The History - 1986-1990

On The Verge

Beginning in 1986, the department of drama began to profit from a culmination of creative activity. With an influx of new faculty in the early eighties, the late eighties became a time to build on existing strengths and work toward more philosophical cohesiveness.

The fifth decade of the department began with work that would once again lead to Washington D.C. In the spring of 1985, an original one-act play, Dancers, by student Michael Grady was conceived for a Directing II class project. Performances of Dancers were extremely well received, and the faculty asked Grady if he would develop it into a full-length play. The full-length version was produced as part of the Studio series the following season, and the production was entered into the American College Theatre Festival. Dancers was sleeted by the national committee to perform at the National Festival at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1987 where it won the coveted National Student Playwriting Award.

As part of the celebration in Washington, the department took many members, including students and staff who were not directly working on the show, but without whose support the theatre itself would cease to function. Following the performance, the department hosted a university alumni reception, inviting all University of Arizona graduates to the celebration.

Over this five year period, the department would perform in Washington D.C. as part of ACTF two other times. In separate years, both The Entertainers and Touring Shakespeare were selected to perform as special entertainment for the Irene Ryan Evening of Scenes. The department garnered regional recognition in 1989 when Chicago was selected to participate in the ACTF Regional Festival hosted by UC Santa Barbara.

During this time, guest directors such as Edward Payson Call lent their artistic expertise to the department. Call, the original artistic director at the Denver Center Theatre, directed Two Gentlemen of Verona for the department in 1988.

In addition to guest artists, collaboration within the College of Fine Arts was a key element of the late eighties. A prime example of this is the production of Sweeney Todd in the 1988-89 season. This production was co-produced by the School of Music and performed in Centennial Hall.

The department officially changed its name to the Department of Theatre Arts in the fall of 1989.