• The Theatre School's 2009-2010 select enrollment included 293  undergraduates and 39 graduate students from around the United States and several foreign countries. Approximately 1,100 applicants undertake the stringent admissions process of national auditions and interviews annually. The school accepts only a small fraction of applicants to the conservatory.

• The Theatre School began as the department of drama of the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1922, William Owen and Malvina Sawyer Goodman donated funds to the Art Institute to create a school of drama as a tribute to their son, Kenneth Sawyer Goodman (1883-1918). The first class of the Goodman School of Drama was admitted on January 5, 1925.

• During its first five decades, the Goodman School of Drama trained such artists as Theoni V. Aldredge, Bruce Boxleitner, Melinda Dillon, Scott Ellis, Linda Hunt, Gloria Foster, Harvey Korman, Eugene Lee, Karl Malden, Joe Mantegna, James Maronek, Lois Nettleton, Geraldine Page, Jose Quintero, Lee Richardson, Steve Smith, Carrie Snodgress, Howard Witt, and Sam Wanamaker, among many others. The school was recognized for its significant contributions to dramatic arts in Chicago and the world, and was a rich component of the artistic life of the city.

• In 1975, the trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago voted to phase out the Goodman School of Drama over a three-year period, citing a $200,000 deficit. No new students were admitted as the school prepared to close in May of 1978. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and interested citizens mounted a campaign to save the school.

• On July 1, 1978, the Goodman School of Drama became the ninth college of DePaul University. One observer wrote, "So the future has gone from 'curtains' to more curtain calls. For that, applause."

• Today The Theatre School is guided by its mission statement, created by the faculty and staff under the leadership of the late Dean Michael Maggio and adhering to the traditions of the Goodman School of Drama. It reads: "The Theatre School at DePaul University educates, trains, and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined, culturally diverse, and that strives for the highest level of professional skill and artistry. A commitment to diversity and equality in education is central to our mission. As an integral part of the training, The Theatre School produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary, and original plays that challenge, entertain, and stimulate the imagination. We seek to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of our university community, our city, and the profession."

• The Theatre School is located at 2135 N. Kenmore Ave. on DePaul's Lincoln Park Campus. The main building, the former St. Vincent DePaul Elementary School, houses classrooms; administrative and faculty offices; scene, costume and prop shops and storage; a light lab; and a student lounge. The Theatre School Annex, located across the street at 2130 N. Kenmore Ave., houses additional faculty offices; a script library; a computer lab; and design studios.

Distinctions

• Once again, DePaul University was profiled in the publication Creative Colleges as one of the top 200 universities with outstanding programs in art, drama, dance, music, and creative writing. The Theatre School was cited for its wide range of programs, the availability of scholarships, and its array of extracurricular activities.

• The Theatre School boasts thousands of alumni who work around the world in theatre, film, and television, as well as in numerous other successful careers. These include Kevin Anderson, Gillian Anderson, Alana Arenas, W. Earl Brown, Paula Cale, Monique Coleman, Dennis Dugan, Judy Greer, Criss Henderson, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Elizabeth Perkins, Amy Pietz, John C. Reilly, Leonard Roberts, Larry Yando, Louis Zorich, and countless others.

• Alumni of The Theatre School have worked for 434 theatre productions worldwide, 34 Broadway shows, and 146 Chicago-area theatre companies, according to the 2008-2009 editions of the monthly Theatre School News. In 2008-2009 alone, alumni worked on 103 films, at least 30 different television channels and 20 commercials or voiceovers. In addition, alumni have participated in 62 theatre and film festivals around the globe, taught at 90 different schools, colleges and universities, and worked at over 30 production companies during the 2008-2009 season.

Programs

• The school offers bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degrees in acting, costume design, lighting design, scenic design, theatre technology, costume technology, stage management, playwriting, theatre management, dramaturgy/criticism, and theatre arts. In the fall of 2008, The Theatre School launched a BFA in sound design, under the direction of Victoria "Toy" Delorio.

• Master of Fine Arts degrees are offered in acting, arts leadership, and directing.  The Theatre School and Chicago Shakespeare Theater began offering the Master of Fine Arts program in Arts Leadership in 2005. The two-year program combines full-time employment at Chicago Shakespeare Theater with an academic curriculum that equips emerging theatre leaders with both the practice and ethics of managing, producing, and leading arts programs.

Performances

• As part of its intensive "learning by doing" philosophy, The Theatre School presents more than 40 productions each season in a variety of venues. Ten productions are presented each season for the public as part of The Theatre School Showcase, Chicago Playworks, New Directors Series, or New Playwrights Series. Students are involved in all aspects of production.

