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While the department will remain mostly remote through the first part of the summer, we are busy planning for an in-person fall!
Please read below our answers to some frequently-asked questions about how things will work over the summer. Check back often, because we’ll update this page as circumstances change and fall nears, and please contact us if you have a question that isn’t answered here.
For information about the university's Fall 2021 plan, please visit: https://www.umass.edu/coronavirus/
We’ve missed seeing many of you over the past year, and we're looking forward to being back at full strength in September!

When will the Department of Theater onsite main office be open?

• The Department of Theater is unlocked, and the main office is open for in-person business with Administrative Assistant Bethany Sherwood on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 12:30-4:30 p.m.
• Bethany will also be available via email Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00pm
• Email is currently the best way to contact all department personnel. Visit our Staff and Faculty, Guest Artists and Scholars, or Graduate Student pages for contact information.

Will Fall 2021 be in-person or remote?

• We are currently planning an in-person start to the fall, including our classes, auditions, and performances. We will update our website throughout the summer as we align with the University's Fall 2021 plans.
• We will announce our season later this summer, and anticipate welcoming an in-person audience.
• Performers who want to be part of our productions should look for audition information to be posted shortly before the semester begins. 

How can I find out about registration and advising?

• Registration and advising information will remain available online throughout the summer on the Online Advising page and will update as fall approaches.
• Students who can't find the information they need on that page, or who have a more involved registration or advising question, are encouraged to contact their instructors, their advisor, Undergraduate program Director Amy Altadonna, Graduate Program Director Chris Baker, Administrative Assistant Bethany Sherwood, or Department Chair Harley Erdman.

How do get news about our department community?

• We will be publishing our in-department newsletter, The Purple Lobbyist, every other week during the summer. If you were on the list this spring, you'll stay on the list over the summer. If you'd like to be added, email Public Relations Director Anna-Maria Goossens. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.

Are tours available for prospective students and other visitors?

• The Theater Department is now offering in-person tours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, between the hours of 12:30pm and 4:00pm. Tours are approximately 45 minutes long. To schedule a tour, you must contact Bethany Sherwood at bsherwood@theater.umass.edu, with at least 48 hours' notice. For safety reasons, no walk-in tours can be accommodated, and all participants in the tours will needed to be masked. If you're not able to take on in-person tour, you can view the virtual tour video put together by students.  
• If you have questions about particular areas of theater, faculty and staff are available by email.
• For questions about our undergraduate program, please contact Undergraduate Program Director Amy Altadonna
• For questions about the graduate program, contact Graduate Program Director Chris Baker