Drama
Behind every scene
At Bennington, students immerse themselves in the collaborative spirit of the dramatic arts. Closely integrating course work with production opportunities, Bennington drama trains students as creative and versatile theater artists. Ranked by the Princeton Review as #3 for “Best College Theater” nationwide, Bennington College offers students a thorough grounding in virtually every dimension of theater-making: acting, directing, playwriting, devising, theatre history, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, stage management, and design (set, costume, lights, projection, and sound). Taught by professionals accomplished in their fields, Bennington drama provides students an outstanding combination of small-class settings, centered on the cross-pollination of all the programs within the discipline.
Bennington drama offers students flexible, state of the art theater spaces, hands-on production experience, and abundant opportunities to get involved on all levels. For each term that students take a class in drama, they also complete a technical lab, working in the scene shop, costume shop, or technical crew in VAPA, Bennington’s 150,000-square-foot home to our performing and visual artists. Through labs, Drama Forum, and classes, students engage immediately and directly in the drama community at Bennington. Students also collaborate with faculty on such productions as Angels in America, Parts I and II, How Water Behaves, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. During Field Word Term, students may choose to apply their skills in professional theater settings, or to internships that expand their studies in other ways.
From studying drama at Bennington, many students have continued on to professional paths: whether studying in graduate programs; pursuing cross-disciplinary work; or carving out distinguished careers on stage, film, and television.
Learn more about studying at Bennington by contacting our admissions office
At Bennington, students work closely with faculty to design the content, structure, and sequence of their study and practice—their Plan—taking advantage of the College's resources both inside and outside the classroom to pursue their work.
Faculty
Bennington drama faculty are teacher-practitioners accomplished in their fields who offer students an outstanding combination of small group courses, tutorials, and project-based learning, centered on the cross-pollination of all the programs within the discipline, as well with other disciplines at the College.
Field Work Term
Each winter, during Field Work Term, students set up internships and venture out into the world—New York City theaters, L. A. TV studios, not-for-profit theaters, drama festivals abroad, or one of hundreds of other venues.
- Actor's Theatre of Louisville
- Adaptations Dance Theater
- CBS- NCIS: New Orleans
- Cleveland Play House, The
- Cleveland Public Theater
- Contemporary Dance Theater
- Crown City Theatre Company
- HowlRound
- Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
- NBC Universal Campus 2 Career
- PBS Point of View
- Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre
- Poetic Theater Productions
- Prop Thtr
- Public Theatre, The
- Seattle Shakespeare Company
- Signature Theatre Company
- Target Margin Theater
- Teatro de los Elementos
- Terra Incognita Theatre
- Theatre Without Borders
- Theater Works
Alumni
Golden Globes, Emmys, Obies, Tonys, Academy Awards—Bennington alumni have won top honors on stage and screen, in front of audiences and behind the scenes. Many alumni apply their drama skills to outstanding leadership in other fields.
Award-winning actor who has appeared in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films, including Catch-22, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grosse Pointe Blank, Argo, and Little Miss Sunshine (for which he won a Golden Globe and an Oscar)
Chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures who produced The Matrix trilogy and other blockbusters
The original Broadway Dolly in Hello, Dolly! and matchless actress, singer, dancer, and comedian with a thousand-watt smile
Ubiquitous stage and screen star who has appeared in everything from the cult classic Diner to the critically acclaimed Sopranos and now stars in the popular CBS drama Madam Secretary
Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor known best for his role as Tyrion Lannister on the hit series Game of Thrones
Screenwriter and television producer best known as the co-creator of the television series Huge
Stage, film, and television actor and director who is best known for his role in the Emmy award-winning Netflix series Orange Is the New Black
President of King Size Productions whose Hollywood producing credits include The Shawshank Redemption
Associate artistic director of The Public Theatre in New York City, former founder and producer of The Underwood Theatre, which supported new work from emerging playwrights, and former literary manager and resident dramaturg at the New York Theatre Workshop
Founder of the Cleveland Public Theatre and winner of the 2012 Robert Bergman Prize
Longtime arts advocate and cofounder of The Chocolate Factory, an award-winning incubator of experimental performance in Queens, New York
Actress best known for her longtime roles on The Wonder Years and The Bold and the Beautiful
Leading figure in American theatre, former artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and winner of a Tony award for outstanding regional theatre
The screenwriting genius behind the adaption of the bestselling Twilight saga and the hit shows Dexter and Jessica Jones
Founder and director of the Theatre of Witness, whose performance projects have given voice to prisoners and their families, survivors and perpetrators of abuse and violence, refugees, immigrants, elders, and those who have lived through war
Composer, writer, and director who fashioned a unique style of socially engaged musical theatre
Emmy Award-winning actress known for playing strong characters in shows such as Two and a Half Men and in her one-woman play, Ann, based on Texas governor Ann Richards
Actor, director, and screenwriter currently starring in the HBO series The Leftovers
