Collins is a theater major who is active in the local, regional, and national spoken word and poetry scene.

Collins told that he plans to use his $1,000 prize from the award to self-publish his first collection of poetry, a chapbook called “autopsies.”

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Robinson��is majoring in theater at Augsburg. Her��artistic background includes the Penumbra Theatre’s Summer Institute and the St. Paul Central High School’s Central Touring Theatre. When she was attending Central, Robinson��wrote a poem highlighting racial inequalities within the school system. She then went on to perform the poem, with others, for groups of teachers and administration in the St. Paul Public Schools.

Robinson has served as editor of The Echo newspaper, a student publication��at Augsburg College. She also has performed her original spoken word as part of the College’s��Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation celebration.

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The department has made changes to its curriculum, welcomed local directors and new faculty, and undertaken projects as “a way to welcome more students with different kinds of cultural backgrounds to participate,” said Department Chair Darcey Engen.

One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the Department’s commitment to excellence.

“We look to stage high-quality work that challenges our students and brings some of the best to campus for theatergoers,” Engen said. “Our location in Minneapolis—a city nationally known for its rich theater scene—means our faculty have connections and can invite guest directors who are known for their excellent and sometimes ground-breaking work.”

Sweet Maladies, an award-winning play based on Jean Genet’s The Maids, centers on three sisters who, having served on a plantation their entire lives, find themselves uncertain as to how to leave following the Emancipation Proclamation.

Bringing many voices to the theater

Faculty began the work of attracting new students by undertaking a major curriculum revision. The program now includes courses on Asian and Asian American theater and Black theater.

Work by diverse artists was incorporated into the program’s repertoire. The department recently staged the Pulitzer Prize-winning 365 Days/365 Ways by Suzan-Lori Parks. This 14-person play was the first work by an African American playwright to be presented on Augsburg’s main stage and was chosen because it calls for a multi-racial cast.

The department also has welcomed guest directors from many backgrounds, including Rick Shiomi, co-founder of Mu Performing Arts, a company that produces work inspired by the Asian American experience. Shiomi, a winner of the 2012 Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement, worked in 2011 with Asian and Asian American students to stage an original production at Augsburg titled Inside Out.

Sweet Maladies guest director, Dominic Taylor, is associated with Penumbra Theatre, one of only three professional African American theaters in the nation to offer a full season of performances. Penumbra uses the stage to increase awareness of the contributions of African Americans to the theater world.

“With our goal to intentionally create welcoming opportunities for our students, it’s important that we invite to our program directors, designers, actors, and playwrights who represent some kind of diversity—whether it is diversity of culture, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, religion, or race,” Engen said.

Engen said the department is currently working with Emiliano Chagil, Augsburg’s director of Hispanic/Latino student services, and Micheal Kidd, associate professor of languages and cross cultural studies, to produce a translation of The House of Bernarda Alba, a work by the Spanish dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca.

The department’s work is central to Augsburg’s commitment to intentional diversity.

“We’ve had an incredible history of always attempting to produce outstanding work,” Engen said. “Now we are striving to engage our community on important issues of race and diversity and to intentionally include pieces that invite students into the process to facilitate conversations about these issues.”

New actors find their places on-stage

Sweet Maladies features a cast of four women: the mistress of the plantation house played by Mawrgyn Roper ’15, and the three sisters played by Naava Johnson ’15, Leah Tillman ’13, and Jasmine Gilbert ’13.

Johnson, who plays the middle sister, Cecile, said being involved in her first theater production at Augsburg, learning how to memorize lines and to move on the stage has been challenging. Taylor, though, has taught her how to relate her character’s experiences to her own so her acting is more realistic.

“When you start getting into the scene, that’s when you know you’re playing the character right,” she said.

Johnson chose to audition for the play because she felt that she and Cecile were related when she first read the script. “I feel like she’s me; the way she acts is how I may have acted.”

The play, set in 1865, tells the story of sisters who worked as slaves on a plantation. Recently freed, the girls remain in the house because they are unsure how to begin new lives in the Reconstruction Era South.

Tillman, who was involved in the 2012 Augsburg student-led production of Debt, plays the role of Polly, the eldest sister. Tillman said that playing a character from this time in history has been emotionally demanding.

“When it comes to playing a role that involves one’s ancestors, you have to put yourself in that mindset,” she said. “I have to think like that character: I am the help, I am supposed to do what I am told. As an actor, that is difficult.”

Tillman said that for her, Sweet Maladies is an important play because it addresses a significant point in the United States’ history and the message is relevant to today’s audiences.

“It’s about how hatred can corrupt the mind of a child. You see that if the people had been able to be unified, the child would not have lost her innocence.”

The Sweet Maladies

By Zakiyyah Alexander

Directed by Dominic Taylor

February 8, 9, 14, 15, 16 at 7 p.m.

