Theatre

Why Theatre?

The study of theatre arts at UW-Eau Claire provides students with an outstanding liberal arts education and fosters the development and appreciation of theatre as a significant art form. Theatre students begin their training immediately at UW-Eau Claire, working in a disciplined group effort under real-life pressures and deadlines to develop fully realized productions for campus and community audiences. Theatre students begin their training immediately at UWEC working in a disciplined group effort, under real-life pressures and deadlines to develop productions.

There are numerous ways to be involved and share in creating art that presents the wildly swinging pendulum of human experience. Each year there are four mainstage plays, an active musical/opera theatre ensemble, a one-act play festival or touring theatre production, and numerous other smaller events that all showcase the broad emotions we experience in life. This thriving community puts you in the midst of performances and classes that will make you a better artist! Whether your art is dance, acting, directing, playwriting, design, costuming, set building, stage managing, or sound and lights — there’s a place for you here. You can even work as a student employee in our scenic and costume shops, get a job in publicity, or as a master electrician.

For more information about the Theatre Division productions, auditions, or classes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Arthur Grothe at grothear@uwec.edu.

Auditions

Auditions for UWEC Theatre productions are open to ALL enrolled students, regardless of major or minor. 

Murder on the Orient Express

Auditions: Thursday, September 5, 4:00 or 6:30 PM, Riverside Theatre (Haas Fine Arts Center)
Callbacks: Friday, September 6, 6:30 PM, Riverside Theatre
Please Prepare: 1-2 minute comedic monologue

Cendrillon

Auditions: Wednesday, September 5, 4:00 or 6:30 PM, Riverside Theatre (Haas Fine Arts Center)
Callbacks: Thursday, September 6, 3:00-5:00 PM, Riverside Theatre
Please Prepare: One aria or art song, no longer than 4 minutes in length, preferably in French, although Italian, German, and English are also acceptable. A pianist will be provided; please bring your sheet music.

A Doll's House

Auditions: Monday, October 14, 4:00 04 6:30 PM, Riverside Theatre (Haas Fine Arts Center)
Callbacks: Tuesday, October 15,  6:30 PM, Riverside Theatre
Please Prepare: 1-2 minute contemporary monologue

Guys and Dolls

Auditions: TBD
Callbacks: TBD
Please Prepare: TBD

2024-25 Theatre Productions

Murder on the Orient Express

Written by Ken Ludwig, adapted from the novel by Agatha Christie
Directed by Dr. Jennifer Chapman

Synopsis: Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed eight times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again. Ken Ludwig's clever adaptation of the Agatha Christie classic boasts all the glamour, intrigue, and suspense of Dame Agatha's celebrated novel, with a healthy dose of humor to quicken the pace.

Evening Performances: October 11-12 & 16-20, 7:30 PM
Matinee Performances: October 13 & 20, 1:30 PM
Location: Jamf Theatre, Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Avenue, Eau Claire, WI)
Tickets: Available through the Pablo Center box office (pablocenter.org) - direct link coming soon!

Cendrillon

Written by Pauline Viardot
Directed by Dr. Kenneth Pereira
Music Directed by Dr. Mark Mowry

Synopsis: Pauline Viardot’s 1904 chamber operetta of Charles Perrault’s classic fairy tale exudes the joie de vivre found in the Paris of the composer’s time.  As a singer and composer, Viardot was at the heart of artistic life in Paris during the second half of the 19th century, and counted George Sand, Chopin, Gounod, Berlioz, and Donizetti among her friends and admirers. Intended for salon style chamber performances, such as it received at its premiere in Viardot’s own salon featuring her own voice students, Cendrillon is filled with waltzes, mazurkas and polkas, bringing the beloved story of Cinderella to life in this lesser-known jewel of the operatic repertoire.   

Evening Performances: December 12-14, 7:30 PM
Matinee Performances: December 15, 1:30 PM
Location: Riverside Theatre, Haas Fine Arts Center (121 Water Street, Eau Claire, WI)
Tickets: Available through the UWEC Service Center (uwec.universitytickets.com) - direct link coming soon!

