Hello Everyone!
My past two semesters at Scripps, I expanded my activities and joined musical theater at the Claremont Colleges. Today I am going to take a deep dive into theater at the 5C’s and give everyone a little peek behind the curtain.
At the 5C’s, we have 3 main student-led theater groups:
- Claremont Chinese Theatre Group (CCTG): A 5C group for anyone who is interested in theatre and/or Chinese language/culture. They are dedicated to producing Chinese shows at the 5C’s and typically put on at least one show a semester.
- The Green Room: A 5C group that specifically puts on plays. They typically put on 1 to 2 shows each semester and love to especially support student-written works! They hosted a queer play festival last year and recently put on And Then There Were None earlier in the Fall 2023 semester.
- Spotlight Musical Theater: This is a 5C group specifically for musical theater, and each semester, they put on a show they must pay right for. Some examples of past productions include The Old Man and The Old Moon and Spring Awakening. They also put on showcases, such as an all-BIPOC musical showcase last year.
Along with student groups, there are also:
- Classes: Countless classes are offered each semester. While the theater department is housed at Pomona, any student can major, minor, or be a part of the department in various ways. Classes offered range from introduction to acting to advanced acting, and there are even classes focused on set production, theater tech, costuming, and make-up.
- Main stage productions: The department puts on four shows during the season, typically two in the fall and two in the spring. Anyone can audition regardless of their major.
- P.S. A fun thing about the main stage productions is that they have lots of work-study opportunities as well, such as working at the box office, doing lighting, and media/publicity.
For all productions, either student-run or department, there are actor, crew, and creative team options.
The Claremont Colleges have a multitude of opportunities within the theater department. I highly recommend taking part in them and joining the community that comes along with being a part of the productions! These productions are also a great way to get to know students from across the other 5C’s (all shows I have been a part of have had at least one person from each 5C) and a great place to try new things. This is a great space to try theater, even if you have no experience prior to coming to college.
Hopefully this information was helpful and gave you some more knowledge about the 5C’s and our theater department here! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected], and don’t forget to check out future student blogs!