UW-Parkside Theatre

The UW-Parkside Theatre Arts Department is only professional theater training program in the Midwest that offers you this amazing combination of special features…

• Award-Winning Academic and Artistic Programming: In 2009 our exemplary academic training program was named the recipient of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents' "Teaching Excellence Award for Outstanding Academic Program." Only one department in the entire UW system is chosen each year to win this coveted and prestigious recognition – and we are the only fine arts department in the state to ever win this award. In the area of artistic quality, our theatrical productions have received over 100 "Regional Awards of Merit" from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

• Incredible New State-of-the-Art Facilities : While our current theatre facilities are considered some of the best in the region, we are incredibly excited about the completion of our new $30 million fine arts center addition in 2011. Students entering our program today will have the opportunity to work in amazing new state-of-the-art facilities, including 3 flexible theatres, 2 large rehearsal halls, cutting-edge design and construction laboratories, and a new recital hall.

• Professional Company-Based Training Approach : At UW-Parkside you are much more than just a theatre major; you become a member of our professional theatre training company. Our company is capped at approximately 65 exceptional scholar/artists who receive personalized training within a creative and collaborative professional learning environment. We don't want the most students; we want the best.

• Incredible Location in the Heart of America’s Leading Theatre Community: More than 200 professional theatres in the Chicago/Milwaukee metro area are located within 60 miles of our beautiful wooded campus. Countless professional theatre opportunities – including theatre performances, internships, apprenticeships, and employment – are just a short drive or train ride away.

• Professional Theatre Connections and Internships: We have established invaluable professional theatre partnerships with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theater, American Players Theatre, the Fireside Theatre, and many other theatres across the nation. We actively encourage our company members to participate in valuable job shadowing experiences, guest artist residencies, and internship or apprenticeship opportunities offered in cooperation with one of our professional theater partners. Many of our students are employed in the professional theatre prior to graduation.

• Distinctive Theatre Training Options : UW-Parkside is one of the few schools in the upper Midwest to offer a solid liberal arts education and a variety of BFA-level training degrees with concentrations in the following areas:

  • Acting / Performance

  • Direction and Management

  • Design and Technology

• Amazing Graduate Success: In the past decade, 92% of our theatre graduates have found full time employment in the professional theatre or related careers after graduation. Our graduates have also continued their theatrical training at some of the nation's finest theatre graduate school programs including New York University (NYU), CalArts, Northwestern University, Ohio University, University of Minnesota, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of North Carolina.

• Professional Theatre Trips: Each semester we take all of our students to 2 professional theatre productions in Milwaukee or Chicago and integrate those productions into our courses. We encourage you to do study abroad programs in theatre – and to see the world.

• High Student Satisfaction: Each semester we take all of our students to 2 professional theatre productions in Milwaukee or Chicago and integrate those productions into our courses. We encourage you to do study abroad programs in theatre – and to see the world.

• An Affordable Education in the Highly-Regarding University of Wisconsin System: UW-Parkside is one of the "best deals" in the University of Wisconsin system, and most of our students qualify for additional scholarship and grant opportunities. A four year education at UW-Parkside costs the same as a single year of school at many private schools in the region!

• Diversity is a Reality at UW-Parkside: UW-Parkside has the most diverse student population in the UW system. Our program embraces this diversity – and aspires to become a regional center for training a truly eclectic variety of students. We want to be the leading theater training program in the Midwest for students of all color – and we strive to provide you the opportunities that you need for success.

Find out MORE about UW-Parkside Theatre!

Please check out our production photos and the latest information about
auditions, interviews, and program offerings!  

Contact Jamie Cheatham, Director of Theatre Arts Admissions,
or at 262.595.2522 to schedule a campus visit or program entry audition.