As Harvard administrators set the stage for a major curricular review, there is whispering in the wings about the potential for a dramatic arts concentration to be added to the college’s 41 other degree options. While the structure of the program is still being scripted, students, faculty members and participants in the dramatic community are wondering what role they will play in the future of Harvard theater.

Talented student actors, directors, designers and technicians face a constant struggle throughout their scholastic career in balancing academics and theater. Many enter university with hopes of eliminating this problem, having already experienced an environment in secondary school in which theater work did not count for course credit.

Leading liberal arts universities around the country—including Yale, Princeton, Georgetown and Stanford—have renowned drama programs, in which students can receive a Bachelor of Arts in Drama or Theater. Without providing students a definite program in performance arts, how many Jodie Fosters (Yale ’85) or David E. Kelleys (Princeton ’87) is Harvard losing to other schools with a theater concentration?

With a course catalogue amply filled of drama-related courses, as well as a Committee on Dramatic Arts, it seems as if the implementation of a degree program at Harvard would be relatively easy. Yet, debate over the academic nature of performance or dramatic arts, lack of faculty members and limited venues all cast a shadow over the debut of the theater concentration.

THE PRODUCERS

Loker Professor of English and American Literature and Chair of the Committee on Dramatics Robert J. Kiely confirms that curricular review in the dramatic arts is certainly underway. He declares that the English department is undertaking a search for a senior professor in dramatic arts and that VES might do a similar search for a faculty member in the field of practice of performance or stage design.

“The very soonest would be next year,” says Kiely. “I would think that if it goes well, it could possibly be next year or the year after.”

The former master of Adams House and an active supporter of dramatics at Harvard, Kiely offers his own opinion on the dramatic arts concentration: “Harvard has had for years the resources: the A.R.T.; junior and senior professors in different departments who have an interest in dramatic history; people in the English department who teach playwriting and screen writing; some very nice small theaters in the Houses; and the Agassiz and the Ex. What exists now is not put together by any particular group. There are a lot of courses in theater but they’re all over the place. A certain number of students would like a little academic guidance for what they’re doing in the theater.”

Kiely says his role as Chair of the Committee on Dramatic Arts is to keep faculty involved in the dramatic environment at Harvard and keep the conversation going in the most positive direction. The ideal program outline would be to create the position of head tutor, amass a couple of tenured professors, develop tutorials and make the theater curriculum more formalized. The goal of the review is to coordinate existing classes into one departmental listing and to expand the dramatic offerings of Harvard College.

APPLAUSE

In shaping the dramatic arts concentration, the opinions of current Harvard drama students are of extreme importance. The fact that these young talents came to Harvard despite knowing there is no drama department both proves the ambition of Harvard students and highlights the resources the college has for students to formulate their own special concentrations.

Currently, any student looking to concentrate in the performing arts must go through the special concentrations option. According to the Dean of Special Concentrations office, approximately 13% of the current 40 special concentrators (an estimated three students) are pursuing a degree in dramatic arts. Opera director Peter Sellers ’80 was one special concentrator whose interest in theater took him to professional success.

Head tutor Deborah Foster meets with students to discuss why the already-established channels of Harvard do not provide a way to pursue his or her academic goals. Special concentrators generally apply to be admitted to the program in the middle of their sophomore year; many need to apply multiple times before having their course of study accepted.

Susan C. Merenda ’07 is one such student petitioning for a special concentration in dramatic arts. She is obviously passionate about studying theater, as dedicated as an MBB concentrator might be on exploring the brain. “When I look through the course booklet, I have no interest in classes that aren’t related to theater,” she says. “I currently am an English concentrator, and when I go down the department list, every single one where I go ‘oh that looks cool,’ I realized is a theater course.”

As to why she opted for the Ivy League over the Great White Way or pre-professional conservatory work, Melenda says “I came here on the understanding that I would pursue a special concentration. In the theater world today, it is becoming increasingly more important that you have a liberal arts education. I have other things I’m good at that would make me more wanted in the theater world. You have other talents to bring to the table and Harvard helps develop those.”