February 10, 17 at 3 p.m.

Tjornhom-Nelson Theater, Foss Center

Click for ticket information

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Backstage magazine’s 2012 Fall College Guide listed among the top five U.S. institutions for theater majors who wish to continue their studies professionally.

“In our , students connect with professional artists in the city while they delve into their theater courses,” said Darcey Engen, Augsburg College associate professor and chair of Theater Arts.

“We find that the combination of the department’s rigorous curriculum, exposure to outstanding professionals in the field, and mentorship with theater faculty prepare our students to graduate as complex, deeply committed artists who can apply their insights and skills to any occupation.”

In the article “On the Boards & Chalkboards” —released October 25, 2012—Backstage recommended an Augsburg education for “enterprising, driven students looking to climb the [professional] ladder in double time.”

The article described the three the College offers theater majors, highlighted Augsburg’s course offerings, and emphasized the theater program’s proximity to the renowned, Minneapolis-based Guthrie Theater.

“Augsburg gives students the chance to listen to arts professionals ranging from stage managers to casting directors” who speak at the College’s Theatre Artist Series, according to the article. Augsburg students also have the chance to intern at the Guthrie Theater, and “most of the Guthrie’s casting is done locally, so students already have a leg up.”

See the Backstage magazine slideshow that lists Augsburg under the

serves actors, singers, and dancers by connecting them to the greater performing arts community, and has existed as a theater industry publication for more than 50 years.

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Justin Caron, a junior theater major, said Berlovitz is a master at bringing out an actor’s unique talents. “She’s good at getting people to make new discoveries without telling them exactly what to do and working with the talent we have and trying to make that come out,” Caron said.

As the “senior” member of the cast, Caron said he has been in between 5 and 10 productions at Augsburg and has worked with three different directors in each academic year.

“Each of them shapes your skills in different ways, teaching you new techniques,” he said. “It’s good to get a new perspective, especially in a college theater program where it’s education built in with the professional setting.”

Hannah Youngquist, a sophomore theater major, says working with Berlovitz has been “breathtakingly, terrifyingly great.”

What is breathtaking, Youngquist said, is Berlovitz’ experience. “She has been in theater for 30 years, and she does things and says things I never would have thought of,” Youngquist said.

And it’s Berlovitz’ professional caliber that is terrifying “in a friendly way,” Youngquist said. “She has a Tony, so there was a little bit of a star struck thing for me. She puts pressure on me to do well because she thinks I can do well, and I appreciate that.”

Youngquist, who plays a male character, said Berlovitz has pushed her to do more with character development and technique than she ever has done. “She doesn’t let anything drop. Every movement and action has a motivation.”

Boo Johnston, sophomore theater performance major, said she appreciates that Berlovitz lets actors make their own decisions. “She doesn’t constantly reaffirm your choices but trusts you to make decisions for yourself. And when she does give feedback, it’s more of a suggestion than a direction,” Johnston said.

This is Johnston’s first production at Augsburg and the first “straight” non-musical theater production she’s done since 2008, so it has been challenging for her in that regard. Berlovitz is also her instructor in Voice for the Stage this semester, so she has been working to take the lessons she has learned in class to the stage.

This is the fifth Augsburg theater production in which Isaac Kronlokken, a sophomore theater major, has been involved. “When you work with certain directors and instructors, you know what to expect most of the time. With a guest director, you get different input and learn different techniques,” he said.

Berlovitz has also encouraged Kronlokken to experiment as an actor “In past productions, I was very timid,” he said, “and Barbra has kind of given me the green light to try new things.”

The Titanic Orchestra is the third project Berlovitz has directed at Augsburg College. In addition to guest directing, she is teaching Voice for Stage/Speech/Screen and Creative Drama. Her other projects can be seen on the Theater Department Flickr photo stream.

Read more about Berlovitz and watch an interview with her on the Theater Department website.

The Titanic Orchestra by Hristo Boytchev

April 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 at 7 p.m.

April 15, 22 at 3 p.m. Tjornhom-Nelson Theater

Click for ticket information

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By Wendi Wheeler ’06

Imagine writing one play every day for a year. Also imagine the challenges presented to 14 actors each playing several roles in 54 plays presented in one evening. That is the task of the cast of Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays, directed by Augsburg theater professor Martha Johnson.

In the fall of 2002, Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks decided to take on the challenge of writing one play a day for a full year. 365 Days/365 Plays is the successful result, featuring 365 short plays exploring such divergent topics as sex, war, fairy tales, Indian mythology, American historical figures, love, politics, race, contemporary celebrities—and numerous other issues from American life.

