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B.4.c The SPU University
Players.
A distinctive feature of the University Theatre’s schedule is the
touring program of the SPU University Players.
A standing performance group designed specifically for touring purposes
is seldom a part of the curriculum for larger public universities, and,
unfortunately, exists all too seldom on private school campuses. This may be an outcome of a perception in
larger programs that too few students can be served by the experience and, for
the smaller institutions, that the expense cannot be justified. Seattle Pacific, however, supports such a performance ensemble, and has done so officially since 1970.
A Brief History:
The SPU Players begins with the commitment by President
C. Dorr Demaray to establish a drama production program at Seattle Pacific
College. A few “safe” plays had been mounted on campus
in the mid-1950’s, and what was then the Department of Speech (now
Communication) took to offering on 3-credit course called “The Theory and
Practice of Play Production.” In the
course of a single quarter members of the class, with only superficial advice
from the professor, selected a play script to produce, sent for the scripts,
cast, rehearsed, designed and completed the production elements and performed
before sizable student and faculty audiences. Dr. Demaray, a former English professor, had greater plans for drama on
campus, and in 1961 hired an eager young soul—yes, that’s our beloved James
Chapman—to teach the theory and practice course three times a year, along with three sections of public speaking,
three sections of oral interpretation, one offering of voice and articulation,
and one section of group discussion techniques. Yearly! These were the beginnings
of the present theatre program.
The first thing to change was the
structure of the “Theory and Practice” course.
No longer did the class do the selecting of scripts or the casting or
the directing. The productions, however,
were still largely built and rehearsed quarter to quarter by students enrolled
in the course or volunteering their
assistance. This kind of madness has
been called “the theatre of human sacrifice” and “nuts-o theatre.” Not the best of circumstances, to say the
least, but due to Dr. Demaray’s endorsement the institution had three
productions a year—one of the very few Christian colleges at the time so
committed.
In the mid-60’s the Alumni
Director caught the direction of the President’s favor and negotiated to
“commission” plays to tour to area alumni rallies. These productions were, of course, uncredited overload for
both students and director, but were assembled out of the conviction that a
wider exposure would at once enhance the fledgling program and help satisfy the
zeal of performers and director for bringing theatre to the campus and church
communities. This decision was, for the
institution, a risky move since the theatre (and especially movies) was
considered forbidden fruit by a perceived majority of the support base. The institutional catalog in 1963 still
carried these injunctions: “no smoking,” “no alcohol,” “no dancing,” “no
attending the theatre.” The Big
Four. Although “no superfluous
adornment” (meaning jewelry and make up) had just been deleted from
institutional rules, pool tables were still banned, probably from their strong
association with taverns. For the
college, therefore, to actively promote the development of theatre was a bold
move for the time.
When the alumni rallies endorsed
the plays presented—careful script choices illustrated positive moral influence was achievable by
drama as well as music—the college
Church Relations people
became emboldened, and in 1965 the Seattle Pacific College Chancel Players were
legitimized. Funding covered
transportation and minimal production preparation costs only, with no
scholarships, and this expenditure was expected to be reimbursed by taking
“collections” in the churches.
The Chancel Players productions
were designed to be just that: plays presented by players in the chancel of a
church. The variety of production
settings encountered by the group focused the emphasis of the presentations on
language and modified formal blocking.
No scenery could easily be carted along, nor lighting equipment
(although we tried early on), and sound equipment had not yet come of age; the
wire recorder was still in use, with reel-to-reel magnetic tape only in its
beginning stages. Not available on our
budget at least. Thus the style of
production adopted by the “Chancels” was one heavily influenced by a new
emphasis in theatre circles at that time: Story Theatre. Not really so new, obviously, since
story-theatre is at the roots of the art, but distinctive at least in an era
which knew only full-blown productions.
Story-Theatre is distinguished by
its sheer theatricality, its absence of scenic and lighting support, and its
reliance on hand props and actor attitudes to set the scene. It consists of one or more actors telling a
story and illustrating that story physically, most often by employing unusual
and attractive movements and body configurations. It is reminiscent of mime as much as it is
oral story telling, and in fact combines the two into something seemingly new
as the physical movement cleverly both illustrates and comments on and often
contradicts the words. The form reached
its apotheosis in the early 1970’s with the commercial popularity of the
musical Godspell.
Anyway, it was theatre on the
cheap, and was quickly picked up by the counterculture movement as a means
through which anybody could have direct access to theatrical art. It was fresh in that it needed to
simultaneously draw upon the active imagination of both the performers and the
audience to even work. It was
artistically significant and educationally sound in that it depended upon
unassisted acting to communicate its intentions. So we grabbed for it and have never really
given it up. Today’s University Players
are direct-line inheritors of the style.
