Our Identity

The Department of Drama at The Catholic University of America is a nationally recognized program that offers training and preparation for professional careers in theatre. Renowned since its founding in 1937 by the famous “show-biz priest,” Reverend Gilbert Hartke, the department has grown over many decades to produce some of the leading theatre artists of our time.

Many stage, film and television stars got their start at Catholic University's Department of Drama. Philip Bosco, Ed McMahon, Susan and Christopher Sarandon, John Slattery and Jon Voight all trod the boards here. Outstanding directors trained here, such as Tony Award winner Walter Bobbie, and the Artistic Director of Arena Stage, Molly Smith. Several Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights started here, including Michael Cristofer (The Shadow Box), Jason Miller (That Championship Season), and Paula Vogel (Indecent, How I Learned To Drive), in addition to the groundbreaking Mart Crowley (The Boys in the Band), Joseph Walker (The River Niger), John Pielmeier (Agnes of God) and Jerome Ragni (Hair). Walter Kerr, the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and playwright, was also one of our distinguished alumni.

Our professionally-oriented faculty trains students how to collaborate and create new and classical work that easily competes with the best theatres in the Washington, D.C. region. The rich theater community of the area includes some of the country’s leading professional stages like Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Roundhouse Theatre, Folger Theatre, Signature Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, and Center Stage, just to name a few. Our location provides opportunities for students through residencies, auditions, and internships.

Season productions at Catholic University – staged in the Hartke Theatre, as well as the Callan Theatre – consist of both classic works and newer offerings. Directors and designers from the D.C. theatre community are hired to helm these projects and contribute to the professional training of Catholic University's drama students. 

Outstanding Preparation for Future Professionals

We believe it is important to understand all elements of theatre in order to appreciate their intersections and the collaborative nature of the creative process. Exposure to the various aspects of theatre gives students an opportunity to find what sparks their passion, focus on their interests, and develop into knowledgeable theatre professionals. 

  • Explore all areas of theatre to become a fully informed professional: Acting, Design, Production, Directing, Playwriting, and Literary Analysis.
  • Engage directly with working professional theatre artists who are experts in their field.
  • Start building your professional network from day one.
  • Gain marketable skills and practical experience applicable to theatre or beyond.
  • Join a tight-knit family and connect with a worldwide network of alumni.
  • Access over 90 professional theatre companies in the DC-MD-VA area.

Top Reasons To Choose Us

  • Production Opportunities

    • Mainstage productions: get involved onstage or behind the scenes, and meet professional designers and directors
    • Independent projects and cabarets: create and participate in student-driven projects

  • Beyond the Classroom

    • Design sets and costumes for independent projects
    • Assistant design for mainstage shows
    • Assistant direct mainstage shows
    • Provide literary analysis for both mainstage and independent productions
    • Serve in the crew positions that are needed for every show: stagehand, costume assistant, light operator, sound operator, stage manager, assistant stage manager
    • Seek employment or volunteer in the costume shop, scene shop, box office, or business office

  • Community Opportunities

    Enjoy connections to more than 80 professional theatre companies in the metro D.C. area. Through our faculty's expansive network our students receive opportunities with prestigious institutions such as Arena Stage, The Kennedy Center, Signature Theatre, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, among others. Gain access to internships and readings, as well as free or discounted theatre tickets.

  • Alumni Network

    Our alumni have become notable artists in American theatre, film, television production, and corporate entertainment. Among them are Oscar and Tony Award-winning actors and directors, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwrights, Broadway designers, and theatre critics for the New York Times, The Washington Post, and respected journals. Many alumni are currently in leadership positions in major theatrical venues, including Arena Stage, the Yale School of Drama, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, as well as in professional and academic organizations. Our graduates have been affiliated with a variety of professional theatres throughout the country, from the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. to the Wooster Group, an internationally known off-Broadway experimental theatre company, and from the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis to the New York Shakespeare Festival. Our graduates work for Disney, with Dreamworks, in network television news and popular sitcoms, in Catholic television production, in the Public Broadcasting System, and with Voice of America. Alumni also serve on college and university faculties, in private acting studios, and at Catholic and public high schools.

    There are especially active alumni communities in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and the Baltimore-Washington area.