• Founded as the Goodman Children's Theatre in 1925, Chicago Playworks is the city's oldest continuously operating children's theatre. It has been the first theatre experience for audiences of Chicago's young people over 80 years and was one of the first major theatres for children in the United States. Chicago Playworks presents three unique productions to more than 35,000 families and young people each season at DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre, 60 E. Balbo Drive. The school enhances the theatre experience by offering post-show discussions, ice-cream socials with the cast, backstage tours, and free teacher guides for each production.

• The Theatre School Showcase is the school's series of contemporary plays and classics. Four plays are presented each season for an audience of subscribers, the DePaul community, and the general public at DePaul's Merle Reskin Theatre. The actors, designers, stage managers, dramaturgs, technicians, and other crew members are students; directors are members of the faculty or guest artists.

• New Directors Series plays are studio productions directed by graduate students in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master of fine arts in directing. These productions are free and open to the public.

• New Playwrights Series plays are studio productions featuring a new play written by a current Theatre School student or recent graduate. The productions are free and open to the public at the Athenaeum Studio Three, or the Greenhouse Theater Center.

• DePaul's historic Merle Reskin Theatre is home to more than 200 public performances of The Theatre School and is often shared with other non-profit arts organizations. Since its opening in 1989 through academic year 2008-2009, all performances at the theatre have attracted total attendance of 1,103,482.

• The Merle Reskin Theatre has been a significant presence in the downtown theatre district since it was built as the Blackstone Theatre in 1910. It formerly hosted vaudeville shows, the Federal Theatre Project of the 1930s, and touring productions of the Shubert Organization. Many of the greatest talents of the American theatre have graced its stage, including Peter Falk, Jessica Tandy, Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, Dustin Hoffman, Vivien Leigh, and Geraldine Page. The stone façade, mansard roof and interior finish of the French Renaissance-style building have been modified only slightly over the years. Purchased by DePaul University in 1988, the theater underwent $700,000 in renovation before re-opening with the Chicago Playworks production of The Phantom Tollbooth. The theatre was renamed in recognition of a major donor in November of 1992. Today's Theatre School students are privileged to perform in this historic theatre for an audience of more than 50,000 each season.

• Each spring, The Theatre School produces DePaul's premiere theatre social and fund-raising event, the Awards for Excellence in the Arts Gala. Hosted by celebrity alumni and friends, including Joe Mantegna, John C. Reilly, Scott Ellis and George Wendt, this annual benefit honors a select few distinguished artists with the school's Award for Excellence in the Arts. More than 90 artists and several corporations have been recognized since its inception, including F. Murray Abraham, Joan Allen, Blythe Danner, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Franz, John Guare, Gregory Hines, Bonnie Hunt, Patti LuPone, Edward James Olmos, Maria Tallchief Paschen, Emma Thompson, Vince Vaughn, Angela Bassett, Michael Shannon, Alfre Woodard, American Airlines, Illiniois Tool Works Inc., and Sara Lee Corporation. Since 1989, more than $3.25 million has been raised to benefit The Theatre School's Scholarship Fund.

• On a regular basis, The Theatre School hosts CHICAGO LIVE: THE ARTS, a noon-time discussion series designed to provide students the opportunity to meet with working professionals in the theatre, film, and television industries. Guest speakers talk about their training and development, past professional experiences, goals for future work, and insights into the world of performance. Scores of notable artists have participated in the program, including Gabriel Byrne, Jean Stapleton, David Mamet, Laurence Fishburne, Gary Sinise, Julie Harris, John Malkovich, Peter Falk, Celeste Holm, Jonathan Pryce, F. Murray Abraham, Gene Hackman, Pam Grier, Olympia Dukakis, and Jason Grote.

• Each June the school presents Graduate Showcases in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles for an audience of theatre, film, and television producers, casting directors, and agents. These showcases encompass two weeks of activities in the three cities as the school organizes several events designed to introduce graduates to the profession.

About the Dean

• John Culbert was appointed dean of The Theatre School in July of 2001. He was formerly the school's associate dean and longtime head of the Lighting Design Program. Culbert is a Joseph Jefferson Award-winning designer, United Scenic Artists of America member, and resident artist at Chicago's Court Theatre. His projects have included set design for Court Theatre's Man of La Mancha and lighting design for the Goodman Theatre's Mirror of the Invisible World, among numerous others. John has also designed scenery and/or lighting for the Boston Lyric Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Berkeley Rep, Shakespeare Theatre, McCarter Theatre, and Bristol Riverside Theatre. John also redesigned the light and water show for Chicago's world-famous Buckingham Fountain.

The Theatre School Web site: http://theatreschool.depaul.edu/