Theatre Program
At George Fox, we see theatre as so much more than “entertainment.” We believe theatre has the power to shape the intellectual, social, moral and spiritual values of our community as we shed light on the deep concerns in our world through high-quality productions.
To that end, we strive to love, inspire and challenge our communities through the power of stories.
Who We Are
We are a community of servant storytellers committed to the search for truth in a complex and diverse world. We represent students from all majors and offer a theatre minor for those who wish to go deeper in their pursuit of careers in acting, design or directing.
Our co-curricular program emphasizes a broad-based, generalist understanding of theatre and is designed to create formational experiences for all George Fox students. Whether you are a theatre minor or not, you are welcome to join our storytelling community.
Ultimately, our mission is to offer a program that prepares Christian artists to make meaningful contributions to our world – and to celebrate the unique God-given gifts and perspectives each person brings while courageously exploring the tensions within faith, art and culture.
Productions
We present two to three mainstage shows a year, where typically one is a musical. We also host a variety of student led second stage shows, student directed scenes, and other theatrical performance opportunities. In addition, we host special on campus performances by Epiphany Ensemble (formerly University Players), our touring theatre troupe featuring actors as well as singer/songwriters. Our goal is to expose our students to as many different styles of theatre as possible in their four years at the university, whether comic, tragic, contemporary, or classic.
We often bring professional guest artists to campus to work with students as directors, designers, and mentors. Auditions and production positions for all theatre activities are open to the entire student population, including graduate students. We view the stage as a public classroom and the culmination of our academic work. Every Monday night we host Theatremakers, where we gather as a program to showcase students work from classes, summer internships, professional experinces, as well as feature guest artists and workshops.
For more information about tickets, special events and the current season, visit our current season and tickets page.
Our Faculty
Our theatre professors have been nationally recognized by the Kennedy Center and by working professionals who are currently engaged as directing, acting, design and theatre management professionals on the West Coast.
Facilities
As part of our theatre program, you’ll spend a lot of your time in the following locations:
Wood-Mar Auditorium is our 255-seat proscenium space that is used for the majority of main-stage productions.
We also use our outdoor Amphitheater as the Oregon weather allows, where we annually host our annual summer community show, as well as other events including our Shakespeare Under the Stars event on April 23rd (Shakespeares birth and death date).
Our Design Lab, located in the Ross Center, is where we experiment with stage design and lighting ideas. The Ross Center is also where you’ll find our Box Office, located in Room 200.
Finally, our Costume Studio is where we construct and store wardrobe items for the theatre program.
Friends of Theatre
Theatre is a community experience. If you have attended or participated in a theatre production at George Fox, we consider you a “friend of theatre.” Because each person brings a unique experience, each audience member is an important collaborator with our artists.
We hold talkbacks during the run of every show, where we engage the ideas and questions raised in the production and make valuable points of connection between the artist and the community.
Many of our supporters are part of a giving group that funds opportunities for our students beyond what the program can support. Some of these opportunities include:
- Bringing guest artists and theatre professionals to campus
- Traveling to conferences and workshops
- Participating and competing in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, and
- Auditioning for graduate programs
You are welcome to make a tax-deductible donation to our program to support these exciting opportunities.
