Spotlight On…
Alan MacVey, Chair of the Theatre Arts Department
University of Iowa
President of NAST
In our interview with the President of NAST, Alan MacVey talks about University of Iowa’s exciting theatre program and explains how the National Association of Schools of Theatre plays a vital role in theatre education.
Q: How did you get started in your theatre career?
A: I began as an actor in college, and then became a director when I was teaching secondary school, trying to find ways to engage students. This led to graduate school in directing and, luckily, to an appointment at Princeton where I helped found a small resident Equity company. While it lasted only two years at Princeton, I re-established it at the Bread Loaf School of English, a summer graduate program at Middlebury College. That was 25 years ago and it’s still going strong. That experience, as well as contacts I made through Princeton and the University of Iowa, helped me find work in regional theatres.
Q: Describe someone or something in the theatre community that has influenced you.
A: Working with the dramaturg Morgan Jenness, and artistic director Oskar Eustis gave me enormous appreciation for playwrights and the process of creating new work for the stage. Their detailed exploration of scripts and their sensitivity to the playwright’s vision were inspiring. Their approach has affected the environment at the University of Iowa Theatre Department, where we specialize in new plays.
Q: What is your favorite part about teaching at the University of Iowa?
A: Right now I’m thoroughly enjoying planning a new arts campus. The University is committed to creating new facilities for the arts over the next 5-6 years and the process of thinking through options is truly exciting. Our facilities are very good now but they’re going to be better than ever.
Q: What is the NAST (National Association of Schools of Theatre) and what do they do?
A: NAST is an organization composed of more than 160 theatre schools and departments from around the country. In order to be a member of NAST, a school must meet criteria that ensure it offers a very strong program. So on one level NAST is an accrediting institution. On another, it is dedicated to assisting all theatre departments, members or not, in creating the best possible learning environments and in educating students so they are prepared to enter the profession. NAST is one of four such institutions, all of which are connected. The others are Music, Visual Arts/Design and Dance.
Q: How does a school initially become accredited through the NAST?
A: The best way is to contact the NAST office in Reston, Virginia. There is a web site that will get you there. The staff is very helpful and will answer all your questions. They will lead you through the process of accreditation, which starts with a self study.
Q: What are some of the advantages to studying at an accredited NAST school?
A: The most important is that you can be sure its program, faculty and facilities are all strong. NAST accredits a wide range of departments, ranging from those that are relatively small and offer BA degrees to large institutions with extensive undergraduate and graduate programs. NAST requires that member schools do periodic self studies so their programs will continue to improve; and it sends visiting teams to offer perspective and advice. The result is a network of schools that share ideas and best practices and are dedicated to outstanding theatre training.
Q: How does someone find out which schools are accredited?
A: If you go to the web site for the National Association of Schools of Theatre and click on Member Lists, you’ll find all the information you need.
Q: Besides accreditation, does NAST offer programs to help prospective theatre students and parents?
A: The member list is very helpful. Once you know which schools have been accredited, you can look them up on the web or here on Schools for Theatre and you can be sure they are strong programs. For the most part, though, NAST works with the faculties of member schools and of institutions that are interested in becoming part of the organization. In the long run, this benefits all students who attend those schools.
Q: Anything in particular potential students should prepare for or expect when applying to schools?
A: When I meet with prospective students and their parents, I encourage them to consider carefully whether a BA or BFA degree is the best choice. Those two programs offer very different ways to spend four years of college. There are a lot of good theatre departments in the country, so I encourage students to ask broad questions about schools they are considering: do they want a big school or small school? Do they want to live in a city or college town? Do they want a comprehensive department that offers a lot of classes and productions or would they feel more comfortable in a department with just a few faculty members? Having taught at Princeton, which has a relatively small program, and Iowa, which has a large one, I know both can be great. I strongly encourage students to go visit their top two or three schools, talk to students and faculty, and get a feel for the place. Web sites tell you certain things but nothing beats standing in the lobby or the theatre talking to someone who is studying there. Find the school that truly suits you — that’s where you’ll earn the most.
Alan MacVey is Director of the Division of Performing Arts and professor and Chair of the Theatre Arts Department. He also serves as President of the National Association of Schools of Theatre. During the summer he is Artistic Director of the Acting Ensemble, an Equity company-in-residence at the Bread Loaf School in Vermont. He has served as Associate Director of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence Rhode Island, and for ten years was Director of the Program in Theatre and Dance at Princeton University. He has directed major productions for the Cleveland Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Company, North Light Theatre in Chicago, TheatreWorks in California, the McCarter Theatre, the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger, the Theatre of the Riverside Church in New York, and other companies. He is also a playwright whose works have been performed in New York, California, and elsewhere. He is a recipient of the Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, and is a Collegiate Fellow in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition, this year he is Chair of the Department of Dance.
