Embedded Files
Welcome!
Welcome!
Just like our Callboards outside our main Theatre Office, you can find all of the information you need about advising, auditions, TPP, upcoming events, finals, faculty contacts, and much more right here! Please check back often, because this site will be updated frequently with new events and information.
If you have any questions, please contact Ashley Preston O'Toole in the Theatre Department at aotoole@salemstate.edu.
Salem State Theatre Production Photo Archive
Salem State Theatre Production Photo Archive
From A Doll's House to You Can't Take It With You- Over 50 years of photo archives!
Upcoming Events:
Upcoming Events:
2026 Senior Spotlight: Submissions
2026 Senior Spotlight: Submissions
We continue our tradition of posting “Senior Spotlights” on the Theatre Department Social Media pages at the end of the spring semester. Each Spotlight post will feature a graduating senior with their photo/headshot, their degree information, a few fun facts about them, and a short quote about their favorite things about the Theatre Department/SSU.
We will start posting our Senior Spotlights during finals in May, leading up to commencement. I really hope this can be something fun for you to do and enjoy, and then share with family and friends so we can celebrate YOU! (If you have any questions, or would prefer not to include certain information, just leave it blank, or send Ashley a message and we can come up with something you would prefer.)
Submission Deadline: Friday, May 1, 2026
Theatre Department Awards Night
Theatre Department Awards Night
Monday, May 4, 2026
5:00pm-7:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
356 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA
Open to all! Join us as we announce the 2026 Theatre Award and Scholarship recipients and celebrate the Class of 2026! Featuring a special performance by the Yes Andys improv troupe!
Dressy/formal attire is encouraged but not required.
2026 Creativity Awards
2026 Creativity Awards
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
7:00pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
356 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA
Honoring students for outstanding achievement in the arts:
Art+Design, Creative Writing, Dance, Music, and Theatre!
2026 Graduation Portraits
2026 Graduation Portraits
Graduation Portraits
Friday, May 8, 2026
Sophia Gordon Center for the Creative and Performing Arts
Sign-Up Link: 2026 graduates, check your Salem State email After April 16 for messages from SSU Commencement to access the portrait sign-up link.
In the week before commencement ceremonies, graduates can make an appointment to pose for portraits in their regalia and celebrate safely with guests. Students will be able to cross the theatre stage in their cap and gown and have photos taken by professional photographers. Guests are welcome to attend to photograph the graduate and pose for group photos.
Choose your time and date to cross the ceremonial stage in cap and gown with your guests in attendance and able to photograph you up close! Sign up with friends or classmates from other programs who may graduate in a different commencement ceremony.
BFA Acting Recital
BFA Acting Recital
The Scottish Play
Inspired by Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Adapted by Lauren Abramson and Esme Allen
Directed by Esme Allen
Starring Lauren Abramson
"A Shakespearean tragedy so cursed we can't even speak the name aloud. A Scottish general is prophesied to be crowned King; ruthless ambition, paranoia, and tyranny ensue. Is it his fault? Is it his wife's fault? And who is this actor who demands we watch her onstage for an entire evening, who cut Shakespeare's script to pieces, who refuses to take a scene partner and instead claims two roles in one body?"
Performances:
Friday, May 8 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 9 at 7:30pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
356 Lafayette Street, Salem, MA 01970
Admission is free, but seating is limited. We strongly encourage patrons to reserve their ticket in advance using the Ticket Link.
Artwork Credit: Max Ocampo
Theatre Field Trip: Maybe Happy Ending
Theatre Field Trip: Maybe Happy Ending
"Winner of 6 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Maybe Happy Ending tells the deeply human story of a chance encounter that sparks connection, adventure, and maybe even love. Helmed by Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden (Parade), Maybe Happy Ending has been called “one of the best musicals in years” (USA Today) and even “The best musical in eons!” (Observer). Don’t miss the totally original new musical adventure that explores what it means to be human. Even if they’re not."
Location: Citizens Opera House, Boston, MA
Performance Date: Saturday, February 13, 2027
(The only SST production conflict for this date is Lighting Focus for The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window)
Performance Time: 2:00pm
Ticket Price: $75.00
Seating Location: Mezzanine
If you would like to secure a ticket now, our deposit is due Tuesday, May 12 at noon. (There will be another payment deadline later next year, but we need at least five people to purchase tickets in May in order to secure the discounted tickets.)
Notes:
1. Tickets are available first to current SSU Theatre students, and then may be able to open up to SSU theatre faculty, staff, alumni and other SSU (non-theatre) majors based on availability. We cannot provide tickets to the general public.
