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Tufts is home to all kinds. Students at Tufts are intellectually curious, collaboratively-minded, and research-driven. We produce the next generation of world leaders, future doctors, engineers of tomorrow, and up-and-coming C-suite executives. One aspect of Tufts not to be overlooked is the performing arts. From coursework to student organizations, open-to-all to competitive auditions, to the inspirations behind some of your favorite movies, read on to learn more about the opportunities performers can find as a part of the Tufts community.

In the Classroom: Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Students interested in performance have many avenues at Tufts. Through our Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS), students can pursue a major in TDPS, minors in both Theatre and Dance, or even a PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies. This department hosts a wide array of courses every semester, from with specific themes like Acting Comedic Shakespeare, leaning into comedic timing and partner acting, and Afro-Hatian Dance: From Roots to Stage, connecting traditional performance roots with modern practice.

Even if you’re not a thespian at heart, the TDPS department has coursework relevant to everyone, including practical courses in the art of confident expression and public speaking. TDPS also crosses over a number of courses with our Film and Media Studies department, exploring history and culture through television and film such as Introduction to Media Culture and Theory and Television History.

For those more interested in the technical and practical aspects of theatre and performance, there are full arrays of costume, set, lighting, makeup, stage, and production design courses to explore. And for those with sights set on Hollywood, courses in screenwriting, TV production, and film directing may catch your interest. There are more courses in TPDS than I could ever hope to describe, even just in writing this I’ve learned more from the list of course descriptions than I even could’ve thought. I would highly encourage you to check out the TPDS Course Catalog to really understand just how vast the scope of theatre and performance can be.

In the Classroom: Music, Sound, and Culture

Tufts also has a robust Music department with a program in Music, Sound, and Culture (MSC). Students can pursue both a major or minor in MSC, as well as a minor in Music Engineering. In this department, you can concentrate in a number of areas, including Music Composition, Music Performance, and Music Technology. MSC encourages students to explore all facets of music and its ties to culture, through coursework like Listening & History, exploring music tropes and live performance psychology; Electronic Musical Instrument Design, a project-based experience in developing new electronic instruments; and Music and Religious Experience, exploring how worshippers engage with music in traditional and non-traditional settings. The department also contains full course series exploring music from every world culture and genre.

The Music department also helps to prepare students for careers across many different fields, where we’ve seen students connecting music and culture to event management and advertising, entertainment law, education, local government, and many more.

Our Music department also offers private lessons to students both in and out of the music majors and minors. Students can register for these lessons and apply for scholarships to cover some of the cost. Additionally, the Music department has opportunities to reserve individual rooms to practice, as well as larger spaces for group rehearsals or performance engagements.

Performing at Tufts

The performing arts at Tufts go far beyond the walls of the classrooms. With over 350 student-run clubs and organizations, there is no shortage of ways to express yourself on the stage at Tufts.

Within our academic departments, the TDPS department puts on 5-6 shows every year, and the MSC department has multiple concerts and numerous recitals every semester. Recently, the department put on Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, Sanctuary City, and Cabaret. See what our current group of talented Jumbos are putting on on the TDPS productions page or the MSC event calendar.

Another common way to get involved is through our Music Department’s ensemble groups. With 10 non-audition groups and 7 audition-based ensembles, Jumbos are making music from around the world.

Additionally, Tufts currently has 81 active student-run arts and performance groups, ranging from a number of cultural and social dance teams, to musicals, straight plays, improv, even our own Tufts HYPE! Mime Troupe. If you’re interested in Broadway, Torn Ticket II could be up your alley. Even if you don’t consider yourself one for the stage, the Tufts Dance Collective (the self-proclaimed “dance group for students who can’t dance”) has one of the largest student performances each semester.

To learn more about even more exciting performance opportunities at Tufts, check out our Jumbo Life page, and sort by the Arts & Performance category.

A Cappella

I would be remiss to describe the performing arts at Tufts without including a cappella. One of the most popular performance genres on campus, Tufts sports 10 notable a cappella teams.

If you’ve seen Pitch Perfect (2012), then you got a taste of what college a cappella can look like. But did you know that not only are the competitions and traditions from the movie real, but some of them have direct parallels at Tufts? It’s widely accepted that Tufts Beelzebubs were the direct inspiration for “The Treblemakers” from the film, and Tufts even had a Riff Off of our very own on campus this year.

The Beelzebubs’ career doesn’t just stop at providing inspiration for screenwriters, though. The Bubs have other notable credits such as finishing 2nd overall on the first season of The Sing Off and recording and arranging for Glee. They’ve even performed in our nation’s capital at the White House holiday reception.

A cappella at Tufts is also vast in its scope. We have the Low-keys, a non-audition based group; Enchanted, who sing exclusively childhood and Disney classics; and the Ladies of Essence, an all-femme identifying group that specializes in music of the African diaspora and tradition. A cappella at Tufts has something for everyone, whether that be to perform or to enjoy listening from the audience. Learn more about them in this article from Tufts Now.

I could easily continue on about the phenomenal talents in the performance groups across our campus, but I think I’ve made my point. Jumbos are creative powerhouses who are exceptional in the feats they set their mind to. Through academic resources and student organizations, the performing arts are just one of the many aspects that helps Tufts shine.