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. 

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴! (Temporarily, due to ongoing construction/air quality concerns.) At this time, we do not know how long the office will be in this new, temporary location, but we keep everyone notified of any updates!

Our new workspace is in the Human Resources suite, right down the hall from our previous office location. (From our previous location, you would continue down the Administration Building Hallway, in the direction of the Sullivan Building. At the end of the hallway, go through the set of double doors on your right to enter the Human Resources/Student Employment area.)

Prof. Julie Kiernan, our Department Chairperson, is now in office ADMIN #100B, and Ashley Preston O'Toole, the Theatre Coordinator, will be in ADMIN #101B. To meet with them during their office hours, please schedule a meeting in advance, or check in at the Human Resources Front Desk.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳. 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀:

• Tuesdays: 11:00am-1:30pm

• Wednesdays: 10:45am-12:00pm

• Fridays: 10:45am-12:00pm

𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: jkiernan@salemstate.edu 

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: 978-542-2067

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲: ADMIN #100B

𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗢’𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀:

• Mondays: 9:00am-11:00am & 1:30pm-4:00pm

• Tuesdays: 9:00am-12:00pm & 12:30pm-4:00pm

• Wednesdays: 9:00am-11:30am & 1:30pm-4:00pm

• Thursdays: 9:00am-11:00am & 12:30pm-4:00pm

• Fridays: 9:00am-11:30am & 1:30pm-4:00pm

𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: aotoole@salemstate.edu 

𝗣𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿: 978-542-4312

𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲: ADMIN #101B

CLICK HERE to schedule an appointment with Ashley

𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘𝗦:

1. 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗗𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀:

An Advising Station with all of these materials is set up in the lobby of the Sophia Gordon Center lobby. They are also available on the Virtual Callboards Advising and Registration page.

2. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗿𝘆:

The Play Library will unfortunately be closed during this time. Until we are back in our regular location, we recommend utilizing the Berry Library on North Campus for checking out plays. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience!

3. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗿:

The ADMIN 2 office will be closed during the day, so only faculty and staff will be able to temporarily access the copier.

4. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 & 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘅𝗲𝘀:

The ADMIN 2 office will be closed during the day, so only faculty and staff will be able to temporarily access their mailboxes. All incoming mail and packages will be delivered to the Human Resources front desk.

5. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗲 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀:

The Callboards outside the Theatre Office will still be in use during this time. You can also access information 24/7 on the Virtual Callboards website.

6. 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

Please contact Ashley at aotoole@salemstate.edu, 978-542-4312, or schedule an appointment.

7. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀:

Faculty members with offices in the Administration Building hallway may also be using workspace in the Human Resources suite. Please check the schedules on their usual office doors for updates. Their Office Hours and office locations are listed on the Virtual Callboards Faculty and Staff page.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴- 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲! 

Join us for the 8th annual Salem State University Theatre Department Costume Contest!

All Salem State community members are invited to submit a photo of your spooky, cute, and creative Halloween costumes by Saturday, October 31 at midnight. Ashley will post the photos online so everyone can vote for their favorite costumes by Tuesday, November 3 at 11:59pm, and we'll announce the winners the next morning!

(Participants are welcome to submit their photo anytime prior to Halloween.)

All current Salem State University students, faculty, staff, and alumni are welcome to participate.

Happy Halloween! 

Monday, November 9
11:00am-12:00pm

A dedicated hour during Community Time for current students to perform a monologue, song, scene, duet, poem, dance, or any other creative or original work! We'll provide the mic, you provide the talent! (Or join us in the audience to support your friends!)

First Year Lab
Friday, September 25, 2026 at 7:30pm
Sophia Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts
Mainstage Theatre

Created by our Fall 2026 First Year & New Transfer Theatre Arts Students

Directed by Esme Allen

Thank you for signing up for Theatre Department production positions for Fall 2026! Production positions have been assigned based on student preference, program requirements, the needs of the individual productions, and how much TPP individual Theatre Majors need to earn this semester.

Please refer to the “Fall 2026 Theatre Production Assignment Confirmation” PDF to find your assignment(s):

1. The ID numbers in the left column are in sequential order.

2. Please find your ID number in the left column to find your production assignment(s).

3. You may have more than one assignment- each assignment will be in its own row, with your ID number. Please double-check to see how many you have.

4. Scenic Build Crew assignments include the day and time availability students provided on their Job Fair Sign-Up Form. (M=Monday, T=Tuesday, W=Wednesday, and R=Thursday.)

Production Positions Requirements:

Please refer to the attached “Theatre Participation Job Fair List” and “Theatre Participation Info Packet” documents for detailed information about each position.
 

Production Position Schedules:

Your supervisor for each position will contact you directly with the open call hours or specific schedule for each of your positions. Please refer to the Job fair List document for your supervisor’s name. (Student Stage Managers may also email you your schedule, if you are on a run crew or are a board/computer operator.)

Next Steps:

1. Please stop by the Theatre Office (Administration Building Room #2) to sign your Theatre Participation Contract before Friday, September 18. The Theatre Office will be open the following days and times:

   1. Monday 9/14      
      9:00am-10:45am & 1:30pm-4:30pm

   2. Tuesday 9/15     
      9:00am-12:00pm & 12:30pm-4:30pm

   3. Wednesday 9/16            
      1:30pm-4:30pm

   4. Thursday 9/17
      9:00am-1:00pm & 2:00pm-4:30pm

   5. Friday 9/18          
      9:00am-12:00pm & 2:00pm-4:30pm

Students who are already cast/have a major position in a fall production and already signed their Fall 2026 contracts last semester do not need to come in, unless they have signed up for additional production positions.

If You Need to Decline a Position:

If you are no longer able to fulfil the requirements of a position to which you have been assigned, please reply directly to this email or see Ashley in the Theatre Office by this Friday, September 18 to decline the position. (It’s ok if you need to decline- we can help you find an alternative; please don’t wait until tech week to tell us. The earlier we know, the earlier we can find someone else who would like to fill that position. Thank you!)

If You Still Need to Sign Up for a Position:

All full-time Theatre majors are required to work at least 50 hours on one or more Theatre Department productions every semester in order to pass their Theatre Participation requirement for THE91, THE93, THE95 or THE97. (1 hour of work on a Theatre Department show = 1 “Theatre Participation Point” or TPP.) Students are able to sign up for more than one production position to earn their 50 hours/TPP.

The following positions are still available for Fall 2026:

• Becky Nurse Wardrobe Run Crew*

• Becky Nurse Costume Stitcher*

• Becky Nurse Ushers

• Corners Grove Wardrobe Run Crew*

• Corners Grove Scenic Run Crew*

• Corners Grove Ushers
  
  *Satisfies the Build/Run Crew Requirement

To sign up for any of these positions, please stop by the Theatre Office and speak with Ashley.

Thank you for being a part of Salem State Theatre!

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 🎉