2. All students must be able to provide or arrange their own transportation. The Theatre Department cannot provide transportation, but I will provide directions and travel/parking information prior to the trip.
3. Tickets can be purchased directly from me in the Theatre Office (Administration Building Room #2, Monday–Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm) with cash or personal check, or through Venmo (Username: AshleyPrestonOToole78). If using Venmo, please add the name of the show in the transaction notes. I will provide email receipts for all field trip ticket purchases. Tickets are non-refundable.
Hope to see you there!
Announcements:
Announcements:
Spring 2026 TPP Totals_5.1.26.pdfSpring 2026 TPP Totals (Updated 5/1/26)
Spring 2026 TPP Totals (Updated 5/1/26)
Please search for your Student ID Number in the left column to see your total TPP.
Please note:
1. All full-time Theatre majors (taking 12.0 credits or more) are required to work at least 50 hours on one or more Theatre Department productions, supervised by Theatre Department faculty or staff, in order to pass their Theatre Participation requirement for THE91-THE98.
2. Punctuality is fundamental to all TPP positions. Unexcused absences and tardiness impact total TPP for all positions.
3. If you have questions about the TPP you have received for a production position, please contact your faculty or staff supervisor.
4. TPP for productions will be posted after those individual productions close and faculty/staff submit TPP totals.
5. TPP for Workshop will be posted during finals, after grades are submitted.
2026/2027 Season Announcement!
2026/2027 Season Announcement!
The Salem State University Theatre and Speech Communication Department is thrilled to announce our 2026/2027 production season!
First Year Lab Experience
Directed by Esme Allen
Sophia Gordon Center
September 2026
“A fabulous and unique production our Fall 2026 First Year and Transfer Theatre majors will create during their first month at SSU!”
Becky Nurse of Salem
By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Julie Kiernan
Sophia Gordon Center
October 2026
Part of the Salem 400 Celebration!
“A descendent of a woman accused of being a witch in Salem is now having struggles of her own. She looks to a local witch to help right her wrongs, but it only makes things worse. A look at how times have changed, or not, for women in America.”
8th Annual Veterans 10-Minute Play Festival
Directed by Esme Allen and Sara Conlon
Artistic Directed by Julie Kiernan
Sophia Gordon Center
November 2026
“An annual festival featuring the work of writers from across the United States. The goal of this festival is to cultivate a supportive environment for creative exploration in and around the varied experiences that surround the military. This festival uses theatre to begin a community conversation that builds bridges between the civilian and military worlds.”
Corners Grove
By Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
Directed by Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin
Sophia Gordon Center- Mainstage Theatre
December 2026
“A nod to Our Town, this new play shifts Thornton Wilder’s masterpiece into the twenty-first century, to a small town about forty miles south of San Francisco. George, Emily, and their friends are determined to live their lives on their own terms and to shed versions of themselves they’ve outgrown, whether that be their high school sweetheart or their gender identity. Life has only spun forward, and the only way for the residents of Corners Grove to keep up is to embrace the unknown and commit to their own truths.”
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window
By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Esme Allen
Callan Studio Theatre
February/March 2027
“Set amidst a stormy political campaign in 1960s Greenwich Village, Lorraine Hansberry's funny and poignant play examines morality, ethics, interracial relationships, drugs, rebellion, conformity, global responsibility and the fragility of love.”
The Tempest
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Peter Sampieri
Sophia Gordon Center- Mainstage Theatre
April 2027
“Shakespeare’s final play, The Tempest is a meditation on art, power, and freedom. On a remote island, Prospero, an exiled Duke, prepares to perform a great act of revenge. He summons his magical gifts into a devastating storm which hurls a ship’s crew onto the island– among them his usurping brother. With supernatural islanders as unwilling agents of his scheme and the castaways spellbound, Prospero’s plot advances. Old scores must be settled; his daughter Miranda must find love. But as his vision unfolds, a different ending emerges – one of forgiveness, love, compassion. And with it, the chance to renounce his magic forever.”
Repertory Auditions for our Fall 2026 productions of Becky Nurse of Salem and Corners Grove will be held this semester- please stay tuned for more information!
Interested in applying for a major position on one of our 2026/2027 productions? Information about Major Positions and Letters of Intent will be sent out via SSU email.
Region 1 American College Theatre Festival Updates
Region 1 American College Theatre Festival Updates
⭐️Cameron Holmes received "Achievement in Sound Design"!
⭐️Sydney Hamre received "Achievement in Stage Management"!
⭐️Max Dupuis received an Honorable Mention in Stage Management!
⭐️Shea Lowney received an Honorable Mention for Allied Crafts!
