Department of Theatre at the University of Illinois

CREATE AT ILLINOIS

THEATRE

BY THE NUMBERS

9

CONCENTRATIONS

• • • • • • • • •

Acting Arts & Entertainment Technology Costume Design + Technology Lighting Design + Technology Scenic Design Scenic Technology Sound Design + Technology Stage Management Theatre Studies: Playwriting, Directing, & Dramaturgy

23 FACULTY MEMBERS

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

GRADUATE STUDENTS

STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO

BY THE NUMBERS

140 59 6:1

NEW WORK ILLINOIS THEATRE IS COMMITTED TO MAKING NEW WORK. For us that means giving students a chance to experience the development of new plays in multiple ways, at many stages.

It means staging devised adaptations and devising new work as an ensemble. It means workshopping newly-written student scripts in readings. It means working with emerging playwrights on semi-staged productions of unpublished plays.

And it means premiering fully produced new plays with guest artists at the forefront of the theatrical profession.

For writers, dramaturgs, actors, directors, stage managers, designers, and theatre technicians, we believe the experience of watching new work blossom is a critical part of becoming artists ready to have an impact on the world of professional theatre upon graduation.

NEW WORK

FACILITIES OUR HOME IS THE WORLD-RENOWNED KRANNERT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, A 10-ACRE COMPLEX. YOU WILL BE INSPIRED BY THE EXCEPTIONAL WORK, REHEARSAL, AND PERFORMANCE SPACES AT ILLINOIS THEATRE, WHICH INCLUDE

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4 main theatres that seat between 200 and 2,000 patrons

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9 rehearsal and teaching studios

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A professional costume shop that produces 1,000 complete costumes a year and boasts a 75,000-piece collection

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A professional prop shop with a full complement of power, pneumatic, and hand tools for the creation of props and upholstered furniture

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A 4,800-square-foot scenery shop with extensive space and equipment for woodworking, metalworking, and setup/assembly staffed by full-time carpenters

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A media studio and light lab used to teach lighting fundamentals, programming, and video design and editing

These facilities support more than 350 performances annually, including resident productions and events featuring touring theatre companies and individual artists.

w krannertcenter.com

RESOURCES

THE FOLLOWING:

ON THE STAGE THE ACTING PROGRAM AT ILLINOIS OFFERS INTENSIVE, CONSERVATORY-BASED TRAINING WITH A PERSONALIZED APPROACH, ENSURING GRADUATES ARE PREPARED FOR THE ARTISTIC AND BUSINESS DEMANDS FACING ACTORS AS THEY BEGIN THEIR

ACTING

PROFESSIONAL CAREERS. Students have extraordinary opportunities to develop and showcase their talent with theatre majors given priority casting for all main-stage, professional-level productions.

In years one and two, students take introductory courses in movement, voice, and acting. In years three and four, students are invited into the acting studio and meet in daily four-hour sessions including voice and speech, movement, and acting. Semester-long acting sections include advanced scene study, musical theatre, Shakespeare, and acting for the camera.

At the end of the senior year, students have the opportunity to take the certification test of the Society of American Fight Directors and appear in the Chicago Showcase for agents, directors, and producers.

ACTING GRADUATES GO ON TO PROFESSIONAL CAREERS: • • •

Actors Choreographers Drama Coaches

• • •

Fight Choreographers Theatre Educators Vocal Coaches

ACTING

THEATRE STUDIES

THEATRE STUDIES:

PLAYWRITING, DIRECTING, & DRAMATURGY Theatre Studies is intended to lay the groundwork for students planning to pursue professional careers in directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, social issues theatre, arts management, and theatre history and criticism.

The flexibility of the theatre studies curriculum allows for a high degree of individual exploration. In consultation with faculty mentors, students may integrate study abroad, professional internships, and dual degree possibilities as part of Theatre Studies.

RECENT THEATRE STUDIES GRADUATES HAVE PURSUED THE FOLLOWING CAREERS: • • • • • •

Arts Administrators Casting Directors Directors Performers Theatre Managers Writers

Many Theatre Studies graduates also pursue advanced degrees in Theatre.

THEATRE STUDIES

The Theatre Studies Program focuses on the practical application of theatre scholarship and explores theatre production as a collaborative art form that is grounded in theory, criticism, history, research, and writing.

BEHIND THE SCENES

The areas of Design, Technology, and Management converge in what we call Level 21 to collaborate and support productions of Illinois Theatre, Lyric Theatre @ Illinois, Dance at Illinois, and the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

This collaboration puts students in contact with professionally active faculty and more than twenty professionals in design and production who staff the Krannert Center. Rigorous training + practical experience = real skills students can use as they become designers, managers, and technicians.

ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY

COSTUME DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY

LIGHTING DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY

SCENIC DESIGN

LEVEL 21 GRADUATES GO ON TO PROFESSIONAL CAREERS IN THEATRE, MUSICAL THEATRE, OPERA, DANCE, AND A VARIETY OF POSITIONS IN THE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY INCLUDING:

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Automation Technician Costume Designer Costume Shop Manager Events Director Lighting Console Programmer Lighting Designer Live Sound Mixer Makeup Artist Master Carpenter Master Electrician Production Assistant

SOUND DESIGN + TECHNOLOGY

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Production Manager Props Artisan Recording Engineer Rigger Scenic Designer Scenic Painter Sound Designer Stage Manager Stitcher/Draper Technical Director Tour Manager

STAGE MANAGEMENT

BACKSTAGE

SCENIC TECHNOLOGY

• • • • •

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT PROFESSOR LISA GAYE DIXON is the Producer for Illinois Theatre and a member of the Acting Faculty.

