PSU Theater Arts program opens doors to performing arts careers behind the scenes

For many students who are interested in studying theater arts, their obvious area of focus might be the skills that land them in the spotlight: acting, singing, dancing, and maybe even directing. But for the theater lovers who aspire to contribute to this art form in other ways besides performing, there is a rich world of options that enables them to challenge their creativity, collaborate with fellow theater artists, and make entire worlds come alive on stage every night.

At Portland State University's School of Music & Theater, faculty and local professionals are creating avenues for aspiring theater artists to not only study theatrical design and technology but also gain practical experience as part of creative teams, designing and building the sets and costumes, creating lighting designs and hanging the instruments, and running the show from the tech booth.

"Students need the foundational skills you gain in a stagecraft course - how to hang lights, run cable, organize props, and so on. But arguably more important is developing the capacity to understand the big picture of a production," said Solomon Weisbard, assistant professor in the School of Music & Theater and the Theater Arts program coordinator. "They need to be able to walk into a room and think about how they can fit into that context: how to support the creativity happening there and find ways to make the project flourish."

A citywide training ground

This year, a new connection with Portland's Fertile Ground Festival has opened up opportunities for students to do just that. For their 2026 festival, Fertile Ground added PSU's Boiler Room Studio to its roster of performing arts venues across the city, and students in PSU's Theater Arts program have benefitted from this partnership, which includes the Venue Technician Training Program. As part of this program, six students have received intensive hands-on training, allowing them to staff every production in the Boiler Room Studio - writing the light, sound and projection cues, operating all the technical systems for back-to-back shows, and working closely with visiting artists.

Fertile Ground has also showcased the creative work of PSU Theater students and alumni at the Boiler Room Studio during the Fertile Ground festival. Current students Matthew Johnson ("Animal Farm") and Abbey Abell ("Shower Conversations") have both seen their work produced and performed this year, and alumnus Jonathan Hernandez's show "The Mask I Wear" has emerged as one of the top shows to see in the Fertile Ground festival, as noted by Oregon ArtsWatch.

Profile Theatre has also engaged PSU students in the theater-making process this year by offering a paid apprenticeship, with elective course credit, open to a junior or senior theater artist. This experience is intended to bring students of a discipline such as lighting design or stage management directly into the creative process, where they meet with professional mentors, attend production meetings, contribute ideas, assist with load-in, participate in tech run-throughs, and attend dress rehearsals.

Greta Lau, a senior pursuing a BA in Theater Arts with a minor in Writing, apprenticed with Profile Theatre during their Fall 2025 production of "Witch" by Jenn Silverman. "Witnessing all the steps of the production process for "Witch" up close, in such a hands-on way, was the most valuable aspect of this apprenticeship for me," said Lau. "This in-depth experience opened the door to new insights on what it means to be a professional production manager."

"The connections afforded to me by the program have been crucial in guiding me towards working in professional theater," Lau continued. "And the face-to-face conversations I had with the incredible artists working on reaffirmed my goal of working in the arts here in Portland."

The forthcoming PSU Performing Arts + Culture Center, scheduled to open in 2030, will offer even more possibilities for Theater students to practice their skills in the real world.

"This new state-of-the-art facility will enable PSU's Theater students to take full advantage of the most sophisticated advances in stagecraft technology, while also benefiting greatly from connections to local and national arts organizations, and up-close views of the performing arts production process," said Leroy Bynum, Jr., dean of the PSU College of the Arts. "These types of experiences will be invaluable to our future professional designers, stagehands and managers. We are committed to supporting the workforce needs of Oregon's arts economy."

PSU Theater students have made an impression on the professionals they've interacted with in these internships. "Time and again, our guest artists and faculty comment on how hard-working, deeply thoughtful, and independent our students are as creators," said Weisbard. "I think that's a testament to programs like Fertile Ground and Profile Theatre, where students are supported in stepping into leadership roles within a professional context. They get to see how they can fill a role that looks very much like the one they'll hold after they graduate."

Investing in the future of the creative community

It's not just the smaller companies who are connecting with young theater artists. The broader theater community is also emphasizing the value of the industry as a career path for young people. At an April 2026 event hosted by Broadway Across America, 300 high school students flocked to Portland's Keller Auditorium, where they connected with theater professionals. The Career Day event featured a panel discussion with industry members, including the resident director of "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway and the North American Tour, a house manager with Portland'5, a wig and makeup designer and artist, and Weisbard, who spoke about PSU's flourishing theater arts program.

"At PSU, we not only have accomplished full-time faculty, but our adjunct instructors and guest artists are active in Portland's theater scene and beyond, bringing their expertise into the classroom and building connections that reach from the classroom out into the real world," Weisbard commented.

As one of the world's foremost experts on the art of improvisation and a student of Keith Johnstone, Assistant Professor Theresa Robbins Dudeck brings this expertise to her teaching. Weisbard also maintains a busy schedule designing lighting for an impressive array of performing arts organizations around the world. The faculty also includes working professionals (and members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) who are active in every aspect of the performing arts industry, from managing major public venues in Portland to producing performing arts festivals and designing lighting for dance companies, among others.

"Although I've been lucky enough to work on national and international stages, my recent highlights are closer to home, where I've mentored recent graduates and watched their work develop in professional contexts," said Weisbard. "For example, I've been working with Samantha Kemp, an alum who is now a working lighting designer in her own right. She assisted me on 'Young Americans' at Portland Center Stage and served as associate lighting designer on 'Infinite Life' at Third Rail Repertory Theatre, and I mentored her through her own design on 'Tiger Style!' at Profile Theatre. That kind of trajectory is exactly what this work is about."

"Portland has always been known as a city where creativity takes center stage," said Weisbard. "We're large enough to have major cultural institutions and real support for the arts, while being small enough that anyone can jump in and find an audience."

As a result of Portland's welcoming arts community and the training they receive at PSU's Theater Arts program, students are emerging from the program with the tools, skills and experience that enables them to take the leap and make a place for themselves in the professional world.