About Us

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission Statement

The Department prepares students for the multidisciplinary nature of Theatre and Dance through the development of specialized knowledge and skills required of professionals and scholars in the performing arts. Our faculty, staff, and students create transformative experiences that cultivate compassionate and collaborative communities at home and abroad. Our commitment to experiential learning in the classroom, on stage and through community outreach is propelled by industry leadership in the collaborative arts by fostering self-awareness, storytelling, empathy and professionalism in our graduates and faculty.

The dance program’s mission is to enhance the knowledge, appreciation and growth of dance as a performing art. The dance program strives to provide students with the opportunity to improve their skills as dancers, communicators, creative artists and professionals.

The theatre program’s mission is to cultivate the next generation of performing arts professionals and scholars by offering exceptional and comprehensive training programs, which nurture the development of creative, collaborative and knowledgeable artists, designers, and industry professionals.

actors onstage, sitting on the wings of a biplane
 

Vision Statement

The UA Department of Theatre and Dance will remain a national leader in the education of performing arts professionals. As we move into our new state-of-the-art facility in 2026, we will continue to create transformative educational experiences in the performing arts that:

  • Shape tomorrow’s creative community through a comprehensive and supportive approach to learning
  • Create versatile collaborators who expand and share their creative, academic, technological, and professional abilities in our industry and beyond
  • Strive to set the positive example of healthy sustainability, well-being, and care by fostering each other as a supportive and inclusive community.

Values Statements

Learning

  • A setting where experimentation, exploration, and openness allow for us to grow and share.

Integrity

  • Acting daily with kindness, patience, honesty, and mutual respect.

Inclusivity

  • Valuing and respecting diversity through coalition building, accepting vulnerability, and creating an empathetic and supportive environment.

Collaborative Leadership

  • Recognizing that to be effective leaders, we must evolve, collaborate, communicate,
    and innovate.