Butler Theatre

Thinking of majoring in Theatre at college? Do you want the rigor of a BFA program? Would you also like to have a secondary major? At Butler Theatre we offer a professional and flexible program that provides the best of both worlds: professionally oriented training situated in a flexible degree program.

If you are an actor, director, designer, technician, or stage manager wanting to take your craft to the highest level, Butler Theatre’s rigorous classes and innovative productions are just right for you.
We offer Emphasis Areas in Acting, Directing, Music Theatre, Costume/Makeup, Scenic/Lighting, and Stage Management. Select one—or even two—Emphasis Areas and dive deep into your craft.

Butler University Theatre’s production of “Come and Go” by Samuel Beckett.

Do you also want flexibility? Do you want to develop skills in addition to your theatre skills? Would you like a secondary major or minor? Butler Theatre’s flexible curriculum allows you to have that second major—and you also have the space to study abroad for a semester if you like.

What kinds of productions do you like? At Butler Theatre, we do it all: classical, contemporary, musical, international, theatre for youth, devised, and more. And we produce our mainstage season in a wide variety of theatres including a black box studio space, a 450-seat proscenium theatre, a 400-seat “Greek amphitheatre” space, and a 2200-seat theatre (that also houses touring Broadway shows.) Our students experience a wide variety of genres and spaces in their production work over the course of their four years with us. We also have a robust season of student-produced work that provides additional opportunities to pursue your craft.

What do our students do after they graduate from Butler Theatre? Our alumni are working professionals in theatre and film in Chicago, NYC, LA, Atlanta, and right here in Indianapolis, where Butler University is located. Many of our alumni go straight into the profession; others go to prestigious graduate programs across the country before entering the professional theatre world. Still others use their theatre training in allied fields such as drama therapy, museum theatre, and even standup comedy. And we also have many alumni who utilize their theatre skills everyday in careers outside of the arts such as law, business, and education. Our Theatre Majors and Alumni are great people and help each other out throughout college and beyond.

Our faculty are working professionals who love theatre and are excited to teach theatre artists who will shape the future of our art form. We are interested in assisting students to develop their own voice. What do you want to achieve as an artist? How can we assist you in getting there? We are eager to help the theatre artists of the future!

Check out our website to learn more and be sure to scroll to the bottom of our landing page to see videos from our productions so you can see the quality of our work firsthand.