Grand Valley State University Theatre Program

05/20/2026

04/30/2026

04/28/2026

Every year, each program at GVSU selects a graduating student as their Excellence-in-a-Discipline Award Winner. This year's recipient for Theatre is Allen (A.J.) Carter.

Hometown: Allendale MI
High School: Allendale High School

Ensemble/Production/Organizational Involvement at GVSU:
Bard to Go: To Thine Own Self Be True (Understudy)
The Girl Who Forgot to Sing Badly (Peter)
Circle Mirror Transformation (Shultz)
Five Mile Lake (Jamie)
PS Series 10-minute play fest: The Thought Doesn’t Count (Director)
Alpha Psi Omega

"My first show at Grand Valley, I walked into rehearsal on the first day not knowing anything more about my fellow cast members, by the time we took our final bow we all grew to be friends who still regularly talk. Even beyond that we all have a reason to come back to the theater, whether it is spending hours painting the stage black or spending hours talking in the green room before a show. I will never forget the memories I have made in the Grand Valley Theatre Program."

Congratulations to A.J. on his achievement!learn more about A.J. at www.gvsu.edu/mtd/excellence

04/22/2026

Last but not least, we have our final director takeover for the Ten Minute Play Festival - Annah Stang, director of The Enduring Mystery of Alexander Fairweather!

Follow our stories tomorrow to get a glimpse into Annah's day as a GVSU student leading up to opening night of the Ten Minute Play Festival.

Join us for opening night tomorrow (Thursday, 4/23), and then stick around after as Kyle Los, Executive Director of Actors' Theatre of Grand Rapids, facilitates a Q&A with the Student Directors on stage immediately following the performance! Tickets are pay-what-you-can at www.gvsu.edu/mtd/theatreseason

04/21/2026

Next up for our Ten Minute Play Festival takeovers is Ella McClintock, the Director for Lizard Girl!

Follow our stories tomorrow (Wednesday, 4/22), as Ella takes you through her day as a GVSU student leading up to final dress for the P.S. Series!

The Ten Minute Play Festival runs Thursday, 4/23 and Friday, 4/24 at 7:30 PM in the Keller Black Box Theatre. Tickets are pay-what-you-can and available at www.gvsu.edu/mtd/theatreseason

04/20/2026

This Thursday (4/23) and Friday (4/24) at 7:30 PM, come out to the Keller Black Box Theatre for a collection of short plays directed by three outstanding Theatre students!

To kick off our Performance Studio Series week, we have an Instagram takeover tomorrow (Tuesday, 4/21) from one of our directors, AJ Carter! Check back in tomorrow to see AJ's day as a Theatre major as he prepares to open Thursday night alongside our other directors.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can, and are available at www.gvsu.edu/mtd/theatreseason

04/17/2026

Announcing the casts of our three Fall 2026 productions!

Thanks again to all who auditioned! We will be holding more auditions in September to complete the casting for the ensemble in A Midsummer Night's Dream, understudies for all shows, and The Greenshow as part of the Grand Valley Shakespeare Festival.

Ticket information for A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Bookstore will be available later this summer; inquiries about booking the Bard to Go tour for your school can be directed to Dr. Jim Bell at [email protected]