Department of Theatre

At North Central College, you get the best of both worlds: a strong liberal arts knowledge for broad appeal to employers, and immersive training that is both supportive and rigorous. 

Our designers, directors, and performers get to do what they love all semester long. Our extensive theatrical season including 2+ musicals a year runs at the frequency and quality of any exclusive arts program, while offering a comprehensive liberal arts education with hands-on pre-professionalizing opportunities to practice what you are learning in Theatre coursework.

At our long-standing Department of Theatre, we nurture talents and interests in performance, directing, dance, design, and technical theatre. Our students act, sing, and dance. Students get a unique variety of opportunities to perform, direct, design, work on theatrical crews, and develop skills and knowledge useful in the industry and beyond. Students are also welcome to double-major.

 

Major in Theatre: Acting, Directing, Design or Musical Theatre

The centerpiece of North Central College's program is the Theatre Practicum, where students receive course credit for participating in production; click here to see the variety and quality of our theatrical productions. Theatre majors and minors are required to participate in the Department of Theatre season. Your training in our state-of-the-art facilities will prepare you for professional and personal pursuits in performance and technical theatre. For designers, some examples of our impressive student portfolio work can be viewed here.

Our department offers individualized attention and opportunity as part of a robust six-show season, plus an annual Dance production. 

There are numerous opportunities to have active work on production — first years are as likely to be cast as seniors, and new designers, directors, dramaturgs, stage managers, and technicians get immediately placed on production Practicum. Students can also apply for a Theatre Scholarship.

We encourage Theatre majors to specialize. You may concentrate your studies in acting, design and technical theatre, directing and dramaturgy, or musical theatre through our array of course offerings or independent study options. All students can also minor in dance or participate in our dance productions. As a Theatre major, you can continuously hone your craft while taking traditional performance and design classes. You may study voice or dance technique in upper-level courses while taking classes in contemporary acting and musical theatre, directing, or design skills like drafting, rendering, and model-making.

 

Mission Statement 

The Department of Theatre is a community of artists/scholars/citizens dedicated to provoking and sustaining interest in theatre, as a source of insight into the human condition; through both skills and inquiry-based learning in our classrooms, and public performances on our stages. 

The Theatre program at North Central College is designed to engage students in a wide array of theory, technique, scholarship, and aesthetics that constitute the Theatre Arts. The program serves: 1) majors and minors preparing for careers in theatre, and allied careers where knowledge of theatre production is required; 2) students who take academic courses to meet general education requirements or who find courses in theatre, musical theatre, design, and dance to be attractive components of a liberal arts education; and 3) those who participate in campus musical and non-musical productions as a way of enriching their lives. 

The department offers a broad spectrum of courses in acting, dance, design, direction, music, and production. The co-curricular program, supervised by the faculty, offers students opportunities for creative expression and skills practice through both the fully mounted main stage season and several student-directed productions.


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Purchase tickets to our 2026-2027 Season here

Theatre, Acting Track, B.A.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

Theatre, Directing and Dramaturgy Track, B.A.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

Theatrical Design and Technology, B.A.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

Musical Theatre, B.A.

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

Theatre Minor

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

A minimum of 20 credit hours, including:

Core Requirements

Acting

One of the following:

Electives

Four credits of the following:

Additional Elective

Four additional credit hours from any Theatre courses. A maximum of two credit hours of Dance may be completed in partial satisfaction of this requirement.

Theatre Practicum Requirement

Two semesters of the following:

Note:

Theatre Practicum may be taken for zero credit hours, or for credit in partial satisfaction of College elective credits, up to College limits. Practicum credit is given to students participating in any of our departmental productions. Students may get credit for: 1) Being in a show 2) Working on a show in a production assignment or crew position 3) Taking on a managerial role within the production (producer, assistant director, stage manager. These hours are in addition to, not part of, the hours required for the minor.)

Dance Minor

For additional programs and courses in this department, see Theatre.

