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Culture in Action

The Bates Theater and Dance Department believes performance is for everyone. Through embodied artistry, activism, collaboration, and scholarship, our curriculum explores performance theories, physical practice, creative processes, history and historiography, and culturally inclusive engagement with productions. We welcome all who wish to join our community to engage in experimentation, innovative technologies, and informed experiential learning.

2025-26 Performances

We are thrilled to unveil a dynamic lineup of exhilarating performances for the 2025–26 Theater and Dance Season—an inspiring mix of bold plays, original dance, and innovative performances!

Highlights include Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenksins, and an original student thesis dance work Lo Que Se Rompe, Brilla, by Aaron Martinez ’26, along with our annual Fall Dance Concert and Marcy Plavin Spring Dance Concert.

Upcoming Performances

Department Spotlight

As an inherently fleeting art form, theater presents unique sustainability questions. Without careful attention, costumes and props easily become one-hit wonders, stars for a week before being relegated to storage or the waste stream.

At Bates, theater faculty and staff prioritize the reuse of materials. “We produce things with the goal of saving as much as we can possibly save so that we can reuse it mindfully,” says McDowell.

With their 2025 Green Innovation Grant initiative, Bates theater will be able to use latex paint for theater sets more efficiently.

Academic Information

The Bates Theater and Dance Department provides an unparalleled liberal arts experience led by faculty and staff who are active professionals in their field. We empower a diverse community of students to cultivate their unique and expansive approaches to artistry, interdisciplinary collaboration, and activism with a fierce commitment to transform and better the world.

Theater Major Requirements

Dance Major Requirements

Up Next

AUDITIONS for Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman

Friday, September 5, 2025 — 1:00pm
until 4:00 pm

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Skelton Lounge, (Chase Hall 201)

Audition Materials

Water is patient.
The Gods are not.

This production of Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman will be guest directed by Sally Wood.

General Auditions
September 3 from 4:15 – 7:30pm
September 5 from 1:00 – 4:00pm

Auditions will be held in one hour timeslots and there will also be some movement involved. Sides will be provided.

Callbacks
September 8 from 4:15 – 7:30pm

Notes: Open to all performers regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, or ability.

There are a few roles set aside for students with intense fall commitments. We are attempting to craft the rehearsal schedule in a way that anyone who wants to be involved in Metamorphoses can be, regardless of other commitments.