More to Theater than Meets the Eye
by Cassie LeBel
Theater is about more than just entertainment. From acting to engineering there’s a job for just about everyone in the theater industry. At Cape Cod Community College (4Cs) there are multiple opportunities for students to get involved in theater whether that be on stage or behind the scenes. In doing so students will pick up a broader set of experiences that they can apply to a number of different majors.
“There are business leaders out there who specifically look for theater degrees in students,” said Assistant Technical Director at the Tilden Arts Center Kendra Murphy.
Murphy said that being a part of theater teaches students time management as well as creative thinking, which are not always skills that students are able to pick up in classes that are focused on one subject, such as Math or even English.
“The skills that you learn in theater be it acting on stage or being a technician are the soft skills that will transcend anything you do in any industry,” said Technical Director of Tilden Brian Rice. “And those [skills] are communication, collaboration and cooperation.”
Theater isn’t just about the actors.
“For every one person you see on stage there are two people backstage that you never see,” said Rice.
Marketing, architecture, and even physics are just a few of the degrees within the theater industry.
The Janus Players is the College’s drama club where students meet Wednesday’s at 2 PM in the Tilden Arts Theater to play improv games. It is a place where performing arts students can go to receive feedback on their work. At the meeting students also have the opportunity to discuss the current show performing at 4Cs, meet the cast and volunteer backstage.
“People are always welcome to be part of the crew for a show if they’re interested in production team positions,” Katelyn Moody, a student from the Janus Players. “They don’t always need to be a performing arts major.”
Volunteer opportunities are available backstage or as an usher for the upcoming show Dead Man’s Cell Phone by Sarah Ruhl. The show will be performed for two weekends, starting on October 25, Thursday through Sunday.
Vana Trudeau, one of three faculty advisors to the Janus Players alongside Rice and Murphy, described the show as “a hysterical-absurd comedy” which tells the story of a young woman who finds the cell phone of a dead man and decides to try and resolve some of the relationships that he left behind.
“It’s an interesting way to explore how much of our interconnectivity is actually not personal but technological,” said Trudeau.
For students looking for an immersive dive into the theater industry 4Cs is hosting the Kennedy Center College Festival, taking place during the second week of classes in January. The festival will bring in college programs from New England and New York to offer workshops in musical theater, acting, playwriting, technical work and more.
Those interested in registering should contact Trudeau starting the first week of October.
Students who want to develop their skill sets are encouraged to swing by a Janus Players meeting or take advantage of the other theater opportunities that 4Cs has to offer this semester.
Categories: Arts & Entertainment,