ISU Theatre and the Performing Arts celebrates the inspiring ability for the theatre to be a sanctuary of storytelling, engagement, empathy and wonder!
Over the last year, our program has experienced a season of significant change. On behalf of the entire department and community, we send well wishes to former Director of Theatre Jane Cox, former Production Manager Jim Trenberth and former Secretary Liese Vanderbroek. Liese was promoted to a new position in the Department of Computer Science, and Jane and Jim retired from ISU after many years of service to our program. We thank these great leaders for establishing a legacy of excellence and a strong foundation upon which we continue to build.
We are thrilled to welcome new faculty member Tiffany Antone, who teaches Acting and Oral Interpretation, and Assistant Professor of Theatre Cason Murphy, who teaches Musical Theatre, Acting and Intro to Performing Arts. Cason directed “Sense and Sensibility” as his ISU Theatre directorial debut!
In 2018, our new team collaborated on a new mission statement for ISU Theatre and Performing Arts: to empower citizen artistry by engaging students and the community in transformative theatre and performing arts experiences which examine the human condition, encourage lifelong learning, teach artistic skills, prepare professionals, inspire empathy, explore creativity, build relationships and embrace diversity.
The new mission’s flagship program, the ISU Theatre CoLab initiative, seeks to foster collaboration and engagement between ISU Theatre and other groups both within campus and throughout the broader community to create citizen artistry, inspire and be inspired by meaningful public discourse and expand opportunities for ISU students, faculty and staff. Recent CoLab partners include Parks Library, Ames Public Library, Career Services, the ISU Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the React Gallery and more.
Highlights of the last year include on-campus residencies with nationally renowned director Egla Birmingham Hassan and Co-Producing Artistic Director of the Rude Mechs Lana Lesley. In addition, ISU Theatre’s production of “Iphigenia” toured as an Invited Production to the Region 5 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
All of these initiatives, as well as new scholarships for students and professional development opportunities for faculty, are made possible by the incredible support from the new Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences Endowment’s Theatre Excellence Fund. ISU Theatre is truly grateful for this new funding’s power to create transformative, high impact experiences for our students, faculty and the community.
Brad Dell
Director of ISU Theatre