I’m a senior looking mostly at LAC’s in the Northeast. A strong theatre department is very important to me, and I will probably double major in theatre and English. I love everything about Bowdoin (location, student culture, etc.) but I’m worried about the theatre department and how it compares to Vassar/Wesleyan. I don’t need to go to the perfect theatre school, and if I decided to do theatre as a career I would probably apply to MFA programs and make up for anything undergrad missed, but the theatre department at my undergrad college needs to be at least semi-good. Thoughts?
Colleges notably strong in theatre/drama (e.g., Vassar, Skidmore, Connecticut College) tend to offer a distinct department in this area. Bowdoin combines its department with dance, which might be an indication of a less developed drama program. However, you will find exceptions to this (e.g., Kenyon), so it can’t really be used as a firm rule. I’d encourage you to continue your inquiries into Bowdoin.
In your research you may want to use IPEDS, which lists data for students by “first major”:
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Bowdoin&s=all&id=161004#programs