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Monday 8am - 4pm Tuesday 8am - 4pm Wednesday 8am - 4pm Thursday 8am - 4pm Friday 8am - 4pm

PLU Theatre & Dance

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Tacoma, WA
PLU Theatre & Dance

PLU Theatre & Dance We serve to support the academic study of theatre from all perspectives including acting, directing, playwriting, dramaturgy, and technical design.

Theatre & Dance at Pacific Lutheran University

We are on the traditional lands of the Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island and Steilacoom peoples; we acknowledge and respect the traditional caretakers of this land. The Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at Pacific Lutheran University is home to the Eastvold Auditorium mainstage, the Studio Theater, theatre faculty offices, and a green room and script library.

01/23/2025

Spotlight on… Marley Bjornstad! Marley is a senior Design/Tech major, and Gender, Sexuality, and Race Studies minor at PLU. What Marley loves about the PLU Theatre and Dance department is that it is full of incredibly supportive professors and peers. This has allowed him to learn, practice, and experiment in many different areas of tech theatre. He is always growing and advancing as a theatre practitioner and couldn't have done it without being surrounded by such knowledge and kind people.

01/17/2025

Reminder that PLU’s Artistic Achievement Award applications are open! The deadline to apply is February 11. For more information visit: https://www.plu.edu/professional-studies/arts-scholarships/

01/14/2025

Spotlight on… Katie Foley! Katie is a second year elementary education major with a writing minor. Katie is also a second year improviser on The Clay Crows improv team and also serves as the team’s Business Manager. She loves that the theater and dance department offers access to resources, community, friendships, experience, and acting/improv opportunities for all students interested, not just those majoring in theater and dance! The Clay Crows specifically has has given her a sense of belonging and community on campus, as well as a chance to consistently work on public speaking and thinking on the fly; skills she’ll need for her future as a teacher, all while doing something she loves with people and a community that are always offering love and support.

12/11/2024

Spotlight on… Cordelia Seil! Cordelia is a second-year musical theatre and design/tech double major with a minor in dance at PLU. Something they love about the theatre and dance department is the care and attention from faculty. It is clear as a student that they are committed to the individual growth and development of every single one of their students, and will often go above and beyond to support our ambitions. This care and flexibility is ultimately what led to Cordelia feeling confident enough to explore lighting and sound design in addition to their intended performance degree.

12/05/2024

Spotlight on... Presley Clark! Presley is a fourth-year musical theatre and studio art double major. Presley loves that theatre and dance has pushed her to not only be a well-rounded performer, but also a well-rounded person. Studying theatre at a liberal arts university has allowed her to continue to learn about other subjects, helping her become an informed theatrical practitioner who wants to use her passion for the arts to make the world a better place.

12/03/2024

Calling all high school seniors and transfer students! PLU’s Artistic Achievement Awards applications are open now through February 11! Students can earn up to $7,500 in the areas of Dance, Media, Music, Studio Art & Design, and Theatre. Click to following link for more information about how to apply: https://www.plu.edu/professional-studies/arts-scholarships/

11/14/2024

Spotlight on… Alonna Hall! Alonna is a Senior Musical Theatre and Design/Technical double major at PLU. Something that Alonna loves about PLU Theatre and Dance is how many opportunities are available to students. PLU has broadened her horizons in terms of what she finds fulfilling and creative in her future in theatre. Thanks to the flexible and seasoned faculty, Alonna has been able to explore scenic and lighting design opportunities which led her to double majoring. Due to this, she plans on pursuing lighting design and performance full-time after graduation.

11/05/2024

Our second production of the year, Native Gardens, opens this Thursday, November 7th! PLU theatre students had the opportunity to assist our faculty in designing the set and costumes for this show. Come catch the show Nov. 7-9 at 7:30 pm and November 10 at 2 pm to see all of their hard work!

