Released: May 21, 1999
Centre drama program has another big year
DANVILLE, KY -- For the second year in a row, the Centre College academic program in the dramatic arts is having success sending its graduate on to jobs with theatre companies and arts programs.
According to Tony Haigh, associate professor of dramatic arts, Centre took 15 students to the Southeastern Theater Conference (SETC) this year, where some of them garnered as many as 25 interviews and five job offers. As a result, virtually all of the senior theatre students now have jobs for the upcoming year, and several juniors obtained jobs in summer stock.
Haigh says SETC is a combination conference and job fair, attracting close to 1,000 students and several dozen theatre companies seeking actors, scenic designers and arts administrators. The competition is fierce, and the success of Centre's seniors reflected the quality of their preparation.
One of the seniors, John Hickman of Nashville, will join the resident theater company at Barter Theater in Abingdon, Va., in acting and technical work. Andrea Reynolds of Feds Creek will work with the Virginia Stage Company in arts management for the summer and then will join the Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival. West Hiler of Margate, Fla., will perform with the Lexington Shakespeare Festival this summer, and in the fall he will begin full-time work with the Warehouse Theater in Greenville, S.C. Sara Whallon of Madisonville has been named educational outreach director with Art of Kids, an arts organization based in Danville, Ky.
Two other dramatic arts graduate in this year are pursuing different paths. Chalyn Fayard of Denham Springs, La., will pursue advanced study and plans a career in veterinary medicine, and Tom DuMontier of Jackson, Miss., plans a year of travel.
Haigh says the dramatic arts program at Centre is achieving success by providing a mix of strong classroom instruction, participation in high-quality productions and careful mentoring by individual professors. Faculty members also work closely with students on resumes, portfolios and audition techniques.
The Centre dramatic arts program is based in the college's Norton Center
for the Arts.
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Communications Office
Centre College
600 W. Walnut Street
Danville, KY 40422
Coordinator of Public Information: Patsi Barnes Trollinger
Telephone 606-238-5719 · trllngrp@centre.edu