Georgetown may be best known for its Jesuit identity, international relations programs, and “preppy” reputation—qualities you’ve likely become familiar with in the process of applying. However, after spending a little time on the Hilltop, you’ll soon discover another defining aspect of Georgetown: its arts scene.
On campus, you’ll have the chance to attend and participate in comedy shows, benefit concerts, magazine launch parties, and more. These events and opportunities are the achievements of Georgetown’s active, tight-knit network of student-run arts organizations, which range from large to small, low-pressure to high-commitment, and traditional to experimental.
To help incoming students navigate Georgetown’s creative side, the Voice spoke to six Hoyas about the communities they’ve found and how students can get involved in the arts.
Comedy
When asked to give an inside scoop on the comedy scene at Georgetown, Max Dubin (CAS ’27)—a member of Georgetown Sketch Comedy and The Georgetown Heckler—simply replied, “We are the coolest people on campus.”
For those looking to follow in the footsteps of famed funny Hoyas John Mulaney (CAS ’04), Mike Birbiglia (CAS ’00), and more, look no further than Georgetown Improv Association, Sketch Comedy, Guerilla Improv, and the Heckler, Georgetown’s student version of The Onion.
“The Heckler is better for people that are a fan of writing and aren’t necessarily drawn towards performing as much,” Dubin said. “And then Improv is for performers, and then Sketch is kind of a healthy mix.”
While each club has its own audition or application process, they all welcome any level of comedy experience, and many people join without having ever done comedy before undergrad.
“Freshman year, people are very intimidated by something like the arts scene at school,” Dubin said. “ I really think it’s just a very welcoming environment. I mean, we’re doing shows for our friends, which is the best scenario.”
Dance
Whether you’re a seasoned dancer who’s been on the top of Abby Lee Miller’s pyramid or someone whose best dance move is the frat flick, there’s a place for you on campus.
Georgetown offers two pre-professional dance programs, Black Movements Dance Theatre (BMDT) and Georgetown University Dance Company (GUDC), which are registered both as clubs and classes hosted by the Department of Performing Arts. The classes are offered as one-credit and zero-credit options. Both groups perform in a showcase each semester, rehearsing for six hours in class per week in addition to weekend rehearsals.
There are also several fully student-run dance clubs on campus with different time commitments and featuring a range of genres, such as Groove Theory, Georgetown’s hip-hop dance team, Ritmo y Sabor, Georgetown’s Latin dance group, and Ballet Folklórico de México (BFMG), a dance ensemble celebrating Mexican dance and culture.
Walking across Red Square, you might see a few students doing backspins and handstands on a mat. That’s Hoya Break Squad, Georgetown’s breakdancing group.
For Aarju Karki (CAS ’28), the performing arts opportunities are what drew her to Georgetown. She came across Rangila, Georgetown’s philanthropic South Asian dance showcase that features over 400 dancers across a range of dances in the South Asian and Asian diaspora.
“When I was researching, I was trying to find any clubs or activities that aligned with my South Asian culture,” Karki said. “I remember one of the dances that [Rangila dancers] were doing during that time was the Lekali Nepali, and I was like, ‘This is awesome to see my culture being shown at Georgetown in this way.’”
Now, three years later, Karki will return to the Gaston Hall stage after serving as a choreographer and creative director. While Rangila doesn’t directly relate to her academic or professional interests, Karki said the community and joy are what keep her coming back.
“I’m personally not a big fan of the pre-professional culture at Georgetown, and I think Rangila is such a good escape from that just because everyone’s there for just the sole purpose of learning how to dance and having a really great time,” Karki said.
Rangila sign-ups can often be hectic, occurring all on one day and in-person. Choreographers will share a snippet of their dances, and interested participants can rank their choices. Spots are limited, but dancers of all backgrounds and experiences are welcome as long as they can commit to the three hours of rehearsals per week.
While Rangila occurs every fall, Jawani, Georgetown’s Bhangra dance team, and Guzaarish, a competitive Bollywood fusion dance team, have performances year-round. Jawani hosts the Hilltop Hungama every spring semester, inviting South Asian dance teams at Georgetown and in the DMV to perform at an annual showcase, while Guzaarish, Georgetown’s award-winning competitive Bollywood dance team, competes in Bollywood fusion dance competitions all across the country.
Music
For those looking to recreate a Pitch Perfect (2012) riff-off, Georgetown has a variety of a cappella clubs to choose from. With the historic all-male group, the Georgetown Chimes, and the Gracenotes, Georgetown’s only a cappella group exclusively for women and gender minorities, you could relive the famous rivalry between the Treblemakers and the Barden Bellas. The Georgetown Phantoms, an all-gender group, Superfood, Georgetown’s competitive a cappella team, Saxatones, a community service-oriented group, and the Capitol G’s, an all-gender low-range group, also perform regularly at a cappella festivals on and off campus.
Georgetown’s Department of Music also offers classes and ensembles for the musically-inclined, including the jazz ensemble, Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, the Georgetown Orchestra, and the Georgetown Chamber Music Ensemble.
