearsals and performances. Fundraising efforts are now underway to complete the planned Valor Center that will house the Roseanne B. Peacock Studio Theatre and two large classroom/rehearsal studios.