Theater

Black CAST production of The Ladies of the Rainbow 2019Harvard undergraduates have the opportunity to study and practice the performing arts through the recently launched Theater, Dance, & Media concentration; to benefit from the work of the American Repertory Theater – a world-class professional company in residence; and to create theater outside of the curriculum through more than a dozen student theatre organizations as well as projects initiated by individual students.

Student Groups

Outside of productions presented by TDM and A.R.T., the majority of the many productions staged each year are produced, directed, designed, acted and run by students with support from the Office for the Arts and a variety of student-led theater groups.

Venues

The Loeb Drama Center: home to the A.R.T. and the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club - housing the 540 seat Mainstage and a versatile black box theater, The Ex.

Farkas Hall: home to TDM and Hasty Pudding Theatricals. This contemporary theater seats 250.

Agassiz Theatre: home to Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert & Sullivan Players, the First-Year Musical and the annual South-Asian Association’s cultural celebration Ghungroo.  This seats approximately 330.

Adams House Pool Theater—yes, this 90-seat theater used to be a pool.

Leverett House Theater: a recently renovated, multi-function, parlor-like space seating approximately 60. Check with Leverett House staff to inquire about specs and other information.

All of these venues entertain proposals from other than their resident groups. Productions are performed in unconventional spaces as well, such as House dining halls, common rooms and courtyards.

Getting Involved

For actors, the  Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club hosts a week-long audition session called Common Casting at the beginning of each semester. Productions are cast through this process, which is intended to create a low-pressure atmosphere for actors to audition for as many shows as possible. The week following Common Casting, the HRDC hosts Tech Week which provides workshops and opportunities for involvement behind the scenes. There are also tech trainings available at both the Farkas Hall and Agassiz Theatre.

You can also get involved through the dramatic or arts groups in your residential house; most houses have theater, film, or other performance-oriented arts groups.

Have an idea for a project? Gather a production staff and apply for a space that would work best for your project. Apply through the HRDC for Loeb Drama Center spaces, the Office for the Arts for Agassiz Theatre, and with resident tutors for House theaters. 

For more information on theater at Harvard, contact the OFA Theater Staff.