From the moment they walk on campus, Franklin College students find themselves playing important roles in theatre productions and in the program’s decision-making process. We are a dynamic program, producing four shows a year which explore a variety of genres, including dramas, comedies, musicals, historic classics and cutting-edge contemporary plays. Theatre at Franklin is different than at larger institutions. Students get to perform more roles because of our smaller size, and they aren’t competing with graduate students.

They not only play lead roles in productions but also participate in set and prop construction, lighting and sound design and operation, costume design and construction, stage management and publicity. Our size (typically between five and 15 students in a course) fosters meaningful, close relationships between students and professors—in the classroom as well as on stage.

The program is housed in the Johnson Center for Fine Arts. At the heart of the facility is Théâtre Margot, a flexible black box theatre seating 125-150 audience members. In addition, the Johnson Center contains makeup and dressing rooms, a costume shop, a scene shop, state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, multimedia classrooms, a painting and drawing studio, and lobby gallery and performance space.

Also, students will take a variety of theatre courses within the liberal arts curriculum to prepare them for graduate school or careers in professional theatre.

Click here to learn about the professors

2010 - 2011 Season Productions

Production: Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Directed by: Nicolas Crisafulli
Dates: October 5 - 8 at 8 p.m. & October 9 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

In Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer prize-winning American classic, the citizens of the small town of Grover’s Corners go about their daily routines. As the story of the Gibbs and Webb families unfolds, the play’s simplicity gives way to a deeply moving mediation on life and death.

Production: The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by:  Robin Roberts
Dates: November 16 - 19 at 8 p.m. & November 20 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

Mitchell is a movie star who could hit the big time, if it weren’t for one problem. His brash agent tries to help him navigate his career, but Mitchell’s attraction to a young male hustler isn’t making it easy. Also complicating things in this award-winning caustic comedy is the hustler’s girlfriend. NOTE: Audience discretion is advised.

Production: The Visit by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Directed by: Rob Johansen
Dates: March 14 - 17 at 8 p.m. & March 18 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

In this classic play by one of the major German-language dramatists of the 20th
century, an elderly millionaire turns a depressed area into a boom town merely on the promise of her millions. However, the conditions of her generosity turn this tragic-comedy into a macabre and entertaining parable that is a scathing indictment of the power of greed.

Production: After Ashley by Gina Gionfriddo
Directed by: Nicolas Crisafulli
Dates: May 2 - 5 at 8 p.m. & May 6 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

In this blisteringly funny and deeply affecting dark comedy, a teenage boy navigates the joys and terrors of life—all through the distorting prism of a media firestorm. When his family becomes dubious celebrities after a tragedy, Justin finds himself para-lyzed, unable to fully grieve or grow up. The only bright spot is a girl—but is she a saving angel or a self-interested groupie? NOTE: Audience discretion is advised.

Click here to download the production brochure as a .pdf.

Past Productions

Franklin College explores a wide variety of genres each year, ranging from drama to historic classics and comedies to cutting-edge, modern plays. The Theatre Department also offers musicals once every other year.

Departmental Highlights

Franklin College Theatre is eagerly waiting to give you the opportunity of a lifetime. We offer a variety of academic classes, opportunities to perform, or to simply greet guests as they arrive! Even though there are so many options, one thing is for sure—you can always find a passion here in the Franklin theatre department

Awards

Incoming students who audition or interview successfully might be given a Fine Arts Achievement Award as part of their financial aid package.

• Fine Arts Achievement Awards are competitive awards given to a limited number of students who choose to major in theatre. This award is $5,000 per academic year and may be renewed. Recipients are required to maintain their academic major/minor and good academic standing.
• Fine Arts Grants are need-based awards and may be given for up to $6,000 to students with continuous enrollment in fine arts courses. These grants require a completed FAFSA form submitted by March 10.
• Performance Awards in the amount of $500 per academic year are available to students who participate in one or more theatre productions per semester.

Internships

Winter Term, which takes place every year during January, is an excellent opportunity for students to gain pre-professional experience through an internship. These internships, arranged through Franklin College’s Career Services Office, allow students to gain valuable experience by observing and experiencing what happens on a daily basis in the field of their choosing. Many of these internships are available in nearby Indianapolis. However, students may arrange to do their internships anywhere they would like. Our students have worked with the Indiana Repertory Theatre, the Phoenix Theatre, the Indianapolis Civic Theatre, the Beef and Boards Theatre, and the Indianapolis Ballet.