UW-Parkside is proud of our active theatre training partnerships with the region's finest professional theatres, including:

Professional Theatre Connections

Let's face it. When it comes to theatre training, it's all about what you'll learn and whom you'll meet. We believe that it is essential for our students and staff to stay actively connected to the professional theatre world. As a department we accomplish this in a number of exciting ways:

• We have developed and maintain very active professional theatre training partnerships with major regional theatres, including The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Fireside Theatre, American Players Theatre, and Great River Shakespeare Festival.   Because we think that is essential for our students to engage with professional theatres prior to graduation, we have developed a variety of workshop, internship, and employment opportunities for students at these respected theatres. The vast majority of the students in our program have professional theatre credits on their resumes and transcripts prior to graduation.
• We offer frequent, inexpensive trips to see professional theatre in Milwaukee, Chicago, New York City, Stratford (Canada), and London (England). Because we want you to see and discuss as much professional theatre as possible we offer frequent and affordable theatre trips to the leading live theatre centers. Every spring break we take an 8 day trip to New York City - and students get an incredible travel deal. Each semester the entire department attends a minimum of two professional productions in Chicago and Milwaukee and meets with the professional artists responsible for creating these performances.

We actively assist interested students in setting up internships, paid apprenticeships, and employment opportunities at professional theaters while you are a student. We believe that it is essential for you to actively connect with other theatre professionals prior to graduation. The majority of our theatre company members successfully complete professional theatre employment and internship experiences during the summer months, however for-credit residencies at professional theatres are possible during the school year as well. UW-Parkside theatre students have recently been employed and/or received academic credit at some of the nation's finest professional summer theatres, including:


American Players' Theatre (WI)
Great River Shakespeare Festival (MI)
The Huron Playhouse (OH)
Bristol Renaissance Faire (WI)
Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (WI)
Santa Fe Opera Theatre (NM)
Contemporary American Theatre Festival (WV)
Fireside Theatre (WI)
First Stage Children's Theatre (WI)
Florida Studio Theatre (FL)
Six Flags Great America (IL)
Great River Shakespeare Theatre (MN)
Heartland Theatre Festival (WI)
Huron Playhouse (OH)
Prairie Fire Children's Theatre (MN)
Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OR)
Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre (CO)
St. Croix Summer Theatre (WI)
Steppenwolf Theatre Company (IL)
Texas Shakespeare Festival (TX)
Twin Cities Fringe Festival (MN)
Utah Shakespeare Festival (UT)
Virginia Shakespeare Festival (VA)

ArtsAlive! touring production opportunities - Every year more than a dozen national and international tours and guest artists come to UW-Parkside as a part of our ArtsAlive performance series. Student workers are frequently hired to assist with these productions, providing them an excellent opportunity to work alongside touring professionals who know the ropes.