- Acting and Musical Theatre Showcase, previously known as the New York Showcase, is held each spring and features a select group of theatre and music theatre students. Students perform for an invited audience of New York talent agents and casting directors in the hope of making contacts for their professional careers. Funding opportunities for the annual showcase.
- NU Faces, previously known as the Chicago Showcase, is an opportunity for graduating seniors to audition for an audience of casting directors, agents and other invited guests. Students who have completed Northwestern’s acting sequence and Music Theatre Certificate program may participate. Funding opportunities for NU Faces.
- Senior Dance Concert, the final project of senior dance majors and minors, is choreographed, produced and performed by students under the guidance of dance faculty advisors. The concert concludes the seniors’ undergraduate studies and introduces their work to the professional dance community.
Student Experience
Productions
The Department of Theatre supports a variety of performance opportunities for any major to audition or participate. There are seven mainstage productions a year including plays, musicals, devised pieces, dance performances, and more. Students also have the opportunity to perform in pieces directed by the first and second year MFA directing students, as well as perform and design in faculty-directed plays for young audiences as part of the Imagine U family series. The department also assists in funding for a number of student-produced productions as part of the Struble Project Series. Music Theatre students annually have the opportunity to perform in Waa-Mu, a musical completely created and written by students.
Undergraduates are fortunate to work closely with graduate students pursuing Masters of Fine Arts degrees in Directing and Design. First and second-year MFA students direct productions on campus with undergraduate actors. Undergraduate students with design interest serve as assistant designers for MFA designers on mainstage productions. The MFA students are at the forefront of the emerging professional theatre world, and connections between undergraduate and graduate students have led to casting opportunities, internships, assistant positions, and exciting artistic partnerships.
Annual Events in Theatre
Study Abroad
Theatre students may study abroad with any of the many study abroad programs affiliated with Northwestern University. Of particular interest to theatre students is the program offered with the British American Drama Academy in London.
For more, visit the Global Learning Office website .
Student Theatre Coalition
In addition to department productions, Northwestern has a thriving student theatre scene across campus. The Northwestern Student Theatre Coalition (StuCo) is a collective of nine student theatre groups and two dance groups, each with its own executive board and performance series. Each group has its own specific focus and offers a variety of productions and special events, assuming the roles of producers, directors, designers, business team members, and stage managers in addition to performers. The vibrancy of the student theatre community is emblematic of the Northwestern student’s passion for learning and creating art as a community.
For more information, visit the StuCo site .