SEPTEMBER, 2026
ROCKFORD UNIVERSITY PERFORMING
ARTS
https://www.rockford.edu/academics/ departments/performingarts/ PerformingArts@Rockfrod.edu
NEWSLETTER What’s Happening This Month? September 4th-5th We Got The Beat: Epic 80's Cabaret 7:30 September 11th First Recital 4:00 pm in Maddox Theatre September 10th-27th Unnecessary Farce presented by Artists’ Ensemble in Cheek Theatre September 16th Rockford University Day of Service September 24th-27th and October 1st-3rd The Tempest at RVC Starlight Theatre directed by Professor Mogford October 1st-3rd Orchesis: Reclaiming Hope Through Dance 7:30 in Maddox Theatre
Back To School
SEPTEMBER, 2026
COMING UP THIS SEMESTER ORCHESIS: RECLAIMING HOPE THROUGH DANCE Back this year by popular demand, Orchesis: Reclaiming Hope Through Dance, will feature student dancers who will choreograph, participate in, and create a beautifully designed night of dance in collaboration with professional dance companies, such as the Rockford Dance Company and Wonderland Ballet Company. Rockford University student choreographers include Zoe Lopez, Lezly Rivera Vazquez, and Nora Eliff, while RU faculty members Marissa Barnathan and Michelle Stolberg will also be choreographing. Also featured is the Rockford University Poms club, The Royal Regents Poms Club.
THE TEMPEST Starlight Shakes is bringing Shakespeare to the Ray Castle Stage this fall with our production of The Tempest — a tale of shipwrecks, sorcery, and second chances on a magical island where nothing is quite what it seems. Prospera, the exiled sorceress, has waited years for this storm. Now, with a little magic (and a lot of heart from this incredible cast), the island is about to get very crowded. Directed by Rockford Universities very own Professor Mogford and featuring many current Rockford Students and alumni, watch this classic show unfold under the starlit sky at RVC this autumn.
Curtain Call!
Keeping up with Our Alumni We want to hear from our Alumni and spotlight you with current projects that you are working on or have booked. Keep us up to date so we can celebrate with you and shout you out for all of your talent! Please fill out the form from the QR code or click this link.
THIS SEASON RUPA PRESENTS
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
SEPTEMBER 2026
Incoming Class Highlight The RUPA faculty and staff are delighted to announce that this year’s incoming class is the largest Freshman class welcomed to the RUPA family in the last five years! We have loved getting to know these students’ as they’ve been acclimating to university life these last couple weeks. Here are just a few of their smiling faces so you can get to know them!
May Hning (She/Her) Musical Theatre BFA From Rockford IL Her favorite thing about RU so far has been making new friends and doing what they love together.
Brylee Deusser (She/Her) Musical Theatre BFA From Madison IN Her favorite thing about RU so far has been how welcoming everyone has been!
Krissy Green (She/Her) Psychology Major From St. Louis, MO She is most looking forward to working on the theatre shows!
Jesse Laine (He/Him) Musical Theatre BFA From OK His favorite part of RU so far is the intensity and care for the work every person is doing. I really appreciate the level of attention and love and seriousness that goes into the performances and our lessons.
SEPTEMBER 2026
Incoming Class Highlight Ace Cox (He/Him) Musical Theatre BFA From Rockford IL
He is really enjoying the rehearsal process for the 80’s cabaret!
Cameron Drake (He/They) Musical Theatre BFA From Franklin, WI Cameron is really looking forward to Orchesis!
Donovan Turner (He/They) BA Theatre Arts From Rockford, IL His favorite thing about RU is the close-knit community on campus.
Michelle Perez (She/Her) Major in Social Work From Rockford, IL Michelle’s favorite thing at RU so far has been Rhetoric 101 because it has given her a chance to write poems.
SEPTEMBER 2026
Curtain Call! -Alumni Spotlight
Jessie Rathbun- BFA Musical Theatre, Class of 2023 Since graduating from Rockford University with my BFA in Musical Theatre, I’ve been building a life in New York City as an actor, singer, writer, and musician. I moved to NYC shortly after graduation and have spent the last few years learning what it really means to pursue a creative career, not just auditioning, but creating opportunities for myself and figuring out what kind of artist I want to be. I’ve performed in theatre productions, at 54 Below, Theatre For The New City, and have been a part of several workshops for new musicals, including Cooking With Butter and The Schmidt Sisters (you can listen to the EP anywhere you stream music), a devised work called The Great Garbage Monologues at the NuBox. I'm also the lead vocalist and a songwriter for my alt-rock band, Skin To Skin, which has become one of the most exciting parts of my artistic life. It’s been a really fun challenge to move between theatre and music and realize that I don’t necessarily have to choose just one thing. You can stream our first single, “Fist Fight,” on all platforms. Also, it’s possible that a solo music project is in the works…
Speaking of “in the works,” the project I am most excited about right now is yet to be announced! The concept is being “Disgustingly Honest” to the point where it’s uncomfortable, but hard to look away from. Partially inspired by my Senior Seminar here at RU, this concept has been prevalent in all the art I make, so I decided I wanted to make more of it on purpose.
SEPTEMBER 2026
Curtain Call! -Alumni Spotlight
Jessie Rathbun- BFA Musical Theatre, Class of 2023 If I could go back in time and tell my RU self anything, I would tell myself to make things. Don't wait for someone to give you permission to be an artist. Write the song. Start the band. Make the weird little project. Say yes to the opportunity that scares you. And don't measure your success by how quickly everyone else seems to be moving. There is no single path to having a career in theatre or the arts. Sometimes the job you take to pay your rent teaches you something important. Sometimes the audition you don't get redirects you somewhere better. Sometimes you discover that you love an entirely different form of art than you expected.
When I think back to my time at RU, I remember spending my days trying to be “the best,” but looking back, my fondest memories are the little moments between the big ones. The late nights at Taco Bell, rehearsals that felt like magic, sitting around talking after class, and the feeling of being surrounded by people who were just as passionate about creating things as I was. A community of people who understood why I cared so much about theatre and who were willing to grow alongside me.
Professors Mogford, Timm, Beth, and Jeff became an important part of that community while I was at Rockford. They were incredible professors, but more than that, I felt that they genuinely cared about me as a person. They taught me so much about art, but also about life, and I carry so much of what they taught me into the work I do today.
SEPTEMBER, 2026
Photo Highlights From August