Let’s face it, the arts at our liberal arts college are on its deathbed, and we might be the reason. Did you know that Goucher used to be the second most successful theater program in Maryland, but now in 2025, there is no longer a theater major. Back in the early 2000’s, Goucher would produce 2-3 full scale shows a semester. A Goucher professor, Rebeca Free, states “At a certain point, we were doing too many [shows] for the size of our space and the size of our faculty.” At one point they were even doing shows that were too big for the company they had, such as Peter Pan, but in the end their numbers grew exponentially due to the sheer number of student volunteers and the commitment shown by them.
Is that commitment still alive at Goucher today?
Professors are reluctant to direct a full-scale production nowadays due to lack of student commitment. Professors expect students to put aside 20 hours a week for rehearsals, but the average Goucher student often cannot sacrifice that great amount of time to a show they are unfamiliar with. Goucher at its heart is a school of people that love to create.
Michael Curry is a professor who loves to help produce student written plays, and recently that is all Goucher has been doing. It’s good to have a professor who will fully support you and your new ideas, but unfortunately there’s less of a turnout in both volunteers and audience members when it comes to student written plays. On the other hand, the Rocky Horror Picture Show club has a consistent volunteer count and audience, however this is student run, not student written. To contrast, Pizzazz, the musical theater club, produces prewritten shows and is also student led. This semester they are producing a full-length show, but they lack the numbers Rocky Horror has. So, what’s the disconnect? What do Goucher students really want?
Before anything we need a committed group of students who are willing to spend a significant amount of time in rehearsals. Whether it be on stage or backstage, we need a community stable enough to run a full-scale production and have fun while doing it. Shows like Chicago or Legally Blonde can only happen with that kind of support.
We have Goucher alumni that are willing to come and teach those who are new to theater but have a passion to learn. And there is always room for theater veterans in leadership roles to make the shows even better.
We want to know who wants to revive the once deceased Goucher theater program. Fill out our survey so we can see who’s interested and reach out when a plan has been made.
By Nathaniel Lehman ’27 and Juno Norman ’28
Featured Image Source: Nathaniel Lehman and Juno Norman
