Current Theatre Students
I'm
Anna Booher! I am a junior double majoring in theatre and English. When you find yourself on top of an awning in the Blackbox theatre, analyzing a script in the library or practicing your stage combat moves with your classmates, you feel like you must have entered some sort of exclusive club. Normal people just don’t get to do the kind of stuff you get to do, but you didn’t enter the Manhattan Club just yet, I’m sorry to tell you. You’re just willing to be taught so that one day you can get there. The great faculty, students and numerous resources at IC give you the chance to realize that you are necessary in contributing to the message that the audience hears, no matter where you are onstage or backstage. By being involved in IC TheatreWorks, you learn that you are a key component in depicting the story, yours or somebody else’s. By giving it your all you receive the satisfaction of learning more and more, and nothing is more exciting!
Hey, I’m
Marlon Poe, and I’m a senior double majoring in theatre and Sociology. I have been involved with IC TheatreWorks since my freshmen year (2008). I have previously been involved in
Playing For Time, the student directed one-act
Sure Thing, Anonymous, Radium Girls, the student directed one-act
Medusa’s Tale,
The Last days of Judas Iscariot, and
The Love of the Nightingale. I have also been the stage manager of a student directed one-act
The Little Pony and the fall 2011 Production of
Snapshot. Being involved in Theatre Works has really helped me to open up and become less shy. We welcome any and everyone into the theatre department with a passion to learn and grow in this field. I have taken many theater classes, each class extremely different from the last. I’ve learned so much in my years here by being involved in theater. I have made great friends, had great professors, and have been able to work on projects that interested me, whether that is a particular play, a research topic, a set piece, etc. Within the theater department, you are encouraged to work in all areas and aspects of the theatre. That is one of the main reasons why I love theater so much -you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do with it at that moment. You can try any aspect in the theater that you wish. I have greatly benefitted from my experiences here in the IC TheatreWorks, and I encourage you to get involved. Even if you don’t want to act there is something for you! Also, I have learned that Shakespeare can be pretty interesting.
Hi, I'm
Alyson! I am a sophomore art and business double major. As a first year student, I stage managed
Medea, the one act play
Home Free, and the Japanese play
Peach Boy. I was also the dramaturg for
The Love of the Nightingale and was an active member in the devised theatre troupe IC ACTS. This year, I will continue my involvement in IC ACTS, as well as stage manage
Hairspray in the spring. I am also the TheatreWorks business manager. The Department of Theatre has been my home for the past year, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The great thing about the department is that anyone can get involved. We welcome anyone to the department, and we all love meeting new people!
My name is Kelsey McFarren and I am a junior majoring in both Communications and Theatre. I have previously been in Radium Girls, Home Free, The Love of the Nightingale, The Vagina Monologues, and the Illinois College Improv Connections. I’ve experienced a lot more in my past two years at IC and have benefitted greatly from my acting classes. I’m looking forward to learning more about what goes on backstage, while still getting on stage time as well.
I'm
Kathryn Long! In my first semester of IC, I took a stagecraft's class with Craig Steenerson and learned about technical theatre and backstage work. Although I had done some acting, I had never been involved with the other elements of theatre. I have taken more classes since, and I have been learning in a practical application through several TheatreWorks productions. Because of my experiences in the IC theatre department, I have developed a new love and appreciation for technical theatre, especially in the world of design. I will be graduating as an elementary education major with minors in theatre and music, and I hope to use the knowledge gained here to work with children’s theatre.
My name is Kate VonDeBur and I am a sophomore. I'm an English major, but I love the theatre department here at IC. In 2010 I was in TheatreWorks' "Medea" as well as the student-directed one act plays. I am also a member of the IC ACTS theatre troupe.
My name is
Rudy Porter. I am a sophomore theatre and political science double major. I am active in Gamma Nu Literary Society as well as the Leadership Program at IC. I have had a passion for acting every since my first high school murder mystery. I look forward to acting in the future as well as furthering my passion for social justice through my experiences in the theatre.
I'm Matt Gwaltney, a senior at Illinois College. I have just incorporated art as an additional major to English and a theatre minor, so I will be here for one more year, which is sure to be filled with uplifting music and wonder. I have been a part of IC TheatreWorks since my freshman year, acting in The Secret Garden. From an agoraphobic apartment-dweller with imaginary friends to a forward-thinking monument activist with addictive dance moves to backstage crew, I have covered a lot of ground both on and off the stage. I have enjoyed every moment of my time with TheatreWorks. Apart from acting, my passions include music, obscure movies, and spontaneous travel. After graduation, whenever that may be, I hope to continue my acting career while staying productive in the arts. I would like to thank Nancy Taylor Porter for helping me sculpt what talent I have and all my loving family and friends.
Recent Graduates
Jessica Froelich (J Fro) I loved being at IC. It really gave me an opportunity to explore and grow as a performer. I am beginning an internship at the Christian Performing Arts Fellowship in Winona Lake, Ind. I'm so excited to put my skills to the test.
Jessica Lotz (J Lo) During my time at Illinois College, being able to perform for the IC TheatreWorks was wonderful. I was able to develop myself as an actor in ways that I never dreamed possible. The acting classes helped me find new and exciting ways to approach a character by teaching me how to develop my character's walk and voice, along her thoughts and ideas. The technical classes allowed me to look beyond the actors on stage. I came to appreciate the lights, sets, and sound that go into developing a show. The Illinois College Theatre Department took everything I have known as a performer and enhanced it to a professional level.
Luke McQuillan Where else but theatre could I explore my love of acting, composing, and design all in one major? I searched for the perfect combination of majors and minors my first two years of college until it finally hit me that IC theatre offered everything I could ever want. The IC Department of Theatre offered me countless opportunities in everything from scriptwriting to sound design to fight choreography. I am proud to say that various original compositions of mine were featured in two shows there. The department is small but strong. At bigger departments, it can be your junior year before you're on stage. At IC, they get you in the classroom and on stage as soon as possible. The major is structured so that students receive a very well-rounded view of theatre from multiple perspectives: acting, as well as stage managing, directing and designing, if you so choose. I was also privileged to work as the business manager for the department, learning a vast array of hands-on skills that would be applicable in multiple business settings. All in all this is a wonderful department, with great professors who love to help and work with their students. I have and continue to recommend IC Theatre to anyone and everyone!