A minimum of 20 credit hours, including:

Core Requirements

Electives

Four credit hours from the following:

Theatre Practicum Requirement

Two semesters of Theatre Practicum (THPR 115 , THPR 116 , THPR 117 and/or THPR 118 ). Practicum credit is given to students participating in departmental productions. Practicum courses may be taken for credit or no credit, and a maximum of six hours may count towards the 128 hours required for graduation. These hours are in addition to, not part of, the hours required for the minor. Opportunities for Dance-specific production roles are prioritized where possible, but students may also fulfill Practicum by working on case or crew of other production roles in the Department of Theatre season.

NOTE: This page contains all of the regular course descriptions for this discipline or program. Not all courses are offered every year. Check Merlin, our searchable course schedule, to see which courses are being offered in upcoming terms. 

Theatre Faculty and Staff

View Photographs of Past Productions

 

North Central College 

2026-2027 Season

Purchase tickets here

Tickets for all shows:

$14    Public
$0    North Central College students, faculty, and staff

All North Central faculty and staff receive two free tickets to Department of Theatre productions with their NCC ID.  
All NCC students receive a complimentary ticket. 

 

 

Content Advisories: While the Department of Theatre has worked to identify potentially triggering subject matter, it is not possible to identify every moment, as individual concerns may vary. If you have questions about content, please contact the Box Office, who can put you in touch with the appropriate individual for that production’s information.

Department of Theatre performances are a mask-friendly environment. 

 

 

Love/Sick 
By John Cariani
Directed by Mitzi Smith

Madden Theatre
Wed Oct 7, Thurs Oct 8, (no Friday), Sat Oct 10 7:30PM
Sat Oct 10 and Sun Oct 11 at 2PM 
No Friday performance in lieu of Homecoming Concert; opening night on Wednesday

A darker cousin to Almost, Maine, Love/Sick is a collection of slightly twisted and completely hilarious short plays that explore the pain and joy of love. Full of imperfect lovers and dreamers, this unromantic comedy is for the romantic in everyone. 90 minutes. 

*This play contains mature themes and language and use of a stage firearm.


Fun Home    
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron
Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel
Directed by Sharon Denise Miles

Theater at Meiley-Swallow
Thurs Nov 5, Fri Nov 6, Sat Nov 7 at 7:30PM
Sat Nov 7 and Sun Nov 8 at 2PM

When her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family’s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father’s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

*This play contains mature topics, including suicide, homophobia, and predatory behavior.


Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors 
By Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen
Directed for the Storefront Series by Ashley Chavez

Madden Theatre
Thurs Dec 3, Fri Dec 4, and Sat Dec 5 at 7:30PM
Sat Dec 5 and Sun Dec 6 at 2PM

Ever wondered what would happen if you took Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale and put it into a blender with Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and The 39 Steps? That’s just what happens in this lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud, 90-minute, gender-bending romp. When her sister Mina falls ill with a mysterious disease of the blood, Lucy Westfeldt and her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, enlist the help of famed female vampire hunter Doctor Jean Van Helsing. Their hunt for the dangerous and sexy Count Dracula abounds with clever wordplay and quick-change antics. Actors play over a dozen roles in this bloodcurdlingly hilarious send-up of the literary classic.

*This play contains sexual content and adult humor.


Eurydice 
By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by John Warrick and Laura Lodewyck

Theater at Meiley-Swallow
Thurs Feb 25, Fri Feb 26, and Sat Feb 27 at 7:30PM
Sat Feb 27 and Sun Feb 28 at 2PM

In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters and ingenious plot twists, the play is a fresh look at a timeless story.

*This play contains mature themes.

 

Life is a Dream
By Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Adapted and Directed by Jeremy Ohringer and Claribel Gross

Madden Theatre
Wed Apr 7, Thurs Apr 8, (no Friday), Sat Apr 9 at 7:30PM 
Sat Apr 9 and Sun Apr 10, at 2PM
No Friday performance in lieu of Spring Chorale Finale; opening night on Wednesday

A disguised Rosaura arrives in a realm governed by fear of a prophecy, seeking justice.  Segismundo, a prince imprisoned since birth, is released from captivity. Each must navigate a world where the lines between reality and illusion are blurred and reputation, power, and fate seem written in the stars. This adaptation of Calderón’s classic examines how people become who they are—and whether they can choose to become someone else. “¿Qué es la vida? Una ilusión, una sombra, una ficción, y el mayor bien es pequeño: que toda la vida es sueño, y los sueños, sueños son.”

