Illinois College TheatreWorks

Whether you've been involved in high school productions or are new to the theatre, there are many opportunities for students with various interests. If you are a performer, or want to try performing, we offer several opportunities each year. From our mainstage plays, to student-directed one-acts, and an improv troupe, we have plenty of space on stage for all interested IC students. For those who a

re curious about creating original work, we offer playwrighting as well as training in devising. If you are more interested in behind-the-scenes work, TheatreWorks has plenty to offer by way of sound, lighting, and scenic design opportunities, set and costume construction, stage management, scenic painting, and box office and business management. TheatreWorks produces two main-stage shows and several student-directed shows each academic year. We have two theatres: Sibert Theatre, a 250-seat modified thrust theatre; and the Illinois College Experimental Blackbox Theatre or the ICEBOX. Committed to staging a variety of works including classics, new works, and musicals, we also experiment with a variety of theatrical styles, from realism to theatricalism. Students play a vital role in the operation of TheatreWorks, from staffing the box office, to house management, to publicity, to work on set, lights, and sound, to costume construction, to makeup artists. Paid student positions are available in many of these areas. Students also receive academic credit for production work. Most jobs in the professional theatre require a master's degree, and our program prepares students for graduate school in theatre and in related areas. But we are also training students to enter the 21st-century workforce at large by training them in creative problem-solving, leadership, collaboration, critical thinking, and integrity. Despite claims that a theatre degree is "impractical," it teaches many valuable skills highly prized by employers in a multitude of fields. Some of the career paths you could pursue upon graduation include actor, designer (lights, set, sound, props, costume), director, makeup artist, stage manager, set builder, scene painter, light or sound engineer, playwright, box office manager, exhibit/display designer, talent scout, casting director, amusement park entertainer, tour guide, paralegal, admissions director, advertising/marketing specialist, business manager, residential life coordinator, movie theatre manager, media salesperson, public relations specialist, and radio/TV announcer. The list goes on and is expanding every day.