No academic theater has ever existed at Georgetown before. For the past 150 years, student theater has filled this gap by building a rich history and proud identity. In the past three years, Georgetown has finally committed itself to the arts and created an academic theater program with a brand new performing arts complex. On the surface, University support for the arts is an entirely positive thing – so why are students concerned?
To understand the issues raised by Georgetown’s new Program in Performing Arts (PPA), a theater history crash course is helpful.
In student theater, students are entirely responsible for creating and producing a season— shows are student-managed, directed, designed and overseen. Two faculty mentors keep an eye on the process, but power is in students’ hands, providing a unique learning environment. The same student can manage budgets, weld iron and harmonize. Beyond skill, students learn to be true leaders – responsible, respectful and understanding of each other. The results are innovative, engaging performances and students who emerge with increased maturity, satisfaction and creativity.
Student theater does have its downsides: students are under- funded, under-staffed and often unprepared. Professionalism and accountability can fall by the wayside when there are no real consequences. While hands-on learning is priceless, you can’t learn everything by doing. The lack of any formal training hurts us.
This is where PPA comes in. With their state-of- the- art theater, incredible resources and professional connections, PPA gives Georgetown theater the chance to be truly astonishing. Georgetown will finally have a theater major, tenured arts professors and help for students who want to pursue the arts after college. Already, new faculty and courses provide opportunities for growth. From theater history classes to clowning workshops, students can finally study what they already love to do. PPA catchwords accurately portray the multitude of options they provide: the program is inter- disciplinary and multi- faceted, and will continue to expand its offerings each year.
With all these new resources, it seems hard to understand why students would complain, but the administration’s policies have raised some legitimate concerns about how PPA will impact the survival of student theater.
Theater is more than the people you see on stage, and this year PPA’s designers, directors, producers, technical directors and stage managers have been professionals. If the students who traditionally fill these roles want to work on a PPA show, they can either accept assistant positions or build the work of others. This is where the “worker ant” mentality comes into play (so-termed by the Voice in its January 19 editiorial) – if gifted student designers want to work on a PPA show, it can only be under a professional’s vision and supervision. For now, this is a rational plan: in its first year, PPA needs to learn to run their own theater before students are allowed to fill leadership roles. However, to the best of our knowledge, there hasn’t been any direct suggestion that students will be allowed to resume coveted positions in future PPA seasons.
Students are also concerned for the future of student theater clubs at Georgetown. Student theater cannot possibly compete with PPA’s resources, and it’s hard to envision a future where they wouldn’t need to. Imagine how Corp members would feel if Georgetown opened a Safeway next to Vital Vittles. This year, the worry has been aggravated by the earlier dates of PPA auditions, as this allows the department to get the pick of the crop. Student theater groups are coping with less manpower and more stress.
Finally, much of student theater’s draw is its autonomy. Georgetown’s insistence not just on supervision but control within the new space can be frustrating. Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society is the oldest student theater group in the nation; the administration’s stance that students can never have un-chaperoned access to their theater seems condescending.
Once students understand the new space and equipment, why can’t they be trusted to use it? A compromise could be reached with the Georgetown administration which would allow student theater groups in the space following mandatory training, coursework or former collaboration experience. It will be unfair if the administration’s current hard- line policy continues beyond the program’s formative years.
Here’s the worst case scenario: excellent student theater will disappear. PPA, with its resources and expertise, will be the only place for quality theater at Georgetown, while student clubs will become a place for socializing and fun. A unique tradition of student independence, leadership, cooperation and creativity will be permanently lost.
We don’t think this will happen, but the concern, conscious or unconscious, is there and it fuels some of the competition and hostility.
Herein lies the key problem: both sides are approaching this relationship incorrectly. PPA exists for students. A student “us vs. them” mentality ignores caring professors and mentors and chooses to scorn possibilities rather than cooperate. The new space also demands a new level of responsibility and professionalism from students — there are legitimate reasons why students might not be ready yet. At the same time, the university’s bureaucratic desire to establish themselves and impress the outside world limits student opportunities.
In an ideal future, both student theater groups and PPA will flourish. The growing visibility of theater will attract more students to Georgetown who will make all forms of theater sustainable. PPA’s shows, classes, and mentorship will spark a new level of creativity and freedom in student theater as well. Students who wish to continue in the arts will be on equal standing with graduates of well-respected universities when they graduate. Collaborations will continue. Allegiances will disappear.
Things are getting better, not worse. Leadership from both sides is trying hard to solve issues instead of aggravate them. The PPA season thus far has been a success on- and off-stage— and student theater continues to thrive.