*This play contains mature themes.

 

Spring Dance Production 
Directed by Cindy Hartigan and Dyanna Daniels

Pfeiffer Hall
Sat, Mar 6 at 4:30 and 7:30PM
Sun, Mar 7 at 2:00PM

Devised by the ensemble, this production explores contemporary themes through movement. Through a collaborative rehearsal process under Cindy Hartigan and Dyanna Daniels, dancers explore movement and choreograph storytelling across a variety of dance styles. This production is a unique performance inspired by the cast's voices, experiences, and individual artistry.

*This play is suitable for all audiences.

 

Alice by Heart
Music by Duncan Sheik, Lyrics by Steven Sater
Book by Steven Sater and Jessie Nelson
Directed by Lola Furbee for the Storefront Series

Theater at Meiley-Swallow
Thurs Apr 29, Fri Apr 30, and Sat May 1 at 7:30PM
Sat May 1 and Sun May 2 at 2PM

From the Tony® and Grammy® award-winning creators of Spring Awakening, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, and co-written by Jessie Nelson (Waitress), Alice by Heart is a touching musical inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
In the rubble of the London Blitz of World War II, Alice Spencer’s budding teen life is turned upside down, and she and her dear friend Alfred are forced to take shelter in an underground tube station. When the ailing Alfred is quarantined, Alice encourages him to escape with her into their cherished book and journey down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

*This play contains some mature themes and is generally recommended for ages 12 and up.
 

Student Opportunities

Chicago's Professional Theatre
Take advantage of our proximity to one of the greatest theatre cities, and join classmates and faculty in attending theatrical performances in Chicago. See work ranging from Equity companies, national touring shows, and the imaginative "storefront" theatre productions for which Chicago is well known.

Design, Directing, and Technical Opportunities
Theatre students work closely with faculty to pursue their individual interests and to develop the skills and portfolio materials necessary to work as theatre professionals. Unlike many other institutions, advanced students are given the responsibility of working as a designer on a full production with a departmental budget. Student directors and dramaturgs can apply to direct their own production as part of the Department of Theatre season. There are multiple opportunities to work in assistant roles and train for each of these responsibilities. See some examples of the extraordinary student work produced here.

Guest Artists 
North Central College is committed to bringing in Chicago artists each year to teach, direct, or design. It is imperative to artistic growth to continue learning new perspectives during a college career. Your work with guest artists and professional faculty allows you to build relationships and extend your range of networking in a supportive environment.

Independent Study 
Working alongside a faculty member, you can create a specialized topic of interest that may not be offered as a course. Subjects range from commissioned playwriting and solo performance to costume design and European performance art. Independent studies place the learning in the students' hands.

Internships
Our excellent reputation and long-standing relationships within the Chicago theatre community enable opportunities to apply for internships with prominent theatre companies. Students have received internships at organizations such as Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, About Face Theatre, the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Gray Talent, Lookingglass Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, and TimeLine Theatre.

Industry Workshops
You’ll be able to meet professional actors, singers, dancers, technicians, agents, and casting directors alongside your professional faculty. You will learn from these seasoned experts in weekend workshops, one-day intensives, and advanced seminars. Ask questions, trade stories, and develop an understanding of what it takes to make it in the industry.

Regional Auditions 
North Central College faculty actively support your professional development. They will assist you with one-on-one coaching of songs and monologues, provide advice on completing applications and directing or design portfolios, and help to find summer internships and opportunities. Faculty also individually prepare interested students for large annual regional auditions, such as the University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) auditions and Chicago season generals, as well as focused job interview preparations.

