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Studying Theatre

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An Inclusive Community

Intro

Theatre at UW-Eau Claire is both an academic and extracurricular activity. Auditions and participation are open to any UW-Eau Claire student! Studying and/or participating in theatre develops your creative problem-solving skills, heightens your emotional awareness, and creates meaningful engagements with others.

Explore over 200 Music and Theatre Arts performances to attend and enjoy!

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The study of theatre arts at UW-Eau Claire provides students with an outstanding liberal arts education and fosters the development and appreciation of theatre as a significant art form.

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Theatre students begin their training immediately at UW-Eau Claire, working in a disciplined group effort under real-life pressures and deadlines to develop fully realized productions for campus and community audiences.

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There are numerous ways to be involved and share in creating art that presents the wildly swinging pendulum of human experience.

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Each year there are four mainstage plays, an active musical/opera theatre ensemble, a one-act play festival or touring theatre production, and numerous other smaller events that all showcase the broad emotions we experience in life.

Lighting technician in the AV booth of JAMF Theatre Pablo Center

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Whether your art is dance, acting, directing, playwriting, design, costuming, set building, stage managing, or sound and lights — there’s a place for you here.

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This thriving community puts you in the midst of performances and classes that will make you a better artist!

Pablo Center at the Confluence Fireworks nighttime

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The theatre area is also primarily housed in the new Pablo Center at the Confluence, allowing students to work with state-of-the-art equipment and theatre spaces.

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Our holistic approach to art means that every student can gain insight into the totality of theatre as an art form.

Little Women

Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein
Book by Allan Knee
Director – Arthur Grothe
Music Director – Emily Sternfeld-Dunn
Choreographer – Ivy Jacobson

JAMF Theatre | Pablo Center at the Confluence
October 16-17 | 7:30 PM
October 21-24 | 7:30 PM
October 18, 25 | 1:30 PM

This timeless, captivating story is brought to life in this glorious musical filled with personal discovery, heartache, hope and everlasting love. Based on Louisa May Alcott's life, Little Women follows the adventures of sisters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested – her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America. Little Women embodies the complete theatrical experience, guaranteeing a night filled with laughter, tears and a lifting of the spirit. The powerful score soars with the sounds of personal discovery, heartache and hope – the sounds of a young America.

Wonder of the World

By David Lindsay-Abaire
Director – Jennifer Chapman

Riverside Theatre | Haas Fine Arts Center
December 9-12 | 7:30 PM
December 12-13 | 1:30 PM

From the author of the critically acclaimed Kimberly Akimbo, this barrel of laughs begins when Cass discovers a dirty little secret in her husband’s sweater drawer – one so shocking that she has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world. In a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on, Cass embarks on a journey of self-discovery to Niagara Falls that has her crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives, and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which pushes her perilously close to the water’s edge.

Burial at Thebes – A Version of Sophocles’ Antigone

By Seamus Heaney
Director – Arthur Grothe

JAMF Theatre | Pablo Center at the Confluence
February 26-27 | 7:30 PM
March 3-6 | 7:30 PM
February 28, March 7 | 1:30 PM

Sophocles’ play, first staged in the fifth century B.C., stands as a timely exploration of the conflict between those who affirm the individual’s human rights and those who must protect the state’s security. After the War of the Seven Against Thebes, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, learns that her brothers have killed each other, having been forced onto opposing sides of the battle. When Creon, king of Thebes, grants burial to one but not the “treacherous” other, Antigone defies his order, believing it is her duty to bury all of her close kin. Enraged, Creon condemns her to death, and his soldiers wall her up in a tomb. While Creon eventually agrees to Antigone’s release, it is too late: in a tragic repetition of events in her family’s history, she takes her own life. In this outstanding translation, Seamus Heaney reveals the darkness and humanity of Sophocles’ masterpiece.

The Gondoliers

Librettist – W.S. Gilbert
Composers – Arthur Sullivan
Director – Dr. Ken Pereira
Music Director – Dr. Mark Mowry
Conductor - Dr. Fátima Corona

Riverside Theatre | Haas Fine Arts Center
April 29-May 1 | 7:30 PM
May 2 | 4:30 PM

The Gondoliers, or The King of Barataria is a comic operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, notable for being one of the last successful collaborations of the renowned duo. Set in Italy, the story revolves around two gondoliers, Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri, who, after a whimsical selection process, marry Gianetta and Tessa. The plot thickens when they learn that one of them is the rightful heir to the throne of Barataria, complicating their lives with themes of love, duty, and governance. The operetta employs humor to satirize the institution of monarchy while simultaneously critiquing the pitfalls of democracy. Gilbert’s protagonists, despite being thrust into royal roles, prefer the simplicity of their gondolier lives, highlighting the absurdities of both aristocracy and the republic. The narrative ultimately emphasizes the value of personal freedom over societal titles and roles, making it a rich commentary on the nature of governance and individual agency. With its light-hearted yet pointed satire, The Gondoliers remains a cherished piece in the canon of musical theatre.

Staged Reading: Witch

By Jen Silverman
Directed by Ashley Scallon

Phillips Recital Hall | Haas Fine Arts Center
November 20 | 7:30 PM

A charming devil arrives in the quiet village of Edmonton to bargain for the souls of its residents in exchange for their darkest wishes. Elizabeth should be his easiest target, having been labeled a “witch” and cast out by the town, but her soul is not so readily bought. As the devil returns to convince her – and then returns again – unexpected passions flare, alliances are formed, and the village is forever changed. An inventive retelling of a Jacobean drama, this sharp, subversive fable debates how much our souls are worth when hope is hard to come by.

Staged Reading: Church and State

By Jason Odell Williams
Directed by Dean Yohnk

Phillips Recital Hall | Haas Fine Arts Center
April 2 | 7:30 PM

Three days before his bid for reelection, in the wake of a school shooting in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, a Republican U.S. senator makes an off-the-cuff comment to a blogger that gets leaked on “the Twitter,” calling into question the senator’s stance on guns and God. As his devoutly Christian wife and liberal Jewish campaign manager try to contain the damage, this look at how religion influences politics and how politics has become a religion is simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and uplifting in this play by Jason Odell Williams.

*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.