McDowell, in his 16th year at Wright State, has seen the student body diversify from one with a regional flavor to more of a national representation.
“When I started, most of our students came from Ohio and two or three other states. Last year, we had applicants from 25 states,” said McDowell, who co-founded a Shakespeare company in New York City before coming to WSU.
Long appreciated by audiences in the Miami Valley for well-appointed, professional-caliber productions with a bargain ticket price — just $19 currently — WSU’s theater program has become a magnet for students.
That trend continues to gain momentum despite a down economy, rising tuition costs and the widely held notion that a career in the arts is risky or impractical.
Victoria Oleen, managing director for the department of theater arts, dance and motion pictures, said parents of prospective students have become more concerned about career prospects.
“One of the questions I hear the most is if their son or daughter can do a dual major,” with the second major being what’s perceived as a more “sensible” option.
“With a BFA, there’s so much involved, that just isn’t possible unless they take an extra year or more. But the truth is, we do have a lot of graduates working in their chosen fields. Not everyone is going to go straight into an Equity acting contract. But if a student can pursue a career they have a passion for, that’s what matters. Most people just don’t have that,” Oleen said.
Musical theater and dance area coordinators Joe Deer and Teressa Wylie McWilliams said the placement rate in their areas is phenomenal compared to perceptions.
They said “80 to 90 percent” of acting and musical theater majors have found work within months of graduation the past four years — from cruise ships to theme parks to Radio City Music Hall and working backstage.
McDowell presides over a department of 18 faculty, nine staff and 285 students. The specific majors break down this way: acting, 40; musical theater, 60; dance, 40; motion pictures, 60, design/technology/stage managing, 35, and theater studies, 50.
Entry into acting, musical theater and dance is by invitation only, based on auditions. The motion picture program is open on a first-come, first-served basis, but standards must be met to stay on the track.
Theater ticket sales are strong. Several performances of the next production, “Jekyll and Hyde,” are sold out.
In 1985, the annual season had 1,700 subscribers. This year, there are more than 3,000.
McDowell said he is personally proudest of instituting several scholarships for students in the department. Two are named for Martin Sheen and Tom Hanks.
He also helped launch the annual WSU Arts Gala, which raises $100,000 a year for the theater, arts and music departments.
The university has an annual New York showcase for selected students, who demonstrate their skills for agents, directors and talent scouts in a theater near Times Square. A reunion of WSU theater grads in the New York area follows.
“The first year about 15 showed up. Last year, there were well over 100,” McDowell said.
The motion pictures area can boast of faculty and graduates who have won Emmy Awards and been nominated for Oscars.
Distinguished graduates include J. Todd Anderson, who has done the storyboards for every Coen brothers film from “Raising Arizona” to the current box office hit “True Grit,” including Oscar winners “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men.”
More than 100 alumni are working in the film business from Los Angeles to New York, including Neon Movies manager Jonathan McNeal.
In the future, McDowell wants to explore more collaborations like this year’s joint production of “August: Osage County” with the Human Race Theatre Company, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s upcoming staging of Bern- stein’s “MASS.” That will be staged by WSU’s Greg Hellems, have a set design by Pam Knauert and feature WSU students in a chorus conducted by the university’s Hank Dahlman.
“A few ways to do that (collaborate) include expanding our workshops in New York, increasing the amount of scholarships we offer, but also launching a new project with the best known arts school in the Dayton area — Stivers School for the Arts,” he said.
“The key is to reach in all directions.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2377 or tmorris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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