Our laboratory season consists of four major projects each year. Usually directed by faculty members, performances take place in the Sharon Martin Hall or the Hylbert Family Studio Theatre, both in the Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts. These projects are usually productions of single plays, but they might be projects created by a student ensemble or collections of shorter works.
Participation is open to any Denison student (for actors by audition; for other artists and technicians by interview or successful completion of a prerequisite). The rehearsal and production process is typically 20 hours per week, for four to five weeks, with seven performances over two weeks.
We aim to offer a wide variety of experiences in theatre-making, exploring different modes of theatre rehearsal and creation, multiple styles of performance and/or design, new plays in process, curated older works from historical traditions, plays which ask important questions or reflect on identity and culture—all providing a rich range of opportunities for a students with different learning goals.
We typically produce a musical every other year. In addition, the Department of Music’s Singers’ Theatre Workshop ensemble also mounts an opera, operetta, or musical theatre production every semester. Students often participate in both the productions of the Department of Theatre and the Singer’s Theatre Workshop.