About UCI Drama
A deeper look at UCI Drama, from training and research to performance and impact.
The Department of Drama
At UCI Drama, thinking and making go hand in hand. The Department of Drama was founded on the conviction that the most vital theatre artists combine critical intelligence with disciplined craft. This conviction is reflected in the active creative and scholarly research of the department’s faculty, whose expertise includes acting, choreography, clowning, devised theatre, voice, directing, music theatre, playwriting, stage management, themed entertainment, and costume, lighting, projection, scenic, and sound design, as well as dance, theatre, and performance studies history, theory, and criticism. These many paths to the study of theatre come together at UCI Drama, where undergraduate and graduate students work in a collaborative community across programs and productions.
What makes UCI Drama singular is also where it sits, in every sense. UCI Drama is part of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, where collaboration with dance, music, and visual art is routine rather than exceptional. Our Southern California location, minutes from South Coast Repertory and steps from our own New Swan Shakespeare Festival, means students move between the classroom and professional stage throughout their training. Geographically, we are on the Pacific Rim, within a multicultural region shaped by the confluence of cultures from Latin America, Asia, and beyond, and our academic curriculum and season programming reflect that diversity. The result is a department that has sent alumni to Broadway (Come From Away, The Book of Mormon, Beautiful), to regional stages and film sets nationwide, and into university faculties, artists and thinkers equipped not just with technique, but with the vision to shape what theatre becomes next.
Department HistoryTake a Look
Explore a Day With Us In Drama
About Irvine and UC Irvine
Founded in 1965, the city of Irvine and the University of California, Irvine are located in Southern Orange County, California, approximately four miles from the Pacific Ocean and midway between Los Angeles and San Diego. The region sits within a highly diverse bi-county area encompassing Los Angeles and Orange County and is shaped by its position on the Pacific Rim and its proximity to the United States–Mexico border.
This geographic, demographic, and cultural context makes UC Irvine uniquely positioned for the creation and study of international and multicultural performance. The campus reflects a broad range of lived experiences, artistic traditions, and global perspectives, creating an environment in which cultural exchange and interdisciplinary inquiry are central to academic and creative life.
Irvine and its surrounding communities offer significant professional and artistic opportunities. Nearby venues such as the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Irvine Barclay Theatre present world-class theatre, music, dance, and touring Broadway productions. The area is also home to leading professional theatre companies, including South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and the Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach.
Less than an hour from Los Angeles and Hollywood, students benefit from proximity to one of the most active centers for film, television, and live performance in the world. With year-round access to beaches, sailing, and outdoor recreation, as well as winter skiing within driving distance, Irvine supports both focused academic study and a high quality of life.
The University of California, Irvine provides a range of housing options. Approximately half of students live on campus in residence halls and apartments, while others reside in nearby communities such as Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Tustin, and Costa Mesa.
Learn More About UC IrvineHear From Our Faculty
B.F.A. Showcase
Industry Connections
Introducing our graduating performers to industry professionals and future collaborators.
M.F.A. Showcase
Professional Access
Showcasing industry-ready actors in direct conversation with casting and representation.
Learn More
About Claire Trevor
Learn about our namesake, a legendary actress, philanthropist, and longtime OC resident.
Facilities and Spaces
A dynamic network of performance venues, creative spaces, and research resources supporting every stage of the work.
Meet Our Grad Students
Meet our graduate Drama students across disciplines, each advancing their craft through rigorous, practice-based training.
Department Information
Dramatic Literature Lecturer Search
The Department of Drama is establishing a search of qualified applicants for part-time lecturers for Winter and Spring Quarter 2027 in the curriculum area of dramatic literature and theatre history.
The department seeks applicants who could teach either a lower division theatre history course, or an upper division undergraduate course in theatre and culture (or potentially both). Applicants who are interested in the theatre history course should have experience teaching this topic from a global perspective. Applicants interested in the upper division course may suggest any topic, though we are particularly interested in courses in Queer Theory, Latinx Studies, African Studies, and/or Indigenous Studies. A PhD degree in Dramatic Arts/Theatre Arts is required.
Candidates for this position must show strong experience in teaching dramatic literature and history and working with a diverse student population in a university environment. Experience in teaching students on writing research papers is also required. Candidates must demonstrate an excellent research and teaching profile in the field of dramatic literature.
Candidates must apply using the online application system, RECRUIT, at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF10446 (select "Apply Now"). Applications must include:
- Cover Letter
- Sample 10-week Syllabus on a topic related to this position
- Reflective Teaching and Mentoring Statement
- Curriculum Vitae (please include publications and teaching)
- List of references with contact information
- Additional Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness: May include teaching evaluations, peer evaluations of your teaching, awards and/or other evidence of teaching impact
For additional information, please contact Marcus Beeman, Department Administrator, at Drama@uci.edu.
