PNW: If she’s interested in Mt Holyoke, etc., she should look at Smith: a very highly regarded theatre program with excellent opportunities to have your work performed on the “big” stage. And their English department is great, too (I double-majored there in English and Theatre). As far as I know, Mt Holyoke’s theatre scene is not as strong.
As far as the “too much concentration on theory” theory goes, hogwash. Yes, the professors must be concerned with theory in their own work, but I guarantee you you need to be taking quite high-level courses before the focus changes from the primary literature to the secondary. Most discussions concerning sexism and racism are perfectly appropriate to the subject matter, and the teacher would be remiss if she didn’t point them out when they are. If you’re teaching Merchant of Venice, or Othello, religion and racism are central. Usually, such concerns are raised by students who are learning to see literature in a new way.