Departments Department of Theatre

Students perform their final projects for Movement for the Actor, in which they interpret a dramatic piece of literature through a school of movement discussed in class. Clockwise from top left, Donovan Holt performs from <i>Lord of the Flies</i>, Sydney Love and Bianca Vranceanu perform <i>Antigone</i>, Devon Whitney performs <i>Sonnet 34</i>, and Erin Fitzpatrick performs <i>The Crucible</i>. Screenshot by Northeastern University

When theater moves online, actors get creative

Any other semester, students would wrap up their Movement for the Actor class by filming their performances in a studio on campus. This spring, the scenes were shot in backyards, empty living rooms, and wherever else they could find space.

by Kaitlyn Budion May 5, 2020

From left: Meryl Prendergast, Keely Craig, and Devon Whitney rehearse their roles in the Anton Chekhov play, The Three Sisters, directed at Northeastern by Russian director Igor Golyak. Photo courtesy of Lauren Scornavacca.

How confetti cannons, Jiffy Pop, and Hula Hoops ended up in Chekhov’s The Three Sisters

How do you turn the city of Moscow into a character for the stage? When acclaimed Russian director Igor Golyak mused that perhaps the Russian capital should be turned into a living, breathing character in Northeastern’s performance of the Anton Chekhov play The Three Sisters, the challenge was one his student-actors had to figure out.

by Molly Callahan March 28, 2019

Tiffany Jieting Yu, who is studying English and theater at Northeastern, “wanted to make art” with her peers in theater across the city of Boston. When she couldn’t find such a group, she made one. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University

How a ‘crazy’ idea became a Boston-wide student theater festival

Tiffany Jieting Yu wanted to start a theater festival for young, emerging playwrights, actors, and directors that wasn’t exclusive to just one institution or college. And now, she and a team of friends are just weeks from pulling it off.

by Molly Callahan March 25, 2019

A student rehearses before opening night. Photo courtesy of the Department of Theatre.

New theater production finds religion in The Simpsons

In its 29 seasons, The Simpsons has garnered an audience that watches religiously each week. But in a post-apocalyptic world, could The Simpsons really be religion? That’s part of what Northeastern’s Department of Theatre explores in its newest production, Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, which runs through Oct. 28.

by Molly Callahan October 20, 2017

Theatre major Pablo Hernandez Basulto, AMD’18, poses for a portrait. <i>Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University</i>

Student uses theater to examine, inspire social change

Northeastern student Pablo Hernandez Basulto spent five months earlier this year working on theatre projects in Rio de Janeiro and London that engaged homeless people…

by Greg St. Martin July 28, 2017

The Netflix original White House thriller House of Cards returns for its fifth season today. Photo via Flickr.

Is House of Cards ‘a little too tame’ in today’s political climate?

The Netflix original White House thriller House of Cards returns for its fifth season today, and with the political state of affairs the way they are, the timing couldn’t be better. But was it supposed to be that way? We asked Department of Theatre lecturer (and an actor himself) Dennis Staroselsky.

by Molly Callahan May 30, 2017

Powerful firsthand accounts drive Northeastern graduate’s Boston Marathon play

Joey Frangieh, AMD’12, is the co-creator and director of a new production, Finish Line: A Documentary Play About the 2013 Boston Marathon, that brings to the stage the stories of real people—using only their own words, verbatim. The show runs through Sunday at Boston’s Shubert Theatre.

by Greg St. Martin March 24, 2017

Rosa Procaccino and Kaya Simmons rehearse the play,

Two new plays to explore women’s rights

In a first-of-its-kind programming decision, the Department of Theatre will host back-to-back productions that explore the themes of women’s rights and their changing roles in society. The first, After Miss Julie, opens tonight. The second, Nora, opens next week.

by Molly Callahan February 8, 2017

New play examines women’s rights with the backdrop of witch trials

Through the lens of a 17th-century witch-hunt in England, Vinegar Tom considers the effects of poverty, humiliation, and prejudice of women—all with a blend of history and contemporary culture. The play, the latest production of the Department of Theatre, runs through Nov. 20.

by Molly Callahan November 15, 2016

New play is a ‘romantic comedy with a happy ending—about death’

The Department of Theatre’s latest work, a production of the play Dead Man’s Cell Phone, explores just what happens when you answer a stranger’s ringing phone. The production runs through Saturday in the Studio Theatre.

by Molly Callahan October 26, 2016