Should theatre departments control their theatres?

[Greg Doran]

Dear Doug,

I feel for you.  When I ran the program at UNB, we had control over the space, and it was wonderful.  However, I am currently faced with a situation of no theatre on campus at UPEI, so I am faced with a myriad of problems - not the least of which is the booking problem.  Alas, it is not my intention to complain about my situation.  Instead, I offer an analogy to help make your argument.  Ask your senior administrator if the various chemistry or physics labs are able to be booked by anyone.  I am sure that the answer will be no.  You can argue that the theatre is your lab where you experiment with production models, acting technique, and physical script analysis.  I have found that the analogy has helped my colleagues here gain a better understanding of the work that I do and the need for a proper theatre space.  The artistic arguments will likely hold not water with an administrator afraid of a dark space on campus.  Furthermore, best practices argue that the university's plan will not work.  If all fails, point out that the theatre people are the only ones able to operate the lighting and sound equipment.

Good luck,



Dr. Greg Doran, PhD
Coordinator of Theatre Studies
Department of English
University of Prince Edward Island
550 University Avenue
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 4P3
Office: 902-566-6013
Fax: 902-566-0363