Department of Theatre

Lamont's Department of Theatre produces two shows and a staged reading each quarter. Our season features a range of theatre styles from Shakespeare to devised work, musicals to contemporary plays. Students have the opportunity to work on each production as actors, stage managers, designers or technicians. Theatre majors conclude their degree program with a capstone project in which they direct a one-act play, overseeing every aspect of the production from casting to design approval. Capstones are presented in the Short Play Festivals during Spring Quarter.

Performances are held in DU's Byron Flexible Theatre, Byron Studio Theatre or JMAC Studios. 

All DU students are invited to audition for theatre productions. Click here for audition details. 

Additionally, students may explore their creativity through simple or supported independent projects. Click the drop-down below for details. 

• 2026-27 Season

  The 2026-27 season includes these full productions in the Byron Theatre: 

  Orlando
  Oct 29-Nov 21
  Written by Sarah Ruhl 
  Directed by Anne Penner

  Spanning three centuries, Orlando chronicles the boisterous adventures of a young nobleman in Queen Elizabeth’s court who awakens in the middle of his life to discover he is now a she – and immortal to boot. Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel is a wild, fantastical trip through space, time and gender.

  
  Endgame
  Feb 10-13
  Written by Samuel Beckett
  Directed by Greg Ungar

  In Beckett's masterpiece, Endgame, Hamm, Clov, Nell and Nag are a family living together in isolation. Where are they? What will happen? They are where we are and what will happen is what happens to everyone in every relationship—connection, disconnection, laughter, suffering, and the deployment of our moves. In chess, the endgame is the final phase of the game, when most of the pieces have been removed from the board, and only a few pieces and pawns remain. Endgame invites you to consider your relationship to the board. 

  
  The Tempest
  Mar 4-7
  Written by William Shakespeare
  Directed by Brandon Bruce

  Prospero, the rightful Duke of Milan, exacts revenge on his usurping brother and the King of Naples by using his powerful sorcery to shipwreck them on an enchanted island in the New World. Mired in jealousy, betrayal, and resentment, hope manages to prevail in this magical comedy.

  
  Short Play Festival, Cycle 1
  April 22-25
  Short Play Festival, Cycle 2
  May 27-30

  Seniors direct a one-act play using the theatrical skills, techniques, perspectives and styles learned from our program.

   

  The season also includes these staged readings: 

  Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties 
  Sept 26
  Written by Jen Silverman
  Directed by Evie Becker

  Betty is rich; Betty is lonely; Betty’s busy working on her truck; Betty wants to talk about love, but Betty needs to hit something. And Betty keeps using a small hand mirror to stare into parts of herself she’s never examined. Five different women named Betty collide at the intersection of anger, sex, and the “Thea-Tah.”

  
  No Exit
  Jan 23
  Written by Jean- Paul Sartre
  Directed by Theodora Boateng

  In a single, claustrophobic room in Hell, three characters find themselves after their deaths. Each character brings their unresolved guilt and complex pasts into this shared space, revealing their personal transgressions and moral failings. As they interact, it becomes clear that their eternal punishment comes not from physical torment but from the psychological torment they inflict on one another.

  
  Charlie Cox Runs with Scissors
  Apr 30
  Written by Michael McKeever
  Directed by Danielle Brief-McGurrin

  When Charlie Cox learns that he has the incurable, degenerative condition known as Lou Gehrig's disease, he abandons his mundane routine to embark on a chaotic, existential road trip that teaches him how to truly live.

   

  Additionally, we welcome mimes from Broken Box for two shows on October 10: 

  Broken Box Mime Show
  Oct 10
  with Matt Zambrano and Leah Leonard

  BKBX’S mission is to ACTIVATE the imagination of our audiences, CONTEMPORIZE the art of mime, and remind us all of the power of SIMPLE STORYTELLING. Broken Box will teach mime technique and work with students to devise their own 45-60 minute show for the DU community.

   

  For full details on these productions, including ticketing, please visit the event pages on the Lamont Events Calendar. 

• Student Projects

  There are two kinds of projects: Simple and Supported. The proposal submission deadlines for both types of projects are as follows:

  • Fall Quarter: due by Friday of week two by noon.
  • Winter Quarter: due by Friday of week two by noon.
  • Not available in Spring.

  Simple Projects

  Simple projects allow students to read or stage a play. You can sign out a theatre space in JMAC when you're ready to perform after checking in with the department chair. You'll have the following resources available for your show:

  • Rehearsal blocks
  • Available seating
  • Room lights (fluorescent and dimmable house lights)
  • Boom box

  Supported Projects

  If you would like to present a show involving technical elements (lights, sound, props and furniture), you can apply for funding to help you realize your production. These supported independent productions require partnership with a Tech Assistant (TA).

   Here's what you need to do:

  • Plan for what you want to do (lights, sound, furniture, costumes, etc)
  • Plan for how much time you need: rehearsals, performances, Tech Assistant (TA) time.
  • Make a budget ($400 for base TA time, plus lighting, sound and other likely expenses)
  • Fill out the proposal form
  • Submit to the Chair

  
  Learn more about Independent Projects

  Questions? Contact Steven McDonald.