The department provides an experiential program that focuses on performance within a liberal arts context, with faculty and staff committed to educating the whole person, to developing not only a practitioner possessing artistic capabilities and understanding, but also a well-rounded human being. The discipline and art of theatre, dance, and communications provide the form and content through which academic and life skills with broad application are acquired and applied.

The program stresses the interdependency of academic study and experiential learning, the importance of disciplinary foundations, and the significance of a broad knowledge of performance and culture. Courses offer intensive exploration of the core perspectives necessary for performance and media practice, intellectual and aesthetic understanding, and life-long learning and experimentation.

The program prepares the student for vocational and avocational involvement in theatre disciplines, as well as graduate school, professional training, teaching, and community-based activities.