Richter Grants
This program provides grants of up to $5,000 for for individual research projects and accompanying travel. Theatre students have received money to visit locations such as the following:

  • Ireland - to learn the regional dialect in preparation for work as a dialect coach
  • France - to study Ensemble Theatre and relate it to U.S. practice
  • London and New York City - to analyze the differences of musical theatre performance styles
  • U.S. Regional Theatre Festivals - to propose strategies for actor success at a "cattle call"

SEA Conference
Housed at North Central College, Self-Employment in the Arts (SEA) assists artists of all kinds in advancing their entrepreneurial skills and knowledge. Through SEA, performing artists learn key business concepts that help promote success. SEA also hosts an annual regional conference that focuses on career development for creative professionals, to which NCC students are provided a substantial discount.

Student Organizations
Student organizations receive college funding for student-proposed ideas. It is a wonderful opportunity to try out new work, or to experiment in a different creative capacity within the supportive community of your peers. Theatre students are active within theatre-producing groups such as The Company and Untitled, as well as Cardinal Dance Company, various a cappella groups, and NCC Boom!, a Boomwhackers group. See the many Student Organizations offered here -- or collaborate to create a new student organization.

Theatre Scholarships 
Scholarships are available to all students, regardless of major. Scholarships are merit-based, and vary in amount depending on the quality of your audition or directing, design, or technical portfolio and interview. If you receive a full theatre scholarship, you are required to work on one show per term in some capacity (cast or crew). You also must sign up for one technical term per year. This will allow you to obtain additional production experience. When you are not on tech term, you are expected to put in six additional hours of departmental service work per term as part of Practicum. Limited theatre scholarships with fewer requirements are available to students who are Music or Music Education Majors; these enable you to complete your obligations to both Music and Theatre. Participating in multiple aspects of production through the scholarship program gives you broader experience and deepens your knowledge as a theatre practitioner.

 

Senior Showcase 
North Central College hosts an annual showcase in Chicago featuring graduating Acting and Musical Theatre majors. This popular event is well attended by established local agents, casting directors, and other industry professionals.

Student Storefront Series
Students are selected from a competitive proposal process to direct a fully staged production that is mounted as part of North Central College's Theatre season. These students receive department support to direct their work in one of our state-of-the-art spaces, including original plays or work by emerging local playwrights.

Study Abroad 
If you wish to expand your education abroad, the Center for Global Education can help match you with one of approximately 36 programs worldwide. For instance, you may join North Central classmates in London and participate in an international exchange program to experience the theatrical culture of England.

Student and Alum News

Midwest actress reflects on landing first Broadway-touring role, coming to SGF in April

Hannah Kato remembers exactly what she was doing when she received news that she was cast in her first Broadway-touring production.

"I was at my day job, which was just like a desk job, and I was outside walking and I got a call from my agent and was like, 'Oh my gosh. What is going on?' And he told me I booked it, which was the biggest surprise and gift," Kato recalled...

 

 

 

Backstage Pass with a Theatre Major

Senior Riley Wodka ‘24 is majoring in theatre: acting and theatrical design and technology at North Central College, where the department of theatre provides students ample opportunities to gain a diverse range of experiences and express their creativity. The first production of the 2023 – 2024 season, "pool (no water)," is no exception...

 

 

 

 

Slager, Class of '20, Awarded Best Actress at the 24th Annual Beverly Hills Film Festival for 'Chasing June.'

Two former Fox Valley residents have created a short film that will be screened May 4 at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Nathan L. Slager, originally of St. Charles; and his wife Shelby Slager, originally of Elgin, co-wrote and co-produced their debut short film, “Chasing June,” in which Shelby Slager also stars and directs. The Slagers, who now reside in Los Angeles, are both graduates of North Central College in Naperville...

 

 

 

 

A community comes apart in ‘A Devil Comes to Town’

"The text is beautiful and strange and it requires some acting chops. They’ve grown a lot trying to make that happen." There are shadow puppets too, meaning the students must juggle a lot while acting with heavy themes, he said. "The story of the play is about a bunch of people who are not getting along and a town sort of tearing itself apart," he said. "In order to tell a story like this the ensemble has to really love and take care of each other deeply so the audience isn’t worried about them. One of the casts’ strengths is their generosity towards each other. In order to go there in this creepy upsetting world, they have to be really kind and supportive of each other and they’re absolutely that..."

