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| The Theatre School at DePaul University | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Theatre School at DePaul University |
| Established | 1925 |
| Type | Private |
| Dean | Christopher O. Jones |
| City | Chicago |
| State | Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Campus | Lincoln Park |
The Theatre School at DePaul University is a conservatory-style professional training program housed within DePaul University in Chicago. Founded in the 1920s, it provides undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting, directing, design, stage management, and playwriting, and maintains ties to regional theatres, national festivals, and professional unions. The School balances classical repertoire, contemporary work, and new play development while engaging with institutions across Illinois and the broader United States cultural landscape.
The School traces roots to the Goodman Theatre movement and early 20th-century dramatic training associated with figures such as Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko and institutions like the American Conservatory Theater. In the 1930s and 1940s its faculty engaged with touring companies connected to Eleanor Roosevelt era cultural programs and collaborated with practitioners influenced by Konstantin Stanislavski, Bertolt Brecht, and Jerome Robbins. Mid-century expansions linked the School to professional houses including the Chicago Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Court Theatre (Chicago), fostering exchanges with artists from New York City ensembles such as Lincoln Center Theater and The Public Theater. During the late 20th century, the School grew alongside Chicago's second city improv legacy and the growth of companies like Second City and Victory Gardens Theater, integrating pedagogies rooted in practitioners like Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, and Lee Strasberg. Recent decades saw curricular reform paralleling national trends at institutions such as Yale School of Drama, Juilliard School, and Northwestern University, with partnerships involving Kennedy Center programs and regional festivals like the Humana Festival.
The Theatre School offers Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees in acting, directing, stage management, playwriting, scene design, costume design, lighting design, sound design, and dramaturgy. Coursework includes conservatory sequences influenced by methodologies from Michael Chekhov, Augusto Boal, and Suzuki Method (theatre), alongside seminars on the works of playwrights such as William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, and Samuel Beckett. Collaborative projects bring in guest artists from Broadway (Manhattan) companies, regional houses like Goodman Theatre, and festival curators from Spoleto Festival USA. Graduate collaborations mirror programs at institutions including California Institute of the Arts, Columbia University School of the Arts, and Carnegie Mellon University for cross-registration and residency opportunities.
Located on DePaul's Lincoln Park campus, the School operates multiple black box theatres, a thrust stage, scene shops, costume shops, and technology labs. Performance venues host work by faculty and visiting directors from companies such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and Arena Stage. Technical training uses equipment modeled on industry standards common in Broadway (Manhattan) and regional theatres like Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The scene shop's fabrication tools reflect practices seen at Royal National Theatre and design studios affiliated with The Old Vic. Rehearsal spaces accommodate choreography influenced by companies like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and director-driven movement work connected to artists from BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music).
Alumni and faculty have included actors, directors, designers, and playwrights who moved into national and international prominence with credits at venues such as Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Emmy Awards, Academy Awards, and institutions like Royal Shakespeare Company. Notable names link to Chicago and New York scenes, including those who have worked with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Second City, The Public Theater, Lincoln Center Theater, CBS, and NBC. Faculty have included scholar-practitioners conversant with texts by Sophocles, Molière, Henrik Ibsen, Eugene O'Neill, and contemporary playwrights presented at the Humana Festival and New Plays Festival circuits.
Admissions combine portfolio reviews, live auditions, interviews, and academic evaluation similar to conservatories like Juilliard School and Yale School of Drama. Students participate in ensembles, student-run companies, and collaboratives that connect them to Chicago institutions such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago Humanities Festival, and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Campus life intersects with university-wide organizations including Student Government Association (DePaul), arts-focused groups, and citywide networks tied to producers at Chicago International Film Festival and festivals like Chicago Fringe Festival.
The School mounts a full season featuring classics, new work, and devised projects presented in school theatres and off-campus venues, often in partnership with festivals such as the Humana Festival and exchange programs with Edinburgh Festival Fringe affiliates. Student productions have been programmed alongside showcases attracting casting directors from Broadway (Manhattan), film scouts from Sundance Film Festival, and representatives from unions including Actors' Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. New play development initiatives foster relationships with playwright development organizations like Playwrights Horizons and New Dramatists.
Engagement includes education outreach with Chicago Public Schools partners, collaborations with civic institutions like Chicago Cultural Center, and service projects coordinated with nonprofit organizations such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company Education, Victory Gardens Theater community programs, and national residency networks tied to National Endowment for the Arts. Partnerships extend to casting agencies, production houses, and commercial collaborators with ties to NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., and streaming platforms active in Chicago production hubs.
Category:DePaul University Category:Theatre schools in Illinois