Theatre Performance Programs
Develop Your Talents
Shenandoah's rigorous theatre programs equip you for highly successful professional careers in the theatre business. Your talents are nurtured and challenged by our professional faculty and staff, whether your major is in performance or design and technical areas. Graduates from Shenandoah's theatre programs work on Broadway, in regional theatres, on national and international tours, on cruise ships, as well as in film, television and commercials.
At Shenandoah, we engage you from the first day you arrive on campus. A robust season of musicals, plays, and youth theatre productions on two stages keeps you active and involved and helps you hone your skills in a practical setting. Hands-on attention from faculty and a belief in cultivating the individual artist–as opposed to the "cookie cutter" approach–prepares you to compete in the industry with the confidence that comes with knowing how to market your unique "brand."
Theatre at Shenandoah
Shenandoah’s theatre programs prepare students for professional careers both on and off stage. Our rigorous programs will equip students for successful careers in theatre, film, television and new media.
Students are nurtured and challenged by our professionally acclaimed faculty, whether they major in performance or design and technical areas. The faculty works closely with students in the classroom and challenge them to grow as theatrical practitioners.
Shenandoah Conservatory acting students learn the Sanford Meisner Technique from one of the pre-eminent master teachers in the craft.
Between auditions, production and classroom work, our students graduate with a competitive edge in an ever-changing art form.
Theatre News
Shenandoah University Student Named 2025 Miss Apple Blossom
Shenandoah University student Kira Sledge ’28 was crowned 2025 Miss Apple Blossom and will serve as an official hostess of the 98th Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, next spring, festival officials recently announced. As ... Continue Reading Shenandoah University Student Named 2025…
Gawason ’25 Excels in Sante Fe Opera’s Apprentice Program, Wins Award
Travis Gawason '25 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Production – Costume Design) served as a stitching and wardrobe apprentice at the Santa Fe Opera (SFO), a unique outdoor opera company in Santa Fe, New Mexico, this past summer. This ... Continue Reading Gawason ’25 Excels in Sante…
Bonds, Engen and Fitch Guest Direct and Choreograph Fall Musical Theatre Productions
Shenandoah Conservatory welcomes Broadway artists DB Bonds, Brooke Engen and Andrew Fitch as guest directors and choreographers for two musical theatre productions in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre this fall. Bonds will guest direct and Engen will guest ... Continue Reading Bonds, Engen and Fitch Guest…
Theatre Alumni
Rubio ’23 Serves as Assistant Costume Supervisor for ‘Christmas Spectacular’ Starring Radio City Rockettes
Azaria Rubio ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Design & Production – Costume Design) is currently working as an assistant costume supervisor for the “Christmas Spectacular” starring the Radio ... Continue Reading Rubio ’23 Serves as Assistant…
Hoetmer ’00 Stars in ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ Movie
Danielle Hoetmer ’00 (Bachelor of Arts in Theatre) continues to make waves in the film industry. She stars as Mrs. Wendelken in the upcoming major motion picture, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” ... Continue Reading Hoetmer ’00 Stars in ‘The…
Young ’23 Joins Broadway Cast of ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’
Riley Thad Young ’23 (Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre) has joined the Broadway cast of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” at Lyric Theatre. Visit playbill.com to learn more. ... Continue Reading Young ’23 Joins Broadway Cast…
Theatre Faculty
Caring and Accomplished
Our artist-educators draw upon extensive professional experience on the stage and screen, in audio, extended/virtual reality and more
- Cutting-edge scholars, actors, directors, and designers actively engaged in the profession
- Highly sought-after experts in their respective fields
- World-class experts in acting techniques
ShenCoLAB
Shenandoah Conservatory turns over the programming and facilities to its students for a week of unbridled exploration, collaboration and creativity.
ShenCoLAB is the only such week of its magnitude and scope offered by a university performing arts program in the United States.
The week culminates in an extraordinary event: the Festival of Arts, Ideas & Exploration, which featured 27 performances and five presentations in the inaugural year!
Take a Virtual Tour of Shenandoah Conservatory
Shenandoah Conservatory is an exciting hub of collaboration and innovation. Here's a chance to take a quick look at all the spaces in which our students engage in rich and rewarding creative experiences in music, theatre, and dance.
We're an All-Steinway School
Great music stirs the heart and inspires the soul, and Steinway pianos are celebrated as the instruments used by renowned artists to cultivate their talent and produce great music. Similarly, uncompromising excellence in performing arts education sparks the imagination and inspires the future.