Department of Theatre and Dance

Department of Theatre and Dance at MSU Denver
NEW AUDITION UPDATES
Due to Covid Restrictions our main office on campus is not open for regular hours. Please feel free to reach out to Jacob Welch at Jwelch25@msudenver.edu or Shelby Shepherd at Sshephe9@msudenver.edu. The office phone number is being answered at 303-615-1414
The Department of Theatre and Dance at MSU Denver produces outstanding musicals, dramas, dance concerts, and multidisciplinary performances and festivals. The department also develops and tours original works and cultivates strong community partnerships (such as with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Touring Company and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance). Learn more about our mission and history and past productions.
The work of our theatre and dance students, faculty, and staff has earned local and regional awards for many years. We believe that theatre and dance are inclusive ‘ensemble’ experiences that provide transferable skills that will support you in a variety of professions. The theatre program's motto is "Theatre as Equipment for Living!" and the dance program's motto is "Dance to Be Moved!"
Our coursework and practical experiences prepare you for a career in theatre or dance or for graduate school after graduation. Our department has highly accomplished and professionally skilled faculty and staff who care about your success toward achieving your educational and professional goals.
MSU Denver’s Department of Theatre and Dance has been transforming Colorado’s performing-arts scene for decades. Our faculty has won several awards for teaching excellence, and our alumni are working in performance venues throughout the country. The theatre program produces four major productions a year, including two musicals in affiliation with the Department of Music. The dance program provides inter-cultural experiences in dance while giving you skills that last a life-time.
Encapsulating entire cultures through movement, sound and the visual world, there’s nothing quite like the performancing arts that captivates the soul. Unique stories of folklore, interpreted through dance or dialogue, have inspired creativity and mesmerized audiences for generations. Whichever ways you plan on making a living through your creative prowess, the Department of Theatre and Dance will help you find your path.
The MSU Denver's Dance program is distinctive in its versatility and its partnership with Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. CPRD is recognized worldwide for its dynamic cross-cultural curriculum, community engagement, innovative choreography and promotion of American dance heritage. In this exciting program, CPRD’s mission of social transformation through dance and MSU Denver’s academic rigor and focus on real world experience converge.
Are you ready to reimagine your possibilities? Studying theatre or dance will give you confidence and a skill set to be a valuable contributor to the performing arts or set you up for future studies at a graduate program.
Career Prospects
Here’s where a Major in Theatre might take you:
- Film
- Screen and Stage Acting
- Lighting Design
- Sound Engineering
- Arts Administration
- Stage Management
- Arts Administration
- Costume Design
- Education

Laura Love teaches technical theatre courses and is our departmental Costume Director. She has designed scenery and costumes for more than 90 productions throughout Colorado and Utah. She is also an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology. She is the costume and scenery advisor for our B.F.A. Applied Theatre Technology & Design students, as well as our Theatre Majors and Minors.
Laura Love
Professor of Theatre