Dear Friends:
Happy spring! It’s truly a bittersweet season here, as we celebrate the activity of all our students and faculty, even as we prepare to say goodbye to our graduates—22 undergraduate drama majors and nearly a dozen graduate designers, directors, actors, and PhDs. In a month and a half, we’ll proudly wave them on, even as we eagerly watch to see what they’ll make of what they’ve learned here.
For me, approaching the end of my first year at the School of Drama, I’m coming to understand not only the depth of talent here, but the cycles of our training, how the coursework compounds, how the productions play off each other. I’ve watched our world-class faculty fine-tune their offerings and model a kind of devotion to learning and growth that may be the greatest lesson any school can offer.
Even as we wrap one year—and we’re not there yet!—we’re planning for the momentous next year. 2015-16 will be a different kind of season of celebration: the School of Drama’s 75th Anniversary. In the next few weeks, we’ll announce a season unlike any I’ve seen before or been a part of. In production and public scholarship, the development of new work, and the expansion of our activities to include neighboring organizations, other schools and departments, and the vibrant Seattle theatre community, we will be building bridges throughout the region during a year of theatrical activity.
It’s April and we’re seeding the anniversary year: hundreds of our students tackling more than two dozen plays in collaboration with 15-plus living playwrights and a dozen professional companies. All capped off by a giant alumni reunion. Watch for it!
Yours in Hutchinson Hall,
Todd