After wandering in the wilderness of academia for 20-plus years, I finally declared myself a theatre major at the University of Alaska Anchorage. I’ve been reflecting on that 1981 decision since recent news of the elimination of the university’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
My first class, Intro to Theatre, was taught by Prof. Michael Hood, one of the founders of the theatre program in the 1970s.
I wrote my first one-act play in that class. With the guidance of UAA’s Prof. Leroy Clark, within a few years, another of my plays was done in New York by theater company Works by Women. Eventually, I wrote a couple dozen plays, won some awards and had a few productions in Alaska and Outside. That writing experience led directly to my long career as a local theater critic, journalist and editor at local newspapers, and 10 years as the founder and co-host of KSKA’s Stagetalk.
So here’s a bit of what I learned as a theatre major, which actually is a hands-on discipline in history, literature, communications, behavioral psychology, art, design, speech, poetry — and wood shop (I have a scar on my right leg from an errant Skilsaw while building a set. I got stitched up across the street in the Providence ER, and returned to afternoon dance class.)
The art of theatre is really about the art of being human, the essence of a liberal arts education. Although the community is much poorer for the UAA program’s demise, this is not an obituary; it is a celebration of the life that the theatre program brought to Anchorage. A vibrant theater scene (seeded by UAA) continues to live on in our town.
— Catherine Stadem
Anchorage
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