"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the
most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of
what it is to be a human being." -Oscar Wilde. Theatre is more than
an art form and certainly more than just an experience to be had. An
immediate issue that I have been helping to fight as we speak would be saving
Albany State University's Theatre Program. As an Alumni of this program it
would be absolutely remiss of me to not be an advocate and voice for
how this program has made a huge impact on my life. Through this program I
found myself as an artist and was able to tap into talents that I had no idea I
possessed! I could literally rant about the benefits this program has bestowed
upon my life, which is why this subject is very important, personal, and dear
to me!
There
have been several justifications to why cutting this program would be in the
best interest for Albany State University. Some reasons include lack of
theatre faculty members, lack of needed theatre space, and supposedly
stagnant results from graduates. When I first arrived at Albany State we only
had two theatre faculty members and 15 theatre majors. Although we only had two
faculty members, they were able to equip us with all the tools we needed to be
successful theatre practitioners. Upon leaving Albany State we had 5
theatre faculty members and over 39 theatre majors. I would have to agree
that the lack of theatre space is a huge issue. There's a theatre space located
in our auditorium, but unfortunately that space is available to whomever wants
it. This shared space causes the theatre program to not have its own dedicated
rehearsal space and performance venue. We also had to cram all props and
costumes in a small closet located in a totally different building across
campus. I’ve list these issues not to validate the choice to cut the theatre
program, but rather to encourage a resolution to them. The thought that this
theatre program produces graduates who aren’t successful after graduating is
absolutely ridiculous. This program produced some of the most talented actors,
singers, and dancers in the southwestern region of Georgia. Their work spoke
volumes for them during undergrad and continues to speak for them today.
Our
protest would first occur through a direct-action rally. I would invite current
theatre majors, alumni who graduated from the program, prospective theatre
majors, the entire student body, the Albany community, Faculty and Staff,
representatives from the University System of Georgia (Southwestern Region),
and definitely the media. We would reach out to all news stations, local and
regional newspapers, and several popular radio stations. The rally would start
off by addressing the proposal of cutting the program. We would thoroughly
outline all reasons for this proposal. It would be easy to throw other programs
under the bus, but instead we will focus on what makes our program so
fantastic. We would do this by transitioning to the second part of the rally,
which would be showcasing the talent that this program fosters. It would be encompassed
of monologues, scene work, musical performances, technical design examples
(lights, sound, sets), and dance from current theatre majors. We would then
allow alumni graduates to share their undergraduate experiences since we are products
of the program. Current/past grad school students, current professional actors,
singers, dancers, directors, and technical designers would deliver these
testimonials. Hopefully through the artistic showcase and testimonials, the
audience and powers that be will be moved and aware of why they should keep the
program. We’d end the rally by proposing enhancements that could move the
program to the next level. The Ray Charles Foundation donated 3 million dollars
to Albany State University over a decade ago. These funds were to be used to
progress the fine arts specifically the music and theatre program. Instead
these funds were used to build dorms, enhance the honors program and give
presidential scholarships. This misuse of funds has not only caused Albany
State University a huge lawsuit, but it’s a key reason for why the proposal to
cut the theatre program is on the table now.
Hopefully
this rally would cause a reversal in the proposal, but if not we would go the
passive aggressive route by showing up to the University System of Georgia
Headquarters and stage a nonviolent sit-in throughout the executive offices. We
would once again invite the media. We would know that both forms of protest are
over when we are promised that the proposal to cut the theatre program will be
re-evaluated. Not only would it have to be re-evaluated, but we’d also have to
be updated on the progression to possibly reversing it!
