Exceedingly Creative, Passionate and Driven
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.
Majors & Programs
Minors
Performances at Wilkes
Wilkes is the stage for a variety of student-led performances, plays, musicals and more. Be sure to see or take part in our upcoming shows!
I was so amazed by the production and inspired to work with the actors I saw onstage. Working with the professors during my audition made me feel so comfortable and I knew I’d be more than just a number in the program, and Wilkes instantly jumped to the top of my list.
Jay'na Johnson - Theatre '24, Professional Performer
Wilkes helped show me that the peers around me were the connections I needed to be making. I have friends who send auditions just because they think I would be good for the role, or they’re producers and directors that want me in their show.
Kristopher Tjornhom - Musical Theatre '20,Professional Actor and Performer
Some of the unique things that I’ve learned from Wilkes came from stagecraft, costume and other technical skills that I use in my profession and daily life.
Joshua Shepard - Musical Theatre '19,Professional Actor and Performer
auditions for program acceptance per year
black box productions annually
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!
Best wishes,
Jon Liebetrau
Assoc. Professor Theatre/Chair
Performing Arts
Dorothy Dickson Darte Center Room 122jon.liebetrau@wilkes.edu
(570) 408-4442