Theatre Department

The bright lights of New York City — darkened by the pandemic — will be felt on Nebraska Wesleyan University’s O’Donnell Auditorium stage when the Theatre Department opens its first musical cabaret, “Fresh Voices.”

Connor Standridge vividly remembers that winter day when he first toured Nebraska Wesleyan University.

The temperature was mild to most Midwesterners but rather chilly for the Houston, Texas native.

Like other NWU professors, Rebecca Boesen found herself in unfamiliar territory when she was asked to pivot mid-semester into a distance-learning model.

Boesen approached the new challenge first with caution and concern for students enrolled in her Playwriting II course.

A Nebraska Wesleyan University theatre professor has been recognized for his work in mentoring his peers.

OnStage Blog, a popular theatre website known for ranking college-level theatre programs nationwide, has recognized two of Nebraska Wesleyan University’s theatre programs among the best in the country.

A $1 million grant has raised the curtain on Nebraska Wesleyan University’s next facility renovation project.

It’s a balancing act.

Last year when Anna Sell studied abroad in London she made a visit to a local bookstore where she skimmed through plays hoping to find inspiration for the play she would direct the following year. 

She came upon the play, “Tribes,” and never looked back. 

“I read through it and knew that was it,” said the junior directing major from Kansas City, Mo. “I wanted a show that was going to challenge me.”

It comes as no surprise that the bright lights of Broadway intrigued a group of Nebraska Wesleyan University theatre students to spend their spring break in the Big Apple.

But the group of 40 students and their professors are quick to tell you the trip wasn’t just about the sights and sounds.

Theatre professor Ryan Kathman collaborated with NWU theatre alumni in New York city along with other professionals in the business to create an opportunity for NWU’s students to gain tangible experience.

Natalia Spengler isn’t interested in likely stories. Give her a tale that twists. Make it vast. Have it kink and kick and contradict. That’s when you know you have something. 

You have a story that lands—like Spengler’s own 2,800-mile journey—in an unexpected place. A story that slides, neatly, into the unlikeliest of roles. 

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First, let’s hash out some contradictions.