⭐️Sara Gluck received the "Outstanding Performance in an NPP Play" award from the National Playwriting Program!
⭐️Gia Meola received the "Regional Recognition Award" for Dramaturgy!
⭐️James Bridges received the first place LMDA/ACTF Student Dramaturgy Award!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🎉🎉🎉
We are so proud of all of our students for their excellent work at the festival! #TeamSalemState 💙🧡
Fall 2025 Dean's List
Fall 2025 Dean's List
CONGRATULATIONS to all of our Theatre Arts majors and minors who made the Fall 2025 Dean's List! We are so proud of you!
Lauren Abramson
Avah Acevedo
Hannah Rose Allender
Abby Belliveau
Pandora Benedito
David Bentley
Bridget Breda
James Bridges
Logan Broadway
Anne Brower
Lola Cassino
Hannah Castillo
Madison Cefalo
Annabelle Chapman
Jessica Cote
Starr Cousins
Adriana DeCicco
Sofia Dixon
Lauren Donahue
Cayley Drigotas
Richard Dunn
Max Dupuis
Ethan Dwyer
Louis Fowler
Griffin Frank
Nia Franklin
Stefani Galeano
Victoria García-De Peña
Sara Gluck
Hannalise Gruda
Devin Haley
Sydney Hamre
Liam Hannon
Andrea Hart
Cameron Holmes
Katie Hoskyns
Christina Izaguirre
Elijah Jenkins
Jiayi Jiang
Percy Jones
Sophie Jope
Emrys Jordan
Millicent Koromah
Lorelai Krisko
Rayniel Lara
Lillie-Marie LeClair
Zooey Lill
Ivy Lovejoy
Lily Marino
Abi Martin
Gia Meola
Artemis Metherall
Mez Mezzapelle
Sabrina Nedder
Helena Nelson
Jack Newton
Cameron Nye
Max Ocampo
Jennifer O'Connell
Neave O'Connell
Vivian O'Connor
Sierra Poppitt
Christopher Raney
Seth Rivera
Nadia Robinson
Xan Salamon
Amanda Seidler
Alex Shilo
Lucia Smarra
Nicholas Soares
Elsa Vig
Jaidyn Walter
Christa Washburn
Teagan Wholley
Samson Willcox
Casey Williams
Faithe Woodard
Raya Young
Boston Theatre Resource Round-Up
Boston Theatre Resource Round-Up
A collection of curated resources for Boston-area theatre makers, collected by Boston Area Theatre Auditions.
BATA is a collective of Boston-based actors, producers, directors, and arts administrators dedicated to fostering a thriving and radically inclusive theatre community in the Greater Boston Area. Through annual auditions and year-round programming, we provide vital opportunities for connection, professional development, and artistic growth.
Spring 26 Arts Calendar Brochure_01_26_WEB.pdfSpring 2026 Arts Calendar
Spring 2026 Arts Calendar
ACTF Nominees for Mad Forest
ACTF Nominees for Mad Forest
The Salem State University Theatre and Speech Communication Department is thrilled to announce the MAD FOREST merit award recipients and Irene Ryan nominees for the Region 1 American College Theatre Festival in January 2026:
Merit Award Recipients/Nominees (Who are encouraged to submit their work for ACTF):
1. James Bridges for Dramaturgy
2. Jennifer O’Connell for Stage Management
Additional Merit Awards (Special recognition):
1. Cast and Crew (Ensemble Work )
Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Nominees:
1. Lauren Abramson
2. Mez Mezzapelle
Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Alternate:
1. Dylon Medeiros
Congratulations!
Happy 50th Anniversary, SST!
Happy 50th Anniversary, SST!
2025-2026 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Theatre Major at Salem State!
Please stayed tuned for information about our anniversary celebration in Spring 2026 🎉
ACTF Nominees for Everybody
ACTF Nominees for Everybody
The Salem State University Theatre and Speech Communication Department is thrilled to announce the EVERYBODY merit award recipients and Irene Ryan nominees for the Region 1 American College Theatre Festival in January 2026:
Merit Award Recipients/Nominees (Returning students who are encouraged to submit their work for ACTF):
1. Gia Meola for Dramaturgy
2. Sydney Hamre for Stage Management
3. Shea Lowney for Sound Engineering
Additional Merit Awards (Special recognition):
1. Ensemble Merit award for the Cast of Everybody
Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Nominees:
1. Abi Martin
2. Samson Willcox
Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Alternate:
1. James Bridges
Congratulations!
Does your pet deserve the coveted Pet of the Week title? Of course they do!
To submit your pet for Pet of the Week, please complete the form linked in our bio. We'll post our featured pet every Friday, during the academic year!
