Acting Showcases

Ball State University's annual New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles Showcase programs give seniors in the BFA acting and musical theatre programs an opportunity to perform for agents, casting directors, graduate schools, and professionals in the theatre, film, and television industries. The showcases are staged at theatres in the three cities.

Through an audition process, students are selected for each program by outside theatre professionals. These professionals are Erica Daniels (Casting Director at Steppenwolf Theatre), Stephanie Klapper (Head of Klapper Casting in New York), Mark Saks (Casting Director for film and TV including the hit CBS series The Good Wife). The students then attend a preparatory class taught by these industry professionals for each showcase.

In the showcases, our aspiring actors and singers demonstrate their talents in a program of scenes, monologues, and songs for important and invaluable industry professionals. This helps students open doors to careers and interact with our alumni in the nation's entertainment capitals.

Selected sophomores and juniors also attend the events to observe the showcase process and to participate in workshops planned with industry professionals. Past workshop leaders included Sutton Foster (Tony Award winner and multiple nominee who also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Ball State), Walter Bobbie (Tony Award winning Director of Chicago), John Cariani (author of Almost, Maine), Lindsey Crouse (Oscar nominated actress), and Danny Burstein (Tony nominated actor).

Recently our Showcase participants were featured in the Ball State Alumnus magazine.
Please click on the link below to read the article.

Finding the Spotlight

Junior Musical Theatre students with Sutton Foster, Fall 2010

Take a look at the videos below of our showcases in action!

Chicago Showcase 2011
Los Angeles Showcase 2009
New York Showcase 2010
New York Showcase 2009