Skip to main content

Arts & Entertainment

Tell Me Your Story

Winter 2026
Nikash Khanna’s viral documentary series, Portraits, features informal interviews with people Khanna meets in his everyday life. His goal, he says, is to connect viewers with stories they might not otherwise encounter.

Get to know Khanna

Nikash Khanna stands in front of a concrete underpass. He wears dark jeans and a dark jacket and holds his camera in one hand.
Comedian Jenny Hagel ’09 MFA loves to give advice, so much she made a show about it, touring the country with Jenny Hagel Gives Advice, an interactive comedy where she and a guest answer audience questions. After her performance at Chicago’s Lincoln Lodge in September, Northwestern Magazine asked her for tips for making people laugh.

Tips from an expert

Jenny Hagel wears a brown leather jacket and black pants. She is sitting on a gray couch, pointing to a stack of three metal buckets beside her that are labeled “Financial Advice,” “Love Advice” and “Job Advice.”

One of a Kind

Winter 2026
The hilarious and easily recognizable Richard Kind ’78 is well known for playing brash and unorthodox characters on TV, such as Vince Fish on Only Murders in the Building and the insufferable Cousin Andy on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Get to know Kind

Richard Kind stands on the edge of a park bench with his arm outstretched as he leans over to his side, using his arm to brace himself against a streetlight on a stone walkway. He wears a white collared shirt and black slacks and is grinning at the camera. Trees are visible in the background.
Conceptual artist Renee Royale combines art and science in her photography by submerging Polaroid photos in lake and river water. The resulting images resemble abstract watercolor paintings.

Meet Royale

Artist Renee Royale stands at a table covered in Polaroids and jars of water; large works of art hang on the wall behind her.
Lee Wright ’87 MBA turned a curiosity about his 1780 home into a passion project for public history, leading him to found The Pursuit of History. His 10-year project offers immersive visits to historic sites, helping people understand both the prominent and everyday lives of American citizens.

Learn about the program

A man reenacting the American Revolution wears a red coat and black hat and is moving his arms in front of tombstones at a cemetery.

Table for 16?

Winter 2026
Shreena Amin is co-founder and CEO of Class Act + Nightcap, a fine-dining restaurant and speakeasy in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Launched in July 2025, the 16-seat restaurant features a single communal table and a 13-course dinner menu that changes every few months.

Get to know the restaurateur

In a room with dark gray walls, 16 off-white chairs surround a dark wood oblong table and a sculptural chandelier hangs above.
In 2025 Northwestern is celebrating milestone anniversaries for three premier music and theater venues on the Evanston campus. 

Learn more

A performer in a white costume with a red belt opens her arms to the audience.
While attending a service at a synagogue, Broadway playwright Michele Lowe ’79 realized she might be able to use her stagecraft skills in an unexpected way — to help rabbis connect with their congregations.

Learn about her journey

Michelle Lowe sits at a wooden table wearing a light blue button-up shirt.
The Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts’ production of Man of La Mancha put a timely twist on one of the world’s most frequently staged musicals. Directed by theater department chair Henry Godinez, the play was set not in a Spanish prison but in a modern-day detention center.

Experience the show

A view from up in the seating area of the Ethel Barber Theater, looking down at the stage, where actors are rehearsing. The stage is lit with white light, and the actors are out of focus. In the foreground is a backlit silhouette of Audrey Michael sitting at a table with computer screens and gadgets.
How would you describe the Mona Lisa or Dalí’s famous melting clocks painting to a toddler? Thanks to MuseKat, an app developed by Bethany Marzewski Crystal ’09, the answers are right at your fingertips.

Learn about the app

An illustration of Miko the Meerkat wearing a blue scarf and smiling.