She has directed many productions at UIUC, including a wide range of plays from Shakespeare Classics with a twist (A Midsummer Night’s Dream—It’s a Bacchanal!), to pop-culture self-referential musicals (Mr Burns, A Post-Electric Play), to classic Americana both personal and political (True West by Sam Shepard, Slaughter City by Naomi Wallace, and The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe), all whilst always looking to ‘find the funny.’ As a professional actor, she has worked in many wonderful professional venues including Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company and The Goodman Theatre; internationally at London’s Royal Shakespeare Company and New Globe Theatre; and regionally at Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Attic Theatre, and Lost Nation Theatre.

“

I truly believe that college is a place to BEGIN the discovery of who you are, and who you may want to be. Becoming a theatre artist— whatever the area of concentration, can be a wonderful way to add joy, beauty, passion, and inspiration to the world. To be a dedicated theatre artist is to be a true citizen of the world: Music, sports, dance, race, gender, politics, culture, fashion, psychology, history, physics, astronomy—the list goes on and on! All are rich, loamy fodder for the artist to dig into and use for their imagination and creativity. One of the things I love most about theatre is that it is a supremely collaborative art form, where everyone brings the strength of their own point of view and abilities to bear on whatever the project is at hand. Each production is a family created and dissolved, making us richer human beings with the beginning and ending of each experience. I had MANY jobs before finally finding my home in the theatre—and they each contributed to who I am, but working in the theatre helped me to find where ALL of those fit together, bringing out the best parts of me.

—LISA DIXON

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS “

My experience at Illinois taught me something about myself that I never knew I needed to be taught: that I am worthy of taking up space. As a Theatre Studies major, I had the responsibility of creating work for myself and making the most out of my college experience. To do this, I had to learn that if I wanted to reach my goals, I needed to get over my fear of rejection and the voices that made me hesitate to pursue opportunities. Thanks to the support of my peers and faculty, I was able to graduate with three assistant directorships (Marat/Sade, Gem of the Ocean, Cabaret), three directorships (Songs for a New World, Love Life, Prospect High: Brooklyn), a workshop production of one of my original plays (Fugitives In America),

and a full movie musical film that I directed and produced (Gay Card)! Only two months after graduation, I have already booked my first professional directing project working with Chicago Dramatists on their Network Playwright 10 Minute Play Festival, and my first assistant directing project working with the Pride Arts Center in Chicago on their production of The Things I Could Never Tell Steven. I will also be starting a new parttime position at the Windy City Playhouse this September as their Associate Audience Services Manager. I thank my training at Illinois for teaching me to believe in myself. I truly believe that where I go from here with my theatre career is all thanks to my time at Illinois.”

—JORDAN RATLIFF

(Theatre Studies BFA, 2021)

89%

I would not have applied for an assistant position while still in college which directly led to me becoming a supervisor only a year out of college.

Now I’m spending my second summer as the Sound Supervisor/A1 for Theatre Aspen in Colorado. And I owe it to the confidence I garnered from working and learning with Illinois Theatre.”

—NORA SIMONSON

(Sound Design and Technology BFA, 2019)

OF RECENT GRADUATES WERE EMPLOYED, INTERNING, OR PURSUING FURTHER EDUCATION WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF GRADUATION.

You can find our theatre alums working on the stage, behind the stage, and in front of the camera all over the world. The theatre alumni network spans from NYC to Chicago to Los Angeles and beyond!

CAREER RESOURCES • •

Chicago Senior Showcase (attended by talent scouts and theatre management) FAA Career Services: In addition to campus career services, Theatre students have access to the FAA Career Services office for guidance on portfolio preparation and assistance utilizing resources specific to the performing arts.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHTS

I know I would not be where I am if it weren’t for the support I received from Illinois Theatre. Even as an undergrad, I was given a multitude of challenging and exciting opportunities that really fostered my knowledge. From working with national touring bands and dance troupes to mixing full-fledged operas and musicals, each opportunity gave me hands-on training to learn new skills and new chances to strengthen the skills I already had. And if it wasn’t for the encouragement of my advisors,

STUDENT LIFE OPPORTUNITIES

ALLEN RESIDENCE HALL – UNIT 1 Housing 651 students, Allen Hall is a creative and engaging community featuring about 60 credit-granting visual and performing arts courses, private music lessons, a music recording studio, darkroom, ceramics lab, free music lessons, and a renowned Guest-inResidence program.

Of the 1,600 student organizations available at Illinois, more than 100 are visual and performing arts related.

SOME OF THESE CLUBS INCLUDE • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Debono Improv Elysium on the Prairie (LARP) Eternity to Express Expression Theatre Troupe Hive Society Improv Illini Student Musicals Mithya New Revels Players Odd Request Improv Penny Dreadful Players Potted Meat Sketch Comedy Spicy Clamato The Phoenix Improv Company The What You Will Shakespeare Company

ENGAGE NOW DISCOVER FAA HIGH SCHOOL TALENT COMPETITION

FAA SUMMER INTENSIVE Immerse yourself in a one-week, college-level program. The FAA Summer Intensive provides a perfect platform for high school students to learn about careers in theatre arts and get a true taste of college life. The broad curriculum allows students to choose a theatre discipline for the week (Acting or Theatre Technology & Design). Whether you want to hone an existing talent or sample new options, the FAA Summer Intensive has something for you. w go.illinois.edu/FAAsummer

OPPORTUNITIES

Theatre’s competition varies annually from a Shakespeare monologue to a set design for a specific piece. Check the website for the current year’s competition. For high school seniors, the prize is $1,000 to be applied toward your freshman year of study. w go.illinois.edu/FAAcompetitions

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 110 Architecture Building 608 East Lorado Taft Drive Champaign, IL 61820

w theatre.illinois.edu w faa.illinois.edu w admissions.illinois.edu/apply Questions? faa-uaa@illinois.edu