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Program Type: Undergraduate

Degree Awarded: B.A. in Theatre | B.F.A. in Theatre Performance | B.F.A. in Theatre Design, Technology or Stage Management

Areas of Study:

Department: Theatre & Dance


The Theatre & Dance Program offers students pre-professional training within their discipline (theatre performance, dance, theatre design, stage management, playwriting) while also developing the foundational skills necessary for success in the 21st century, like critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. At NKU – live it to learn it. With immersive classroom experiences and training, engaging mainstage and studio productions, educational touring, internship opportunities, and access to a large network of successful alumni across the world, our students are connected and prepared for success.

With student-to-faculty and peer-to-peer relationships, we build authentic, lasting connections that live on long after graduation, all while connecting to the largest urban area in the region –Cincinnati. We prepare students that have a passion for creativity to have rewarding, lifelong careers in the Arts.

Launch your creative life at NKU’s School of the Arts!

Program Contacts

Michael Hatton
Program Head
hattonm@nku.edu

Students in the Spotlight

Isaiah Reaves

Isaiah Reaves

Graduating Year: 2020

Education: BFA Painting

 

Isaiah Reaves is an emerging young playwright whose work explores a spectrum of Black and Queer experiences. A native of Cincinnati, he graduated cum laude from Northern Kentucky University in 2020 and with an MFA in Playwriting from the University of Iowa.

His plays have been commissioned and staged by Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and many others. Recently, Mr. Reaves won the 2023 Ken Ludwig Playwrighting Award. Additionally, Mr. Reaves was also the 2nd place winner for the Hip Hop Creator Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. He is also a semi-finalist for the Ucross and The Blank Theatre Future of Playwriting Prize, a 2020 finalist of the Jackie Demaline Regional Collegiate Playwriting Competition, an Iowa Arts Fellow, and a recipient of a Cincinnati CityBeat Critic’s Pick.

 

 

Find Your Passions & Build Your Future

  • 7 mainstage, 4 studio theatre, and additional special programming annually, making us one of the largest producing theatre programs in the region
  • Rich study abroad programs allow you to explore dance and theatre worldwide. Theatre on Location in London over winter and summer breaks. Study away opportunities in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago are also available.
  • Internships with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Vincent Lighting, Cincinnati Opera, Image Engineering, Cincinnati Shakespeare, and Cincinnati Ballet are among the opportunities which foster real-world learning in a professional setting.

Keep Exploring. Visit the Theatre & Dance Website.

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Experience NKU

Our campus is more than classrooms. It’s a hive of activity and connections that instantly feel familiar. Come walk it, take it in, check it out.

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Financial Aid

A variety of financial assistance is available, from grants to scholarships, loans to veteran benefits.