Annual Productions

A four-picture grid. One picture has a person with a beige hat on and a red scarf and black blazer and they are holding their hand up in a stop position. Another person is wearing a long white dress and a gold crown and their back is towards in the camera in a spotlight. Another person is wearing a blond wig and a green cardigan and they are holding their cheek. And a final photo is of four people in a family portrait pose sitting side by side on a bench facing the camera.
Photos by M. Asli Dukan.  Clockwise l-r: Alex Lehner '22 and Lydia Churchill '22 in Aaron Posner's Stupid F*cking Bird directed by Rohan Hejmadi '22 and Drew McMahan ’22, Michael Nutt ’23, Rose Palmieri ’24, Daniel Oakes ’24 and Selma Wu ’25 in Thornton Wilder's Skin of Our Teeth directed by Professor K. Elizabeth Stevens.

The Department's typical "season" of performances consists of Production Ensemble (a professionally directed and designed full-length production), Acting Capstone (a faculty-directed production with advanced acting students), Senior Company (a project collectively created by Senior Majors with department support), one or more honors thesis productions, and Night of Scenes (a biannual showcase of work generated in Directing I and Directing II). In addition, we typically present at least one major residency and performance by a distinguished visiting company. The overwhelming majority of this performance activity is for academic credit with intensive involvement of faculty members and guest artists as teachers, collaborators, and mentors.

How to Get Involved

Most productions are also courses, so the best way to get involved is to sign up for the corresponding course. Students can earn up to 1 credit for working on a department show.  If you are interested in getting paid to work on the production team of a show, send an email to Jean Tierno describing your area(s) of interest.

Accessibility Advance Notice

Swarthmore College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact the Theater Department at 610-328-8149, or Susan Smythe, ADA Program Manager at 610-690-2063 in advance of your participation or visit.