In the introduction to the play, a 374-page book that looks like a formidable novel, Parks writes, “The plan was that no matter what I did, how busy I was, what other commitments I had, I would write a play a day, every single day, for a year.�� It would be about being present and being committed to the artistic process every single day, regardless of the ‘weather.’�� It became a daily meditation, a daily prayer celebrating the rich and strange process of a writing life.”

This is the first work by an African American playwright to be presented on Augsburg’s main stage. Jasmine Gilbert ’13, a theater performance major from Minneapolis, said that is precisely why she was interested in the play. “I wanted to be a part of it in any way I could.”

Gilbert [shown here with Jackson Mboma] plays the role of Parks. She said performing 54 short plays—some less than one minute in length—has been challenging. “One of the main things is that doing these plays isn’t easy because you want the audience to get her point, and you only have a short amount of time to get that across.”

Selecting only a portion of the 365 plays presented something of a challenge for Johnson in finding a “frame” for the pieces. The setting for each play is Parks’ apartment, and her mind serves as the unifying theme to help the plays connect to one another and to move the audience along through the story arc.

This is the first time that Leah Tillman ’13, a psychology major with a theater minor, has been in the cast of an Augsburg play. “So far,” she said, “I have learned that what you represent on stage could be interpreted by the audience differently when it comes to performing gender roles, ethnicities, or stereotypes.” Tillman said the cast has been very mindful of how their performances might be received by the audience.

Johnson said the production has required a great deal of artistic and logistical discipline from the actors. Usually an actor will develop the details of one character throughout the six- to seven-week period of rehearsal and performance. “This time, they create many characters, have to let go of a character, and support everyone around them through the process.”

Both Gilbert and Tillman encourage the community to see the production because of the themes in the play and because it is written by an African American. “We all worked really hard on it, so we want everyone to come out and see it. It was challenging, and we hope our hard work pays off.”

About the production:

The plays are organized into two acts, and each act is under an hour. With the intermission, the production is about two hours in length. Some of the plays contain adult language and themes, with some controversial content. 365 Days/365 Plays may not be appropriate for children 12 years of age or younger.

Performances are February 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 7 p.m. February 5, 12 at 3 p.m. Tjornhom-Nelson Theater. Click for ticket information

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By Wendi Wheeler ’06

Walk past the student lounge in Christensen Center on any given afternoon, and it becomes clear that Asian American students make up a sizeable portion of the Augsburg student body. The lounge is a popular hangout for students—a place for them to study, relax, and connect with each other.

To hear some stories of Asian American students at Augsburg, attend the Augsburg Theater Department production of Inside Out. In collaboration with Mu Performing Arts and Pan Asian Student Services, Augsburg will present Inside Out Nov. 18-20.

Inside Out was created and is directed by Rick Shiomi, artistic director of Mu Performing Arts of St. Paul, Minn. The project began when Shiomi interviewed several Asian American students at Augsburg. Based on the interviews, Shiomi developed a series of short scenes that reflect their experiences. The performance also includes additional scenes created by students.

Shiomi said this project is part of Mu’s outreach programming and a continuation of a longstanding relationship with Augsburg. “In the last three or four years, the number and profile of Asian American students [at Augsburg] has been growing rapidly,” Shiomi said. “We wanted to create a project that would engage some of those students in the theatrical process, to understand that their stories are important, to see that they can be presented on stage, and to get some experience on stage.”

In fact, the number of students in the undergraduate day program who identify as Asian American has grown from 6 percent in 2008 to 8.2 percent in 2011. According to Penh Lo, director of Pan Asian student services, the largest percentage of students are Hmong American (41 percent) followed by Vietnamese, Korean, and Laotian. Overall, 14 different cultures are represented in the Asian American student population at Augsburg.

Shiomi said he has been impressed with the enthusiasm of the cast members and with the wide range of experiences they worked with in the production. “Certainly there are the challenges of the immigrant experience, but there are a whole number of issues that came into play in this production, like dealing with mixed race parents, dealing with racism, and establishing an identity.”

Lo believes allowing students to tell their stories is a powerful way to connect them to each other. “Whether the stories are similar or different, there is a connection. It is people telling others, ‘This is how I came to be,'” he said.

One of the actors is Mai Choua “MC” Thao ’11 [above right], a business major and a Hmong woman who said she has always had a passion for acting. “What I have been stressing to my friends is that not a lot of Asian Americans are out there telling stories about their personal lives,” she said. “This will be a good way for others to hear the voices of the everyday struggles that Asian American students are going through.”

This production is part of the Theater Department’s move to explore ways to engage the entire campus community and to establish relationships with Cedar-Riverside neighborhood organizations. The department has created a statement expressing its intention to “engage with our diverse campus community in regards to the representation of culture, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, religion, disability, and age on and off stage.”

Performances are November 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. and November 20 at 3 p.m. Go to the Theater website for tickets.

Photo by Stephen Geffre

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