All the World’s a Stage

Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Dramatic Arts & Theater Program

To maintain the interest of prospective students, Florida Gateway College is always expanding its range of subject o erings 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 certi cate 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 Si , 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.

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 Si , 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.

Your FGC Campus.

At FGC, you’ll nd more than just academics. Our 132-acre campus o ers locations such as the student center, library and more. Plus, we o er an array of extra-curricular activities from annual community events to diverse athletics.

By Hayli Zuccola

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

help design and build the set. My goal is to make it as collaborative of an opportunity to everybody as possible so that we can all learn,” Si said.

While the program was built with FGC students in mind, the ability to participate in each production extends beyond the college campus.

“All shows are open to community members as well so it’s not just students but community members who want to act or direct or stage-manage or whatever they want to do can also participate,” he said. “My goal is just to not only build the program but also connect to the community at large and show them why theater is something that is valuable to us.”

Si also strives to welcome surrounding elementary, middle and high school audiences to enjoy the productions and view theater from a new perspective.

“I think if you get that opportunity as a student when you’re 15, 16 years old and you imagine theater as something that you could possibly do with your life, to come and see a professional quality production at a place where you can go ‘oh, wait, I can go there and I can be a part of that,’ let alone just the experience of being in the theater and seeing a classic play like ‘The Crucible’. I think it’s just something this community hasn’t really had the opportunity to have.”

At its core, the dramatic arts and theater program at FGC is designed for students interested in obtaining a solid foundation in this subset of ne arts but it was also modeled to bring a sense of culture and performance art into the surrounding small-town atmosphere.

“Theater is an art form that is di erent than all others because of the special nature of the relationship between the audience and the performers. There’s no other art form that you can go into a theater and the audience can make a change upon a performer,” he said.

“In this age of technology and lm and Net ix and streaming and all of it, theater still matters, and being involved in it whether as a participant or an audience member is vital to our nature as human beings—we’ve been doing this for thousands of years, you know. Theater began in Ancient Greece as a way to celebrate and learn from stories, and we’re still doing that today…I think it’s important that we continue that tradition.”

To learn more about FGC’s Dramatic Arts and Theater Program, visit fgc.edu or email Professor Si at todd.si @fgc. edu.

Purchase tickets for an upcoming performance by visiting fgc.thundertix. com or stay up to date on upcoming shows and performances by following the program’s social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @ fgc_theater. ■