About UCI Drama

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.

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.