| Northwestern places heavy emphasis on liberal arts. You are admitted by virtue of academic rigor and talent. So, basically, yes, they only look at your academics...and whatever else you tell them in your application for admissions.
I applied for theatre, too. I've heard it's quite difficult to get accepted. I just visited NU and took two tours...the general NU tour and the theatre department tour. From what I gathered, it seemed like a wonderful program for aspiring theatre artists. However, if a strict conservatory training environment is more your style than a liberal arts school, NU is probably not the best bet.
Good luck in everything! =] | 
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