The UE theatre department features four mainstage and two studio productions a year, many taking place at Shanklin Theatre, which features a 482-seat thrust stage design extending into the audience on three sides. UE students have been invited to perform at The Kennedy Center more often than any other school in the nation, and the department has participated in the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival program since its inception in 1968.[9] It also leads the nation in the top awards for its students as awarded by The Broadway Theatre Wing and other governing bodies of serious theatre.[10] UE's alumni frequently star in television and film roles.