Concentrators in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies chose a track to study within the concentration - Theatre Arts, Performance Studies, or Dance. Students can all find a home in one of the tracks by working with faculty to best design their curricular choices.
Theatre Arts & Performance Studies
Undergraduate
The Department offers a concentration in Theatre Arts and Performance Studies. Concentrators chose one of the tracks to study within the concentration.
Information about the application process, auditions, portfolio reviews and tours.
Perform all Over Campus
Undergraduates at Brown make theatre, dance, and performance-based work all over campus. Performances have been written for hallways, breezeways, walkways, as well as our theatres. Work has been produced without a play in mind – improvised, found, choreographed on the spot. Other work has been incubated and nurtured for years at a time. Well-known plays from the dramatic canon are produced alongside lesser-known newcomers or buried treasures rarely produced. Some work takes multitudes, other work flies solo. The point is that there is a lot going on in a very exciting atmosphere of creative and intellectual exchange where traditions and heritages of craft are as highly valued as the rough draft of innovation and experimentation.
Get Involved
Classes are a key way to get to know faculty and other students well. But there are also shows to help out on as run crew. There are costumes to design and build, lights to hang, lines to memorize, muscles to stretch, voices to warm, directing projects to propose. There are producing boards to sit on and there are sets to design, productions to stage manage, dances to choreograph, plays to write, songs to write, philosophies to write, and –always – posters to hang.
Tours
In-person tours of TAPS are currently unavailable. Please enjoy this virtual tour with information concerning TAPS.
Undergraduate Student Handbook
Please consult our handbook for detailed information about our programs. Handbooks are updated as things change. Please download the most recent version for the most accurate information.
The handbook are addressed to current and prospective students to be used as a planning guide and reference resource throughout a student’s academic career.
Pertinent University web resources should be regarded as the primary references for degree requirements and options.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. If you are accepted at Brown, all of our Department's activities and offerings will be open to you.
No. Auditions and portfolio reviews are neither required nor reviewed for students interested in TAPS. Any materials sent directly to the department will be returned unread and we will not forward materials to the Admissions Office on your behalf.
Yes, we now offer a Dance track. Please email danceatbrown@brown.edu if you have specific questions about on-campus dance offerings.
There is not currently a separate design concentration track, but you can focus on design, tech and production academically within any of our tracks. You can also contact our Production Director with questions about design and production opportunities at Brown. The John Street Studio is the focal point for the department's design initiative, and provides classrooms, studio space and support for designers at Brown and beyond. It is a convergence of students and professionals working on departmental productions, as well as artists from other departments and the local community including RISD/Brown Design for America, Archaeology, the RISD Sculpture department, A Better World by Design and Brown Opera Productions.
Yes. The department relies heavily on students for all its productions, including the mainstage Sock&Buskin season, dance concerts, and special events throughout the year. This includes paid positions for undergrads with our Costume Shop, Production Manager's Office, Scene Shop, John St Design Studio, and Box Office/House Management/Publicity. Please check the student employment website for current openings. Undergraduate students from all concentrations are welcome to apply for those positions. Graduate students and non-Brown students are not eligible for student employment positions. International students on a nonimmigrant visa are strongly encouraged to consult with the OISSS prior to seeking employment at Brown.
There are many opportunities to perform for both concentrators and non-concentrators in TAPS. Go to our Performances and Events page to see details on our current season. We also list auditions in our News section.