From the classroom to the stage: Why 'All Shook Up' is a unique professional opportunity for OU theatre students

When Oakland University students step onto the Meadow Brook Theatre stage for All Shook Up, they are stepping into a fully professional theatre environment that reflects the pace, expectations, and standards of the industry they are preparing to enter.

This collaboration between Meadow Brook Theatre and Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance offers students something rare in undergraduate training. They are part of a professional production at Michigan’s largest professional producing theatre, working alongside union actors, directors, and designers. Several OU musical theatre students are featured in the cast, including current students Zander Brown and Mirabella Ziegler. Joining them onstage is Emily Ann Stys, an OU Theatre alumna, whose participation reflects the long term professional pathways this partnership continues to create.

Adding to that continuity, All Shook Up is directed by Meadow Brook Theatre’s Artistic Director, Travis W. Walter, who is also an alumnus of Oakland University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance. His leadership on this production highlights the depth of the relationship between OU and one of Michigan’s most respected professional theatres.

For Whitney Locher, Theatre Design and Technology Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of Theatre, the value of this experience extends far beyond the performance itself.

“This production becomes more than just a show,” Locher explains. “It becomes a platform for professional development.”

Because of Meadow Brook Theatre’s professional scale, students experience the realities of industry level rehearsal schedules, expectations, and accountability. According to Locher, the scale and visibility of the venue play an important role in student development.

“Performing on a stage like this validates their work in a really meaningful way,” she says. “It shows them that what they have been training for truly belongs in the professional world.”

For Zander Brown, that validation comes through full immersion in a professional rehearsal process.

“It has been nothing short of an immense joy and honor to get to work alongside equity actors and on a professional schedule and environment with MBT,” Brown says. “The schedule is much longer than those expected at the university level, but we also have a much shorter period to put the show up… If anything, I prefer this schedule as it means I get to spend a large majority of my day working on and doing something that I love.”

That pace requires a high level of preparation and discipline.

“Being on a professional schedule, it is expected that once we block a scene or learn a music number, the scene, lines, and music are memorized for the following rehearsal,” Brown explains. “This experience has definitely forced me to put my best and hardest working foot forward… I have already worked harder and been able to push myself to perform on a level I have not before.”

The impact of the collaboration is felt across disciplines. While performers adapt to the demands of a large proscenium stage, design and technology students are learning how to scale their work to meet professional production standards.

Danny Gurwin, Assistant Professor and Head of the BFA Musical Theatre program, sees this collaboration as a direct extension of the program’s mission.

“This is exactly why our students are pursuing BFAs,” Gurwin says. “They want to understand what the industry actually looks like, and there is no better way to learn than by doing it.”

That professional expectation is reinforced in the rehearsal room by choreographer and faculty member Jacob ben Widmar, who is intentional about fostering an equitable environment.

“We intentionally do not use the word students in the rehearsal room,” ben Widmar says. “We use the phrase OU Fam… This collaboration provides the OU Fam with meaningful professional experience in a fast paced environment, where they learn discipline, accountability, and the expectations required when creating work at a professional level.”

He notes that OU performers are expected to apply classroom training independently.

“They are able to apply classroom techniques in real time within a professional rehearsal process,” he explains. “They must rely on their own artistic interpretation and ensure their choices align with the larger vision.”

For OU Fam, Mirabella Ziegler, the experience has been both affirming and eye opening.

“This is the largest contract I have had the privilege of working on in my career,” Ziegler says. “The professionalism is amazing… Having the opportunity to work alongside industry professionals has been such an amazing experience and they treat all of the students with the utmost respect.”

She also credits OU’s curriculum with making the transition into a professional environment feel natural.

“One thing I really appreciate is that OU runs things very similarly to industry standards,” Ziegler adds. “The basic structure of our rehearsals are the same, which was nice in preparation for longer rehearsal days and a quicker rehearsal process.”

Beyond the rehearsal room, students are building relationships and gaining insight into a wide range of professional pathways.

“From speaking to the fellow actors in the production, I have gained a wider scope of career trajectories post undergrad,” Brown says. “It really brings to light the many possible paths an artist can take.”

For Oakland University, All Shook Up reflects the strength of a partnership that bridges academic training and professional practice. Seeing current students perform alongside alumni, under the direction of an OU graduate now leading Meadow Brook Theatre, demonstrates a clear pathway from classroom to career.

“This kind of partnership bridges the gap between the classroom and the professional world,” Locher says. “It shows students what is possible and helps prepare them for what comes next.”

All Shook Up runs January 7 through February 1 at Meadow Brook Theatre. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.mbtheatre.com/all-shook-up.