The mid-1970’s saw the
introduction of modest scholarships for the performers, funded by the Church
Relations Office in much the same way it was supporting the group that became
the SPU Singers. In those days also
began the Spring break tour, one year the cast even traveling as far as Hawaii. Professor Scranton was directing the group in
the 1970’s and 1980’s, and instituted the policy of the original script, many
of which he wrote, when it became all too obvious that the style of production
we desired was not available in other ways.
Today’s group continues that tradition through the creation of scripts
principally through improvisation. Since the mid 1980s leadership of the University Players have come from the ranks of Players alums, such as Nolo Augustson, Patti Williams, Afarin and Eric Morgan, Esther Williamson, Josiah Wallace, and Joshua Hornbeck.
In recent years the group has written and performed separate shows for school presentations and church presentations. As a consequence the name has been changed to the SPU University Players. Whatever the name, and whatever the audience emphasis, the group remains a distinctive part of our mission, one by which we seek to both express spiritual concerns through our art and explore communication through spare theatrical formats.
The Players have stayed around as
long as they have because the purposes
of the group were and are significant to the university. The intention since the beginning has been to
make the enterprise serve the institution, the student, and our audiences. Longevity seems to indicate success.
The institution, of course, is interested in using the Players to
support its recruitment efforts. Over
the years is has become apparent that the group is a cost-effective way of
reaching potential students (and parents) in a manner which is very direct and
puts those individuals into contact with actual SPU people rather than paper testimonials. The stacks of “contact cards” the company
returns to the institution after performances is extraordinarily important to
the Admissions Office, since they represent requests for information from
individuals who already have come into contact with the university’s
product. Of equal importance is the
notion that, wherever the Players perform, they represent the educational and
spiritual concerns of the institution in highly concrete ways. The themes of the plays and an excellence of
delivery both reveal the heart of the university in ways unapproachable
through a more passive print medium. Not
only do the Players help in student recruitment, but assist in setting a tone
which attracts financial donors and also reassures the university’s diverse
constituencies of faithfulness to its spiritual and educational mission.
The value of the Players
experience for the student is
obvious to the 150 or so who have participated in it. It has provided them with a tremendously
value opportunity for creating ensemble, sharing artistry and personal
relationships in an unusual way.
Performing with the same small
group of people over several months teaches one lessons in anticipation, focus,
rhythm, timing, and control of audience which goes far beyond what can be
learned through participation in a single—or even several—fully staged
productions. Additionally, the
requirements of touring provides lessons in adaptation, spontaneity,
discipline, and, yes, patience unobtainable in any other way. Players become adept at “rolling with the
punches.” an extremely valuable trait for actors, professional or not. And third, nowhere else in our discipline do
we regularly create and produce original scripts, a process which, in this
case, demands both self-assuredness, heightened creativity, and subjugation to
group process.
At the heart of the Players
efforts all these years has been audience
contact. The intention of all the
productions created by the group over the years has been serious communication
cloaked in attractive entertainment, refined themes presented in arresting
parables, and performances motivated by a sense of mutual sharing. Pompous as these intentions may sound,
audiences have (nearly) always responded with glad acceptance, apparently
sensing the good intentions and attitude of selfless sharing which lies behind
them. A tradition of strong story
telling, a focus in relevant issues, and a direct and entertaining performance
style have won the support of audiences over the years. They recognize in the Players program the
intention of earnest communication through a product that lies somewhere
between preaching and a theatrical revue.
It’s a difficult combination, but somehow we continue to achieve it.
Casting for roles in the
University Players are held in the spring for the following school year. The group is expected to report to campus for
the week before classes begin in order to get a good start at developing
ensemble and a script. A production
approximately 30 to 40 minutes in length must be ready to perform by early
November. Many years have seen the
development of two scripts by the end of Winter quarter. A total of approximately fifty performances
will be made during the academic year, this number counting multiple
performances in the same venue. A Spring
Break tour is usually scheduled (as the shifting date of Easter allows), and
ordinarily sees the group traveling out of State. A “home” performance in the chapel schedule
usually falls just before or after Spring Break.
Individuals cast in the University
Players must not only be strong actors, but also demonstrate a capable singing
voice and strong movement potential.
They must show a strong imagination and the ability to apply the same in
creative ways toward the end of clear and delightful communication. And, of great importance, they must indicate
the ability for ensemble and the forbearance to deal with themselves and
others in close personal circumstances.
Especially in that van! Being
discretely sociable really helps. After
that, casting is just a matter of personality and a valid driver’s license.
The university covers all
expenses, including costuming, other production expenses, pro-motion, printing,
travel, lodging, food allotment, and scholarships recently set at 40% of
tuition. Credit is available under a
University Players practicum number.
Next
Section: B5a:
Auditioning and Casting
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