Studying Theatre

2025-26 Theatre Productions

➤YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

By Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Directed by Arthur Grothe
Music Direction by Emily Sternfeld-Dunn
Choreographed by SK Stone

JAMF Theatre | Pablo Center at the Confluence
October 17 | 7:30pm
October 19 | 1:30pm
October 22-25 | 7:30pm
October 26 | 1:30pm

From the creators of The Producers comes the celebrated West End Version of this monster musical comedy. Featuring slight revisions and enhancements made by the original Broadway creative team, Young Frankenstein (West End Version) is ready to shock your audience! The grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced "Fronk-en-steen") inherits his family's estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced "Eye-gore"), and a leggy lab assistant, Inga (pronounced normally), Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors. "It's alive!" he exclaims as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather's. Eventually, of course, the monster escapes and hilarity continuously abounds.

➤MEN ON BOATS

By Jaclyn Backhaus
Directed by Jennifer Chapman

Riverside Theatre | Haas Fine Arts Center
December 10-12 | 7:30pm
December 13 | 1:30pm & 7:30pm
December 14 | 1:30pm

In 1869, ten explorers set off to chart the Green and Colorado Rivers, under the guidance of John Wesley Powell, a one-armed Civil War Veteran and personal friend of President Grant, a government-sanctioned journey following in the footsteps of the deserters, lone adventurers, and countless indigenous people who have previously braved the wild rapids leading through Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico, and through the most dangerous waterway of all: the Grand Canyon. Along the way they make friends, they get on each other’s nerves, they suffer loss of boat and supplies, they doubt, struggle, and name mountains after themselves, they posture and pretend, they quit while they’re ahead, and they repeatedly brave dangerous rapids to reach the other side. As boats capsize and supplies are lost, as belts tighten and nerves fray, the company draws together as a band of brothers, even as three members fear the outcome of the final waterfalls and make the fateful decision to leave before the end. In Men On Boats, Jacklyn Backhaus’ original, hilarious, and delightful adventure dramedy, the conquering men out to chronicle the land in service of America, God, and Manifest destiny, are given voice and movement by actors who are anything and everything but white and male, and the bravery, determination, foolishness, humanity, and true grit of the historical explorers is memorialized, while the historical moment of their journey is viewed with a critical lens.

➤EURYDICE

By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Arthur Grothe

JAMF Theatre | Pablo Center at the Confluence
February 27-28 | 7:30pm
March 1 | 1:30pm
March 4-7 | 7:30pm
March 8 | 1:30pm

In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.

➤JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

By David Wood, Based on the Book by Roald Dahl
Directed by Jennifer Chapman

Riverside Theatre | Haas Fine Arts Center
April 24-25 | 7:30pm
April 26 | 1:30pm
April 29-30 | 7:30pm
May 2 | 7:30pm
May 3 | 1:30pm

In this delightful stage adaptation, Roald Dahl’s classic tale is faithfully told by James himself, along with the insect characters – Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird, and Earthworm. The play begins at the end of the story, when James and his friends are living in the giant peach stone in Central Park, New York.

A tour guide brings a party of tourists (the audience) to see this major attraction, and James and his friends tell the story of how they came to live in New York. The insects play the other roles, like James’s cruel Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker, and the epic journey across the Atlantic is acted out with live action, puppetry and storytelling in David Wood's masterful adaptation.

*Current UWEC students can follow the link above to the Music and Theatre Arts Department SharePoint site which serves as a resource both for students who are declared as a Music or Theatre major, and for those across campus who are interested in participating in the performing arts on campus. UWEC login credentials required!

Students get academic credit for working in our costume shop (THEA 151), scene shop (THEA 152), and electrics shop (THEA 153). These classes meet throughout the semester to build or otherwise install the scenery, costumes, and lighting/sound equipment necessary for our mainstage productions. Anyone can register for these classes, regardless of major, and there are no prerequisites – no experience required.

Any questions about the Theatre Division productions, auditions, or classes?

Contact: Arthur Grothe | grothear@uwec.edu 

Career Preparation

Graduates of the musical theatre program leave with a well-rounded skill set and an impressive resume. Because of the broad nature of the program, our alumni go on to pursue a variety of artistic and creative careers all over the country. From touring with Cirque du Soleil to performing on cruise ships to working in the film and television industry, the possibilities are endless. Students have also acquired paid internships and summer work at places like:

• Williamstown / Theatre Festival
• Glimmerglass Theatre Festival
• Santa Fe Opera
• Utah Festival Opera, Illinois
• Shakespeare Festival
• American Repertory Theater
• lowa Shakespeare Festival

Learn about our Liberal Arts, Major - Theatre Arts Degree

Learn about our Comprehensive Major - Theatre Arts Degree

Learn about Liberal Arts, Minor - Theatre Arts

Learn about Certificate - Theatre Arts
 

OPERA AND MUSICAL THEATRE

The Opera and Musical Theatre Workshop allows the young singing actor to develop the coordination of the myriad of skills essential for a career in performance. Exploring the connection of music, text, movement, spatial awareness, and dramatic interaction, students work on those skills through a variety of acting and character work, reading, character analysis and listening, culminating in a performance of diverse scenes from both opera and musical theatre.
 

THE ART OF DANCE

Through dance courses, UWEC's dance certificate, and student organizations, there are many opportunities for students to explore dance at UWEC. Curriculum throughout the program includes physical practice, theoretical inquiry, creative activity, and interdisciplinary studies in music, theatre, and kinesiology. Flexible certificate requirements allow you to study the topics and dance styles that most interest you, from ballet to modern dance to jazz to tap.