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| DePaul Theatre School | |
|---|---|
| Name | DePaul Theatre School |
| Established | 1912 |
| Type | Conservatory and academic division |
| Parent | DePaul University |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| Campus | Lincoln Park |
DePaul Theatre School
DePaul Theatre School is a professional training conservatory and academic division within DePaul University located in Chicago, Illinois. The school offers undergraduate and graduate programs in acting, stage management, directing, design, and dramaturgy with ties to regional theatre, national companies, and municipal arts institutions. Its curriculum combines conservatory-style studio training with university-level liberal arts coursework and collaborative production experience.
The program traces roots to religious and urban institutions in Chicago including DePaul University, Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish, Lincoln Park, and early 20th-century dramatic societies. Through mid-century affiliations with companies such as Goodman Theatre, Court Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and partnerships with civic organizations including Chicago Park District and Chicago Cultural Center, the school expanded into a professional training center. Faculty and alumni participated in national initiatives with Kennedy Center programs, exchanges with Shakespeare Theatre Company ensembles, and collaborations with festivals like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Spoleto Festival USA. Institutional milestones intersected with Chicago arts landmarks such as The Second City, the Victory Gardens Theater, and the Art Institute of Chicago museum community.
Degree offerings include conservatory tracks aligned with professional standards from organizations such as the National Association of Schools of Theatre and curricula informed by methodologies from prominent companies and practitioners like Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, Uta Hagen, and practitioners associated with Konstantin Stanislavski traditions. Courses integrate practical studies in voice and speech referencing texts from Cicely Berry, movement training with lineage to Rudolf Laban and Jacques Lecoq, and design studios influenced by scenographers from The Royal Shakespeare Company and Metropolitan Opera traditions. The school provides specializations in acting, stage management, technical theatre, scenic design, lighting design, sound design, costume design, and dramaturgy with applied production work that connects students to external internships at institutions like Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Broadway, and regional theatres including Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
The school’s performance venues and teaching spaces are situated in facilities that interface with Chicago performance districts such as Halsted Street, State Street, and the Loop. On-campus and nearby venues include black box theatres and proscenium spaces modeled on studios used by New York Theatre Workshop and Yale Repertory Theatre, with scene shops equipped for practices common to companies like Cirque du Soleil and the Royal National Theatre. Technical laboratories support lighting consoles and sound systems comparable to equipment used at Lincoln Center houses and touring systems for shows on Broadway. Costume shops maintain collections and conservation methods in dialogue with curators from institutions like the Field Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.
Faculty include practitioners and scholars with professional histories at organizations such as Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Steppenwolf Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Steppenwolf, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Second City, Broadway, Kennedy Center, Royal Shakespeare Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Arena Stage, and Guthrie Theater. Administrative leadership coordinates with academic offices in DePaul University and external arts councils including the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and national grantmakers such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Visiting artists have included directors, designers, and performers associated with Peter Brook, Anne Bogart, Complicité, Julie Taymor, and choreographers linked to Martha Graham lineages.
Alumni have pursued careers across media with credits at Broadway, Hollywood, Netflix, HBO, AMC, NBC, ABC, and CBS. Graduates have collaborated with companies and festivals such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Arena Stage, Guthrie Theater, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Royal Shakespeare Company, and streaming productions for Amazon Prime Video. Notable productions developed or premiered in association with the school engaged playwrights and directors connected to Tony Award winners, Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalists, and ensembles recognized by the Obie Awards and Joseph Jefferson Awards.
Admissions operate through audition and portfolio review processes in line with conservatory models used by institutions such as Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University. Prospective students submit materials evaluated by faculty with reference to standards employed by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and selection committees influenced by hiring practices at companies like Goodman Theatre and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Tuition follows university schedules and financial aid programs administered through DePaul University financial offices, with scholarships and assistantships sometimes sponsored in partnership with foundations such as the MacArthur Foundation and arts funds from the Chicago Community Trust.
Category:DePaul University Category:Drama schools in the United States