As a double major in theatre and writing and rhetoric, Matt has been involved in numerous theatre productions, including shows with Black V improv team. He also is a tutor in the college’s writing center, serves as a rhetoric professor’s teaching assistant, and is a member of Northwestern’s College Democrats organization. He has helped organize campus symposiums on global climate change and global hunger. Matt is planning to go to law school to pursue a career in human rights advocacy.

Better than the competition
“The community in Northwestern’s theatre department is unparalleled. It’s really like a family. As students, we realize every production is the product of a collective work and that if anyone doesn’t do their part, the whole suffers. We have probably the best theatre department of any Christian liberal arts school in the country. Our professors really are some of the best in their field, yet they aren’t afraid to be personal with their students. The atmosphere is entirely different from most theatre departments, because rather than competing, we all celebrate each others’ successes.”

Dramatic difference
“Theatre professors here believe that being a Christian theatre artist demands excellence of us. Christians need to be involved in the arts, and too often, Christians produce bad art with a “Christian” message. Instead, Christians should focus on doing their art with excellence and with a deep love for their audience and colleagues. The idea that we should focus on loving during the process of making art—instead of focusing on the product—is central to the way Northwestern does theatre.”

Act like you mean it
“Studying theatre has helped me realize that truth is much more complex than I thought. I think of all the things you can study, theatre is perhaps the best field for exploring the complexities of the human condition. It has helped shake my faith in easy answers—something I think every Christian needs to shed.”

Truth in art
“The call for the Christian artist is to search for truth in all things and aid in its revelation. I hope to be an artist that helps uplift people and helps give the oppressed a voice.”

Improvise
“One of my favorite things has been to do improvisation with Black V, the campus improv team. It’ll probably mean next to nothing on my resume, but I love the team and don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t go to improv practice with some of my best friends every weekend.”