Department of Performing Arts
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| Department of Performing Arts | |
| Type | Educational, School/Academy |
|---|---|
| Leader | Vacant |
| Leader title | Department Chair— Performing Arts and Communication |
| Affiliations | Oakridge College |
Department of Performing Arts
The Department of Performing Arts prepares students for creative, academic, technical, and public-facing work connected to theatre, music, performance, production, live events, and the study of performance as a form of human expression.
The Department of Performing Arts believes performance education should do more than place students on a stage. It should help them understand how voice, movement, sound, story, space, and collaboration shape the way people communicate, gather, remember, and respond to one another.
At Oakridge, we approach performing arts as both creative practice and public expression. The department reflects the college’s broader commitment to community, interpretation, discipline, and shared cultural life. In Briarmont, where local events, public ceremonies, student productions, music, storytelling, and town traditions all contribute to the life of the community, performance is understood as part of the larger work of bringing people together.
Whether you are preparing for theatre, music, public performance, stage production, live event work, or performance studies, the Department of Performing Arts offers a course of study that balances creative development with discipline, collaboration, and practical readiness. Here, students build the habits of rehearsal, presence, interpretation, technical awareness, communication, and ensemble responsibility needed to create and support meaningful performance.
We serve students who want to act, sing, perform, direct, produce, design, support, manage, record, and understand performance with care. If you are seeking an education rooted in creativity, collaboration, public expression, and the shared experience of live work, you will find your place here.
Programs of Study
The Department of Performing Arts offers a focused selection of performance, music, theatre, and production programs designed to support creative practice, performance study, technical preparation, and public-facing event work. Its course offerings are organized to serve students seeking artistic development as well as those pursuing practical crew, stage, sound, camera, or live production preparation.
Programs offered by the Department of Performing Arts include:
- A.A. in Theatre
- A.A. in Music Theory
- B.A. in Theatre and Performance
- B.A. in Music and Performance
- Technical Theatre and Stagecraft Certificate
- Sound and Live Event Production Certificate
- Camera and Production Crew Certificate
Together, these programs give the department a clear, creative, and practical identity within Oakridge’s Arts & Humanities division. The associate programs provide foundations in performance, theatre, music, and production awareness, while the bachelor’s programs allow students to pursue advanced work in theatre, performance studies, music, and public presentation. The certificate programs offer focused preparation for supervised backstage, event, sound, camera, and crew-based work without overstating Oakridge’s role as a conservatory, film school, or professional licensing institution.
Ranks & Positions
The department is led by its Department Chair and staffed through the standard Oakridge faculty ladder — Tenured Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, and Teaching Assistant.
The department belongs to the Arts & Humanities division and reports to the Dean of Arts & Humanities.