Next Generation: Josh Werre

The passion that theatre performance breeds is a habit that can be difficult to evade. And University of Sioux Falls (USF) junior and theatre studies major Josh Werre knows this firsthand.

“It’s been really great learning about theatre—things I never knew before—and getting to meet so many more people who were so passionate about what they were doing,” Werre said of his time with the USF theatre department. “It’s so great to have people see your art and see what you’re passionate about.”

Josh Werre (right) performs as part of the cast of Ruby at University of Sioux Falls. (Submitted Photo)

Most recently, Werre has performed in an original, student-written production of the play Ruby, as well as USF’s fall production of The Addams Family: The Musical. But his pursuits in the past couple years on campus have gone well beyond the confines of the stage.

Helping to get the Coo Cinema Club off the ground alongside fellow student Apolonia Davalos has been a major passion project for the young performer. This included working on short film projects and collaborating in tandem with the theatre department once the COVID-19 pandemic made in-person theatre a challenge.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s really rewarding in the end,” Werre said of his work with the club on a multi-camera, audience-less stream of the play The Shakers of Mount Lebanon Will Hold a Peace Conference This Month. “All the logistics you don’t think about until you start doing it—it takes a lot more out of you than you’d think.”

But the group’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed—not only did Shakers receive a Sioux Falls Stage Award for “Best Play or Musical (Collegiate)” in summer 2021, but Coo Cinema Club received special distinction for its efforts to help creatively and safely keep theatre alive through the pandemic.

When he’s not behind the camera, Werre enjoys performing—particularly in musicals. The immersive experience he had as part of the Addams Family cast was something he’d been craving for a long time.

“Getting to play characters that people don’t necessarily see me as or are very different from myself,” he said, “is always a lot of fun.”

That love of musical theatre sprung to life in high school for Werre, who grew up in an elementary setting without any particular theatre or choral program.

“My freshman year of high school I tried out for the one-act play and then the spring musical, and they were both such great experiences,” he said. “Having that experience and getting to meet more people, getting more comfortable on stage—a blast. I loved it.”

And since following that passion to campus and honing his acting, singing and, more recently, playwriting abilities, he’s started to really take pride in what theatre can offer a person’s life.

“With theatre, there’s always a sacrifice you have to make, which isn’t always the easiest thing to do,” Werre said. “In the moment, you might ask yourself why you’re doing it, but 99 percent of the time the cost is always worth it. To push through and strive for excellence.

“You’ll be proud of not settling.”

So what’s next for Werre as he anticipates life after USF? Though his academic plans also include work in media studies and art, he definitively sees performing arts playing a role in his future, whether career-wise or extracurricular.

“Theatre gives you the ability to self-reflect,” he said. “It makes us look inward and ask questions about ourselves, realizing things about ourselves that we may not have known before.

“I just enjoy the whole process.”