Participate in a dynamic and thriving theater program that presents provocative and exciting productions.
Develop a broad and rich knowledge of the theater by studying acting, directing, dance, dramatic literature, history, technology and design. Learn and create in a Christ-centered environment as you integrate your faith and the study of the theater. Westmont’s theater professors and staff members, talented teachers and artists, possess a great depth of professional experience and get to know you personally. They work regularly in the theatre, and many have received major regional awards. Charles Donelan, executive arts editor of the Santa Barbara Independent, says, “If there’s a more sophisticated, exuberant, and consistently groundbreaking theater program in another small liberal arts college in America, I’d like to see it.”
THEATRE ARTS AT WESTMONT
All the world's a stage...
Theatre Tracks
Westmont’s Theatre in the Liberal Arts track is designed for students who intend to double major in Theatre Arts and another discipline, others who desire to use elective options to tailor their focus within vocational aspirations, or still others who seek a single subject credential in tandem with a Liberal Studies major.
Required Lower-Division Core Courses: 16 units
TA 001 Great Literature of the Stage (4)
One of the following:
- TA 010 Acting I (4)
- TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
One of the following:
- TA 035 Costume Design for the Theatre (4)
- TA 036 Design for Theatre (4)
- TA 037 Scenic Technology (4)
- TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
Upper-Division Breadth Requirements: 14 units
One of the following:
- TA 120 Theatre History I (4)
- TA 121 Theatre History II (4)
- TA 125 Directing for the Theatre (4)
- TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
- TA 193 Senior Project (2)
Required Applied Theatre Arts: 6 units
Take 6 units of the following:
- TA 031/131 Dance Performance (1-2)
- TA 050/150 Rehearsal and Performance (1-2)
- TA 060/160 Technical Production (1-2)
Theatre Arts Electives: 8 units
TA 009 Voice and Speech Through Performance (4)
TA 010 Acting I: Foundations (4)
TA 011 Acting II (4)
TA 036 Scenic Design (4)
TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
TA 111 Acting III: Shakespeare and Clown (4)
TA 120 History of the Theatre I (4)
TA 121 History of the Theatre II (4)
TA 124 Survey of Dramatic Theory and Criticism (4)
TA 137 Design for Performance (4)
TA 140 Race and Gender on the American Stage (4)
TA 142 Global Theatre (4)
TA 145 Writing for Performance (4)
TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
TA 186 World Theatre I (4)
TA 187 World Theatre II (4)
TA 190 Internship (1-8)
TA 195 Seminar: Special Topics (2, 4)
TA 196 Senior Seminar: Launchpad (4)
England Semester (up to 8 units)
London Mayterm (up to 8 units)
Up to 4 additional units of TA 131, TA 150, and/or TA 160
Westmont’s Theatre Studies track is designed for students who wish to complete a single major, and have aspirations for graduate school and/or future professional work in the field. Students can tailor their interests, gifts, and vocational aspirations relative to performance, design, or literature and history, or pursue a wide-ranging study of the discipline.
Required Lower-Division Core Courses: 16 units
TA 001 Great Literature of the Stage (4)
One of the following:(4)
- TA 010 Acting I (4)
- TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
One of the following: (4)
- TA 035 Costume Design for the Theatre (4)
- TA 036 Design for Theatre (4)
- TA 037 Scenic Technology (4)
- TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
Upper-Division Breadth Requirements: 22 units
- TA 120 Theatre History I (4)
- TA 121 Theatre History II (4)
- TA 125 Directing for the Theatre (4)
- TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
- TA 193 Senior Project (2)
- TA 196 Senior Seminar: Launchpad (4)
Required Applied Theatre Arts: 6 units
- TA 031/131 Dance Performance (1-2)
- TA 050/150 Rehearsal and Performance (1-2)
- TA 060/160 Technical Production (1-2)
Theatre Arts Electives: 16 units
Students’ elective choices can emphasize a particular specialized part of the field, such as acting and directing, design and technology, or literature and history, or can maintain a broader approach, relative to student interest and vocational goals.