 

 

 

 

What a Homecoming: Broadway Vet Lucia Spina Dazzles in Marriott's Outstanding 'Gypsy'

A formidable role requires a prodigious talent. And Marriott Theatre's outstanding revival of “Gypsy” has such a powerhouse in Lucia Spina [Class of  '97]. Eighteen years after she last performed in Lincolnshire, the Broadway veteran returns to play Rose, the pushy stage mother determined to make vaudeville stars of her daughters and maybe claim a bit of the spotlight herself...

 

 

 

 

‘Carmela Full of Wishes’ Invites Audiences at Chicago Children’s Theatre to See the World through Her Eyes

Carmela, the eponymous dreamer, makes her entrance on a scooter that she will use throughout the show, zooming up and down between the seats that line the stage on two sides. Giddy with excitement that she is turning 7 today, Carmela announces that one of her dearest wishes has come true: she is now old enough to visit the laundromat with her older brother. Colombian actress Maria Clara Ospina [Class of '23] plays Carmela in an open, engaging manner, with every emotion dialed up to full blast, which suits the ages of both the character and the audience...

 

 

 

 

 

Gelaine Vestal ’21 Earns National Playwriting Award

When Vestal first learned about the Barlow prize as a first-year student, they didn’t feel prepared to enter the competition, but by junior year their mindset had changed dramatically. "I knew I had to take my shot," they recalled. Vestal credits their faculty for much of this transformation and for their development as a writer. "My writing has grown tremendously during my time at North Central. We have some wonderful English professors who push us to do our best while also being our true creative selves. North Central can be a really great place for writers if they are truly passionate..."

 

 

 

 

Musical theatre major dances her way into "Dance Nation" at Steppenwolf Theatre

Ariana Burks ’21 is already a seasoned theatre professional in Chicago and most recently built upon her experience as Sofia in “Dance Nation.” Burks has a long list of impressive credentials, including other roles at the Steppenwolf, the Goodman Theatre, the Writers Theatre, House Theatre of Chicago, Chicago Children’s Theatre, the Paramount Theatre and Drury Lane Oak Brook...

 

 

 

 

Behind the scenes with “Sweeney Todd” choreographer Carter Sherman ’19

With dress rehearsals underway for North Central College theatre program’s senior musical “Sweeney Todd,” we managed to steal some precious time from the show’s choreographer, Carter Sherman ’19, who gave us a glimpse behind the curtain in a Q&A...

 

 

 

Our Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater: Here come the next names to know, Class of 2018

They’ve impressed us at TimeLine. Knocked us out at Victory Gardens. Made us chortle at Second City. Blown us away at the Lookingglass. They’re a diverse crew but they all are into truth and creativity, ensemble and commitment, theater and Chicago...

 

 

 

North Central’s partnership with Chicago theater recognized in 50th annual Jeff Award nominations

Twenty-four world-premiere plays and musicals are among the nominees for the 2018 Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards, which recognize exceptional theatrical productions in the Chicagoland area. Among the 178 nominations in 31 categories, North Central stands alone as the only college amid the competition...

Interested In Theatre?

Our Facilities

Madden Theater

171 East Chicago Avenue

The Madden Theatre is a versatile black box theatre located in North Central College’s impressive arts facility, the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center.  

Because of its flexible stage configuration, it features experimental work, new plays, and productions that emphasize student designs.

The Theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall

31 South Ellsworth Street

Renovated and modernized in 2007, this former historical church building features our intimate 239-seat theatre with a thrust stage. 

Pfeiffer Hall

310 East Benton Avenue

Pfeiffer Hall first opened in 1926 as one of the largest theatres in Illinois.  It is a grand and illustrious theatre featuring large-scale musicals.  Its legacy is impressive too, with renowned speakers such as Dr. Martin Luther King appearing here throughout its history.

Wentz Concert Hall

171 East Chicago Avenue

Musical Theatre students who take part in choirs and choruses often perform in the Wentz Concert Hall, also located in North Central College’s impressive arts facility.

Our Location

Contact Us

Have any questions? Contact the Chair of the Theatre Department:

Laura Lodewyck

lalodewyck@noctrl.edu

(630)-637-5297