Budding musicians don’t need to look too far to record music or perform live. Georgetown University Radio, or WGTB, regularly hosts concerts, live sessions, and benefit shows featuring on-campus bands. Prospect Records, Georgetown’s student-run record studio, also signs student musicians.
Isabel Liu (CAS ’27) took advantage of a little-known Georgetown class, the Guild of Bands, to kickstart her four-person rock group That Girl Band. Individuals and groups audition for the one-credit offering in the music department, where they can get access to practice rooms, drum kits, and songwriting support.
Theater
Aidan Munroe (CAS ’27) knew he would be involved in theatre from the moment he stepped foot on the hilltop. Luckily, opportunities were abundant. Georgetown proudly houses the nation’s oldest continuously-running student theatre troupe, Mask and Bauble. Georgetown’s other co-curricular theatre troupe, Nomadic Theatre, performs with a socially engaged perspective. Thespian Hoyas can also look into (No) Pressure Creatives, Georgetown’s Asian American theatre group, and Black Theatre Ensemble, which produces work and hosts events celebrating Black heritage.
Georgetown’s theatre groups often collaborate, and members typically get involved with multiple groups throughout the season. For example, Black Theatre Ensemble, of which Munroe is the executive director, put on a production of A Streetcar Named Desire with Nomadic Theatre.
Apart from actors, Georgetown’s theatre groups boast a large community of technical staff, musicians, costume designers, and more. (No) Pressure Creatives performs original musicals written, arranged, and directed by students.
For Munroe, the theatre community has helped him cultivate a rich Georgetown experience beyond just the academics.
“I can’t see a version of my life now, after graduation, that doesn’t involve theatre in some sort of way,” Munroe said. “By doing theater, I’ve learned more about myself.”
Visual Design and Media
Chloe Pascoe (CAS ’28) was first drawn to Bossier, Georgetown’s intersectional feminist literary magazine, when she attended GAAP weekend. Two years later, she’s fully immersed in Bossier’s social and artistic community, most recently having served as the publication’s creative director.
“We benefit from people bringing their own vision,” she said. “I think our magazine is very… the word I would use to describe it is bombastic. It’s visually bombastic. We’re trying to have lots of collages, lots of colors. So, everyone bringing their own little piece is what makes Bossier special.”
Many clubs at Georgetown, within artistic fields and otherwise, have graphic design, social media, communication-oriented roles to fill. Still, for students interested in visual arts, Pascoe’s path of joining a student publication like Bossier is a common one, as these clubs offer the chance to engage with art on a structured basis within a larger community of creatively-minded students. Students can also check out Added to the File (ATTF), Georgetown’s student fashion publication, The Georgetown Independent’s (the Indy) beautifully drawn covers, and The Georgetown Voice (nudge nudge, wink wink).
“As a freshman, you’re trying to look for people who you think you’re going to click with when you’re trying to pick, ‘Well, what am I going to do in my spare time outside of class, you know? Who’s going to be my community?’” Pascoe said. “The people really make that.”
Similarly, Liu said the community she’s found in ATTF—Georgetown’s fashion and photography magazine— helped her make meaningful connections with creatives with different experiences and skill sets.
“ATTF is just a great community to meet different people,” Liu said. “I’ve met people that are interested in a lot of cool things that I can’t do myself.”
Writing
Shania Murdock (CAS ’27) writes for the Indy, Georgetown’s arts and culture magazine; serves as an editor and resident creator for Bossier; and leads the Blaxa, a student media organization centered on the Black experience, as incoming co-president.
Murdock described Georgetown’s arts scene as “incredibly vivid,” and she recalled feeling struck by the sheer amount of options for pursuing writing in her freshman year.
“I mean, there’s the Hoya, there’s [the] Georgetown Voice, there’s the Indy, Bossier, Blaxa—there’s so many different types. Honestly, I was just trying everything until I found what I really liked.”
As an English major and creative writing minor, Murdock has experience engaging in writing on both an academic and extracurricular level, saying that the main difference between the two lies in their approach to writing.
“The main goal of the creative writing minor is to improve and is to hone your skills versus student orgs, it’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll help you with that, but that’s not really the focus. We’re reaching out to you or you’re submitting to us because you feel that what you have to say is important.”
Whether you’re a budding artist or just want to add a splash of creativity to your Georgetown life, Georgetown’s art community is flush with opportunities for exploration.
“I think to have a successful work-life balance, you have to be doing things that aren’t related to your studies,” Munroe said. “To interact with people on a face-to-face basis and talk about things that you probably don’t talk about in your class.”
That doesn’t mean they necessarily have to run parallel to professional and academic development. The arts can be a way to find yourself, Liu said.
“It’s so easy to lose yourself at Georgetown in terms of just constantly seeing what other people are doing professionally or academically,” Liu said. “In the process of immersing yourself in the arts community, you’re bound to make a lot of mistakes, but it’s good mistakes because they help you learn more about, ‘who I am.’”
