Student Diversity in College Theatre Programs is Improving, but Why Not With the Faculty?

by Chris Peterson

I recently got a comment on a thread that interested me.

"Theatre training programs are seeing an increase of diverse student populations, while the faculties remain... anything but. I am interested in seeing the numbers on this and how the current administration is impacting the diversity in enrollment due to the roll backs on DEI."

There is truth to this. Walk into almost any university theatre program today and you’ll notice something different. The students look more like the world around us. More students of color. More international students. More students who identify as LGBTQ+, neurodiverse, or first-generation. It is an exciting shift that shows how theatre continues to attract young people who see it as a space for storytelling, activism, and self-discovery.

But then you look at the faculty. And in too many programs, that picture barely changes.

Across higher education, roughly sixty-nine percent of full-time faculty are white, according to the American Council on Education’s Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education report. Black professors make up about six percent, and Latinx professors about five. Meanwhile, nearly half of all undergraduates in the United States are students of color, based on data from the Pew Research Center. The gap between who is teaching and who is learning is not just a statistic. It is a reflection of how slowly progress moves when it comes to representation in the classroom, the rehearsal room, and behind the table.

In theatre programs, that divide can feel even sharper. Many of today’s students are creating work rooted in lived experiences, cultural identity, and social justice, yet they often find themselves seeking mentorship from faculty who may not share or fully understand those perspectives. I took a look at ten random theatre programs, and while there was a balance of gender, their faculty teams were all-white.

When the faculty does not reflect the student body, something important is lost. The connection. The empathy. The ability to guide with authenticity.

That is not to say the faculty who are there do not care or are not trying. Many have dedicated their careers to nurturing talent and pushing for change. But structural barriers keep the system from moving forward. Tenure pipelines move slowly. Hiring committees often pull from the same small academic networks. Terminal degree requirements can block professionals with incredible real-world experience who came up through nontraditional paths. And when faculty of color or queer faculty do join, they are often asked to carry the invisible labor of mentoring every underrepresented student while serving on every diversity committee.

All of this is unfolding at a time when national politics are adding new layers of pressure. The rollback of equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives has created a chilling effect across higher education. Some schools have quietly removed language from job postings that once encouraged applicants with diverse perspectives. Others have reduced funding for inclusive recruitment or eliminated EDI offices altogether. Even programs that want to move forward are hesitating, unsure of what is legally safe or politically acceptable.

The irony is that these rollbacks arrive just as student populations have finally begun to reflect real diversity. Theatre programs understand better than most how essential representation is. We cast with intention. We talk about who gets to tell which stories. We value authenticity onstage. Yet when it comes to the educators shaping the next generation of artists, the imbalance remains.

The impact of that imbalance goes far beyond optics. Students who do not see themselves reflected among their mentors may question whether they belong in this field at all. Curriculums can become stagnant, still revolving around a narrow canon of white, Western playwrights, while newer voices struggle to be included. For institutions that pride themselves on inclusion, failing to diversify the faculty is not just an image problem. It is a credibility problem.

Change begins with transparency. Colleges should publish demographic data about both students and faculty every year so that progress can be measured honestly. Hiring practices need to evolve to recognize that lived experience and professional success can be just as valuable as academic credentials. Search committees should include diverse members and commit to interviewing a wider range of candidates. And once diverse faculty are hired, schools must make retention a true priority through fair pay, mentorship, and balanced workloads.

Theatre has always been a reflection of humanity in all its forms. If our classrooms, rehearsal halls, and studios do not reflect that same diversity, we are failing to prepare students for the world they are meant to engage with. Representation in higher education is not just about fairness. It is about artistic truth. It is about trust. It is about the stories we will be able to tell in the years ahead.

The students have already changed. Now it is time for the faculty to do the same.