Current Student Opportunities & Resources

Department of Theatre

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Senior Showcase

The Senior Showcase is an important final step in the professional training programs for graduating senior actors and musical theatre majors at the ACU Theatre and, for many, the beginning of successful professional performance careers.

Tepper Semester

Study in NYC through this unique residency program from Syracuse University’s Department of Drama. Advanced-level undergraduate students can take full advantage of New York City’s rich cultural community while immersing themselves in a rigorous artistic training program.

LA Film Studies Center

Study in Los Angeles! Administered by Olivet Nazarene University, this spring semester opportunity offers students experience on the ground in the heart of the film industry and provides a robust, faith-based, academic environment in which to grow. Students can connect with industry professionals and network with people who have Hollywood connections.

2023 Senior Showcase

 

 

The Senior Showcase is an important final step in the professional training programs for graduating senior actors and musical theatre majors at the ACU Theatre and, for many, is the beginning of successful professional performance careers. The showcase is the capstone for performers to participate in before they graduate. During the spring semester students perform and audition for invited agents, managers, casting directors, producers, musical directors and industry professionals in New York City and then make themselves available for callbacks, interviews, future auditions and representation. The senior showcase is an essential bridge in establishing a connection with industry professionals and ACU Theatre seniors who are ready to move into the marketplace.

Jack Bledsoe - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Jack Bledsoe

Vee Council - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Vee Council

Karis Cox - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Karis Cox

Caleb Evans - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Caleb Evans

Anna Grygier - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Anna Grygier

Dillon Gutierrez - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Dillon Gutierrez

Landon Holub - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Landon Holub

Kaycee Humphrey - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Kaycee Humphrey

Lauren MacLeod - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Lauren MacLeod

Zeke Merchant - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Zeke Merchant

Marco Perez - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Marco Perez

Emilie Reed - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Emilie Reed

Ryan Shupe - ACU Theatre 2023 Senior Showcase

Ryan Shupe

For more information, please reach out to Theatre Chair Dawne Meeks.

 

SPECIAL THANKS AND CREDITS for the 2022 Senior Showcase

Dawne Swearingen Meeks – Showcase Producer/Director
Peter & Kat Hargrave – NYC Industry Liaisons
Adam Hester – Showcase Coach
Marc Sanders -Performance Accompanist

Tepper Semester

ACU Theatre majors in performance and design tracks have the opportunity to spend their final semester studying with Broadway and award-winning instructors in New York City.

The Tepper Semester – a unique residency program from Syracuse University’s Department of Drama – takes full advantage of New York City’s rich cultural community and offers undergraduate students in advanced levels of acting, musical theatre, design, and stage management the opportunity to immerse themselves in a rigorous artistic training program. The ACU Theatre has an affiliation agreement with Syracuse University allowing ACU Theatre majors to attend the Tepper Semester.

As a student in the Tepper Semester, you work closely with an accomplished faculty of professional artists who nurture your creative, intellectual, and personal growth. Musical theatre students take dance classes at Broadway Dance Center. The program also guides you in understanding the business of the industry, which is essential for a rewarding and successful career in the performing arts. As an immersion experience, the professional preparatory semester creates the base of a national arts network for emerging young artists. Residency in New York City is an integral part of the Tepper Semester. Students live and study in the heart of New York’s theater district and attend studio classes in Syracuse University’s Fisher Center located at Madison Avenue and 31st Street in the heart of Manhattan. The program also takes advantage of the vast cultural and educational resources the city has to offer. Students learn from exposure to a broad spectrum of world-class theatres, museums, libraries, and numerous entertainment venues so vital to artistic training. Students attend Broadway or Off-Broadway theatre productions each week.

“I’m really excited about who we’re going to be working with, both the professors and also the other students and getting to be around people who love to create…Every year when the seniors come back from Tepper, they always seem to have an elevated sense of permission about pursuing their craft. They feel more confident about going forward, and they feel like they can really do this, so I’m excited to embrace that.”

–  Andrew Gilliland

“I am so excited to be sharing this experience with all of my really close friends. I am so thankful that this opportunity allows me to experience what it would be like to live in New York as well…. Being able to have the opportunity to perform for some casting agents is so exciting … while auditioning whenever we can is super helpful too.”

– Payton Reeves