Northern Michigan University Theatre and Dance will highlight and celebrate the talents of the department’s graduating students with its inaugural Senior Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25. A second performance will be held on Mackinac Island for industry professionals from New York and major regional theaters on Tuesday, May 20.
“Showcases are shorter than full shows, owing to the busy schedules of the agents, casting directors and artistic directors who attend, so this will feature short scenes and songs in a variety-show format, just over an hour in length,” said Director Jimmy Ludwig. “It’s fairly standard for BFA programs to put together a performance showcase to facilitate the graduating students’ transition from educational theater to the profession. Our faculty has deep ties to the Industry, so we’re very excited to capitalize on that and begin the showcase tradition at Northern as our first full class of BFA actors and musical theater majors prepares to graduate.”
While showcase presentations are quite common, most universities either have students travel to New York—often at their own expense—or invite industry professionals to campus. Producer and Department Head Bill Digneit wanted Northern to adopt a unique approach to the event, so he came up with the idea of hosting it on Mackinac Island. A generous gift from NMU Board Chair Steve Young and his wife, Tricia Kinley, made it possible for the department to provide significant support to students for this experience, helping to ease the financial burden as they prepare to launch their professional careers.
“Our students represent multiple disciplines—musical theater, acting and dance—which means we want to engage industry professionals from across major markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta and regional theaters,” said Artistic Director and Assistant Department Head Jill Grundstrom. “We also wanted to create a space where our students could have meaningful, dedicated time with these guests—taking workshops, asking questions and building connections. Mackinac Island offers the perfect setting for this. It’s a beautiful, peaceful destination where industry professionals are happy to escape the hustle and bustle while connecting with the next generation of talent.”
For this inaugural year, NMU Theatre and Dance faculty compiled a comprehensive list of personal industry connections from across the country. They specifically considered the graduating students’ strengths when selecting guests to invite. The hope is to have about five confirmed attendees. A few contacts who are unable to attend in person will be watching a video capture of the performance instead, Grundstrom said.
“This initiative helps elevate the visibility of our students, our program, and NMU as a whole within the industry,” she added. “It’s a significant step in building a national brand for the performing arts at NMU. We keep reminding the seniors, “You’re the first—the pioneers. This is a big deal! Twenty years from now, when we look back through the archives, your class will always be the one that started it all. Our goal is to establish lasting connections and pipelines that benefit not only our graduating students, but also those earlier in the program, giving them opportunities to start networking and exploring professional paths from the start.”
The 12 graduating students who will be featured in the Senior Showcase are Michael Ahlstrom, Gianna Daprai, John Fuller, Lia Hielkema, Emma Houston, Maisie James, Rhiannyn McCauley, DaShawn Mitchell, Maya Moreau, Amaraé Robinson, Wyatt Schmitt and John Thomson.