Theatre

It's your time to SHine

Seven students on stage with water at the center. One student falls back on two with arms dramatically crossed over her chest. A crowd in the back clusters together

The Aquinas Theatre Program believes theatre is and has always been a place where communities come together to discuss and embrace who they are. As a program dedicated to Theatre for Social Change, we believe theatre should inspire conversations that persist long after the house lights come up at the end of the show, and we take our role in those conversations seriously.

Our program gives every student a well-rounded theatre education along with the room and mentorship to help you define your own path for the future. We put on four to five fully-mounted shows per year with a focus on plays and musicals that connect to larger conversations in our community. Students are involved at every level of the mainstage production process, and can graduate with practical experience acting, directing, designing, and collaborating alongside students, faculty and local professionals. Students also have the option to produce their own work in our fully outfitted lab theatre.

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Explore Theatre at AQ

Mission

Where does theatre happen? Who is it for? What is its purpose? We believe that theatre is and has always been a place where communities come together to discuss and embrace who they are. We want our shows to engage with real community issues whenever possible, and to connect with our community directly. Theatre should inspire conversations that persist long after the house lights come up at the end of the show, and we take our role in those conversations seriously.

As a program dedicated to Theatre for Social Change, we also embrace the work of practitioners and theorists like Bertolt Brecht, Dorothy Heathcote, and Augusto Boal, who all felt that the skills we use to make theatre can be brought to bear outside of the traditional theatre space in order to effect change. How does pretend play help children learn other subjects? How can communities use improvisation to really explore problems and solutions in their own lives? This vast and important area of theatre drives how we think about both our traditional protections and other education projects.

Student Learning Outcomes

(NAST Student Competencies)

  • The ability to think conceptually and critically about text, performance, and production.
  • An understanding of playwriting and production processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the way these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.
  • An acquaintance with a wide selection of theatre repertory including the principal eras, genres, and cultural sources.
  • The ability to develop and defend informed judgments about theatre.
  • Ability in areas of performance and production or playwriting appropriate to individual needs and interests, consistent with the goals and objectives of the specific liberal arts degree program being followed.
  • An understanding of procedures and approaches for realizing a variety of theatrical styles.
  • Intermediate to advanced competence in one or more theatre specializations in creation, performance, scholarship, or teaching.
Name Title Department Phone
Allyson Albrecht Adjunct Theatre
Danielle Armstrong Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Penny Avery Program Director Theatre (616) 632-2060
Todd S Avery Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Alexander Barringer Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Jonathan Calkins Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Kelsey Edwards Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Jason Flannery Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Jordan Good Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Scott Harman Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre Production Theatre (616) 632-2999
Caleb Jenkins Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Sam Johnson Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Kessler Jones Adjunct Theatre
Thomas Kaechele Adjunct Theatre
Christopher Mahlmann Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Catherine Marlett-Dreher Adjunct Theatre
Matty Owen Adjunct Theatre
Kels Rezmer Adjunct Theatre
Selene Rezmer Adjunct Theatre
Bridgett Vanderhoff Adjunct Theatre
Samuel Verburg Adjunct Theatre
Janelle Yahne Adjunct Lecturer Theatre
Gabrielle Zeinstra Theatre

Directors

Career Preparation based on leadership

the performing arts center

Performing Arts Center

We have a unique collaboration with AQ Theatre, Circle Theatre and the League of Catholic High Schools. The only collaboration of its kind in the nation.

Students in old fashioned gowns under dim colorful lights

AQ Theatre Season Schedule

The 2023-24 season includes productions of "Failure: A Love Story," "Waiting for Lefty," "Lizzie," "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane," and a festival of student-directed one-act plays.

Smiling students performing on stage

Inside AQ Theatre

Read, watch, and listen to stories from the AQ Theatre Department featuring students and faculty.

ENCORE logo

ENCORE: A Student Led Theatre Group

Encore! seeks an enriching partnership with the college and the community by helping to develop the theatre program in various capacities, community outreach, and fundraising, and group enrichment through the fine arts.

Performace photo

Student Research

 

Check out the current and past research that Aquinas students do with faculty to further the world's knowledge.Read More about Student Research

 

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

Performing

  • Stage
  • Television
  • Radio
  • Motion picture
  • Video

Directing

  • Direction
  • Technical direction
  • Casting
  • Set design
  • Stage management
  • Production
  • Dialect coaching
  • Dramaturgy
  • Support staff

Behind the Scenes

  • Stage management
  • Stage direction
  • Set design/Construction
  • Costume design
  • Hair/Make-up
  • Special effects
  • Wardrobe
  • Prop management
  • Broadcast technology
  • Rigging
  • Electrical work
  • Carpentry/Scenic artistry

Writing

  • Scriptwriting
  • Playwriting
  • Screenwriting
  • Journalism
  • Publicity (press agents)
  • Research

Business

  • Producing
  • Management
  • Agents
  • Marketing and advertising
  • Fundraising and development
  • Coordination of volunteers
  • Administration of arts programs
  • Box office sales
  • Promotions
  • Patron services

Education

  • Private instruction
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Self-enrichment teaching

Source: What Can I Do With This Major

Quick Facts: Producers and Directors
2022 Median Pay $85,320 per year
$41.02 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation Less than 5 years
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2022 175,300
Job Outlook, 2022-32 7% (Much faster than average)
Employment Change, 2022-32 11,700

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

For more information about what you can do with this major
see: https://whatcanidowiththismajor.com/major/theater/

To make an appointment with Career Services to learn more
see: https://aqcareertools.campuscareerinnovations.com/

Students performing in 9 to 5, gathered around someone at a desk

Internships

See where past Aquinas College Theatre students have completed internships to get their careers started.

Students with laptops working at a table

Advantage Center

The Advantage Center is here to support you as you pursue your goals in your carreer and beyond. Not sure what you want to do after graduation? The Advantage Center Staff can help you discover a path that is right for you.