Madison DenHerder has worn plenty of hats during her time in the theatre program. With experience in designing, acting, stage managing and more, DenHerder carried out almost every possible role in the theatre department. However, at one point, she did not think this was in the cards for her because, after high school, she wanted no part of being a theatre major.
“I thought it wasn’t a good idea to have a career in something so impractical and that it was something to keep busy with, kind of like a hobby,” DenHerder said.
So, as a freshman, DenHerder ended up settling for business marketing. In her first semester, a couple of the classes on her schedule included an accounting class with one of the instructors in the business department and Theatre Experience with longtime professor, Dr. Bob Hubbard.
“Guess which one I liked better?” DenHerder said. “Dr. Bob showed me how I could further my fascination with theatre deeper while being at Northwestern. After a month and a half of the first semester, I switched my major to theatre.”
That decision completely changed the trajectory of DenHerder’s college experience. Since then, she has been responsible for props, costumes, acting or stage managing in about a dozen different shows on campus. In addition, she won Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region 5’s Distinguished Achievement in Stage Management for her work on “Life is a Dream,” Certificates of Merit for costume and prop design and awards for presenting “Jabberwocky” and “Life is a Dream’ to the Region 5 festival.
“You could say I’m always a little busy, but I like it that way,” DenHerder said. As if the shows she has been involved with did not occupy enough of her time, DenHerder also takes part in a work-study position in the scenic shop, where she gets to build sets and props for upcoming shows.
“Being a scenic work study is probably my favorite thing I do for our department,” DenHerder said. “We will get the floor plans for the set, gather and cut the wood, screw everything together, paint it and it’s good to go. I think the funniest thing we do in theatre is paint wood to look more like wood from far away.”
The scenic shop also allows her to work with some of her favorite people. “Getting to work under Ethan Koerner and Cindy Moeller is one of my favorite parts of the job. I mean, getting to work with one of my best friends in the whole world, Jack MacGregor, is also a plus, too. DenHerder said “Ethan and Cindy have just taught me so much, and I’m just so grateful for them for helping find my passion in life for technical theatre,” said DenHerder.
Although she has experienced plenty of joy while being part of theatre, her interests still come with their fair share of challenges. “To design or stage manage a show isn’t for the faint of heart,” DenHerder said. “Especially, when I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to my work, I throw myself full-heartedly into the process that sometimes it can be too much for even me.”
But for DenHerder, the struggles she encounters are worth it. “It comes with many ups and downs, but with all the hard work and late nights, being able to watch the show and see people be entertained with the little things I created brings me so much joy,” DenHerder said.
As she prepares to leave NW, she will be forever grateful for the opportunities she received from everyone in the theatre department. “To any incoming theatre enthusiasts [or anyone that is] just curious about our theatre program, you can literally do anything you want in our department.” DenHerder said. “If you even have the slightest interest in something, just ask one of the professors, and they will set you up for success. Being able to do anything you desire is such an amazing opportunity in the college theatre world,”
