The fall season for SDA was one filled with large projects and difficult plays. While there
were moments in every show that worked and showed the kind of acting the School of
Dramatic arts is teaching, the majority of shows struggled to capture and communicate a
universal message. Men on Boats was a satire that did not know it, Amsterdam was
performance art focused on spectacle, and Barbarians saw a director’s vision undermine the
performance. Trouble in Mind stands out as the bright spot of the season, where pieces of the
puzzle really did come together. The real question people should be asking is ‘Why are we not
succeeding in shows?’
Several of the professors I have spoken with this semester have expressed that they are
disappointed in the difference in quality between acting done in the classroom and acting done
in SDA shows. Theories around this vary from poor director involvement to a weak play
selection process, and it’s likely that these all play some part. Personally, I think we should
question more what we want our shows to do in an educational context. When shows like
Amsterdam are included in the season, it communicates that the school is more focused on
doing something different as opposed to giving students a chance to put into practice what
they are working on in the classroom. After all, what can young actors take away from avant-
garde post-modernism that translates to realism? The play selection process is ultimately up to
the dean of the school, who is free to ignore the advice and suggestions of the literary team.
The results have been skewed so far as to earn the school the nickname ‘School of Dumb
Adaptations’.
The dean’s role in the school is obviously an important one, but recent years have seen
a worrying trend that is not specific to SDA. At the rate the school is hiring administrators, the
budget for good teachers can never increase. While fundraising is key for a small school, the
integrity of the institution relies on good teaching. The truth is that classes are too big, and
students do not get to work as much as they need to. As a result, the training offered by the
school is bound to be inferior in general terms. Students should be driven to take charge of
their own training, but many lose interest and ambition among the large class sizes and lack of
differentiated teaching styles.
SDA’s solution is not a musical theatre program, and it certainly is not hiring more
administrators. In fact, given the Dean’s current track record, there are certainly arguments to
be made for a change of leadership. To give the best education possible, USC should be hiring
more teachers and decreasing class sizes. Eventually, this can translate to more directors
housed in school. This feeds into a cycle of better shows and better reputation which should
foster growth of SDA. Given the series of underwhelming performances this semester, it does
seem that change is necessary in some capacity and hopefully soon.
Insightful and relevant- thank you!