Cedarville’s Theater Major: A Small Program With Big Results

The world of theater is filled with people chasing their dreams. Thousands of aspiring actors, directors and designers pursue an education in the hope of breaking into this competitive industry.  

Graduates from the theater program at Cedarville University, a southwest Ohio university ranked by the Wall Street Journal as one of the nation’s top three evangelical universities, have proven that a small program yields big results through a 100% placement rate of 2023-24 graduates. 

According to information provided by Cedarville’s career services department, Cedarville graduates are in high demand for employment and graduate programs. In fact, some graduates have received assistantships at Mary Baldwin University—one of America’s foremost graduate programs specializing in Shakesperean theater and Temple University. 2024 theater graduate Stephen Venditti walked off the graduation stage and into a graduate assistant opportunity at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Master of Fine Arts program for technical directing.  

Other Cedarville graduates are landing roles in the heart of their craft soon after graduation. Sam Acosta ’23 and his wife Haleigh (Compton) Acosta ’24 were recently contracted as actors by the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia. Hannah Bradley ’24 received more than 15 separate callbacks from graduate programs. Bradley finalized an offer to attend the University of Alabama in 2025 while teaching undergraduate theater classes with all expenses paid. 

“Cedarville prepared me so well for the future, even when I didn’t know which steps to take,” said Bradley. “Cedarville’s faculty have always believed in us and pushed us forward, and they are one of the biggest reasons I am where I am today.” 

The impact of Cedarville’s theater major is felt most strongly in how each graduate has taken their love of theater and blended it with a unique passion to pursue their dreams — whether conventional, bold or completely uncharted. 

“One of our greatest assets is that we have a Biblically centered approach to art,” said Stacey Stratton, assistant professor of theater.“ If you’re an artist, odds are you’ll do it for the rest of your life. And if you can understand that this isn’t a self-serving ambition, that it is truly an act of worship that reflects how God created you, then it changes everything. You become a light through your art.” 

Abigail King ’23 took this idea to heart by finding a way to fuse her passion for theater with her lifelong love of animals. During her time at Cedarville, King worked with her theater professors to allow her to volunteer with 4 Paws for Ability, a local nonprofit dedicated to training service animals. In addition to learning the ins and outs of technical theater, King’s work with animals provided her with a pathway to become an animal trainer for Sight & Sound Theatres in Branson, Missouri. 

“Getting a theater degree at Cedarville gave me a well-rounded knowledge of the whole theater process,” said King. “That’s what I use most in my job every day, whether it’s showing an animal that lighting equipment isn’t scary, helping it get accustomed to a costume piece or training its precise blocking around the actors. Cedarville’s professors taught me how to follow my dream.” 

Cedarville’s theater department helped King leave college with the boldness and ability to pursue her dream. 

Whether graduates have landed positions in graduate schools, educational roles or full-time performing, Cedarville helps each student hone their confidence and skills to aid them in telling some of the world’s greatest stories.  

Cedarville University, an Evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.