Theatre Arts 

Creative. Professional. Award-Winning. Connected.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside Theatre Arts Department is a small and special, award-winning program. Recognized by the Wisconsin Board of Regents with the Award for Teaching Excellence, we continue to accrue accolades and honors, season after season. Our proudest accomplishment is our students’ success in their education and beyond!

Located between Milwaukee and Chicago, our department regularly connects with the hundreds of nearby professional theatres. These connections combined with our esteemed professional training program results in very high success rates for students securing internships, employment in professional theatres, and admission into great graduate programs.

Our high-quality productions rival those of professional theatres. Our production labs, state-of-the-art black box theatre, and well-equipped proscenium main stage theatre serve as inspiring backdrops to the work we do alongside students. From classical to contemporary comedies, dramas, and musicals, our audiences and students are treated rich experiences.

Our student-first company model, our high production values, our enviable facilities and our academic successes are just some of the many special aspects of our program.

We invite you to explore our website to discover for yourself what makes the Parkside Theatre Arts program so outstanding.

At 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 65 exceptional majors, including actors, designers, stage managers, and technicians, so that you'll receive personalized training within a creative and collaborative learning environment.

Your first step to joining the company is a program entry interview and/or audition with members of the theatre faculty.

Learn more about program entry auditions