Peace College is launching a new bachelor of arts program in theatre.

 

The new major will build on the successes of Peace College Theatre, a theatre program that regularly wins acclaim for its stage productions.

 

"Peace College Theatre, led by Director Kenny Gannon, has established itself as a remarkably strong participant in the local arts community," said Peace College President Laura Bingham. "We are pleased that our students who excel in theatre will have the option of pursuing a degree in the field."

 

Gannon, who has directed Peace College Theatre for 15 years, will lead the new degree program.

 

"Participation in drama provides college students opportunities to explore and celebrate diverse cultures, helps them to learn to live and work with others and empowers them as participants in art," Gannon said. "Extending Peace College's theatre program into a major will provide scholarly, professional and practical training in drama and build on students' liberal arts educations."

 

Leaders in Raleigh's theater community were pleased to hear of Peace's new program.

 

"Research shows that participation in the arts enhances learning in other areas, including the development of higher-order thinking skills and awareness of the world we live in," said Ira David Wood III, executive director of Raleigh's Theatre in the Park. "Kudos to Peace College for realizing the intrinsic importance of the performing arts and for taking the necessary steps required in order to provide opportunities for their students to pursue degrees and fulfill life-long dreams."

 

Michael Brocki, a professional actor and technical director at the Temple Theatre in Sanford who has appeared in Peace College Theatre productions, said Peace students are held to high standards.

 

"We in professional theatre are expected to come in prepared and having done our homework," he said. "Nothing less is expected of the Peace students."

 

Sally Buckner, a Cary poet who is retired from teaching English at Peace College, said she had seen how theatre studies had helped young women at Peace prepare for meaningful lives.

 

"While studying and producing first-rate drama, they learn about human experience and develop skills that will serve them well in both their professional and personal lives," Buckner said.

 

"Theatre, one of the oldest arts, not only entertains, but helps us examine live in its inexhaustible variety," she said. "I am frequently stunned, and gratified, at the variety and excellence of dramas produced by Peace College Theatre. Through study and activity, Kenny Gannon helps young women explore human experience and prepare for entering that experience in their own way."

 

Students who have participated in Peace College Theatre have gone on to professional careers in theatre, film and television. Recent graduates have continued their studies at the American Film Institute, the Juilliard School, Harvard, Virginia Commonwealth University, the American Academy of Dramatic Art and The Groundlings comedy school in Los Angeles.

 

"For the last 14 years, our students have regularly worked alongside professional actors, directors, designers, and playwrights," Gannon said. "We are looking forward to expanding the program and to creating more and more opportunities for our students. When our students leave Peace, we know they will be confident, experienced and prepared to chart their own paths in the arts."

 

Support for establishment of the degree program in theatre includes a grant from the Mary Biddle Duke Foundation.

 

The theatre major will offer two options: an acting track and a technical track. Scholarships are being made available for students who major in theatre at Peace.

 

"I am very excited about the new theater major here at Peace College because it will allow me to explore my passion in an environment that is supportive and easy to thrive in," said Sidney Edwards, a first-year student from Pleasant Hill, N.C. "I feel that I can grow as a performer and as a person here. Peace College Theatre encourages me to learn about myself, others, and think about the world around me in ways that I haven't before."

 

Hampton Rowe, an actor who has appeared in several Peace College Theatre plays, said he has seen a steady increase in the quality of work and in commitment to the arts in the program.

 

"These young women who will enter this program have worlds to discover within the walls of Peace College Theatre under the careful and watchful direction of Kenny Gannon," he said. "Adding this major will bring the students to Peace and they will in turn give back to the theatre art community."

 

Peace College is a four-year baccalaureate arts and sciences college that offers a challenging program of study that provides women strong intellectual and personal foundations upon which to build successful and meaningful professional and academic careers. Peace's educational program consistently earns the college ratings by seniors in the top 10 percent in several categories of the National Survey of Student Engagement.

For more information about Peace College, visit www.peace.edu. For more information about Peace's theatre program, visit theatre.peace.edu.