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
There are alumni who would help fulfill a stronger theatre vision that you describe. I being one of them. (Jen Spieler, Goucher class of 1993, MFA Theatre Directing)
I am a Goucher theatre major who graduated in winter 1990. I had a job waiting for me in January at the Mechanic Theatre. I had been heavily involved in the Baltimore community theatre scene before attending Goucher and even knew Michael Simon Curry as a fellow actor before transferring to Goucher. I loved the program. It was small and we really only performed in lecture halls and classrooms, but it gave me the foundation to be successful. While I worked at the Mechanic, I was accepted into the Master of Drama Studies program at Hopkins, another now-defunct program. I worked with some truly great theatre minds to finish that program. And while I chose the administrative and production side of the arts for my life’s work, my underpinnings in theatre gave me the tools necessary to think quickly, stay organized, and be confident. I have worked for 35 years in the nonprofit arts sector with my Goucher theatre degree backing me all the way.
I graduated in 1999 as a theatre major from Goucher College. I’m now a working actor in theatre, film and television. But, thanks to my time at Goucher, I also work as a screenwriter, theatre-maker, voice coach, voice actor and teaching artist.
I was sad to learn that Goucher cut the theatre major. I learned so much about the world, history, the human condition and myself by studying and making theatre at Goucher. I studied abroad four times and participated in 8+ productions.
I eventually moved to NYC and pursued additional conservatory training, but my time at Goucher prepared me to be a full artist and creator. I’m still connected to my professors – Rebecca Free, Rory Turner, and Michael Curry, as well as the dear friends I made in the program. Theatre was more than an extra-curricular activity, we were a family.
I hope Goucher community will come together to create more theatre and that the school will consider creating the major again.
Class of 2005. I cut my teeth in The Black Box. Everything I learned about theater started at Goucher. The work I did in Baltimore was built by and steeped in the culture that began at Goucher College. It would be nice to see the Black Box incubating the next generation of theatrical artists
I am a Class of 2011 Alum (and a proud student of Jen Spieler, Becky Free, & Michael Curry) and I’m very disheartened to learn that theatre performance is not actively available or, that interest no longer exists. That said, I want to challenge the student authors to create your opportunities where you want them to exist. In my senior year, I was lucky that we had many opportunities to produce or perform. That year, I was fortunate to direct two student-written plays, design & build sets for the student-written play festival, write & perform my thesis production, and star in the senior project production – all of which was part of the structure of the department. But I was still hungry for more, so I cobbled together a production of a two-hander, rehearsed in hallways or in the woods, and performed it in whichever unlocked room we could find. Just a small group of audience that we texted 5 minutes before show-time. It was completely free, underground and easily doable to those willing to risk. Big shows are fun, but college is an excellent opportunity to experiment, explore, and take big swings. I’m happy to offer my support to those who want to seek this kind of work out.
Class of 2006 – our faculty was small but gave us all of their time and energy. They even provided me opportunities to learn costuming when only one intro class was actually in the curriculum.
I went on to earn a master’s in wigs and makeup at UNCSA, and my costume work at Goucher is what got me into the program. Much love for that department!