When members of the theater and dance department posted a
list of Spring Quarter’s approved student-run cabarets last week, they did not
expect the backlash that it would ignite among the undergraduate student body.
Of the six greenlighted cabarets, only three are directed by undergraduates — a
figure that has motivated a group of students to petition the department chair
to offer them more directorial opportunities.
In addition to its quarterly production, the department also
approves a number of entirely student-run cabarets. The department gives the
approved cabarets a budget of $40 and allows student directors access to
rehearsal and performance space, as well as stage equipment.
This quarter, approximately 25 cabarets were submitted for
approval for the six available slots, according to department Production
Manager Michael Francis.
Francis and Facilities Manager Laura Manning selected the
cabarets this year. He said that decisions are not made on the basis of a
play’s artistic merit, but whether the department already possesses the
necessary resources to facilitate the show.
The fact that some students held auditions before anyone
knew which cabarets were going to be approved could have exacerbated
disappointment with the selection
process, Francis said.
With a large number of unapproved undergraduate cabarets,
some students have speculated that department administrators deliberately
rejected many of their proposals.
“Some people feel that this is the department reacting to
people not auditioning for its production,”
Kelly had already been cast in two cabarets not approved by the department.
Because the department play was a musical theater
production, not as many people tried out for it as usual, Kelly said.
However, department Chair Charlie Oates denied that the
department was attempting to punish undergraduates.
“There was simply more people than there were spaces for,”
he said. “That has nothing to do with it. I’m sorry if somebody has that
impression, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind as an explanation.”
Oates said that the surplus of graduate cabarets for Spring
Quarter is probably due to a higher number than usual of graduate applicants
than usual.
During the 2007-08 academic year, there were a total of 10
undergraduate cabarets to four graduate cabarets. The year prior, undergraduate
cabarets outnumbered their graduate counterparts 13 to five.
Additionally, undergraduates are often given performance
opportunities in graduate productions, Oates said.
Earl Warren College senior Raymond Castelan, an
undergraduate adviser for the department, said that Fall and Winter Quarters
usually have more slots for undergraduate cabarets because Spring Quarter is more
graduate-heavy.
“In reality, nothing was taken away, because nothing was
ever guaranteed,” he said.
Castelan said he doubted the decision was punitive, because
the people who select the cabarets for approval are staff, not faculty, and do
not have an interest in who tries out for the department play.
Graduate students used to perform the cabaret selection,
Castelan said, but the practice was discontinued because some graduate students
showed favoritism toward certain undergraduates.
However, Castalan said that the students whose cabarets were
not chosen are finding other venues for their work.
Kelly said the director of one of his cabarets is currently
scouting other on-campus locations to perform the play, while the other was
canceled.
junior Madeleine Allen said that some students were upset because the nature of
the selection — with half of the chosen plays being directed by graduate
students — created the impression that the department was disregarding its
undergraduates.
According to Allen, the department did not approve the
full-length show she was directing due to high production costs. However, she
does not believe that the department’s actions were punitive.
Instead, she cited a lack of communication within the
department as the reason for the discord. For instance, during a recent town
hall meeting at which performance opportunities for undergraduates were
discussed, Francis and Manning were not present.
“The two people who made the decision are completely
disconnected from the situation,” Allen said.
Castelan, however, said he believes that the department
communicates well internally, but people have to know where to find the
information.
was also directing a rejected cabaret, agreed that better communication is
needed within the theater department.
She said that she feels there will also be positive outcomes
of the controversy, because it demonstrates students’ passion for cabarets.
“Ultimately, I think a lot of good will come from this,
because it shows the department how much energy and interest there are in
people wanting to practice their art,” she said.
