Performance and Communication Arts
About Our Program
With two unique focuses in theatre and performance arts and rhetoric and communication arts, you’ll create an innovative and dynamic learning experience that explores your academic interests and career aspirations. With the flexibility you’ll need to pursue hands-on learning opportunities on campus, through internships, and around the world, you’ll gain skills in critical thinking and self-reflection, active listening and communication, creative thinking, responsible leadership, and global citizenship.
Learning Experiences to Prepare for Your Career
Your college experience is what you make of it, but here you extend your learning far beyond the classroom. With opportunities for hands-on learning experiences like off-campus study, internships, volunteer services, and clubs and organizations, you can create an educational adventure all your own.First-Year Programs
Offering students a dynamic living and learning environment, First-Year Programs give smaller groups of students the chance to explore an intriguing topic with their professors. Examine the role of life-long lessons in children’s literature, the writing and public rhetoric of civil rights visionaries, the meaning and value of family history, storytelling, and identity, and so much more. You’ll hone your critical thinking and research skills which will set you up for success throughout the next four years with this unique introduction to life at St. Lawrence.
University Theatre
Comprised of the Black Box Theatre and the Gulick Theatre spaces, University Theatre provides opportunities for students to engage with department- and student-run performances every semester. Students get to act on stage, as well as coordinate invaluable behind-the-scenes efforts like stage design, costume creation, lighting and sound.
Newell Center for Arts Technology Lab
A hub for innovative interdisciplinary efforts, the Newell Center for Arts Technology will expose you to the possibilities that exist when art meets digital technology.
Richard F. Brush Art Gallery
With a permanent collection of 7,000+ art and art artifacts and regularly rotating exhibits, conservation projects, and campus displays, the Brush Art Gallery empowers you to explore art, analyze art artifacts, and evaluate human interactions with designs.
The Underground
A peer-reviewed journal, this publication features student creative work, visual art, and scholarly insights in the areas of performance and communication arts, art and art history, film, gender, and fine arts. Explore a topic of interest and advance scholarship within the St. Lawrence community.
Internships
Explore career possibilities through dynamic internships with leading industry organizations, including:
- The Hill
- Congressional Intern
- Fryed Advertising
- CBS Television Studios
- Concordia
- North Country Public Radio
- Modern Global Communications
- ODA Public Relations
- St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce
- Sasha Adler Design
Volunteering
You can also gain experience while making a difference through service work on campus and in our local community:
- Campus Kitchens
- Rotaract
- Relay for Life
- Orientation Leaders
- Circle K Internationa
St. Lawrence in New York City
Experience hands-on opportunities in the city that never sleeps. You can choose between an academic focus in finance or non-profit and arts management, and complete an internship four days out of the week. You’ll be in a dynamic living and learning environment where you can confidently expand your network and redefine your professional aspirations.
Global Perspectives
In addition to seven St. Lawrence-run programs found in places like France, Kenya, London, and Spain, you can choose from more than 30 affiliate programs in over 20 countries to challenge your perspective and expand your worldview. Popular destinations for current students include France, Trinidad and Tobago, New Zealand, and the UK.
Laurentians in London
Spend a semester in London as early as your first semester. Once there, you can explore theater, art, and creative expression through various historical and cultural lenses, examine issues in British government and politics, or explore the works of classic English literature.
Connect with Community
Among the 150+ clubs and organizations at St. Lawrence, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to find your niche and unique ways to enhance your academic and professional interests, including:
- University Theatre
- Dance Team
- Graceful Movements
- The Hill News
- A.S.I.A. Club
- The Gridiron
- Student Government and Class Council
- The Association for Campus Entertainment
- The Barista
Why St. Lawrence for Performance and Communication Arts
Performance Spaces
Perform on our main stage, Gulick Theatre, or in other venues like the Black Box Theatre and the Peterson-Kermani Performance Hall.
of performance and communication arts students are employed or in graduate school one year after graduation
renowned faculty members dedicated to the spectrum of performance and communication arts, from theater and performance arts to rhetoric and communication
Alumni at Work: Ending on a High Note
Laurentians are no strangers to the arts. Whether in fine and visual arts, time-based media, creative writing, or performing arts, each generation has their breakout stars.
Costume Shop
Our on-campus costume shop is textile terrarium: a full-service operation that designs, creates, alters, and mends costumes for the St. Lawrence performing arts programming, as well as other academic endeavors.
of performance and communication arts students enjoy at least one internship before they graduate
average annual print editions of The Hill News, St. Lawrence’s award-winning student-run newspaper
More Program Information
Program Requirements & Courses
You’ll have a choice of focus in either theatre and performance arts or rhetoric and communications arts. Eleven courses—including six electives and a senior year experience—will round out your major and provide you with the flexibility to make connections in other academic areas of interest and global opportunities. Find out more about the courses and requirements for this program.
Complementary and Related Programs
Many of our students use performance and communication arts as a lens to examine other topics of interest, and vice versa. If you are interested in studying performance and communication arts, you may be interested in pairing it with another major.
Performance and Communication Arts Faculty
Critically-renowned performers. Social justice activists and cultural change agents. Media experts. Interdisciplinary thinkers and global citizens. Our faculty will teach you in the classroom, mentor and support you as you explore new passions, and prepare you to embark on life’s adventures.
“At its core, Performance and Communication Arts is truly interdisciplinary and explores the ways humans communicate and express ideas with one another.”
Jennifer Thomas
Jennifer Baker
Angela (Angie) Sweigart-Gallagher
Andrew Donofrio
Michael Osinski
Allie Rowland
Coursework for the Curious
One major. Many pathways. Sample courses in dance, theater, journalism, oral storytelling traditions, rhetoric, debate, and so much more. Critically evaluate the intersection of interactions, make unexpected connections, and examine new lenses to analyze your academic pursuits. Human communication doesn’t limit itself to one medium. Neither should your courses.
Behind the Scenes: Stagecraft
In this popular class, students study and practice creating scenery for the stage, explore the operation of the theater’s physical plant, and work on stage through the production studio.
Get More Information
We’re excited to learn more about you, tell you more about our interdisciplinary academic programs, show you around our beautiful campus, and help you navigate your college search.
Apply to St. Lawrence
We’re looking for curious students who are eager to make a difference. We take a holistic approach to reviewing applications and consider all aspects of your application and what we learn about you.