Theater & Dance
The Haverford and Bryn Mawr dance and theater programs are housed at Bryn Mawr, and many Haverford students enroll in theater and dance classes or participate in department-sponsored performances at Bryn Mawr every semester.
Classes in dance and theater combine theory, composition and practical work, and coursework in dance offers technical training in modern, ballet, jazz and African dance. The Bryn Mawr College Dance Program offers a selection of dance experiences that meet the needs and interests of the diverse student population that comprises both Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges. Their courses are designed to meet the needs of the newcomer and to support the continued progress of those students with prior training, they offer performance/ensemble courses and other opportunities for students to hone their performance skills and to perform for audiences on and off campus. The professional faculty is drawn from Philadelphia-based, national, and international companies, and many are also recipients of grants and prestigious choreographic fellowships. In addition, guest artists and lecturers frequently come to Bryn Mawr’s campus, and field trips to dance events and performances happen often.
Academic courses and productions sponsored by the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Theater Program provide opportunities to participate in performance and technical aspects of theater, as do Horizons Unlimited and other student-run groups. Bryn Mawr’s Goodhart Theater is the main performance space; other facilities at Bryn Mawr and Haverford are available for smaller theatrical productions, including Haverford’s Marshall Auditorium. Drama clubs and organizations at Haverford include the Haverford Independent Technical Theater (HITT), a student organization that provides technical support for the various performing arts groups on campus. The Lighted Fools are a bi-co improvisational and sketch comedy performance troupe that puts on shows and bring professional improv groups to Haverford and Bryn Mawr. Theatre festivals and productions of student-directed plays are regularly sponsored by The Bi-Co Theater Program.