Kenyon College Dramatic Club

From KCpedia

Contents 1 About 2 History 3 Season 4 Types of Productions 4.1 Senior Theses 4.2 Faculty-Directed 4.3 Dessert Theatre 4.4 Dance Concerts 5 Seminars 6 Points and Membership 6.1 Points 6.2 Membership 6.3 Rewards 7 External Links

About

The Kenyon College Dance and Drama Club, or KCDC, is directly affiliated with the Kenyon College Dance and Drama Department with the goal of encouraging Kenyon students to participate in theater and theater-related activities. KCDC is Kenyon's longest-running student organization (see Drama for further information).

KCDC shows are produced in the Bolton Theater and Hill Theater and directed by both students and faculty.

History

The Kenyon College Dramatic Club first appears in the College's records in 1895. It, along with the Puff and Powder Club, and the Sophomore and Senior classes, produced plays regularly during the early part of this century. In 1926, the faculty and alumni decided that they could no longer afford the time or resources necessary to produce these shows, so Puff and Powder was disbanded. The popularity of Puff and Powder and the class plays seems to have crowded the Kenyon College Dramatic Club off the Kenyon stage for several years. Performances recorded during the teens and 1920's were produced either by Puff and Powder or one of the classes. The tradition of the Senior Play continued until 1930.

A newly organized Drama Club began producing plays in 1931, and remained active through the early 1930's. In 1935, John W. Black joined the faculty to found the Department of Speech. Black was very interested in the theatre, so the curriculum of his new department included the College's first credited classes in Play and Production. He reorganized the Kenyon College Dramatic Club. The "KCDC," as well as the Play Production classes, performed plays in Rosse Hall, Nu Pi Kappa, Colburn Hall, the Church of the Holy Spirit, and Philomathesian Hall.

By the 1950s, Professor Black had left Kenyon and Professor of Speech and Dramatics James E. Michael single-handedly ran a department with an exclusively theatrical curriculum, a job that included directing plays. He was assisted by members of the Kenyon College Dramatic Club, which served (and still does) as the producer of faculty and student-directed productions.

Responding to demands by women students, who began arriving in Gambier in 1969, the department added non­credit dance classes to its offerings in 1971-1972. The department's name was officially changed to the Department of Dance and Drama in 1984, and the club's name, too, was adapted to better reflect the range of activities that it sponsors.

Season

KCDC has a full season each year with 3 faculty-directed shows, 2 dance concerts (which contain student-choreographed and faculty-choreographed pieces), and several student-directed senior thesis shows. Each KCDC production has plenty of room for participants, particularly in technical theater. They seek assistance from those majoring in dance or drama and those who are not and from those who are inexperienced and experienced.

The 2006-2007 season is a good example of any given production year for KCDC:

The Swan by Elizabeth Egloff
September 28 and 30, 2006
(Senior Thesis Production)

The Underpants by Carl Sternheim, adapted by Steve Martin
September 29 and October 1, 2006
(Senior Thesis Production)

Our Town by Thornton Wilder
October 19, 20, and 21, 2006
Directed by Professor Daniel Elihu Kramer

Kid Simple: A Radio Play in the Flesh by Jordan Harrison
November 10 and 11, 2006
(Senior Thesis Production)

Fall Dance Concert
December 7, 8, and 9, 2006

Scotland Road by Jeffrey Hatcher
January 25 and 27, 2007
(Senior Thesis Production)

Boston Marriage by David Mamet
January 26 and 28, 2007
(Senior Thesis Production)

Little White Lies (Les Fausses Confidences) by Marivaux, translated by Thomas S. Turgeon
February 1, 2, and 3, 2007
Directed by Professor Thomas Turgeon

Sly Fox by Larry Gelbart
Feburary 22, 23, and 24
(Dessert Theatre Production)

Antigone by Jean Anouilh, adapted by Lewis Galantiere
March 30 and 31, 2007
(Senior Thesis Production)

1984 by George Orwell, adapted by Andrew White
April 5, 6, and 7, 2007
Directed by Professor Jon Tazewell

Spring Dance Concert
May 3, 4, and 5, 2007

Types of Productions

Senior Theses

KCDC provides support for every senior thesis production. In order to complete the major, every Drama student must produce a work that culminates their experience and knowledge of the field. Most students choose to produce a show, but students who are interested in playwriting or design may choose to submit an original, full-length play or design for a Bolton faculty-directed show respectively. Those students who produce their own show can either direct or act. The cast size and scope of the plays are limited due to the nature of the project, usually 2-5 actors.

