Theory Theater Performance Overview

Background and Context

Historically, our campus has been a center for the study of theatre and performance and today IU Bloomington maintains an impressive number of leading scholars working in the areas of theatre scholarship, dramatic theory, and performance studies. We regularly teach graduate-level courses in theatre and performance studies and advise doctoral dissertations in the field. 

Over the past few years, we have fostered this vibrant community for sharing scholarship in theatre and performance studies through informal networking and events. In Spring 2025 with the help of an IAS grant, we created the working group in Theory Theater Performance, which promotes the theoretical study of theater from an interdisciplinary perspective. Our working group brings together over 27 faculty members from across the College in dialogue with colleagues from the Media School, the Eskenazi School, the Jacobs School of Music, and the School of Education (see “Mission and Structure” for further detail). The group is working on a website to feature faculty and students working in theatre and performance studies, continues to produce conferences that attract leading scholars to campus, and also hosts guest-artists and workshops.

From this group emerged the recognition that students pursuing PhDs need a credential to acknowledge their study and expertise in theatre and performance studies. We have engaged with various campus leaders and external experts to explore potential frameworks to address this need. As a result, the Ph.D. Minor in Theory Theater Performance was identified as an effective means to begin bridging this gap in academic structures and community.