The Department of Theatre at OSU was created when the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors in 1970. Prior to that, theatre was taught and practiced within the Department of Speech.

Under the guidance of the legendary Vivia Nail Locke and the beloved Jerry Davis, two former department heads and faculty members, the Department of Theatre grew in the 1980s and 1990s to its current size and stature, with top-ranked faculty recruited from around the country and students highly placed in the entertainment industry!