In Short
For over twenty years our program has offered rigorous training and professional opportunities that prepare students for careers as actors, directors, playwrights, and educators.
- Perform in biannual department productions
- Act in student film projects
- Direct and write plays
- Participate in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
Student Productions
Program Overview
The theater concentration empowers students through hands-on training and creative leadership. Professors Kelly Morgan and Mary Vreeland work with students one-on-one to help them achieve their individual goals as actors, directors, or playwrights. We encourage students to be active in shaping their education by offering them leadership opportunities as assistant directors and supporting student led creative projects.
Both of our full time professors are members of SAG-AFTRA, Actors Equity Union, and the Director’s Guild. Theater professionals from throughout the northeast have also been invited to teach as adjuncts. Some of our adjuncts have included Denise Alexander, Peter Anderegg, Dan Daly ‘09, and Kimberlee Connor ‘13.
Our program has a reputation for producing thought-provoking new plays. A significant number of our plays address pressing contemporary issues. Our students were proud to participate in the production of the timely new play “American Underground” by Brent Askari. It is a story about a dystopian near future in the United States in which Muslim Americans are persecuted by the government. In 2025 the production was recognized at KCACTF Region 1 with merit awards for Ensemble Work, Theater for Social Change, Stage Management, Costume Design, and Sound Design.
All of our courses focus on hands-on learning that offers students the opportunity to develop their craft. Classes such as Acting for the Camera, Playwriting, Auditioning, and Directing are meant to give students the confidence and practical skills to pursue careers in theater or film. Our unique position within the Communications Media Department allows our students to easily collaborate with their peers in Film/Video or Game Design. Our students graduate with strong screen performances and voice-over reels that they can use as a stepping stone for their professional careers.
The Communications Media Department also offers a Technical Theater Concentration, which focuses on design, construction, and production coordination. Students may also be interested in the Creative Arts Therapies major or Creative Arts Enterprise major within the Humanities Department.
Watch the video below to learn about Gabriel Mangrum's experience as a communications media major in the theater concentration.
Theater Professor Kelly Morgan talks about the program at Fitchburg State.
He was the 2017 recipient of the Vincent J. Mara Excellence in Teaching Award.
The theater program is small, but super impactful. There's not only acting, there's stage combat, and programs for technical theater. You get to work with different types of people and challenge yourself.
Experiential Opportunities and a Look Inside the Courses
Upcoming Productions
Productions and Classes
The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival
Visions
Study Abroad
Curriculum and Other Information
- BS, Theater Concentration, Communications Media - Program information from the University Catalog.
- Four-Year Plan of Study - Required and elective courses for program completion.
B.S. in Communications Media
- Students should demonstrate professional proficiency in the following:
- Performance skill sets (i.e. acting, fight choreography, directing)
- Voice-over work
- Creation of original plays or screenplays
- Students should be able to apply aesthetic principles to their work by developing and defending a portfolio that demonstrates craftship and meets professional standards for their discipline.
- Students should be able to explain how their work fits in the historical and theoretical context of their discipline.
- Students should recognize and apply ethical perspectives to their work.
- Film and Television Actor
- Stage Actor
- Voice-Over Artist
- Content Creator
- Director
- Playwright
- Educator
- Performance Center Manager
- Spokesperson