TA 009 Voice and Speech Through Performance (4)
TA 010 Acting I: Foundations (4)
TA 011 Acting II (4,4)
TA 035 Costume Design for the Theatre (4)
TA 036 Scenic Design (4)
TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
TA 111 Acting III: Shakespeare and Clown (4)
TA 124 Survey of Dramatic Theory and Criticism (4)
TA 137 Design for Performance (4)
TA 140 Race and Gender on the American Stage (4)
TA 145 Writing for Performance (4)
TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
TA 186 World Theatre I (4)
TA 187 World Theatre II (4)
TA 190 Internship (1-8)
TA 195 Seminar: Special Topics (2,4)
Up to 4 additional units of TA 131, TA 150, and/or TA 160
ART 010 2-D Design (4)
ART 015 Drawing I (4)
ART 070 3D Sculptural Explorations (4)
ART 131 Art Theory and Criticism (4)
EB 080 Principles of Management (4)
ENG 101 Film Studies (4)
ENG 111 Screenwriting I (4)
ENG 112 Screenwriting II (4)
ENG 113 Screenwriting III (4)
ENG 117 Shakespeare (4)
ENG 183 20th Century Drama (4)
England Semester (up to 8 units)
London Mayterm (up to 8 units)
MUA 070 Private Voice I (1)
MUA 170 Private Voice II (1)
Film is one of the most influential and globally recognized languages today, instrumental in shaping culture and in transforming viewers’ opinions, desires, and world views. Film communicates new stories, insights, and perspectives, provoking significant debates around ideas that matter. Film also provides a common experience that can shape how we see God, self, and others.
The Film Studies Minor provides an integrated liberal arts foundation that emphasizes the intersections of culture, film, and Christian faith. The minor examines film as an art form that persuades and inspires, evoking religious, aesthetic, ethical, and epistemological questions that are foundational to humane learning. Combining coursework from the departments of Art, Communication Studies, English, Modern Languages, Political Science, Theater Arts, and Religious Studies, Film Studies minors explore film as a powerful national and transnational force.
Requirements for a Minor: 20-22 units
Film Theory & Criticism: 3-4 units
ENG 101 Film Studies (4)
COM 107 Focus on Film (1 unit each, 3 total units required)
Film in Context: 4 units
One of the following:
- COM 148 Postmodern Narratives (4)
- HIS 082 History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict through Film (4)
- POL 142 The Politics of Film (4)
- RS 132 Theology in Film (4)
- SP 130 Hispanic Film and Literature (4)
Film Practice: 4 units
One of the following:
- FLM 030 Introduction to Digital Filmmaking (4)
- APP 190 Internship (1-4) as approved by the minor advisor
- ENG 111 Screenwriting I (4)
- RS 162 Religion and Filmmaking (4)
- TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
Portfolio or Capstone Project (up to 2 units)
This project will be completed in the context of an internship or existing course as approved by the minor advisor.
Electives: 8 units
Two of the following, not taken above:
APP 060/160 Film Production (1-2)
APP 190 Internship (1-4) as approved by minor advisor
ART 065 Digital Tools (4)
ART 131 Theory & Criticism in the Arts (4)
COM 107 Focus on Film (1 unit, may be repeated for up to 4 units as topics change)
COM 125 Media and Mass Communication (4)
COM 129 Persuasion & Propaganda (4)
COM 140 Communication Ethics (4)
COM 148 Postmodern Narratives (4)
ENG 101 Film Studies (4)
ENG 111 Screenwriting I (4)
ENG 112 Screenwriting II (4)
ENG 113 Screenwriting III (4)
FLM 030 Introduction to Digital Filmmaking (4)
FLM 130 Documentary Filmmaking (4)
HIS 082 History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict through Film (4)
POL 142 The Politics of Film (4)
RS 132 Theology in Film (4)
RS 162 Religion and Filmmaking (4)
SP 130 Hispanic Film and Literature (4)
TA 010 Acting I: Foundations (4)
TA 036 Design for the Theatre (4)
TA 037 Scenic Technology (4)
TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
TA 125 Directing for the Theatre (4)
TA 145 Writing for Performance (4)
TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
Film courses from off-campus programs, as approved by the Registrar and minor advisor (Los Angeles Film Studies Semester, etc.)
No more than 9 units may come from a single department, and no more than 6 units may overlap with a major.
