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Acting at Arts Academy


Why Study Acting

Great actors embrace their empathy for the human spirit. At Interlochen, we provide a supportive environment for you to take creative risks while exploring different roles and genres with tools to hone your craft and prepare for your future. Our training will develop your ability to create an emotional experience through collaboration, artistic expression, and performance.

What You'll Learn

Interlochen Arts Academy is the top-rated theatre boarding school for young actors. Within the Acting program, you'll take classes on technique, voice, and movement. You'll have the opportunity to perform in fully-staged productions, student films, and interdisciplinary projects. You will also explore other applications of the craft through electives in Musical Theatre and Theatre Design & Production.

Our faculty have decades of experience as educators and performers. They'll introduce you to a variety of techniques and broaden your understanding of language, period, and genres. They'll teach you how to connect with your acting partners and with an audience. And they'll prepare you for next steps, readying you for auditions, advising on higher-education options, and facilitating your entry into the theatre profession.

As a student at our boarding school for acting, you will:

  • Develop an acting process for yourself that can be adapted to various scripts and styles
  • Analyze scripts for meaning and character details
  • Connect with, and be influenced by, partners on stage
  • Develop a physicality in optimal conditions to fulfill the needs of any rehearsal process or performance
  • Nurture a clear and resonant speaking voice
  • Adopt a sense of professionalism and resilience
  • Conceptualize a wide range of possibilities within the world of performance
  • Integrate classroom concepts from a wide range of material through performance practice

How to Apply

Core Curriculum

Audition Requirements

For information on graduation requirements and academic curriculum, please visit Academy Academics.

Meet the Faculty

The Theatre program faculty have established careers in theatre and theatre education, and are equally passionate about both. Their range encompasses all styles and varieties of theatre from classical to modern dramatic repertoire and musicals

All Faculty

Bill Church

William Church

Director of Theatre

Christine Marie Brown

Christine Marie Brown

Instructor of Theatre

Instructor of Theatre Gulshirin Dubash Interlochen Arts Academy

Gulshirin Dubash

Instructor of Theatre

Andrew McGinn

Andrew McGinn

Instructor of Theatre

Laura Mittelstaedt

Laura Ames Mittelstaedt

Instructor of Theatre

Director of Theatre Bill Church at Interlochen Center for the Arts

Meet Bill Church

Learn more about our Director Theatre and the Theatre Division at Interlochen Center for the Arts. 

  Watch Now

Guest Artists

  • Jill Abramovitz
  • Katherine Carter
  • Lauren Chapman
  • Michael Dansicker
  • Sydney James Harcourt
  • Ricky Hinds
  • Noah Ricketts
  • Rachel Sussman
  • Parallel 45 Theatre
  • Q Brothers
  • Phil Darius Wallace

Program Highlights

Performance Opportunities

Acting majors showcase their talents and gain performance experience through up to nine productions presented each academic year at Academy. The titles range from classic comedies to contemporary dramas, from large-scale musicals to experimental shows. Recent productions include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Everybody, Violet, The Children's Hour, Tartuffe, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Awards & Honors

Our Theatre students stand-out annually in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts YoungArts competition. Theatre students have also been recognized by the Art Schools Network student talent competition, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the August Wilson Monologue Competition.

Theatre Venues & Facilities

Our campus boasts several state-of-the-art performance venues and facilities. The Harvey Theatre Complex contains classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and a 173-seat theatre. We also have two additional performance spaces, the 952-seat Corson Auditorium and the 170-seat black box Phoenix Theatre. The Mallory Costume Shop and our professional scene shop are state-of-the-art spaces also dedicated to our theatre program. Learn more about all of our facilities and venues.

Fringe Festival

Watch as Arts Academy theatre students travel to Edinburgh, Scotland for the amazing Fringe Festival.

Academy Alumnus Nick Westrate
With Special Guest: Nick Westrate

In this episode of the Interlochen Center for the Arts podcast, we sit down with alumnus Nick Westrate, an actor on the AMC series Turn: Washington’s Spies and an actors’ equity advocate. Tune-in to hear about avant-garde theatre, actors’ equity, and bringing to life one of history’s most mysterious characters.

  Listen

College Matriculation

Theatre students regularly enroll in top acting programs and conservatories, as well as prestigious undergraduate institutions including:

  • Boston Conservatory at Berklee
  • Boston University
  • California Institute of the Arts
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Colorado State University
  • Cornell University
  • DePaul University
  • Florida State University
  • Fordham University
  • George Washington University
  • Harvard University
  • Howard University
  • Indiana University
  • The Juilliard School
  • Kent State University
  • Kenyon College
  • Manhattan School of Music
  • The New School
  • New York University
  • Pace University
  • Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
  • Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
  • Rutgers University
  • Smith College
  • Syracuse University
  • University of Arizona
  • University of the Arts
  • University of Hartford
  • University of Illinois
  • University of Miami
  • University of Michigan
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of North Carolina School of the Arts
  • Webster University
  • Wright State University

See what you can experience at Interlochen.

Come to a high school where young creatives thrive—and see how your unique journey unfolds. Plan your visit, request more information, or apply to Interlochen Arts Academy today.