Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College’s Department of Theatre offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre, alongside a Theatre minor. The program emphasizes active learning, creative expression, and scholarly understanding of theatre, combining classroom study with extensive hands‑on production involvement. It’s designed to develop both artistic practice and theoretical insight, within the context of a liberal arts education.

Students take core courses such as Acting I: Being on Stage, Stagecraft for Stage and Screen, World Performance I and II, Design for the Stage, Playwriting or Directing, along with electives in areas like performance art and theatre voice/movement. A mandatory Production Practicum spans four semesters, requiring supervised participation in technical or design work to build practical skills—students typically register each year freshman through senior.

Performance opportunities are central: the college stages multiple productions each year, often in the Hixon Theater, complemented by student-directed work produced by the Garrick Players ensemble. Faculty-led sets and performances mirror professional processes, and students frequently travel to Chicago theatres—like Steppenwolf, the Goodman, and Chicago Shakespeare—bringing classroom theory into real-world context.

The program strongly encourages experiential and collaborative learning. Courses like “Theater Boot Camp” guide students through the full creative cycle of devising an original work, while student learning outcomes include the ability to conduct research, perform across cultures and production areas, and produce coherent artistic expression. Faculty are practicing artist‑scholars, and the department philosophy emphasizes theatre as socially relevant and interdisciplinary.