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. 

Join the Theatre Department Peer Mentors, and help our new students successfully navigate their first year at SSU!

Peer Mentors assist first year students with advising and answering general questions about the theatre program, auditions, classes, and TPP. 

Join us immediately following the Theatre Department Orientation Meeting for the Fall 2026 Theatre Participation Job Fair! Students will have the opportunity to sign up for positions on our Theatre Department productions of BECKY NURSE OF SALEM, the VETERAN'S 10-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL, and CORNERS GROVE!

Fall 2026 Theatre Participation Job Fair
Thursday, September 3, 2026
6:00pm-6:30pm
Sophia Gordon Center Lobby

Date and Time: To Be Announced!
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
Mainstage Theatre

Join us for a movie in the Mainstage followed by a student game night in the lobby! Please feel free to bring your favorite games and snacks! 

Current Salem State students: Join the faculty to learn how to make a theatre resume and/or portfolio for auditions, interviews, and BFA Juries.

Monday, September 21, 2026
12:00pm-1:00pm
Sophia Gordon Rehearsal Room (SG208)

See you there! 

"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

Ticket Purchase Deadline: Friday, December 18, 2026

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!

We are thrilled to announce that Professor Julie Kiernan is the new Chairperson of the Theatre and Speech Communication Department!

Julie Kiernan is an Associate Professor and Chair of Theatre & Speech Communication at Salem State University. A Fulbright Scholar, she taught and directed theatre at New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria, during the Spring 2024 semester. Building on this experience, she established a memorandum of understanding between Salem State and New Bulgarian University. In Spring 2026, she led a student cohort to Bulgaria for a collaborative devised theatre project based on Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Kiernan is the recipient of Salem State University’s Distinguished Teaching Award (2016). She was a founding faculty member of the Veteran Scholars Learning Community (2013–2019), where she taught for six years, and received the Unwavering Support of Student Veterans Award from the Student Veteran Organization in 2015. She is also the founder and artistic director of Salem State’s annual National 10-Minute Veterans’ Playwriting Contest & Festival, now in its eighth year (2026).

A dedicated director, Kiernan’s recent productions include Everybody (2025), Collective Rage (2025), Antigone (2023), First Year Lab (2022), Orlando (2021), and Top Girls (2019). She will direct Becky Nurse of Salem in fall 2026 as part of Salem’s 400th anniversary celebration.

In addition to her departmental work, Kiernan has made significant contributions to global engagement initiatives. She served as Salem State’s Faculty Fellow for Global Engagement (2018–2022; 2024–2026) and as Faculty COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) Coordinator (2020–2023). In these roles, she led three year-long Faculty Learning Communities and trained 30 faculty members in COIL pedagogy. This work was recognized with the 2021 AASCU Excellence and Innovation Award for International Education and supported by a 2021 IDEAS grant from the U.S. Department of State. She also played a key role in establishing the university’s Global Engagement Seal for students.

Committed to ongoing professional development, Kiernan has participated in multiple Faculty Learning Communities focused on deepening pedagogical practice, including Service Learning (2013–2014), Contemplative Pedagogy (2014–2015), Open Educational Resources (Spring 2019), Veteran Students (2020–2021), and Teaching English Language Learners (Spring 2025).

Kiernan has presented her work nationally and internationally. Highlights include her 2024 presentation, “Practices Used in the United States to Study Shakespeare,” at the Tracing Shakespeare International Festival in Sofia, and her Fulbright project Telling Your Story: Using Theatre to Address Issues of Identity and Connection, developed in collaboration with the MIR Center and New Bulgarian University. In 2018, she delivered a TEDx talk, Setting the Stage for Human Connection, exploring theatre as a tool for intercultural competence. She has also presented at the Forum of Cities in Transition International Conference (2016) and regularly contributes to Salem State’s academic conferences and research events.

Kiernan earned her Master of Fine Arts in Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she received a full scholarship and served as a research and teaching fellow. Her thesis, Pedagogy of Contact Improvisation in Acting Training, reflects her commitment to innovative performance education. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Salem State University, graduating summa cum laude and receiving multiple honors, including an Irene Ryan Award nomination, the Presidential Arts Scholarship, and the Dembowski Award. She gained additional training at the American Conservatory Theatre’s Summer Training Congress as well as at the College of Charleston.

Before entering academia, Kiernan worked as a professional actress in Los Angeles and has traveled internationally as an artist, presenter, and consultant. Her research interests include feminist theatre, contemplative pedagogy, value-creation education, and the development of intercultural competence.

Congratulations, Julie!

To our Seniors: We have had the pleasure of knowing and working with you in class, in our shops, and in our theaters. You have achieved so much during your time here, and we know you will continue to impress us with your creativity, your compassion, and your resilience. We are SO proud of you!  

This video only begins to highlight the friendships, the productions, and the love from the past few years at Salem State Theatre. Thank you for the memories 💜

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

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

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 🎉