This is the CSUN theater department

Students+performing

Brandon Balayan

Students in the CSUN Department of Theatre perform scenes from the play “Once on This Island” on Dec. 4, 2022, in Northridge, Calif.

Brianna Arias, Reporter

As the spring semester continues, some students are getting ready to graduate, while others are just starting their journey here at CSUN. Some are getting headaches from countless assignments, and others are coasting through.

The CSUN theater department is preparing for upcoming productions year-round, practicing and receiving directorial feedback to ensure that the actors are ready to perform. According to the department website, the various productions that they put on throughout the semester are produced and directed by faculty, staff and students, as well as guest artists.

The CSUN Theatre Guild is a student service organization that allows members to work with experienced faculty in the theater department. According to their website, the organization enables students to gain experience within the department and perform, direct, produce and work behind the scenes.

You can find most things theater at CSUN in Nordhoff Hall, where most of the faculty offices and classrooms are located, as well as the box office.

Every summer, the theater department hosts a workshop called The Teenage Drama Workshop, where they gather kids and teens ages 11-18 who are interested in theater to enhance their skills and portfolios. The attendees do not need to have experience, according to the Teenage Drama Workshop’s website. The only requirement is that they show interest and desire to learn.

While at the workshop, the students can take acting, voice and dance classes, all of which are meant to boost their confidence and make them feel more comfortable on the stage, according to the program’s website.

The CSUN theater department is known for its famous and notable alumni who pursued careers in acting after graduation.

Alumnus Charles Martin Smith is best known for acting, directing and writing. Some of his notable works include “Air Bud” and “Dolphin Tale,” which he directed, and “The Untouchables,” which he starred in.

Another notable alumna from the theater department is Teri Garr, who is an actress known for her performances in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Tootsie,” for which she received an Academy Award nomination.

The theater department will be hosting three productions this spring semester, including “La boheme,” “Lysistrata,” and “Tartuffe.” The CSUN Theatre Guild will be putting on a comedy show alongside other productions yet to be announced.