A Doll's House

Written by Henrik Ibsen
English language version by Simon Stephens
Directed by Arthur Grothe

Synopsis: 'I think I'm a human being before anything else. I don't care what other people say. I don't care what people write in books. I need to think for myself.' Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House premiered in 1879 in Copenhagen, the second in a series of realist plays by Ibsen, and immediately provoked controversy with its apparently feminist message and exposure of the hypocrisy of Victorian middle-class marriage. In Ibsen's play, Nora Helmer has secretly (and deceptively) borrowed a large sum of money to pay for her husband, Torvald, to recover from illness on a sabbatical in Italy. Torvald's perception of Nora is of a silly, naive spendthrift, so it is only when the truth begins to emerge, and Torvald appreciates the initiative behind his wife, that unmendable cracks appear in their marriage. This compelling new version of Ibsen’s masterpiece was crafted by Simon Stephens in 2012. 

Evening Performances: February 28-March 1 & March 5-8, 7:30 PM
Matinee Performances: March 2 & 9, 1:30 PM
Location: Jamf Theatre, Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Avenue, Eau Claire, WI)
Tickets: Available through the Pablo Center box office (pablocenter.org) - direct link coming soon!

Guys and Dolls

A Musical Fable of Broadway, based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows
Directed by Elizabeth Christine Tanner
Music Direction by Nobu Yasuda
Vocal Direction by Emily Sternfeld-Dunn
Choreography by Stephen K. Stone

Synopsis: Considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls ran for 1,200 performances when it opened on Broadway in 1950. It received nearly unanimous positive reviews from critics and won a bevy of awards, including Tony Awards, Drama Desks, and Oliviers. Set in Damon Runyon’s mythical New York City, Guys and Dolls is an oddball romantic comedy. Gambler, Nathan Detroit, tries to find the cash to set up the biggest craps game in town while the authorities breathe down his neck; meanwhile, his girlfriend and nightclub performer, Adelaide, laments that they’ve been engaged for fourteen years. Nathan turns to fellow gambler, Sky Masterson, for the dough, and Sky ends up chasing the straight-laced missionary, Sarah Brown, as a result. Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually, everyone ends up right where they belong.

Evening Performances: May 1-3, 7:30 PM
Matinee Performances: May 4, 1:30 PM
Location: RCU Theatre, Pablo Center at the Confluence (128 Graham Avenue, Eau Claire, WI)
Tickets: Available through the Pablo Center box office (pablocenter.org) - direct link coming soon!

Backstage Roles

In addition to roles onstage, we offer plentiful roles backstage as well! There are two main ways to get involved in shows offstage: production assignments (working on an assigned role tied to a specific production) and working in the shops.

Scenic/Costume/Electrics Labs

Students get academic credit for working in our costume shop (THEA 151), scene shop (THEA 152), and electrics shop (THEA 153). These classes meet throughout the semester to build or otherwise install the scenery, costumes, and lighting/sound equipment necessary for our mainstage productions. Anyone can register for these classes, regardless of major, and there are no prerequisites – no experience required! If you are looking for a hands-on way to get involved in making theatre, this opportunity may be for you!

Production Assignments

Alternatively, every show we produce has a team of students who put it together. From stage managers to light/sound board operators to wardrobe crew to props artisans and more, these folks each play a valuable role in successfully transferring our shows from the rehearsal hall to the stage. Every spring, the faculty look ahead to the upcoming season’s shows and put out a survey for students to fill out indicating their areas of interest and availability. These opportunities are open to everyone (not just Theatre majors/minors), though Theatre students tend to get priority given that they each must complete a certain number of these production assignments in order to graduate. The survey is typically emailed out in March, and is due back in April, then students are informed of their placements later that month. This form is also typically shared on the UWEC Theatre Facebook page, and will be posted here when it is available as well.

For questions related to production assignments/backstage roles, contact the following faculty:

• For the scene shop, props management and construction, and run crew (stage crew), contact James Zwicky, zwickyja@uwec.edu
• For the costume shop, wardrobe crew, and makeup, contact Amanda Profaizer, profaiaj@uwec.edu
• For the electrics shop, light and sound board operation, spot light operation, sound design/engineering, and serving as a Master Electrician (ME), contact Erin Hisey, hiseyec@uwec.edu
• For stage management, contact Jen Zwicky, zwickyjl@uwec.du
• For house management and publicity, contact Arthur Grothe, grothear@uwec.edu