Theatre Department
Columbia College Chicago has been teaching theater - known as ‘dramatic action’ in the 1890s, then ‘dramatic arts’ in the 1910s - since its founding. An institution established to teach oratory and expression, Columbia College Chicago has always emphasized performance and stage work.
The advent of radio, motion pictures, and television required theater training; theatrical instruction became more specialized in the latter part of the 20th century, with separate courses offered in stagecraft and interpretation.
The department became 'Theater Arts” in 1970, and in 1977, when the campus moved to the South Loop, the program merged and became the 'Theater/Music' department, with productions performed in the Columbia Theater Center. The Theater/Music department separated in 1996 and the department changed its name from 'Theater' to 'Theatre' in 2009. In August, 2024, the Theatre Program became part of the new School of Theatre and Dance.
The college purchased the 72 E. 11th Street building in 1980, and its existing performance space retained its name: the 11th Street Theater. In 1981, the first Columbia performance was Island of the Lost Coeds. In 1985, this main theater space became the Emma and Oscar Getz Theater, named by Emma Getz, the primary donor, who requested this name in honor of her and her deceased husband. Its first performance was Stage Door.
In 2017, the Getz Theatre and other performance spaces in the building were renovated, reopening in 2018. The theatre complex, now known as the Columbia College Chicago Getz Theater Center, houses four performance spaces.
Chairs for Theatre are listed below; the position was renamed the Allen and Lynn Turner Chair of Theatre in 2012. In 2024, the program merged into a new school becoming the Theatre Program in the school of Theatre and Dance:
- 1957-1969 Lucille Strauss
- 1969-1970 Arnold Weinstein
- 1970-1972 Don Sanders
- 1972-1974 Ronnie Davis
- 1974-1976 Fritzie Sahlins & Phyllis Griffin
- 1976-1980 Paul Carter Harrison
- 1980-2009 Sheldon Patinkin
- 2009- 2016 John Green
- 2017 -2018 Peter Carpenter (Interim Chair)
- 2019 -2021 Carin Silkaitis
- 2021-2023 Susan Padveen (Interim Chair)
- 2023- 2024 Jimmy A. Noriega
- 2024- Jimmy A. Noriega (Interim Director, School of Theatre & Dance)
The Guide to the Theatre Records lists its contents.
Related Collections
Jeff Ginsberg Collection An actor, director, and educator, he served as the Coordinator of the Acting Program of the Theatre Department and as co-artistic director of the National Jewish Theatre and co-artistic director of the Immediate Theatre Company.
Related Publications
Dialogue contains essays, plays, and monologues written by faculty and performance professionals from 2005 to 2008.
Plotlines produced as a student newsletter to update students about departmental news.from 2000 to 2006.
Season Ticket offers news about performances and departmental news from 1985 to 2006..