Through association with The Clarence Brown Theatre, the facilities for actor training at The University of Tennessee are among the finest in the nation. The theatre offers a full production calendar of new and classical plays, musicals and international work that are vital to the cultural life of the region. This enables actors in training to acquire experience under the guidance of a faculty of professional artists as well as academic scholars, within a community that includes actors, directors, designers, dramaturges and technical artists. In addition to The Clarence Brown, the department has two other performance spaces: The Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre, and The Clarence Brown Lab Theatre.

The Clarence Brown Theatre is a 581-seat proscenium theatre built in 1970. It is dedicated to Clarence Brown, distinguished film director and UT alumnus. Located in the center of the UT campus, The Clarence Brown houses extensive costume and properties collections, as well as light, sound, scene and costume shops. The theatre provides access and seating for the physically challenged, and listening systems for the deaf and hearing impaired.

The Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre is an intimate, versatile 400 seat arena space, featuring flexible seating and staging. Located next to the Clarence Brown Theatre, the Carousel Theatre was renamed in 1991 in tribute to Mrs. Doughty, a devoted patron who has provided for the building