Required Courses: 20 units
TA 001 Great Literature of the Stage (4)
One of the following: (4)
- TA 010 Acting I (4)
- TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
One of the following: (4)
- TA 035 Costume Design for the Theatre (4)
- TA 036 Design for Theatre (4)
- TA 037 Scenic Technology (4)
- TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
- TA 125 Directing for the Theatre (4)
TA 031/131 or TA 050/150 Rehearsal and Performance (2)
TA 120 or TA 121 History of Theatre I, II (4)
TA 060/160 Technical Production (2)
Elective: 4 units
Choose any of the following electives: (4)
TA 009 Voice and Speech Through Performance (4)
TA 011, 111 Acting II, III (4,4)
TA 036 Design for the Theatre (4)
TA 037 Scenic Technology (4)
TA 038 Lighting Design (4)
TA 051 Acting the Song (4)
TA 120 History of the Theatre I (4)
TA 121 History of the Theatre II (4)
TA 124 Survey of Dramatic Theory and Criticism (4)
TA 125 Directing for the Theatre (4)
TA 127 Directing II (4)
TA 137 Design for Performance (4)
TA 140 Race and Gender on the American Stage (4)
TA 142 Global Theatre (4)
TA 145 Writing for Performance (4)
TA 153 Contemporary Theatre and Film Performance (4)
TA 186 World Theatre I (4)
TA 187 World Theatre II (4)
TA 190 Internship (1-8)
TA 195 Seminar: Special Topics (2,4)
Faculty Highlights
Directed a Macedonian production of Shakespeare’s “Henry VI Part 3” at the Globe Theatre in London
Acts professionally on the local, national and international stage
An experimental scenographer and technical director with expertise in lighting design
Sean Pratt is a vital component to our new Film Studies minor. He spends his time divided between managing the Santa Barbara Film Festival and teaching filmmaking at Westmont.
Wendy Ealy Jackson has vast experience in the film & television industry that spans from SONY Pictures Television where she developed made for television movies; advertising and marketing with Turner Broadcasting, and developing TV pilots. She is the Founder of the the Montecito Film Festival.
Madeline Fanton completed her PhD in Theater and Performance Studies from UCSB this year. She is a visiting assistant professor teaching Great Literature of the Stage and History of the Theater as well as directing two staged readings this fall.
Meet the Staff
Box Office Coordinator & Academic Assistant
An adjunct professor of flute and chamber music for Westmont Music since 2011, Andrea is happy to continue her work in arts administration by joining the Theatre Arts Department in Spring '25. She looks forward to meeting prospective students in both Music and Theatre, and being an active liaison for the Performing Arts Departments. She is a regular performer for Westmont College, the Santa Barbara Music Club and a frequent flute sub for the Santa Barbara Symphony, where she also serves on the Educational Outreach Committee. Andrea's private and Westmont College students have won awards from the National Flute Association, the Music Teacher's Association of California, the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, and the Santa Barbara Music Club. She and her husband Neil are the proud parents of three amazing and athletic children.
Assistant Technical Director
Costume Shop Supervisor
Tatiana is a proud mother of a Westmont College Theatre Arts graduate and is grateful and honored to be working on campus now. She lives in Solvang with her husband and youngest son, pets, and plants. In her free time, Tatiana enjoys training and competing in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, dressing up her chug Zuzu, and hanging out in small coffee shops.
Costume Designer
Stacie Logue is pleased to join Westmont College’s Theatre Department as the costume designer for 39 Steps. This is her first production with Westmont College. She has worked in & around the Santa Barbara area in costuming. For the past 20 years Stacie has worked with Opera Santa Barbara as their costume manager & designer. She worked 8 years for the Music Academy of the West as their costume coordinator. During that time she also worked for the Rubicon Theater in Ventura, and The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles as their wardrobe supervisor. And she also worked for The Wallis Theatre in Beverly Hills as a costume coordinator. She worked for The Kingsman Shakespeare Festival in Thousand Oaks as their costume shop manager. Stacie also worked out of state, 5 years with Central City Opera in Colorado as their costume shop manager. She is also a casual member of the local I.A.T.S.E. wardrobe & works many of the touring Broadway shows that come through the Granada & The Bank of America Theatre in Thousand Oaks. Stacie received her Bachelor of Art degree from California State University of Los Angeles in Fine Art. Stacie loves long road trips, especially to New Mexico. She lives in Ventura with her calico cat who rules the roost.
Career Paths
Numerous alumni are pursuing careers in acting and have appeared on both stage and screen, including television and major motion pictures or work in theater-related jobs. Others teach theater at the primary, secondary, and college/university levels. Alumni have attended top-tier graduate schools such as Harvard University/ART, CalArts, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, UMASS Amherst, the University of Arizona, San Francisco State University and UT Austin.
