In high school, getting to know new teachers used to be a
critical part of the fall. Then came college, where students often
enroll in lectures with hundreds of other students, diminishing the
importance of teacher-student relationships. But not for students
in the Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program.
Musical theater students say strong relationships with
professors are crucial to their education. This year, they must
adjust to a new a vocal program led by Jeremy Mann, after some say
they were forced to say goodbye to three vocal professors last
spring.
Gary Busby, Karen Morrow and Nancy Dessault were hired as
adjunct professors to teach singing technique in the vocal
department, said Ray Bolger Chairman Bill Ward. Last spring, three
weeks before the end of the quarter, students were shocked when
they learned these three would not be returning in the fall.
“The musical theater students pulled together and wrote a
petition and handed it to the dean, Robert Rosen, saying we were
very upset and we needed to be told why three of our best
professors were let go,” said fourth-year musical theater
student Paul Peglar.
According to Ward, these changes are purely budgetary, as the
school could not afford to renew the contracts of the professors.
But months later, there is still a general sense of confusion and
frustration among students regarding the loss of their
professors.
“When it happened, the musical theater students found out
that (Busby), (Dessault), and (Morrow) got fired because of
politics within the theater department that were both
administrative and personal, although we were told it was a
budgetary issue within department,” Peglar said.
Other students in the program echoed Peglar’s sentiments.
But Ward emphasized that the professors were not fired, as they
were adjunct professors. Rather, the school could not afford them.
Sixty percent of the musical theater faculty are visiting
professionals with one-year contracts.
“We do this because it allows us to stay current and it
enriches the program,” he said. “In each case, (who we
hire) is a function of what we need at the time.”
Ward explained that Busby, Morrrow and Dessault were hired to
teach singing technique in addition to the faculty already teaching
singing performance.
“We doubled our singing time, and in these budget times we
cannot afford to do this,” Ward said.
Peglar says the absence of these professors is a tremendous loss
to the department.
“It was emotional because as well as being teachers and
mentors they were our friends,” he said. “They provided
big names in theater to speak to us, taught master classes, and
really gave us an opportunity to learn and grow as much as
possible. They really work for us.”
The administration maintains that in order to explore new
directions in musical theater, they had to let some visiting
faculty go, which Ward says is something that happens every year.
This year, the department is trying to evolve to meet new demands
of Broadway.
“In singing we wanted to add rock and gospel,” Ward
says, “We often bring in new people and they replace people
who have been teaching because we want to try something
new.”
This year, Mann will be the associate director of singing. Guest
professor Timothy Battle will teach gospel to the juniors, and
Evelyn Halus will teach rock to the seniors, Mann said.
“The administration needs to clarify how they are running
stuff because it seems like every year they make it up as they go.
Our year and every year above and below us is like classroom guinea
pigs being thrown around from one thing to the other,” Peglar
said.
Mann is a familiar face for students, as he became involved with
the Ray Bolger Musical Theater Program last fall when he was hired
as a guest to direct, “Into the Woods,” which was sold
out last spring.
“We are charting a lot of new territory this year, which
is exciting and all the more so because of these talented
students,” Mann said.
Many students are still not comfortable with this new territory,
as they do not feel the administration is fully communicating with
them on this, Peglar said. The three vocal professors were very
pro-student, and their philosophy of providing students with
performance opportunities clashed with the teaching styles of those
in the administration, he said.
After protesting together last spring, students this fall have
accepted things will not change, Peglar said.
“When we go through something like this as a group,
regardless of our education, we are going to leave with contacts,
and friendships with motivated and talented people, and
that’s something for life,” said Peglar. “If we
leave with our senior year not being what we thought it was,
we’re still going to get something out of it.”