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Theatre Minor

The stage is for everyone. Cultivate your talents and learn more about the art in our Theatre minor.

College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus

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What You'll Learn

You don’t have to have your heart set on a Broadway career to love theatre. Drake University’s Theatre minor will give you a deeper appreciation for all aspects of the art form, regardless of your major.

You’ll learn from faculty who have extensive experience on stage and behind the scenes as you take classes in acting, stagecraft, theatre history, costuming, stage makeup, and voice and movement.

While Theatre minors aren’t required to perform, you’ll have access to the same opportunities and spaces as the department’s B.A. and B.F.A. students.

About the Theatre Minor at Drake

  • Open to students in any major.
  • This minor complements a double major or dual degree.
  • No audition necessary.
  • Be part of a department that puts on numerous Main Stage productions each year.

Program Facts

  • 120 total credits; 26 credits for the minor
  • 2 years or less to completion
  • On campus, with a few online course options
  • Full-time or part-time

Program Options

Our Theatre minor places less emphasis on staging a production and more on understanding the art form itself and what it takes to bring a script to life.

Theatre Minor

Intended for the theatre enthusiast, this 26-credit minor introduces you to all aspects of the stage, from behind the scenes to performing. You’ll study theatre history, acting, stagecraft, and other elements of the production process.

Meet the Faculty

All department faculty members are as passionate about theatre as you are—and have years of experience working on productions in Des Moines and other cities across the Midwest and around the country.

Noah Files

Noah Files

Director, Theatre Design/Technology Program

John Pomeroy

John Pomeroy

Professor, Theatre Arts

Erik Meixelsperger

Erik Meixelsperger

Assistant Professor, Theatre

All Faculty Members

Outside the Classroom

Love the theatre? You can be a part of it at Drake, whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience.

Students on stage during a theatre production

Productions

Our Theatre department maintains an active performance schedule, from student-directed plays to elaborate musicals and other Main Stage productions. You can audition for a role or bring a show to life as a crew member.

Students in a theatre class

Performance Spaces

Students have access to the William S.E. Coleman Studio Theatre, a black box space, and the Performing Arts Hall, a 460-seat center where the Theatre department stages one musical and one non-musical production annually.

Looking into a mirror in a backstage dressing room, a Drake Theatre major applies makeup with a brush

The Drake Curriculum

Theatre reflects the world around us. The Drake Curriculum will give you the tools to better understand that relationship, from scientific and mathematical literacy to becoming a better global citizen.

Careers & Skills

While Drake Theatre majors can be found in regional performance companies, radio, television, and teaching, minors typically pursue careers elsewhere. That doesn’t mean, though, that the skills and talents you’ll cultivate in the Theatre program won’t translate to the real world.

As a Theatre minor, you’ll build teamwork and leadership skills through assignments and productions, improve your communication and listening skills, become adept at performing under deadline pressure, and gain valuable insight into what motivates people to behave the way they do.

Opportunities

  • Graduate school
  • Theatre therapy
  • Psychology
  • Entertainment journalism
  • Arts management and administration

Skills

  • Knowledge of the theatre arts, including acting, voice and movement, theatre history, costuming, and directing
  • Problem solving
  • Juggling multiple responsibilities and deadlines
  • A wide range of liberal arts skills developed through the Drake Curriculum.
Two students look over a monitor

Salary Growth and Outlook

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Median salary for writers in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Related Programs

While the Theatre minor provides a general overview of the elements of a production, the Theatre department’s other minors focus on specific sides of the craft.

Theatre Design & Technology, Minor

Set the stage for a career in theatrical technology in Drake University’s Theatre: Design and Technology minor.

Theatre Directing, Minor

Learn how to bring a production to life—from analysis, to concept, to casting, blocking, and coaching actors—in Drake University’s Theatre Directing minor.

Musical Theatre, Minor

Develop foundational skills in acting, voice, movement, dance, and music through integrated coursework and performance experiences in musical theatre.

Take the Next Step

Elevate your love of theatre by studying it with people who are as passionate about it as you are. Ask us about Drake’s Theatre minor.

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Students on stage during a theatre production