- Acting
- Directing
- Teaching
- Independent filmmaking
- Producing
- Theatrical design
- Public relations
- Church drama
- Properties artists
See career paths for graduates who majored or minored in theatre arts at Westmont.
Rachel Herriges '23 reflects back fondly on her experience at Westmont as she pursues a life in the arts in Chicago, IL. During her time at Westmont, Rachel spent much of her time on stage acting in shows such as Kitty Hawk or Kill Devil by Hannah Kenah, and She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen. "Being on stage in these shows really helped me adapt to working with different directors, and showed me the deep joy and gratitude that comes from making art in a small community." Additionally, many of the classes Rachel took prepared her for life as an actor. "In our Launchpad class, we were given assignments like making an acting reel, a resume, and a five-year plan - all of which I've used in auditions and conversations with other creatives." However, her time at Westmont wasn't only spent as an actor. Rachel wrote many plays for the Fringe Festival which prepared her for writing her Capstone project, Hysteria. "Out of all the lessons Westmont taught me, the most important would be: you aren't just one type of artist. Having knowledge of many different facets has helped me grow as a playwright, producer, and director - as well as an actor. Knowing what each role of a production entails makes me a much more well-rounded actor, and Westmont gave me the chance to try many different roles and learn what really excites me as an artist."
Sam Stroming ‘21 is a Chicago-based actor passionate about creating and performing theatre that inspires activism. Westmont's theatre program showed her the wild, artistic possibilities of what theatre can be, from her first mainstage experience in The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (2017) to the untamable creations made annually in the student-led Fringe Festival. Professors and directors in the department always kept an open door encouraging collaboration and conversation, and they have continued to provide a support system to her in her artistic endeavors since graduating. She says, “this is a place where you don't have to limit your artistry to one label of actor, designer, playwright, etc, but you have the opportunity to try anything that piques your curiosity. Here you can explore, experiment, and create without fear”.
Theater Arts Alumni
Anna Telfer '18, who hopes to pursue a career in the theater, plans to move to San Diego or Chicago to work in public relations and regional theater before seeking an MFA in acting. “Ultimately, I would love to start my own theater company and bring the arts in conversation with communities, while continuing to act professionally,” she says. “As a double major, my career path feels a little up in the air, but I am prepared to work for whatever opportunities may come, while trusting in God’s guidance and provision along the way.” She served as a Potter’s Clay Core Team member while in rehearsal for Rosalinde in “Die Fledermaus.” “I have felt genuinely cared for here,” she says. “Professors go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and support me. They are examples of excellence in their fields. It truly blows my mind that women and men at the highest levels of academia are willing to walk alongside me, inside and outside of the classroom, in ways that shape my intellect, emotions and faith. They genuinely live out what they so vigorously teach in the classroom, and it has been an honor and a privilege to be mentored and taught by them these past four years.”
Elena White '18, who displayed a diverse performance range in all kinds of plays, from contemporary drama to opera to verse drama, has excelled in all facets of her work in the theater arts department. She is a creative and gifted director and a skilled expository writer. She will return to her native Scotland to continue a career in theater. The Santa Barbara Independent awarded her with a coveted Indy Award for her performance in “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.”
Yari Cervas ‘16 (formerly known as Christine Nathanson) is an awarded director, dramaturg, and teaching artist inspired by stories of restorative justice and intergenerational healing. They are proud to have collaborated with numerous organizations including South Coast REP, La Jolla Playhouse, The Old Globe, San Diego REP, Berkeley REP, and Magic Theatre. As the founding Artistic Director of MaArte Theatre Collective in San Diego, they produced, developed, and directed two dozen plays by emerging Pilipinx playwrights. In 2019, Yari was honored by the first ever Santa Barbara Double Indy Award for performance as Dido in Dido, Queen of Carthage and for directing the world premiere of Tar and Feather (Westmont College). More recently, they were awarded for directing the world premiere of Desert Rock Garden at New Village Arts (2022 Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Direction of a Play). Outside of the rehearsal room, Yari serves as a teaching artist in the Bay Area creating playful curricula for all ages using anti-racist strategies to empower students with compassion and creativity. Learning how to successfully execute every stage of a play’s development empowered them with the skills to found MaArte and uplift the voices of diverse playwrights.
