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The past year has been a year of introspection, renewal and planning as the Art, Communications, Music and Theatre departments came together to form a new school. After examining the many connections that already existed among our departments and exploring the possibilities for future interdisciplinary work, we concluded that this new identity would formalize what has been happening for a number of years. The Theatre Department is now part of the School of Communication, Media and the Arts. We will, of course, maintain our individual identity as we explore and develop new points of contact and collaboration. Currently we are working with an interim Dean (Fritz Messere, formerly Chair of Communications). Julie Pretzat, who was Chair of the Music Department, is the interim Associate Dean. A search for a new Dean of the School will commence in fall 2008. The new school helps to consolidate and promote the presence of the Arts and Communications on campus and regionally. We have many interdisciplinary connections across campus and we will continue our involvement in General Education and with such programs as English Writing Arts (New Voices) and the School of Business (Arts Management Minor).
The year in academics and production was most rewarding. Our main stage season reflected a strong international/global perspective with offerings that included Shakespeare (Twelfth Night), a retelling of a classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale (The Glass Coffin), the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House (in a translation by Irish playwright Frank McGuiness) and the American Musical Cabaret, which depicts the decadence and dislocation of German society of the late 1920's. Cabaret was the offering for the 49th Annual Drama Festival on May 2nd. Approximately 420 students were in attendance.
We also welcomed back several alumni for various activities. Erica Sodos ('91) presented workshops on physical theatre and clowning for our students and Drama Festival participants. Robin Curtis ('78) returned to campus to present her one-woman show, A Good Girl: The Sexual Odyssey of a Fifty-One Year Old Woman in November in Waterman Theatre. Cindy Ludwig ('87), professional make-up and wigs specialist designed wigs and make-up for A Doll's House, February 2008 and taught THT 145 students how to style and duplicate make-up for the production run. She also taught a master class for the public.
Our connection with the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival continued this past year and I am happy to tell you that senior Nick Miller's scene design for The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek, the 2007-08 Honors Production was chosen by KCACTF Region II to compete at the national level. Nick was awarded the 3rd Place in the National Scene Design Competition at the KCACTF National Festival in April (Kennedy Center, Washington, DC).
I am also thrilled to report that our newest department scholarship has reached the endowment level, due to the ambitious fundraising of our Los Angeles group of alumni. As I have reported in the newsletter in the past, the LAker Effect Cabaret has showcased our alumni talent at the M Bar in LA and raised funds for this new scholarship.
I know you will enjoy reading about fellow alumni in this issue. We have a great deal to celebrate here in the program and in the careers and accomplishments of our alumni. We appreciate your loyalty. Welcome to our new on-line newsletter format. And please keep in touch.
P.S. If you're feeling nostalgic, Tim Mollen ('91) reminded us that the entire archive of the Oswegonian (from 1935 - 2002) has been converted from microfilm to searchable pdf documents. You can look up that review of Love in Livery or Jeffrey, or a Shoreliners profile by Jack Olcott at http://news2.nnyln.net/oswegonian/search.html
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