For the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Wilkes is a premier cultural center enriching the lives of the campus and neighboring communities through the Visual and Performing Arts Department’s music, dance and theatre performances. The vibrant theatre major at Wilkes annually produces four mainstage shows at the beautiful Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts.

Recent productions such as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and Anthony Newley’s The Roar of the Greasepaint The Smell of the Crowd entertained audiences with high quality musical performances by the theatre majors of Wilkes.  Always diverse, the Theatre Program also presents annually six to ten student directed black box productions ranging from lively cabarets to absurdist drama.

The thriving Dance Program and resident dance company Ballet Northeast presents a full schedule of jazz, modern and ballet offerings as well delighting audiences each year with the holiday favorite The Nutcracker.  Music enthusiasts are treated to performances ranging from classical symphonic band  to jazz.

Wilkes University encourages the growth of artistic talent with training in all the arts.  Wilkes undergraduate students benefit from the high quality classes in drawing, painting, printmaking and other fine arts while non-traditional students can study piano, voice, guitar and orchestral instruments through private instruction.  Local art patrons can visit the Sordoni Art Gallery which presents a range of exhibitions that enrich the cultural life of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

A University is traditionally a place where culture thrives and is passed from generation to generation.  The Arts Programs at Wilkes continue to provide entertainment, enrichment and a fertile academic ground for new talent to grow.