Training Future Theatrical Practitioners
The Performing Arts Department draws upon practice, theory and criticism, and history as a foundation for lifelong learning and personal excellence in theatre studies. Interdisciplinary by nature, the theatre degree program has a strong communal and collaborative base and offers a well-rounded liberal arts education. Students define their place as theatre artists and producers within the greater community by producing contemporary and classic works, including canonical plays, experimental projects, and works by visiting artists and directors. The faculty's expertise includes acting, voice, directing, choreography, stage management, playwriting, storytelling, theatre history and criticism, and costume, set, and light design. Our proximity to Chicago's robust theatre and performing arts community augments teaching and learning opportunities for both students and faculty.
Career Opportunities
Graduates often find career opportunities in education, theatre, film, and television, including:
- Arts Management
- Directing
- Stage Management
- Scenic Design
- Costume Design
- Lighting Design
- Sound Design
- Theatre Production
- Projection Design
- Technical Direction
- Acting
- Playwriting
- Dramaturgy
- Educational Theatre
Program Highlights
All Performing Arts faculty have earned graduate degrees in their respective fields and hold active memberships in the various professional organizations in their specialties, including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the United States Institute of Theatre Technology.
The theatre program is known for offering classes with a high level of student/teacher interaction. The program emphasizes individual attention with abundant opportunities for personal exploration and growth. Responsibilities and expectations increase according to each student's creative and academic progress. Still, students at all grade levels act direct, design, stage-manage, research, critique, and produce theatre art in close collaboration with faculty, student peers, and respected visiting artists.
State-of-the-Art Facilities
Facilities include a 500-seat, state-of-the-art theatre, and a smaller flexible performance and instructional space seating up to 100. Backstage technology consists of a counterweight system that provides for five motorized positions dedicated to staging lighting and permanent running lights throughout both performance spaces and the main theater corridor. The 100-seat Black Box Studio Theatre boasts a technical mezzanine sixteen feet off the stage floor for optimal control booth operation and a suspended tension wire grid.
Additional facilities include a costume shop, prop room, dressing and green room, box office, light lab, lighting and sound booth, scene shop, access to Design Labs, and the Innovation and Production Lab.
For More Information
Download the Departmental Information Sheet for Performing Arts to learn more about the degree and course requirements.
Contact Us
Office Hours
Monday ‑ Friday: 9:00 a.m. ‑ 5:00 p.m
Phone Number
( 219) 980-6668
Schedule an Advising Appointment
Mark Baer
(219) 980-6809
mcbaer@iun.edu
Dean, School of the Arts
David Klamen
(219) 980-6813
dklamen@iun.edu
Email Address
Fax Number
(219) 981-4224
Program Management Specialist
Erin McHugh
(219) 980-6810
ermchugh@iu.edu
Mailing Address
IU Northwest
Performing Arts Department
Arts & Sciences 2025
3400 Broadway
Gary, Indiana 46408
