Nazareth University Theatre and Dance Department

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Rochester, NY
Nazareth University Theatre and Dance Department

Nazareth University's Theatre and Dance Department provides professional training and specialized education to students. Dance Studies
B.A Theatre Arts
B.S.

Visit our website to see our range of undergraduate majors! Tickets for our productions are available at link below. Nazareth hones students' talents and prepares them for a life in the performing arts. Every day in classrooms, rehearsal rooms, studio settings and large performance spaces, our theatre students are trained to reach inside themselves and use their talents to move audiences. Our prog

rams in the Nazareth College Theatre Arts Program include the following:

B.F.A Musical Theatre
B.F.A Technical Production (with a concentration in Lighting, Costume or Scenic Design)
B.S. Theatre Arts with Childhood Education

Minors: Dance, Musical Theatre, Technical Production, Theatre Arts.

06/11/2026

We can't wait to see you there!

05/04/2026

Our annual Theatre & Dance Department dinner (hosted by Theatre League & NDO) was full of heartfelt senior speeches, well-deserved awards celebrating the incredible talent of our students, and so many unforgettable moments. 💜💛

And the biggest spotlight of all? Celebrating Jeff Shade as he moves into retirement! The impact Jeff has had on generations of students is something truly special - a legacy built on passion, dedication, and love. Thank you for inspiring us all to have confiDANCE 💫

Please tag us in any posts you have- we would LOVE to see your amazing memories and fabulous outfits ✨

04/30/2026

🌟CABARET OF SONDHEIM🌟

Join us on Saturday, May 2nd, in A13 to celebrate the talent of our Theatre & Dance students and Stephen Sondheim! Stephen Sondheim is a composer and lyricist who created works like "West Side Story", "Sweeney Todd" and "Into The Woods".

Director: Kevin Torello
Music Director: Shane Gillis
Class Assistant: Grace Plassmeyer

It will be a night full of fun, talent, and Sondheim!

🎟NO TICKET REQUIRED
🗓Saturday May 2, 7:30pm
📍A13 Arts Center, Nazareth University

04/29/2026

⭐🎮GAME ON🎮 ⭐

Come see our Page-to-Stage class performance of "PARTICLE" on May 1st, 7-9pm in A13, Arts Center.

PARTICLE is a multi-dimensional coming-of-age story set in the world of elite gaming. Cora, a physics-loving teenager, has always been her twin brother Seth’s online gaming sidekick... until she makes an unexpected move while they’re streaming live together. Suddenly Cora finds herself internet-famous... and not at all sure that she likes it (and, surprise—Seth feels the same way). Our heroine finds herself launched from her family home in Roswell NM into the special world of Team Origin, an esports team of talented misfits. While she anxiously tries to find her footing, Seth faces challenges of his own — he’s sick. Very sick. Pulled in opposite directions, our twins try to find how to stay connected to each other while also surrendering to their own individual destinies. Will Cora meet her team’s expectations and help them win the high-pressure Interglow championships? And what does this mean for her twin brother, the one left behind, who finds himself facing a very different future? At its heart, ‘Particle’ is a story about connection, separation, time & space...and most importantly, the transcendent power of love.

🎟 NO TICKET REQUIRED
🗓 Friday May 1st, 7-9pm
📍A13 Arts Center, Nazareth University

Music and Lyrics by Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor
Book by Selda Sahin, Derek Gregor, and Autumn Reeser

Director: Jason James Panzino
Assistant Director: Alexander Yagud-Wolek
Accompanist: Mitchell Brownell
Stage Manager: Geneva Pace
Assistant Stage Manager: Emma Theriot
Production Assistant: Ella Wahlers
Production Manager: Pascale Tsering
Lighting Designer and Board Operator: Benjamin Broderick-Sokol

Special Thanks to Shane Gillis and David Mammano for their incredible musical talents!

04/27/2026

💫STUDENT SPOTLIGHT💫

Join us in congratulating current Naz students Lauren, Gracee, and Abigail as they join Blackfriars Theatre's Production of "PARADE" from May 8-24th.

Ostracized for his faith and Northern heritage, Jewish factory manager Leo Frank is accused of murdering a teenaged factory girl the day of the annual Confederate Memorial Day parade. Alfred Uhry’s award-winning book and Jason Robert Brown’s rousing, colorful and haunting score illuminate a circus of conflicting accounts, false testimony and mishandled evidence in a town reeling with social and racial tension. Isolated from the world, Leo develops a new and deeper love for his wife, who tirelessly crusades for his freedom. Parade is a compelling and provocative tale of justice miscarried, revealing a country at odds with its declarations of equality.

