Department of Theatre
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Admissions Information
Course Catalog
Alumni Page
2240 Campus Drive
Evanston,Illinois 60208
847.491.7023
dear-soc@northwestern.edu
DEGREES OFFERED
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Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Acting Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Design and Management Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Music Theatre Bachelor of Arts in Theatre - Playwritin
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Our belief is that the best theatre artists—designers, actors, playwrights, dancers and directors—combine highly developed performance capabilities with a broad knowledge of the theatre literature and theory. You’ll have the opportunity to study and practice acting, voice, movement, dance, directing, design, stage production, playwriting and dramaturgy, along with theatre history, literature and criticism. You’ll develop the ability to analyze situations and complex social issues from a variety of perspectives, while developing skills in research, writing, group discussion, oral presentation, performance and production.
Whether your focus is acting, directing, playwriting, production or design, you’ll have ample opportunity to practice your craft. As many as forty productions are staged each year in the multi-stage Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, with an equal number of student productions across campus.
Our faculty have a rich collective of expertise, including history of the theatre, acting and directing, dance, music theatre, creative drama, storytelling, children’s theatre, playwriting, stage management, and costume, set and light design. Many faculty members also work as professionals in productions in Chicago and nationally.
Many theatre undergraduates go on to enjoy success as theatre, television, and film artists. Others find that with the combination of theatrical studies and a solid liberal arts education, they are prepared to pursue a career in a variety of fields, including law, teaching, business, performance coaching, and sales and marketing.
Notable Alumni Include:
Ann-Margret, Patricia Neal, Warren Beatty, Megan Mullally, Frank Galati, David Schwimmer, Craig Bierko, Brian d'Arcy James, Jason Moore, Shelley Long, Richard Kind, Zach Braff, George Newbern, Denis O'Hare, Jerry Orbach, Dermot Mulroney, Greg Berlanti, Seth Meyers, Cloris Leachman, Richard Lewis, Richard Block, Charles Busch, Clancy Brown, Bruno Campos, Stephen Colbert, Harry Lennix, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Gregg Edelman, Stephanie Shemin D'Abruzzo, Tony Randall, Tony Roberts, Barbara Gaines, Charlotte Rae, Tom Galantich, Jeri Ryan, Frank Galati, Ana Gasteyer, Michael Greif, Ileen Getz, Heather Headley, Charlton Heston, Marg Helgenberger, Laura Innes, Jennifer Jones, Martha Lavey, John Musial, Margaret Nagle, Paula Prentiss, Peter Strauss, Kimberley Williams, Mary Zimmerman, Jim Weitzer, Dawn Westlake
Acceptance Rate:
While Northwestern University's overall acceptance rate is 7.2%
Faculty Info:
Masi Asare, Danielle Bainbridge, David H. Bell, Andrew Boyce, Michael Brown, Stan Brown, Barbara Butts, David Catlin, Vanessa Champagne, Rives Collins, Shana Cooper, Tracy C. Davis, Amanda Dehnert, Marcus Doshi, Shawn Douglass, Roger Ellis, Melissa Foster, Linda Gates, Henry Godinez, Cindy Gold, John Haas, Jeffery Hancock, Roxane Heinze-Bradshaw, Tasia A. Jones, Halena Kays, Lynn Kelso, Ana Kuzmanic, Susan A. Lee, Sandra Marquez, Kelli Nichol McHugh, Dawn A. Mora, Julie Marie Myatt, Ryan T. Nelson, Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz , Detra Payne, Dassia Posner, Tommy Rapley, Linda Roethke, Todd Rosenthal, Laura Schellhardt, Anna D. Shapiro, Gail Shapiro, Billy Siegenfeld, Elizabeth W. Son, Eric Southern, Jessica Thebus, Joel Valentín-Martínez, Ann E. Woodworth.
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