Staging a theatre production requires people with a diverse set of talents. Acting,
lighting, set designing and building, backstage management, and script building are
essential to creating a show-stopper worthy of an encore. Rehearsing the skills needed
to work within a production can help propel you closer to Broadway.
Harper’s Theatre Arts program prepares you to transfer to a four-year institution
through core classes and theatre-specific courses that cover the fundamentals of speech
communication and acting. Hands-on experience within student productions also prepares
you for a career in the theatre industry.
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Planning for your future begins here.
It only takes 20 seconds to get started!
Start at Harper. Finish at a four-year university.
The Associate in Arts (AA) degree prepares you to transfer to a four-year college or university to complete
a bachelor's degree in theatre. Speak with your advisor about the best courses to
take to meet your academic goals.
Harper also offers institution-specific transfer information to help prepare you to
transition to a four-year university. To learn more, visit our Transfer Information page or see your advisor.
Explore Theatre Arts Careers
Learn more about career outcomes for Harper's Theatre Arts degree program. Each career
profile offers a complete picture on the local job market, including salaries, open
positions, top local employers and more. To learn more, visit our Theatre Arts Careers page.
Actors
Actors
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Actors career profile for most current data.
$40,940 Median Salary
1.5% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
95 Job Postings
Description:
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings
for entertainment, information, or instruction. Interpret serious or comic role by
speech, gesture, and body movement to entertain or inform audience. May dance and
sing.
Core tasks:
Collaborate with other actors as part of an ensemble.
Work closely with directors, other actors, and playwrights to find the interpretation
most suited to the role.
Portray and interpret roles, using speech, gestures, and body movements, to entertain,
inform, or instruct radio, film, television, or live audiences.
Perform humorous and serious interpretations of emotions, actions, and situations,
using body movements, facial expressions, and gestures.
Quick facts:
Dancers
Dancers
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Dancers career profile for most current data.
$51,696 Median Salary
3.1% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
7 Job Postings
Description:
Perform dances. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for video recording.
Core tasks:
Study and practice dance moves required in roles.
Harmonize body movements to rhythm of musical accompaniment.
Train, exercise, and attend dance classes to maintain high levels of technical proficiency,
physical ability, and physical fitness.
Coordinate dancing with that of partners or dance ensembles.
Apply makeup to performers to reflect period, setting, and situation of their role.
Core tasks:
Apply makeup to enhance or alter the appearance of people appearing in productions
such as movies.
Duplicate work precisely to replicate characters' appearances on a daily basis.
Select desired makeup shades from stock, or mix oil, grease, and coloring to achieve
specific color effects.
Cleanse and tone the skin to prepare it for makeup application.
Quick facts:
Models
Models
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Models career profile for most current data.
$59,300 Median Salary
5.4% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
17 Job Postings
Description:
Model garments or other apparel and accessories for prospective buyers at fashion
shows, private showings, or retail establishments. May pose for photos to be used
in magazines or advertisements. May pose as subject for paintings, sculptures, and
other types of artistic expression.
Core tasks:
Pose for artists and photographers.
Quick facts:
Musicians and Singers
Musicians and Singers
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Musicians and Singers career profile for most current data.
$57,534 Median Salary
2.2% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
48 Job Postings
Description:
Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting,
or for sound or video recording.
Core tasks:
Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and
other social gatherings.
Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice
production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.
Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
Quick facts:
Set and Exhibit Designers
Set and Exhibit Designers
* Data sampled April 2025. Visit the Set and Exhibit Designers career profile for most current data.
$43,693 Median Salary
-1.2% Projected Job Growth (2025-2032)
10 Job Postings
Description:
Design special exhibits and sets for film, video, television, and theater productions.
May study scripts, confer with directors, and conduct research to determine appropriate
architectural styles.
Core tasks:
Develop set designs, based on evaluation of scripts, budgets, research information,
and available locations.
Prepare rough drafts and scale working drawings of sets, including floor plans, scenery,
and properties to be constructed.
Prepare preliminary renderings of proposed exhibits, including detailed construction,
layout, and material specifications, and diagrams relating to aspects such as special
effects or lighting.
Read scripts to determine location, set, and design requirements.
For more information about starting your college education at Harper, please contact
Admissions Outreach at 847.925.6700 or fill out our request information form.
Theatre Arts Program News
Get the latest news and updates from the Harper Theatre Arts department.
Harper College welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright to campus
Beth Henley will participate in audience discussions, workshops and meet-and-greets on March 8-9, in tandem with the Harper Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of "Crimes of the Heart."
Read More
