Local Actor and Theatre Activist
Kate Bernstein '04
As a drama major and music minor, I spent a lot of my time in the Gibson Performing Arts Center. I devoted entire afternoons to singing through songs from my voice lessons and practicing for the Early Music Consort in the music practice rooms—and sometimes even in Dr. [Garry] Clarke's office. We rehearsed scenes in the green room for long hours, late into the night, only to return the next morning for a 9 a.m. carpentry work call in the shop. We cleaned Phoebes, the old black box theatre in the basement of Gibson, and then we were presented with a neat new small performance space right next to it. I think we created amazing things in that building, and I loved every minute of it. The wonderful thing about people involved in the arts is that physical limitations and restrictions never restrict their creativity. If we didn't have a space for a show, we found one. People used the loading dock at the back of the theatre, and we had classes outside on the steps on nice days. Tawes may be a little old and dowdy, but it was home for those of us consumed with a passion for music and theatre.
How fortunate tomorrow's students will be to have a wonderful new performing arts space. This center is exactly what Washington College needs right now. As the school strives to raise its profile among its liberal arts competitors and remain competitive for prospective students, the physical campus must reflect the quality of the academic experience offered here. This new facility will become a gathering place for students, faculty, alumni and friends to celebrate Washington College and the arts.
Think of all the plays, concerts and performances created in Tawes. Now consider how much more potential a modern performance center holds. With new facilities, students of the arts will have no restrictions on space or technical support. There were always scheduling conflicts for rehearsals in Tawes; if the Concert Series was using the stage and the green room, where could we rehearse? If a lecture were scheduled in Bill Smith, would there be a place for the Early Music Consort to meet on the music hallway? In the new performing arts center, there will be a place for everyone and everything. I can't wait for the drama and music professors to finally have a much-deserved opportunity to watch their students fully blossom into actors, technicians, musicians and artists over the course of four years, in a space equal to their creative talent.
Professor of Music
Garry Clarke, Chair, Department of Music
When I interviewed at Washington College in January 1968, I was given a tour of the brand new Fine Arts Center, as it was then called. Arriving in September of that year, I was assigned an empty office. Almost forty years later, that same office is cluttered with books, scores, recordings, and files. I think of the many marvelous students who came to that office to talk about music and endless other subjects. There was also a lot of music-making in that room, and many ear trainings! And there were also minor disasters, such as the day in the early 1990s when an entire wall of books came crashing down as one of my favorite music theory students was at the piano doing a keyboard assignment. Apparently there was something wrong with the way the bookcase had been attached to the wall. Or there may have been too many books!
The Daniel Z. Gibson Performing Arts Center, as it is now named, after a president of the College who had an intense interest in the arts and wanted them to succeed at Washington College, has many spaces that conjure up memories for endless numbers of students and professors. We drama and music people have made it our home. And when you have a home, you have memories.
With any home, forty years of use results in wear and tear. For quite a number of years, my office ceiling has looked as though it may suffer the fate of the falling bookcase. It is time for some home improvements. While I will feel strange having a temporary office in another building, I'm grateful that a new generation will have a beautiful, refurbished facility where study and performance will lead to new memories for future Washington College students and faculty.
Road Show
Molly Weeks '07
Senior English and drama major Molly Weeks spent much of last July rehearsing Sheri Wilner's Father Joy in the basement of Middle Hall—not because Gibson Performing Arts Center was under renovation, but because the minimalist space more closely imitated the venue she was allotted in Scotland for her traveling senior thesis production. She and her cast of four took their show on the road, performing the work of one of today's best emerging playwrights at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world. Kate Amann '06, who studied in Scotland two years ago, is Molly's production manager. "It was her idea to take the show to the Fringe," Molly says. "In August, the entire city turns into performance space. It's really exciting to be a part of that."
The Washington College ensemble performed Father Joy "about 20 times" in Greyfriar's Kirk House, a small venue for student groups. "It was perfect because the show demands a small, intimate space." Back in Chestertown in early September, Molly staged her senior thesis once more at Church Hill Theatre.
"Because we do so many shows each semester, it's been hard to find rehearsal space," she says. And the physical limitations of Tawes Theatre—from outdated lighting and acoustical systems to no electrical outlets at the front of the stage—have sometimes taxed her patience. But like her fellow classmates, she has taken those limitations in stride.
"I really like that the department is small and you get to do everything associated with staging a show," she says. "We had an active theatre department at my high school, but when I came to Washington College I didn't know anything about building sets or designing lights. I've learned so much more than I imagined."
The actor/stage manager/director/dramaturg is excited at the prospect of a new space that will fit the needs of today's creative students. "We'll be able to do so much more," she says. "I want to come back after I graduate to see what's going on in the experimental theatre. Next year, with Tawes offline, will definitely be a challenge, but it's good because it will encourage us to try new things."
The Gold Standard
April Lindevald '77
We asked April Lindevald '77, a professional musician, to reflect on her educational experience at Washington College.
When I landed my first professional singing job with a renowned choral group that recorded, toured and had several Grammies under its belt, I was surprised to find I was already familiar with most of the first season's broad-ranging repertory; I had already sung it at Washington College! I found I also had the skills to read what I did not know as quickly as many of the seasoned veterans, and the stamina to withstand long hours of rehearsal and nightly performances. The stagecraft I learned in Tawes Theatre also gave me a solid foundation to rely upon as a professional performer through years of concertizing, and later in theater and opera chorus. I found myself ahead of the crowd at almost every step in my career path because of the education I had received at Washington College. Knowledge of languages, mathematics, form, historical and literary references and cultural trends were invaluable to me. I learned how to work toward a goal with diligence and determination, how to open my mind to the new and unfamiliar, and how to be a good team player, cooperating and compromising for the sake of a greater end—these are not only career skills, but life skills, transferable to almost any arena. They have served me well throughout the years.
How could little Washington College be responsible for so much of my success? The secret lay in a caring faculty, passionate and knowledgeable in their disciplines and willing to spend personal time and attention on the individual student. Add to that a lively classroom atmosphere; a rich and varied array of extracurricular activities which afforded us many opportunities for growth, performance, leadership and creativity; and flexible programming tailored to the talents and aspirations of the individual; this an extraordinary recipe for excellence!
A state-of-the-art facility can only add a new dimension to what has always been a gold standard in arts education. I am overjoyed that tomorrow's music and drama students at WC will enjoy the same quality education I had, but in a modern, spacious and well-equipped building. I applaud the patrons, donors, leaders and decision makers of our beloved alma mater for putting a high priority on quality arts education, and supporting a program that produces both excellent professional and avocational artists, and ultimately, better citizens of the world! Thank you, Washington College, with all my heart, and may your rich traditions long continue.