Assistant Professor of Teaching in Stage Management
Apply at https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF10472
Application deadline: December 13, 2026
The Opportunity
The Department of Drama at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) invites applications for a full-time Assistant Professor of Teaching in Stage Management (and/or Entertainment Management). We seek a stage management or entertainment management educator and practitioner who will help shape the department’s future and advance the excellence, reach, and national recognition of its Stage Management program. The successful candidate will bring current professional knowledge, a thoughtful approach to teaching, and the ability to turn developments in live performance into meaningful opportunities for students. This work aligns with the department’s vision of cultivating critically engaged artists through new theatrical work and emergent forms, grounding in the established repertoire, and collaboration across Claire Trevor School of the Arts (UCI Arts), UCI, the region, and the nation.
Undergraduate and graduate education are equally important to this appointment. We seek a colleague who values introducing students to stage management as deeply as mentoring experienced graduate students toward collaborative leadership. In partnership with the Head of Stage Management, faculty, staff, and guest artists, this individual will strengthen the relationship between classroom learning, production practice, and students’ professional lives.
Stage management expertise is central to the position. We also welcome a complementary strength in production management, producing, directing, themed entertainment, design, and/or other related areas. This additional expertise is preferred, rather than required, and may inform new courses, curriculum, collaborative projects, or other contributions aligned with departmental needs and the candidate’s strengths.
The Program
UCI currently has a growing undergraduate population of theatre makers in all areas, including stage management, and offers a three-year M.F.A. in Stage Management. In the undergraduate stage management framework, students take an introductory course (which will have its content paired with another design area in future quarters) and may take classes in advanced topics, production participation, some graduate-level opportunities, and Honors in Stage Management. The graduate stage managers’ course of study combines rotating advanced coursework, mentored production assignments, professional internship experience, and a culminating thesis project. In addition, graduate students are given 50% Academic Student Employee Teaching Assistantships, supervised by faculty. Students serve as stage managers or assistant stage managers on all UCI productions, though this position may include serving as a stage manager on a production if needed, mentoring a student stage management team. These pathways connect students with opportunities to develop across theatre, musical theatre, dance, concerts, opera, themed entertainment, and special events.
Teaching and Workload
The assigned teaching load is seven formal courses per academic year, distributed across fall, winter, and spring quarters, generally two or three courses per quarter. Production mentorship, advising, and university service are additional responsibilities. Instruction and mentorship are primarily conducted in person on the Irvine campus; production mentoring includes some evening and weekend commitments.
Teaching is the primary responsibility and principal criterion for advancement in the Professor of Teaching series. The appointment also requires professional and/or scholarly achievement, including creative activity, and university and public service. Professional activity should sustain current expertise and contribute to the discipline and/or its teaching at a scope appropriate to this teaching-focused appointment.
Responsibilities
- Teach undergraduate and graduate courses in stage management and related areas, with clear learning outcomes, engaging instruction, useful feedback, and fair assessment. Potential course assignments include Drama 50E/K Introduction to Stage Management; Drama 81: Laboratory for Creative Collaboration; Drama 254 Graduate Stage Management (with variable topics), and other courses matched to departmental needs and expertise.
- Mentor undergraduate and graduate stage managers throughout preparation, rehearsal, technical rehearsals, performances, and reflection. Support production projects and thesis work, and help students develop independent judgment, artistic collaboration, and professional accountability.
- Teach the practical and interpersonal dimensions of the art of stage management, including documentation, rehearsal and performance systems, cueing, communication, team leadership, conflict resolution, labor agreements, and professional ethics.
- Advance curriculum and production learning with attention to changing technologies, digital workflows, access, consent-based practices, safety, and sustainable work practices. Help students evaluate new tools critically and adapt practices to different production contexts.
- Collaborate on program development, student recruitment and admissions, advising, and assessment. Help build professional partnerships, guest artist opportunities, internship pathways, and alumni connections that strengthen student preparation and the program’s national visibility.
- Work constructively with faculty, staff, students, and guest artists on production processes and shared departmental priorities. Contribute complementary expertise through teaching or creative projects as appropriate to an agreed scope of responsibilities, including interdisciplinary collaborations that help students develop work and connect it with audiences beyond UCI.
- Maintain a continuing record of professional, scholarly, and/or creative achievement with evidence of quality, impact, and external recognition. Possibilities include professional stage management or related creative work; publications; conference presentations; pedagogical inquiry; or development and dissemination of stage management methods and resources.
- Participate in departmental, school, university, and professional service; maintain accessible student support, timely grading, and effective course communication; and contribute to a respectful learning and working environment.
Questions about the position may be directed to the Department of Drama at drama@uci.edu. Program information is available at www.arts.uci.edu/drama/programs/mfa/stage-management.
