Theatre & Dance
History of the department
Marie Toland and Robert FrederickIn 1909, before there was a major in Theatre Arts, Dr. David Coate, professor of English, sponsored the campus dramatic group, The Buskin Dramatic Club. Their first performance was The Christmas Chime and was held three years later. Shortly thereafter the club disbanded. Drama at UW-L was on hold for a few years until the Speech Department sponsored a new dramatic club in 1937. The driving force behind this new group was Marie Park Toland, director of theatre. Dr. Toland was joined by Robert Frederick in 1946, and together they built the foundations or “the first act” of theatre for UW-L.
Their invaluable contributions to the program led to the creation of an academic major in Speech beginning in 1968. Both Toland and Frederick have theatres named in their honor. Twelve years later UW-L finally created an official major in Theatre Arts. Dr. Robert Joyce and Dr. Richard Tinapp took their initial offering and trained many theatre students, practitioners, and lovers of the art. Their blood, sweat, and passion laid the groundwork for what has become a vibrant, vital force within the region.
Along with a full palette of academic classes, the Department of Theatre and Dance carries out a full production program, including a yearly children's show, musicals and a wide range of genre. The annual SummerStage musical has auditions open to the entire community. Today’s Department of Theatre and Dance has come a long way from its’ meek beginnings in 1909. In 1997 Theatre split from Speech and the Department of Theatre was created. The major has several emphasis areas, including Multidisciplinary Studies, Performance, Design/Tech, Musical Theatre, Arts Administration, and Stage Management. Students from any major can minor in Theatre Arts within the same emphasis areas or can minor in Dance.
In Fall 2022, the department officially changed its name to the Department of Theatre and Dance, adding a dance minor as part of its curriculum, in the School of Visual and Performing Arts.