I am a junior in high school and I love dramatic writing. My goal is to be a playwright and work in the theatre. For schools that do not have specific Dramatic Writing programs (NYU Tisch does), I am considering just majoring in Theatre and English with a minor in CW (most schools don’t offer it as a major). Would this be possible at Northwestern? Is the theatre major they have pretty much based all in acting (I can’t act, but I can’t sing)? Does Northwestern offer an programs for those who would like to write for theatre or work on the technical/business side (this could include constuming, scenes, etc.)?
Thanks! 
Also, what school would I apply to? Communications? Could I even do a double major in English and Theatre?
Check out [this page](Major in Theatre: School of Communication - Northwestern University), which indicates that the major is not limited to actors. It specifically mentions “acting, directing, playwriting, production [and] design.”
I have a friend that currently is in the theater department at NU. He described the school as the place to be if you’re interested in writing and directing, however not as strong for just acting technique!
You would apply to the Theatre Department in the School of Communication and take their Playwrighting Sequence… Given the quarter system at NU, it is very easy to double major. So once there, you could double major in English through Weinberg College. In addition, the Theatre Department offers a number of modules, which are areas of specialization. You might be particularly interested in Creative Writing for the Media, Devising and Adaptation, or Theatrical Design. For a full list of the modules and more info about them, go to https://society.northwestern.edu
The student theatre organization puts on over 60 productions a year. It provides opportunities to have your original work produced on campus. Each theatre class has approximately 100 students who are interested in diverse aspects of theatre. I believe attending school with future playwrights, actors, producers, directors, and designers is a strength of the program. Another strength of the program is the incredible flexibility in designing a program that meets your unique combination of interests. For example, 2015 grad double majored in Theatre (Acting Sequence) and Pre-Vet, and was in the Musical Theatre certificate program (he made his Broadway debut in Wicked in February).
Finally, a word about the Acting Sequence at Northwestern from my son, a recent grad. It is a three year sequence that teaches both text analysis and technique, but puts more emphasis on the former - specifically, analyzing characters, their motivation, and the meaning of the story/dialogue. Acting programs differ in where they put the emphasis. Good luck with your search!
@CCMom2U @sosos22 @yotommy Thank you all so much! Just spent about 30-40 minutes browsing Northwestern’s Communications school website, and I’m in love with the Theatre program! Northwestern is definitely at the top of my list
One more question, actually: when the communications school looks over my resume, will I be put down if I don’t have many extracurricular activities having to do with theatre? I am taking an advanced theatre class (invitation only @ my school) and a costuming class, and I’m a member of National Thespian Society, but I haven’t done much other than that because of the time that working on the plays/musicals consumes. I spend most of my time writing: I’ve won two gold keys and a silver key in the Scholastic Writing Awards, and I’m a state/national competitor in Original Oratory (write and give my own speech) for Speech and Debate. Next year I am also competing in the Humorous Interpretation category for speech, if that might mean anything. I also work on my own plays/scenes independently, as that is what I want to do.
My speech coach has agreed to write me a recommendation, and he has a communications degree. He told me I’m one of the best forensics (speech) students he’s ever worked with.
At NU, you could certainly double major in Theatre and English or, seeing as Northwestern actually has a Creative Writing major (http://www.english.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/writing/), that. Your schedule would be pretty packed as a dual major between two of the university’s colleges, so I don’t know how feasible tacking on a minor to such a double major, but you might just be able to do it if you take like no non-related courses. If you do want to do a double major, make sure you apply to the School of Communication, as double majors with one major in Weinberg are officially students in the non-Weinberg school.
I’m not sure if the Theatre major is almost all acting, but I suspect it is. However, there is also a certificate you can get in Musical Theatre (https://www.communication.northwestern.edu/programs/major_theatre/music_theatre.php). I am unsure what you mean by saying you can’t act but also can’t sing. Was there a typo there, or are you purely a backstage/tech person?
I think, as part of the Theatre major, you do some acting, writing, backstage work, and producing as well as acting. I don’t know exactly how a lot of that balances out, but I do know that it is required that you work on a certain amount of shows, at minimum, doing backstage stuff, like the things you mention.
@thatrunnerkid Sorry, I meant I CAN act and can’t sing.
Ah, okay. You’d be fine at Northwestern. As far as I know you would not have to participate in any musical theater productions you didn’t want to participate in, and I also think you don’t at all need to take any classes in that sort of area either. You definitely want to check what I just said though.
You are not required to take the Acting Sequence, though most students do and given its emphasis on text analysis, as a budding playwright, you may decide you want to as well. You are not required to take any MT courses or participate in any MT productions. There is a required year-long introductory course (Theatre in Context) for all freshman Theatre majors; one of the requirements of this course is that you do tech (lighting, set design, costume design, etc) for one production during one quarter. And there is a production crew requirement during sophomore year.
Since your goal is playwrighting, I don’t think your lack of experience in acting or the tech end of productions would be held against you by Admissions reviewers. I would recommend that you talk about your work writing plays/scenes on the Common App. And if you have a chance to organize a staged reading of one of your plays or a sample of your work, that would be great.