Senior theses must be presented by at least two students working together: individual prokects are discouraged. Every senior thesis show is presented in the Hill Theater. There are typically anywhere from 5-10 senior thesis shows a year.

Faculty-Directed

There are three faculty-directed shows a year: one during Parents' Weekend, one in the beginning of February, and one in late April/early May. These shows are directed and designed by members of the Drama faculty but the roles are cast from students who audition. Students may act or provide technical support in the form of production stage managers, assistant stage managers, and crew.

Faculty-directed shows are typically larger in cast size than senior thesis, about 10-20 people. All faculty-directed shows are produced in the Bolton Theater.

Dessert Theatre

During the beginning of the second semester, usually in February or early March, KCDC sponsors its annual Dessert Theatre production. These are the only shows put on outside of the Hill or Bolton Theaters, typically in the Black Box Theater (Old Bank Building). Student directors submit proposals for Dessert Theatre shows to KCDC and the show is then decided by majority vote of the KCDC Board.

Dessert Theatre is part refreshment, part show. Audience members purchase tickets that give them access to an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet (usually homemade goods prepared by students and faculty) after watch a play in the Black Box. Dessert Theatre shows are historically comedic in nature.

The proceeds collected benefit a charity of the director's choosing. Some past beneficiaries of Dessert Theatre have included the Knox County Humane Society, New Directions Women's Shelter, and Knox County Hospice.

Dessert Theatre is KCDC most popular event of the year.

Dance Concerts

Dance Concerts are held twice a year, and feature choreography by faculty, students, and sometimes a guest choreographer. Concerts tend primarily towards modern dance, though other forms are presented as well. Auditions for dance concerts are open only to students enrolled in a dance technique class for the semester of the show. Tech work, as on all KCDC shows, is open to any student.

Dance Concert auditions open with introductions and comments from the PSM, dance faculty, and student choreographers. After leading auditioners in warm-ups, which are not judged, choreographers will teach around three combinations. They will show the combination a few times, break it down a bit, and answer questions. The learning process is rather quick. Dancers then perform the combination in groups of 5-10, as the choreographers and faculty take notes. The show is cast immediately following the audition process, and the cast list will be emailed later that night.

The Fall Dance Concert always features the work of senior Dance majors fulfilling their coreography project for the senior exercise. Fall dance concerts are held in the Hill Theater, while Spring dance concerts are shown in the Bolton Theater.

Seminars

In 2005, KCDC introduced a series of seminars designed to explain certain aspects of the theatrical process to students who are new to the theatre or to students looking to broaden their knowledge of how different aspects work. Most of these seminars are be taught by students, though in some cases faculty members also give their time.

Some past KCDC seminars:

Movement Theater/Viewpoints -- Experiment with various movement methods, such as Suzuki, Anne Bogart's Viewpoints, Russian Movement, and other more unusual types of theatre.

Auditioning for plays at Kenyon -- learn what directors look for when casting shows. Usually taught by a Drama professor.

Lighting Technician/Electrician Skills -- learn the basics of theatre lighting and design

Sound Design and Computer Sound Editing -- learn the basics of sound design and gain instruction on using sound editing programs

Points and Membership

Points

KCDC points are KCDC's version of the program used by the Actors' Equity Union. They keep track of every hour that anyone works on a KCDC show -- including mainstage shows, senior thesis shows, and dance concerts. For every three hours that you work, you receive one point (up to a maximum of twenty-five). Literally every job on a show merits points: from ushering to stage managing.

Membership

By earning KCDC points, you can reach a series of levels of recognition for the time that you have spent working in the theater, including membership in the club. To earn membership, you need 40 points (120 hours) and you must have sufficiently diversified your time between at least two areas of production. For example, you could act and work on costumes, or hang lights and stage manage. But 40 points worth of only acting will not earn you membership in the club.

Membership in KCDC has many benefits, including the opportunity to vote for the club's officers and to have input into the shows for the upcoming season. The fall 2005 Parents' Weekend show, Twelfth Night was originally suggested by a KCDC member.

Rewards

KCDC points also serve as the way to acknowledge the time and hard work that people have done in the theater. Once you have achieved membership (40 points/120 hours), one star will appear in future productions' programs next to your name designating you as a member. After you have received 150 points (450 hours), you will have reached the level of Hill Player, and your name will have two stars in programs. Finally, if you receive over 250 points (750 hours), you will have reached the level of Bolton Player, marked by three stars in programs. In most years at Kenyon, though with exceptions, the graduating class has only one or two Bolton Players.

External Links

• KCDC website: http://kcdc.kenyon.edu