Check them out on the big stage by buying tickets at: https://www.blackfriars.org/parade

💜WE ARE SO PROUD!💜

04/24/2026

⭐"FLIPSIDE UP" ⭐

Join us TONIGHT (4/24) or TOMORROW (4/25) AT 7:30PM for a night of spectacular dance, crafted by Naz faculty, students and prestigious guest artists like our local Garth Fagan Dance and Boston Dance Theatre!

📍Callahan Theatre, Nazareth Arts Center. 4/24 & 4/25 at 7:30pm
🎟 https://www2.naz.edu/artscenter/tickets/ or link in bio. Naz students claim your free ticket!

💜You do NOT want to miss this energetic, unforgettable performance . 💜

04/23/2026

From April 13th-16th, among students from over 500 other universities, Dance majors Talia Leva (Junior) and Brityn Shaw (Freshman) applied for and received full funding from the university to attend The National Conference on Undergraduate Research held in Richmond, Virginia.

At the conference, they had the incredible opportunity to present the dance and culture focused research they had been working on the semester prior with Professor Mariko Yamada. The conference also provided great networking opportunities and the chance to see what
it’s like to share research projects on a much larger scale.

During Talia’s poster presentation, titled “Claiming Space in Dance Through Creative Autonomy,” Talia spoke on how the involvement of creative freedom in dance training fosters stronger artistic identity,
confidence and professional success in spaces both in and beyond dance.

During Brityn’s Oral Presentation, titled “The Death of Free Art by the Hands of a Dancer,” Brityn spoke on the problematic nature of considering a style of dance as “ethnic,” and how this can be connected to the way different styles of dance are often viewed in an unfair hierarchical manner.

Brityn and Talia are so excited to share their new experiences with their peers upon returning to the Naz campus, and to reiterate how much dance research matters!!

We are so proud of you girls! 💜💛

04/10/2026

🌟FACULTY SPOTLIGHT🌟

Join us TONIGHT (4/10) at 6:30PM for a night of laughs, featuring all your favorite Rochester comedy improv & sketch groups!

Naz's very own faculty, Kerry Young and Patti Lewis Browne, will be performing with Unleashed! Improv. Unleashed! Improv is Rochester's longest-running long-form improv troupe. They specialize in building characters and stories that not only leave audiences laughing, but also thinking. No two shows are ever alike, and their promise to you, the audience, is that “You won't go home empty-headed."

GET YOUR TICKETS: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35952/production/1269447?performanceId=11784276

💜Come support Naz faculty, Naz alum, and bust a gut!

03/26/2026

💫FACULTY SHOWING OPPORTUNITY💫

Our very own Professor and Theatre Arts Program Director, Dr. Matthew Ames, is directing "The White Chip" at Blackfriars Theatre. This is THE LAST WEEKEND TO VIEW THE SHOW!!

Despite spending more time drunk than sober, Steven McAlister has managed to graduate from college, create an extremely successful theater group, get married, and thrive in a dream job at one of the most prestigious regional theaters in the United States. Even with an ailing father, a marriage on the rocks, and his professional life careening out of control, Steven has a carefully constructed balancing act that keeps it all together—until it all falls apart. Told with humor, honesty, and compassion, The White Chip is about living with addiction and coming alive through recovery.

Trust us, you DON'T want to miss this show. ⤵
Tickets: https://www.blackfriars.org/the-white-chip
Address: 795 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 1460

FUN FACT: did you know Blackfriars is run by two Nazareth University theatre grads Brynn Tyzska and Mary Tiballi Hoffman? So come support out Naz family at Blackfriars 😉

03/19/2026

Tonight belongs to us! 💜🪩⭐️THE PROM opens next month so get your tickets soon!

A musical comedy about a small town facing an unexpected controversy surrounding its high school prom. When a group of flashy performers looking to improve their public image hear about the situation, they travel to the town hoping to help-and maybe gain some attention along the way. What starts as a publicity opportunity turns into something more meaningful as the community grapples with acceptance, identity, and standing up for what’s right. The story mixes humor, heart, and big musical numbers while exploring what it means to support someone who just wants to belong.

Graphic design by Marissa Hogan

Ticket Information linked in our Bio!
Nazareth students: Request your complimentary student ticket.

Nazareth faculty & staff: Select ‘Tickets’ and use your
Nazareth email to login to the box office to receive your 50% discount (Limit: 6 tickets). If needed: Ticket help.
Family members & the public: Purchase by selecting the ‘Tickets’ button.

Email [email protected] with questions

Address

4245 East Avenue
Rochester, NY
14618

Telephone

(585) 389-2603

Website

https://linktr.ee/nazutad

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