10/29/2024

Spotlight on… Parker Brown! Parker is a fourth-year Acting/Directing major with minors in Dance and Writing. Parker deeply appreciates the copious amounts of opportunities PLU theatre has to offer for students to learn and get involved within the program. The season is so wide and vast, there’s a spot for everybody! Students are able to take important roles within the program, and express their own ideas and creativity freely. The support system from the students themselves and the faculty help provide a loving and engaging environment that allows you to take risks and develop new skills. Additionally, students are granted opportunities for leadership within the program! Parker is incredibly grateful to have been able to co-direct with Tom Smith in this year's musical r***e, and is excited to direct Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood in the spring!

10/22/2024

For our faculty directed productions, theatre majors and minors participate in work days to help construct sets, props, and costumes for the shows! The past few weeks, students and faculty have been working together to construct the unique set for our production of Native Gardens, which performs November 7-9 at 7:30 pm and November 10 at 2 pm in the Studio Theater. Come see all of the hard work our theatre community has put in to make this show happen!

10/15/2024

Consider supporting PLU Theatre and Dance for this year’s Bjug day! Any contribution helps our program and students thrive. To donate, go to https://www.givecampus.com/schools/PacificLutheranUniversity/plu-s-bjug-day-of-giving-2024/?a=8406059 then click “Give Now!” and under “Designations” find “Academics” and then “Theater and Dance.” We appreciate your support! 🖤💛

10/10/2024

This week our senior theatre majors presented their Capstones! Capstone is a required culminating project for students of all majors at PLU that asks them to reflect on what they’ve learned throughout college and how it will help them in the future. For theatre students, our BFA majors put together and present portfolio of their work and our BA majors reflect on how theatre relates to their vocation. Congrats, seniors! 🎉

10/04/2024

Our first production of the school year, The Great American Songbook: a musical r***e, opens tomorrow! We were fortunate enough to have 3 different co-lighting designers for this production. Two of them, Marley Bjornstad and Glen Fritz are current PLU students! The third, Jacob Viramontes graduated from PLU in 2017 and has been designing lights in the Seattle/Tacoma area ever since. To see their amazing work, come see the show tomorrow, Friday October 7th at 7:30 pm or Saturday October 5th at 5:30 pm in the Eastvold Auditorium in the Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. We hope to see you there!

10/01/2024

This year we will be continuing our “Spotlight on…” series by highlighting our theatre and dance students and what they love most about our department. Our first spotlight is on… Taya Lovejoy! Taya is a PLUS year Acting/Directing major with minors in Dance and Hispanic Studies. Taya loves that the PLU theatre and dance department allows students to gain valuable experiences that will help them after graduating by taking on leadership roles. Taya applied to choreograph our faculty directed musical r***e last school year and is grateful that she got the chance to collaborate with both her fellow students but also our experienced faculty.

09/17/2024

Connect with us on Instagram!

09/12/2024

Calling all current and former theatre and dance Lutes, we’re continuing our “Where is this?” series! Can you guess where this picture was taken in the Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts? Comment below!

Address

12180 Park Avenue S
Tacoma, WA
98447

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4pm
Tuesday	8am - 4pm
Wednesday	8am - 4pm
Thursday	8am - 4pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Website

http://www.plu.edu/theatre-dance/

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Videos

PLU’s annual spring dance concert opens tomorrow night!! Today we sat down with two of our student choreographers for this show to ask them about what they’ve loved the most about the process. You can catch the show tomorrow and Saturday at 7:30pm in Eastvold auditorium. This production is free for PLU students. We hope to see you there!

We are thrilled to announce our 2024-2025 Theatre and Dance Season! Which production are you most excited for?

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Our Story

The Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at Pacific Lutheran University is home to the Eastvold Auditorium, the Studio Theater, theatre and dance faculty offices, classroom spaces including state-of-the-art scenic and costume shops, and public spaces. We support the academic study of theatre and dance from all perspectives including acting, dancing, musical theatre, design, directing, choreography, stage management, playwriting, dramaturgy, and technical areas.