Does your pet deserve the coveted Pet of the Week title? Of course they do!
To submit your pet for Pet of the Week, please complete the form linked in our bio. We'll post our featured pet every Friday, during the academic year!
Submissions are open to anyone in the Salem State Community.
Submissions are open to anyone in the Salem State Community.
SST Pet of the Week will be shared on the Salem State Theatre Instagram, Facebook page, and Virtual Callboards site.
SST Pet of the Week will be shared on the Salem State Theatre Instagram, Facebook page, and Virtual Callboards site.
2025-2026 Theatre Arts Student Representatives
2025-2026 Theatre Arts Student Representatives
BIPOC Student Representative
Nia Franklin
Design/Technical Theatre/Stage Management Representative
Stefani Galeano
First Year Student Representative
Oliver Dunn
LGBTQIA+ Student Representative
Cameron Nye
Performance/Directing/Playwrighting/Musical Theatre Student Representative
Cam Holmes
Transfer Student Representative
Lauren Abramson
Thank you to everyone who applied and voted! It was a very close vote in all categories— we are very fortunate to have so many thoughtful, responsible, and kind students in our department!
Please stay tuned for information about open office hours and upcoming meetings.
Student Groups & Clubs
Student Groups & Clubs
Check out some of the fabulous SSU Student Groups and Clubs- run by Theatre majors!
Post-Election Resources
Post-Election Resources
Students who need additional support during this time or any time, may call the 24/7 Mental Health Support Line at 978.542.8327.
If you have concerns about your safety or that of others, please contact university police at 978.542.6111.
Employees may access 24/7 emotional support through the EAP website using access code mass4you or by calling 844.263.1982.
Announcing our new BA Musical Theatre Program!
Announcing our new BA Musical Theatre Program!
We are thrilled to announce our new Bachelor of Arts Musical Theatre program, available for fall 2025 admission- no audition required!
For highly-motivated students who wish to explore skills in singing, dancing, and acting!
The Bachelor of Arts degree provides students with a theatrical world view, a foreign language and a minor that is supportive of their major career aspirations. The BA Musical Theatre concentration offers classes in performance, directing, theatre history, stagecraft, music and dance classes, as well as the opportunity to audition for all department productions.
Discounted Theatre Tickets!
Discounted Theatre Tickets!
The Theatre Department Office has compiled a list of professional theatre companies/venues in the North Shore/Greater Boston area that offer discounted tickets for current college students!
Theatre Department Handbook
Theatre Department Handbook
The updated 2024-2025 Theatre Department Handbook is now available!
Theatre Department Play Library
Theatre Department Play Library
Stop by the Theatre Office (Administration Building #2) during open office hours to check out plays and resource books from over 3,000 plays, books, and more! Play Library materials can be checked out with Ashley for two weeks.
COVID-19 Resources
COVID-19 Resources
Masks are available for current Theatre Arts students, faculty, and staff in the Theatre Office (Administration Building Room #2.)
Mental Health Support at SSU
Mental Health Support at SSU
Salem State has a new 24/7 Mental Health Support Line. If you are a student or speaking with a student who is having an urgent mental health concern or needs access to after-hours support, contact the confidential 24/7 mental health support line at 978.542.8327
Do you need mental health support or wish to help a friend access mental health resources? Utilize these on-campus, local and national resources available for Salem State students and community members. The majority of these resources are free, confidential, and/or anonymous. Many also have online chat or text options available. For more information, contact prevention@salemstate.edu.
During Business Hours
If you have an urgent mental health situation during normal business hours, call or come to counseling services even if you do not have an appointment. Let us know that it is an urgent matter and we will see you as soon as possible. In an emergency, contact campus police at 978.542.6111. You can also contact the confidential 24/7 SSU mental health support line at 978.542.8327. In an emergency, contact campus police at 978.542.6111.
On-Campus Resources
Counseling and Health Services 978.542.6413 | 8:30 am-5 pm, Monday-Friday
After Business Hours On-Campus
For students having an urgent mental health concern or who need access to after-hours support, contact the confidential 24/7 SSU mental health support line at 978.542.8327. For a mental health emergency that occurs at night or on a weekend, contact campus police at 978.542.6111 or your RA or resident director.
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Salem State Mobile Apps
Salem State Mobile Apps
Download the apps below to get support, find activities, and more!
Download the apps below to get support, find activities, and more!
Bluebikes
Bluebikes
Unlock bikeshares on campus and across Salem
Questions? Contact aotoole@salemstate.edu
Questions? Contact aotoole@salemstate.edu
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