Throughout her time at Westmont, Mia Altman '17 has contributed to the theatre program in myriad ways. As an actress, she has appeared in multiple productions, including her melancholy turn as Jacques in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. On the production side, she has been a highly effective and organized producer and manager for the annual Fringe festival and mainstage performances alike. Mia is already a playwright of great talent and potential, as evidenced in her multiple short plays she has written at Westmont, and her recent senior capstone project, a full-length comedy entitled You Can’t Keep Living This Way. Mia is distinctly Mia – quirky, generous, quick to laugh, hard-working, personable, and poetic – and we are grateful for our time with her in the department.
Elaine Pazaski '15 has enjoyed a truly distinguished career as a Westmont Theatre Arts student. A quick glance at her bio reveals tremendous variety – a stage career dominated by quirky, heartfelt characters of several species; a scholarly career notable for her national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for scholarly writing (2nd in the nation) and theatrical journalism (national runner-up), both in 2014; and a service career in which her organizational skills were used to schedule two of the department’s Fringe Festivals. Elaine blends artistic knowledge and sensitivity with a curious, humor-drenched attitude to life. She is the epitome of what we want for our graduates, will be missed deeply by her friends and teachers, and will enjoy a long, fruitful, and fulfilling life in the theatre.
Paige Tautz ’14 and Yari Cervas ’16 received Independent Theatre Awards for excellence in Santa Barbara Theatre for the 2015-2016 season. Paige received hers for acting in Diana Small’s “Mad & a Goat,” and Christine for directing “Tar and Feather,” written by Kristin Idaszak, a Jerome Fellow in playwriting and frequent contributor to the Westmont Fringe, and for playing Dido in Christopher Marlowe’s “Dido Queen of Carthage.”
Since graduating from Westmont Diana Lynn Small ‘09 has earned an MFA and MDiv and worked as a playwright, director, actor, designer, musician, arts administrator, educator, preacher, hospital chaplain, and in parish ministry. The most significant lessons she learned from her time in the theatre arts department at Westmont was to be relentlessly curious and unabashedly gritty. Every obstacle is an opportunity for creative playmaking, on and off the stage.
Casey Caldwell ’08, arts consultant and administrator, artistic director of Ratatat Theater Group: “More than anything else I learned at Westmont, the theater department instilled in me a ‘go do it’ spirit, a feeling that you should just get out there and make art happen. And this has been invaluable.”
Sarah Halford ’09: “All my training at Westmont not only prepared me for auditions but continued to provide a wellspring of knowledge for my Master of Fine Arts acting program at UC San Diego.”
Rose Elfman ’06: “Thanks in large part to the opportunities I got to experience global performance while at Westmont, I am writing my doctoral dissertation at UC Santa Barbara on international Shakespeare festivals.”
In 2016-2017 alone, Westmont Festival Theatre presented 37 productions involving more than 125 students: five visiting productions, an international Shakespeare festival, faculty-directed plays and dance concerts, a joint production with music, senior projects, and the Westmont Fringe, 27 original pieces of theater, dance, film, and performance art. Recent shows include a diverse range of interesting work—classics, contemporary plays, original works, dance performances and musicals: “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” Bertolt Brecht; “Die Fledermaus,” Johan Strauss; “As You Like It,” William Shakespeare; “Blood Wedding,” Federico Garcia Lorca; “Dido and Aeneas,” Henry Purcell and Nahum Tate; and “The Pirates of Penzance,” Gilbert and Sullivan, which won three national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
John Blondell, Mitchell Thomas, Victoria Finlayson, and Jonathan Hicks spent much of the 2017 summer in Europe working on Shakespearean plays with the Lit Moon Theatre Company. Lit Moon performed “Hamlet,” adapted and directed by John, at the Puppets Metamorphosis Festival in Bialystok, Poland, in June. Mitchell and Victoria both acted in the play; it was the only American production at the festival, which also featured theatre companies from Poland, Lithuania, France, Hungary, and Spain. Later that month, Lit Moon presented its newest show—an all-female version of “Richard III”—at the Bitola Shakespeare Festival in Macedonia, as Victoria, along with Westmont alums Paige Tautz and Marie Ponce-De Leon, played key roles. Jonathan served as the lighting designer for both productions. “In both instances,” he observes, “we have a couple of days to rehearse, and then on the day of the performance we set up the performance space, hang and focus the lighting fixtures, do a mark-through of the show to set the lighting cues, go through a final dress, and then we open. The whole experience is energizing, challenging, and one of the most rewarding collaborative experiences of staging a theatrical production.” The Ohrid Summer Festival in Bitola also included John’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will continue for the Bitola National Theatre’s repertoire for the 2017-2018 season.