Alexandra Scicchitano – General News Reporter
Companies want everything to look good, but don’t want people to be trained in the arts, according to Larry Nye, an associate theatre department professor.
“Art is around everyone,” said Nye.
With the new administration on campus, such as President Joe Bertolino and Robert Prezant, the provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Southern, they are supporting the arts, said Nye.
“Arts are super important to express how you feel,” said Chris Gunzenhauser, a junior theatre major.
It’s important to escape life and enjoy yourself for a little bit, said Gunzenhauser.
“Things that bring people joy is sometimes devalued,” said Kaia Monroe Rarick, the Theatre Department chair and associate director of theatre at Southern.
“We’re really proud of what we do here,” said Guzenhauser.
“The arts are very important, economically, interpersonally and for our education,” said Rarick.
“Expressing yourself through the arts helps to articulate your own soul. And that is one of the goals for education,” said Rarick, “knowing your own humanity, understanding your emotions, having empathy for others, all of these, all of those are goals for the educated person.”
“The University and most of the theatre department believe all arts are part of a good, solid university,” said Rarick.
“That exercising the creative side of yourself, is part of becoming a fully well-rounded intellectual and just a citizen of the world,” said Rarick.
The arts can teach many transferable skills, such as public speaking, and organizational skills, said Rarick.
“Being able to get up and talk to people and feel comfortable, most jobs require that and theatre kids are the best at it,” said Rarick.
“The arts contributes a lot the economy, from commercials to he shows you’re watching, all those people have been trained in the arts,” said Rarick.
The fact that the idea of not needing arts is so prevalent is wrong on every single level, Rarick said.
“Most people along the way supported me,” said Nye.
Everyone on faculty here works professionally elsewhere, said Nye.
Its important to be visually and aesthetically sensitive so they can make things look nice, said Rarick.
New Haven is an arts hub, so there are a lot of benefits to going to Southern, said Rarick.
“There is so much work in Connecticut as an artist, and then you have NY like an hour and a half away on the train. It doesn’t get much better than that,” said Rarick.
Western is considered the preforming arts university in the branch that Southern is in, said Nye, so they received all new preforming studios and auditorium, as did Eastern and Central, however, while Southern is still waiting for theirs.
“I want a dance studio,” said Lye.
“Misinformation by the people that are decision making who maybe weren’t well educated themselves to begin with,” said Rarick.
“I think when people think of ‘Oh, my child is majoring in theatre,’ all they think of is that this kid wants to go sing on Broadway,” said Rarick.
The Southern Theatre Department is definitely underfunded, said Gunzenhauser.
“It’s importantto entertain,” said Gunzenhauser, “and be entertained.”
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