• Airness production with all key members of the cast in dramatic lighting
  • Antigone KCACTF Awards 2022
  • Detroit Mercy theatre students practice feeling emotions in acting

Live, Breathe and Study Theatre at Detroit Mercy

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What will I learn from Detroit Mercy's theatre program?

You are on your way to a creative future with University of Detroit Mercy's theatre program.  Detroit is a city on a resurgence filled with enthusiasm and diversity. It is also a strong community for culture, arts and theatre. If you are looking to earn a Bachelor of Arts with a major in theatre, Detroit and Detroit Mercy are where you want to come to live, breathe and study theatre. Whether you have glitter in your veins, want to act or direct, or want to learn how to manage a production, our program combines academics and experience with to help shine a spotlight on your career. 

What type of financial aid is available?

Be sure to fill out your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form to apply for financial aid for college. In addition, you may be eligible for a performing arts academic and talent scholarship for up to 50 percent off tuition.

How do I apply and audition?

University of Detroit Mercy has a two part process for this program.  First, you need to apply to Detroit Mercy and select theatre as your major. Second, you need to interview and audition, either on campus or online.  For more information on the full process, visit our Apply and Audition page.

  • 1877

    First Theatre Production

  • 1970

    Theatre Company Founded

  • 53

    Theatre Company Seasons

Where do students perform?

Photo collage of four performances spaces.

Detroit Mercy uses three spaces on the McNichols Campus and one in downtown Detroit:

Downtown Detroit

  • The Marlene Boll Theatre at the Boll Family YMCA

Detroit Mercy McNichols Campus

  • Studio 164 in Reno Hall
  • Architecture Exhibition Space in the Warren Loranger Architecture Building
  •  Additional campus locations
  • Network with the Pros
    Network with the Pros
    Work along side professional actors, directors and designers
  • Your Creative Home
    Your Creative Home
    Multiple performance opportunities with unique performance spaces on the Detroit Mercy McNichols Campus and in downtown Detroit
  • Personal Attention
    Personal Attention
    Small class sizes create a feeling of community where you will know your professors and they will know you
Social Justice Theatre

Fearless. Smart. Vital.

How does entertainment blend with social justice?

We believe social justice theatre experiences are integral to training student artists to value equally the development of their aesthetic skills and their social consciousness, combining their passion for making art with their desire to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. Since 1998, the Performing Arts Department at University of Detroit Mercy has raised more than $200,000 for the homeless and abused, and for community shelters and centers. In 2023, we raised $5,000 for Quilombo communities in Brazil through our production of Unheard Voices: Afro-Brazilian Diaspora.

 

Where do Detroit Mercy theatre alumni work?

After graduation, our Detroit Mercy theatre majors have made the world their stage.  Just a few of the places our alumni have worked or performed at are:

  • A Host of People
  • ABC
  • Arena Stage
  • Barrow Group
  • Broadway
  • CBS
  • Cherry Lane Theatre
  • Detroit Opera
  • Detroit Repertory Theatre
  • Disney Channel
  • Fox
  • Google
  • HBO
  • Indiana Rep
  • Mama ETC
  • Matrix Theatre Company
  • Netflix
  • New York City Center
  • Off Broadway
  • Planet Ant Theatre
  • Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
  • Santa Fe Opera
  • The JET
  • The Public Theatre
  • The Purple Rose Theatre
  • The Ringwald Theatre
  • The Second City Chicago
  • The Second City Hollywood
  • TLC
  • Victory Gardens Theatre-West End
  • Keegan-Michael Key '93 | Emmy-winning actor
    Keegan-Michael Key '93 | Emmy-winning actor
    While you are most likely to recognize the Emmy winner from his hit Comedy Central show Key and Peele, Keegan-Michael Key has been wowing people on the stage and screen for more than a decade.
  • Jaime Moyer '01 | Actor
    Jaime Moyer '01 | Actor
    “The theater program was an amazing and unique place for me to cut my teeth on all things theater... Seasoned actors were my teachers, and their practical and diverse knowledge was essential to my growth as a performer.”
  • David Deangelis '94| Executive Producer: HGTV, Fox
    David Deangelis '94| Executive Producer: HGTV, Fox
    "My degree and being part of the Theatre Company was instrumental in preparing me for my career."
Are you ready to apply and audition?

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