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

2012 - 2013 Season Productions

Production: As You Like It
Directed by: Robin Roberts
Dates: October 10 - 13 at 8 p.m. & October 14 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

Shakespeare’s enchanted forest of Arden provides a place of refuge, restoration and reconciliation for a banished duke, cross-dressing lovers, fools, wenches and shepherds. All the world’s a stage to these classic characters as their various lives become tangled and untangled before the inevitable happy ending.

Production: A Perfect Couple
Directed by:  Nicolas Crisafulli
Dates: November 14 - 17 at 8 p.m. & November 18 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

In this bittersweet new play, Isaac and Amy, who have been an on-again, off-again couple for 15 years, decide to finally get married. Amy invites a longtime friend for a weekend visit. The friend, the young man who lives next door and a diary from Isaac’s stepmother cause everyone to reassess their views on relationships as well as each other. NOTE: Audience discretion is advised.

Production: All My Sons
Directed by: Robin Roberts
Dates: March 13 - 16 at 8 p.m. & March 17 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

Before writing the classic Death of a Salesman, one of America’s greatest playwrights created this timely story of the harsh realities of what can happen in the pursuit of the American dream. Joe Keller has worked hard to provide for his family and give his sons all the things he never had. When it’s revealed the lengths to which he went to achieve financial security, his family is shattered.

Production: A Festival of Short Plays
Directed by: Various Students
Dates: April 24 - 27 at 8 p.m. & April 28 at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $12 general admission; $8 students and seniors (over 55); Free with valid Franklin College ID.

Students in the advanced directing class take center stage in the return of our popular celebration of the best in contemporary theatre. This promises to be an eclectic mix of styles and genres with something to satisfy everyone. 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.