The Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies (TAPS) is the intellectual and artistic center at Brown for faculty and students interested in the aesthetic, historical, literary, practical and theoretical explorations of performance in global perspective – theatre, dance, speech, performance art, and performative “roles” in everyday life. The Department’s distinguished faculty consists of leading scholars and artists who are at the forefront in researching and teaching new and innovative methodologies produced by the intersection of the study of craft and the study of history and theory.

A Doctoral Program in Theatre and Performance Studies, an MFA Program in Playwriting, and the Brown/Trinity MFA Programs in Acting and Directing all augment our thriving undergraduate program.

Each academic year also presents an overflowing calendar of performances and events, which contributes greatly to a vital educational environment for the study of performance.

Festival of Dance: The House of Ghosts (2012): photo by Jori Ketten