All the World ’s a Stage Dramatic Arts & Theater Program By Hayli Zuccola
To maintain the interest of prospective students, Florida Gateway College is always expanding its range of subject offerings and career paths with the last few years focusing on the addition of more creative pursuits under the umbrella of arts, humanities, communication and design with degree concentrations and certificate opportunities in animation, video game design, video production and, most recently, dramatic arts and theater. Though student plays overseen by faculty members existed at the college in the past, it wasn’t until Professor Todd Siff, who’s worked as a professional actor, director, playwright and musician over the last decade, came to teach at FGC that a complete AA program with a focus on dramatic arts and theater was fully formed.
Your FGC Campus. At FGC, you’ll find more than just academics. Our 132-acre campus offers locations such as the student center, library and more. Plus, we offer an array of extra-curricular activities from annual community events to diverse athletics.
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What began with two basic theater classes has grown into nine—all of which cover multiple facets of the theater experience beginning with theater appreciation, which is an overview of the profession and the individual roles responsible for putting on a successful production. The classes that follow delve further into each of those previously discussed positions with introduction to theatrical design, dramatic literature, introduction to technical theater, directing, theater production and two courses in acting that round out the curriculum. “Part of what my goal is here at the college is to develop a program that students not only can gain experience in these skillsets, whether that be acting, directing, designing, stage management et cetera, but they also get practical experience by doing
shows, and that’s part of what we do,” said Siff, who earned his Bachelor’s in Theater Arts from Boston University and his Master’s in Directing and Theater from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. To apply the skills and lessons learned outside the classroom, students work together to present three productions a year at the Levy Performing Arts Center with a show catered to a younger audience in the fall like that of The Little Prince or A Christmas Carol, an older audience in the spring with shows like Twelfth Night or Almost, Maine and a musical in the summer like last year’s We Will Rock You or this year’s The Sound of Music. “I try to let every element of the production be student-led so students will design the lights; students will
