HARVEY- Freshman Jason Mortvedt and sophomore Alaina Pascarella act out a scene in Wartburg's most recent production, Harvey.

GO! GO! GO!- In 1997 Wartburg put on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and a musical hasn't been done since.

A student of Dr. Anderson's at Wayne State University, Professor Deena Conley was chosen from over 20 candidates to be the new theatre professor for the 2000-2001 school year at Wartburg College.

Conley graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a major in theatre history and an emphasis in directing in 1997. Conley will be finished with her doctoratein directing/theatre history from Wayne State in the spring of 2000.

Conley has experience in the classroom, as well as, on and off stage. She has taught classes such as Acting for Majors I and II and Acting for Non-Majors at Wayne State. Conley has also directed such shows as Pocahontas, and Ashes to Ashes at Wayne State in addition to Keely and Du and Eclipsed at University of Oklahoma. Conley has performed in shows including Light Up the Sky, Antigone, and Brigadoon.

Conley has also received many honors and awards for her theatre work. She was given the Outstanding Graduate Student Award at the University of Oklahoma in 1997. She was also awarded the Rumble Scholarship, a competative university-wide academic scholarship, from Wayne State in 1998.

According to Kathryn Koob, visiting theatre professor, "Conley has good ideas and will be seeking input from students and others to find even more ways to develop theatre and musical theatre at Wartburg."

A search committee has been in session since last year trying to find a new theatre professor for Wartburg College. This committee included representatives from four academic departments: English, education, music and communication arts. The committee members were Withers, who chaired the committee; Professor Matt Armstrong from the music department; Dr. Roberta Bodensteiner from the education department; and Dr. Richard Schneider from the English department. Edith Waldstein worked with the search committee as the administrative liaison.

Withers said the key with this search was to hear students' voices and have them take some ownership in the selection of the new professor. Therefore, many students were involved in the screening process. Students from Sound and Stage, Wartburg Players, the cast of Harvey, and even some students not associated with a group but who have an interest in theatre helped interview potential candidates.

Some students skipped classes to meet with candidates, according to Withers, because this is something students have wanted for so long.

Withers also said, "This institution, our administration, and particularly President Ohle has demonstrated a strong and faithful commitment to bringing theatre back to this college. They are to be commended."

Conley was chosen after the search committee met with the final candidate on January 24. Once the decision was made, the negotations began, a process which went smoothly according to Withers, and Conley accepted a few days later.

Professor Jeff Stein said that with the hiring of a new theatre professor next school year Wartburg will be able to offer a greatly enhanced list of theatre course offerings. Stein is hopeful that with time every theatre course will be offered every year.

In addition to the hiring of Professor Conley, after only one year in existence, Sound and Stage is no more, and Wartburg Players will be taking over the responsibilities of musical theatre.

"It could be a good thing because they will be able to combine their resources, but we have to make sure musical theatre won't get left out," former Sound and Stage member, sophomore Shannon Pearson said.

"No one understood its purpose because it separated the performing arts, which can't be done," Players' president junior Chris Kurzer said, referring to Sound and Stage.

By integrating the two art forms, Kurzer hopes to help people realize that singers aren't limited to the musical shows, and actors aren't limited to the straight stage shows.

Sound and Stage was created to make theatre a separate entity. It's only production was a Broadway review which was performed last March.

According to Koob, who has been teaching and directing theatre this year, musical theater started at Wartburg as a collaborative effort between the music and theatre departments, and reuniting the two will benefit everyone.

Making the transition easier is the fact that Wartburg Players, the campus theatre organization, will be headed next year by Conley.

"Deena seems to be a great "fit" for Wartburg," Armstrong said. "She's enthusiastic yet realizes that it will take time to build a program that will suit the needs of the students and integrate into the campus at large. Conley has fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and a willingness to be a "team player." She has a love for theatre, teaching and sharing it with others."

Armstrong and the search committee would like to work toward presenting an annual musical theatre production that is a cooperative effort between the music and communication arts departments.

"There is no question that we have the talent, desire, and resources to make that happen. Now we have a person to coordinate the effort. I think the next couple years are going to be very exciting for all of us who hold theatre dear to our hearts and have worked so hard to make this happen," Armstrong replied.

Kurzer said he plans to work with Conley in the fall to start developing a strong program and bring theatre back to Wartburg. He said he hopes to increase interest and involvement by asking students to try something new and to share their talents.

This hiring of Conley is just the beginning of the rebuilding of Wartburg's theatre program. The rebuilding continues with the spring production of Agatha Chrisite's "The Mousetrap," March 16, 17, and 18 in Neumann Auditorium.