by Aaron W. Hughey

“The student body as well as the community in general are very supportive of our productions,” notes David Balthrop, chair of the M.S.U Theatre and Dance Department. “We make a significant contribution to the cultural environment of this area.”

“Each year we do between 20-25 productions,” Balthrop explains. “They range from major musicals, such as this year’s Oklahoma!, to short, one-act, ten-minute student-directed plays.”

“In addition to musicals, we also do drama and comedy,” Balthrop adds.

There seems to be a large amount of interest in the arts among the student body at Murray State University.

“Enrollment in the department has doubled in the last year,” Balthrop states. “Then again, we are a new program; we have only been around for the last year and a half.”

“We typically do three or four ‘main stage’ productions every year,” Balthrop says. “One of those is usually a major musical, which is done in conjunction with the M.S.U. Music Department.”

“We have a really good relationship with the Music Department,” Balthrop observes. “We take care of the ‘acting’ part and they handle all the musical aspects of the production.”

Among the various activities that are sponsored by the Theatre and Dance Department, Balthrop indicates that one of the projects they are most proud of is the Children’s Theatre.

“Every February, we do a major Children’s Theatre production,” Balthrop says. “These productions usually draw 9,000 - 10,000 students during the course of a week. Schools send students from up to two hours away; this is a very regional event.”

“We try to make the Children’s Theatre production as much of an educational experience as possible,” Balthrop reflects. “We send study guides to teachers in advance of the production so they can introduce the subject matter to their students in advance.”

This year’s Children’s Theatre production is Pompadours and Poodle Skirts, a musical set in the 1950s.

In addition to their Children’s Theatre program, the M.S.U. Theatre and Dance Department also sponsors 3 bigger, family-oriented productions each year.

“We usually have very good attendance at these productions,” Balthrop observes. “The house is almost always 75 to 90 percent full for these performances.”

The department is supported by Murray State University through student fees. As such, students enrolled at M.S.U. can attend any of their events by simply showing their student I.D.s.

One of the areas that Balthrop would like to see enhanced is their alumni relations.

“We have had four alumni-oriented events in the last year,” Balthrop explains. “These usually involve providing an alumnus with special recognition and having them come back to campus and give a week long workshop.

“This year, for instance, one of our alumni events featured Earl Brown, a graduate of M.S.U. who was in Scream and Something About Mary,” Balthrop notes. “Earl also played Meatloaf in a VH-1 production about the singer’s life.”

“There was considerable interest in Earl’s visit,” Balthrop observes. “And that also helps improve enrollments.”

As for the future, Balthrop would like to see the department develop a summer intensive program.

“What we really need is a program that would involve high school juniors and seniors as well as college students,” Balthrop says. “The experience would culminate with some kind of outcome production.”

“We really aren’t big enough to do many outreach activities,” Balthrop concludes. “A summer intensive program would really help generate interest in the arts.”