The many first-rate theatre programs at colleges in the Chicago area and other parts of the midwest attract phenomenal acting and design students. Often in their college productions, the students work with top directors (either part of the faculty or freelance), and the results can be magical. We’ve compiled a list of our favorite college productions, often featuring actors that we subsequently enjoyed seeing on stage in Chicago.
(in alphabetical order by college)
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
Paradise Lost by Clifford Odets in 2007, the most well-acted and well-staged college production of a classic with multi-generational characters that we’ve ever seen; Joel Reitsma played Leo Gordon, the head of the family in this Depression-era drama, Susan Padveen directed, and Jacqueline Penrod did the compelling scenic design.
DEPAUL UNIVERSITY
Angels in America by Tony Kushner, Parts 1 and 2, in 2000 (more info on our Epics page)
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams in 2008, directed by Damon Kiely, with future Chicago actors Megan Kohl and Rashaad Hall as part of the outstanding cast
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry in 2010, directed by Phyllis E. Griffin with an outstanding cast that included McKenzie Chinn (as Ruth Younger), Kristin Ellis (as Beneatha Younger), and Sean Parris (as Joseph Asagai); the production was staged in the same theater where the play premiered in 1959 (more details in our list of definitive productions)
Native Son adapted by Nambi E. Kelly from the novel by Richard Wright, produced in 2018 and directed by Mikael Burke
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Angels in America by Tony Kushner in 1998 (Part 1) and 2000 (Part 2), directed by Patrick O’Gara, with scenic design by Dan P. Conley (an MFA candidate at the time), who created the best scenic design we’ve ever seen for Angels in America
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Sunday in the Park with George by Stephen Sondheim in 2013
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO
She Loves Me by Bock and Harnick in 2016
MILLIKIN UNIVERSITY
Sweet Charity by Coleman and Fields in 2003, with Sierra Boggess in the title role
Hay Fever by Noel Coward in 2004, with Sierra Boggess as Sorel Bliss
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim in 2023, directed by faculty member Jefferson Farber (whom we saw as a student in Millikin’s Hay Fever, cited above): Rarely have we seen a college production with such depth, and where every student actor confidently and convincingly made the role their own—to thrilling effect!
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
Parade by Jason Robert Brown in 2010, directed by Scott Weinstein: This was the 68th annual Dolphin Show (“the nation’s largest student-run musical”), with a team of over 150 students working to bring the production to life. Cast members whom we’ve subsequently seen on many Chicago stages included Brian Bohr, Matt Edmonds, and Will Skrip. Matt and Will were also in a Northwestern production of Sweeney Todd we saw in 2008, playing Judge Turpin and Tobias.
Pride and Prejudice adapted by Hanreddy and Sullivan in 2013, directed by Jessica Thebus: In the uniformly outstanding cast, one name caught our eye. Anna Baryshnikov, daughter of Mikhail Baryshnikov, played Lydia Bennet. In her profile in the program, she said, “Thank you to her family, roommates, and the many friends she has subjected to dialect practice.”
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Scott Weinstein in 2015, made our list of favorite Sondheim productions.
White by James Ijames, directed by Tasia A. Jones in 2018: This was one of the best college productions we’ve ever seen anywhere; direction, acting, scenic design, and lighting design were all exquisite, in service of a timely play inspired by a true story. Interestingly, we saw two plays by James Ijames—White at Northwestern and Moon Man Walk by Definition Theatre Company—on consecutive nights.
A Chorus Line by Hamlisch and Kleban in 2018, directed by Kurt Domoney, with the requisite excellent singing and dancing augmented by first-rate acting (making this one of our favorite productions of A Chorus Line, college or professional). Just a few months after seeing this show at Northwestern, we saw two of the cast members, Chloé Nadon-Enriquez and Natalie Welch, in Porchlight Music Theatre’s production (directed by Brenda Didier), which happens to be our all-time favorite take on this show.
Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser, directed by Nick Bowling in 2019 (for details, see the Guys and Dolls entry in our list of favorite Musicals)
Legally Blonde by O’Keefe and Benjamin, directed by Christopher Chase Carter in 2020: This is our all-time favorite production of this show, thanks to great acting, singing, dancing, staging, choreography, and a delightfully fresh take on key characters. Interestingly, it happens to be the only student production in Northwestern theatre history to sell out every performance before opening night.
The 2019 Waa-Mu Show, entitled For the Record, written by Northwestern students and directed by Stephen Schellhardt, is the story of a woman journalist who sets out to shine a light on world-changing women whose accomplishments were previously unheralded. Recommended reading: The inspiration for this story was New York Times editor Amisha (Amy) Padnani, who created the Overlooked project to chronicle remarkable women who at the time of their deaths were not afforded NYT obituaries. Padnani attended a performance of the show and participated in a post-show discussion. More recommended reading: Check out the short article “The 88th annual Waa-Mu show announces theme, new writing process” to get a sense of the innovative approach, collaboration, and inclusiveness that led to this deeply moving and endlessly enlightening and entertaining show.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY
Arcadia by Tom Stoppard in 2000, including one of the best sets we’ve ever seen for this show
ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY
Anything Goes by Cole Porter in 2019, directed by Jane Lanier, with clever staging and scenic design, at least a half dozen musical numbers that were the best we’d ever seen (despite having seen 13 prior productions of Anything Goes), and phenomenal dancing
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
A Chorus Line by Hamlisch and Kleban in 2007, directed by Henson Keys; many of the cast members have established careers in Chicago and beyond: Paige Collins, Laura Coover, Jon Michael Hill, Ashleigh LaThrop, Eleni Pappageorge, Anna Schutz, and Jake Szczepaniak (all included in our list of favorite performances by UofI alums)
Battle of Angels by Tennessee Williams in 2011, directed by Tom Mitchell with future Chicago actors Monica Lopez (Orozco) and Christopher Sheard in the lead roles (our list of favorite performances by UofI alums has more info on them)
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis in 2012, directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon, with a slew of future Chicago actors in the cast, including Sam Ashdown, Neala Barron, David Kaplinsky, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Julian Parker, Tyrone Phillips, and Jessica Dean Turner (all included in our list of favorite performances by UofI alums)
Oh What a Lovely War by Joan Littlewood and Charles Chilton, directed by Robert G. Anderson in 2015 (cast members Theo Germaine and Thom Miller are included in our list of favorite performances by UofI alums)
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, adapted by Frank Galati, directed by William Brown in 2016
Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis, directed by Tyrone Phillips in 2016; when the production opened, there were already waiting lists for over half the performances—with good reason. (The subsequent Chicago production by First Floor Theater is described on our “It’s Personal” page.)
Failure: A Love Story by Philip Dawkins, directed by JW Morrissette in 2017
The Light in the Piazza by Guettel and Lucas, directed by Dawn Harris in 2017, with musical direction by Julie Jordan Gunn (we had previously seen director Dawn Harris play the lead in an inspired production of The Light in the Piazza at the Station Theatre in Urbana in 2011)
Hit the Wall by Ike Holter, directed by Robert G. Anderson in 2019 (for details, see the Hit the Wall entry in our Justice Matters page)
Gem of the Ocean by August Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith in 2019; for details, see the program; for a sense of what it was like to experience this phenomenal production, see the review in Smile Politely
The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, directed by Nisi Sturgis in 2020; a level of intimacy, visceral acting—and soccer expertise—rarely seen on any stage, much less a college production featuring all undergraduates (except for the Soccer Mom, of course)
Origin Story by Nathan Alan Davis, directed by Lisa Gaye Dixon in 2021
The Revolutionists by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Nisi Sturgis in 2022; A triumph of staging, directing, and acting that captured this expansive play’s intertwined stories of four strong women fomenting change during the Reign of Terror in late 18th century France, with a healthy dose of relevance to today (for details about the three remarkable undergrad leads, joined by phenomenal UofI alum Noelle Klyce, see the program)
WEBSTER UNIVERSITY
Lucky Stiff by Ahrens and Flaherty, in 2002
