Overview of Harvard Theater

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to Harvard Theater! If you are new around here, things can get a bit confusing — especially since there's no centralized theater department — so it can sometimes be hard to know where to start. This page will hopefully give you a quick overview of how things work, and then provide you with links to other pages that should help you find what you're looking for.

How Theater Works at Harvard, for the Unknowing

Harvard Theater is significantly different than what many other schools' programs are like. For instance, for better or worse, there is no real Theater or Dramatic Arts concentration (major, for all you non-Harvardians), although there is a Dramatic Arts Committee that does hold classes. Despite this, there are over 60 productions each year which are almost entirely produced, directed, designed, acted, and run by students. In addition, despite the fact that the number of Dramatic Arts courses is fairly small, many other departments hold related classes, so it is possible to build a special concentration with theater as a component (contact the Registrar for more information about Special Concentrations).

The best part about Harvard Theater is the ease with which one can get involved. In fact, it takes significantly more effort to extricate yourself once you've become involved than it does to start! For actors, the HRDC hosts a week-long audition session called Common Casting for nearly all productions each semester, which is intended to provide a low-pressure way to audition for as many shows as possible. For show staff, there's always some group somewhere that needs help, so finding the work isn't the problem. You can start by contacting the HRDC or by posting to the on-line newsgroup, harvard.rec.theater. And if you have an idea for a project of your own, all you need to do is find the staff and apply to a space that you think would work for your production. Student-written shows are going up all the time across campus. You can also get involved through the dramatic or arts groups in your residential house; most houses have some sort of theater, film, or other performance-oriented arts group.

Although all this unregulated theatrical derring-do may seem rather chaotic, there are a few organizations and individuals attempting to bring about order. First, there are the hosts of this website, the Harvard Theater Advisory Group. Another group that works hard to help things go smoothly is the aforementioned HRDC. Then there is the association that various theaters have with affiliated arts groups, such as the Loeb's association with the ART, the Agassiz's association with the OFA, and the various House Theaters, which tend to have some tutors "responsible" for the space. The end result is that a lot of high-quality theater goes on, and yet pretty much anyone that wants to get involved can fit in somewhere.

If you'd like more information on Harvard Theater, feel free to browse around this website and others on campus. Also, don't hesitate to contact any of the production groups listed, or the staff of HTAG. Alan Symonds is also an excellent person to go to with any questions about Harvard Theater. We should be able to find some way to answer your questions.

The following links should help you find your way around, and give you contact information for the huge variety of student groups that run performances on campus.

P.S. If you are not a student but a curious audience member, you probably want to start with the Calendar page, which has links to show listings. Have fun!