Gustavus Theatre & Dance

05/10/2026

Congratulations to our 2026 Theatre and Dance graduates!!!

05/04/2026

The Award for Outstanding Student in Design, Technology, and/or Production is mostly self-explanatory, but the candidates for this award are much more complex. Today we recognize a student who has exercised her many talents in both production work, diligently turning out hand-crafted items for the costume shop, as well as smoothly and efficiently leading a stage management team on a complicated, challenging mainstage production this year. Her enthusiastic commitment to any role in a production is noticed by many and is a measure of excellence that we hope others aspire to, so we proudly present this year’s award for outstanding work in design/tech/production to Eleanor Osmond.

05/03/2026

Happy Graduation to everyone in the Class of 2026, but especially those graduating with majors and/or minors in Theatre & Dance! We have loved working with you and can not wait to see what you do in your post-grad life. Go Gusties!

05/02/2026

The 2026 Distinguished Dancer Award is presented to Marisa Schmidt. Marisa has been a remarkable part of the dance program during her time here at Gustavus; she is warm and welcoming, and a positive force for good in the program. Marisa demonstrates an incredible work ethic and drive, always striving to explore and discover new ideas and approaches to her creative research. She is a thoughtful and positive mentor for those around her, which was keenly displayed as she co-directed the student dance concert, Shared Space, this past fall. Marisa helped curate and produce (and perform in and choreograph for) a stunning evening of student work. While representing Theatre and Dance students as a departmental Academic Assistant, she brought thoughtful and creative energy to the task.

Marisa is a beautiful performer, consistently embodying nuance, grace, musicality, passion, and incredible physicality. In March, she performed in five of the nine dances presented for the spring faculty dance concert “shift/unravel/root”, including a stunning solo choreographed for her by Professor Emerita Melissa Rolnick. One of those nine dances, “aS wE arE” was a co-choreographed and performed trio created by Marisa and two of her peers. “aS wE arE” was selected to represent Gustavus at the annual American College Dance Festival Regional Conference, where it was voted as one of the People’s Choice Top Ten dances. In the previous year, Marisa’s work “Coniferous” was selected to be performed at ACDA in the informal concert. Marisa has performed at ACDA in the Adjudicated Concert three times during her tenure at Gustavus, most recently in faculty member Sarah Hauss’ “Zoom in Zoom Out”, which was a Gala and People’s Choice selection for the 2026 conference.

The contributions Marisa has made and the positive impact Marisa has had on the dance program are remarkable. And yet, she’s not done. We are excited to see what she does next, and the ways her Gustavus experience will carry her forward. In the coming months Marisa will be traveling across Europe participating in the NOD dance workshop in Italy, taking drop-in classes in the Netherlands, and dancing at a week-long Crystal Pite repertoire workshop in Berlin. She’s off to dance her way around the world, and we could not be more proud of her. Congratulations, Marisa!

05/01/2026

The Arthur Lundgren Award is presented to a student who has contributed to the overall excellence of the theatre and dance program at Gustavus. Excellence has many definitions, but some common characteristics in this context are having a commitment to always learning new things, applying them in the course of study and work, and leading others along the way so that they, too, may pursue a path of excellence here. There is no question that one who engages in acting, stage management for both theatre and dance performances, working in more than one of the production shops, and even writing and directing their own play is the embodiment of those things. For that, it is a great pleasure to present the 2026 Lundgren Award to Colin Ward.

04/30/2026

The Elco Corporation Award is given annually to a student who has made the greatest contribution to excellence in the Department of Theatre and Dance. This year’s winner showed his commitment to excellence in his collaborative work as a member of the Transforming ensemble, and his talent shone on stage as Mr. Burns in Mr. Burns, a post-electric play. Please join us in celebrating Arctix Houghton’s remarkable artistry and well-deserved recognition! 📷 Production photos by Kathy Burnham.

04/29/2026

“Do a loony-goony dance, 'Cross the kitchen floor, Put something silly in the world, That ain't been there before.” - Shel Silverstein

Happy International Dance Day from everyone at Gustavus Adolphus Theatre & Dance!

Photos: Dan Norman

04/27/2026

Nick Dillenburg '05 is Harry Potter!

A Gustie is playing Harry Potter...and he's come home!

Nick Dillenburg '05 is starring as Harry Potter in the national Broadway tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and the show runs right here at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis April 25–May 17.

Nick grew up in Northeast Minneapolis, fell in love with theater here in Minnesota, and studied at Gustavus before earning his MFA from UConn. He's gone on to an impressive career - you may have seen him in Orange Is the New Black or alongside Scarlett Johansson in Fly Me to the Moon, but according to Nick, playing Harry Potter is "the honor of a lifetime."

If you're in the Twin Cities, this is your chance to see one of our own take on one of the most iconic roles in the world. From here he'll also head to Denver, Costa Mesa, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City. Don't miss it!

🎟️ Show info and tickets: https://tour.harrypottertheplay.com/tour-dates/
📖 Read more about Nick: https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/5-questions-nick-dillenburg-harry-potter-cursed-child/

PC: MSP Mag/Evan Zimmerman

04/26/2026

Happy Closing to the final show in our 2025-26 Season: Mr. Burns: a post-electric play! It has been an incredible weekend of performances. Thank you to everyone who has come out to support these incredible artists.

Photos: Kathy Burnham

04/24/2026

With the end of the semester right around the corner, we have multiple upcoming (free!) performances from our students.

Final Friday is today at 5:45pm! Come see what our dance students have been learning and working on this semester.
Next Monday, the Directing Class will be having their final project showing. Come see a collection of short scenes entirely directed, performed, and designed by students!

Congratulations to all our Theatre & Dance students on an incredible year, we are excited to see you perform in these upcoming days!