Through both classical and contemporary performances, state-of-the-art facilities
and small, focused cohorts led by industry-professional faculty, our students experience
a comprehensive theatre preprofessional program that challenges and empowers them
for a career in theatre, whether that be center stage, behind the scenes or in the
director’s chair.
Our graduates are artistically excellent, technically strong and prepared for a future
in their chosen field of theatre.
We’re here to help you find your fit. You’ll have the opportunity to work in different
craft training and courses so that you know where your preferred role is.
Supportive Community
Experience a close-knit, supportive community that champions your success. Our program
features individual attention and commitment to student’s achievements. Your peers,
professors and the Wilkes community as a whole will be there for you.
Fulfilling Careers
Not only will you have industry training, but you’ll have the adaptable skills professional
careers demand such as interviewing, resume writing and building, a strong work ethic
and dedication to your career in theatre that shines in everything you do.
Recent Graduate Employers
Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, CT
Walnut Street Theatre, PA
Charleston Stage, SC
Thin Air Theatre Company, CO
Disney World, FL
Millbrook Playhouse, PA
NiCori Studios, NJ
Eagle Theatre, NJ
Brevard Music Center, NC
Missoula Children’s Theatre, MO
Mountain Movers Company, KY
Plaza Theatricals, NY, N.J
Dutch Apple Theatre, PA
Hudson Guild Theatre, NY
Shakespeare at the Castle, OH
It’s nice because it’s small. You’re not a number. Your professors know you.
Brianna Rowland | Musical Theatre
4
auditions for program acceptance per year
6
black box productions annually
4
mainstage productions each year, including two musicals
A Letter from Program Director Jon Liebetrau
The theatre program at Wilkes is a preprofessional theatre training program with an added liberal arts emphasis. We are committed to our small class sizes, individual
support for each student and the mission of our program to create an accomplished
preprofessional theatre artist. Additionally, we are known for the excellence of our
productions, and of our theatre students, as evidenced through accolades and awards
from the American College Theatre Festival sponsored by the Kennedy Center.
A student accepted into the Wilkes theatre program has the opportunity to focus on
one of three majors: Musical Theatre (BFA), Theatre Design & Technology (BA), or Theatre
Arts (BA). Students majoring in Theatre Arts may also pursue concentrations in acting/directing,
design/tech or dance. Our program produces four main stage productions each year,
two musicals and two non-musicals, plus multiple black box senior capstone productions.
Our main stage proscenium theater space, the Darling Theater, can seat 478 people,
enjoys state of the art computer lighting and sound systems, and boasts a 36-line
set and a hydraulic stage elevator/orchestra pit.
Our faculty is devoted to educating the finest, the most creative and the most driven
theatre artists and human beings. Please join us for an exhilarating four years of
exceptional training. We would love the opportunity to inspire you as part of the
Wilkes University Theatre program!
