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The curtain rises on the Robsham Theater Arts Center’s (RTAC) 30th anniversary season next week, with the Oct. 26 opening of the critically acclaimed Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical “Into the Woods.”
Memories of Robsham:
"My favorite moment happens again and again. I'm the last one out of the building late at night. Before I turn off the last light, I pause and take in the big, empty room. The stillness and the silence seem to pulse with the promise of great things. It sounds funny to say it, but there's nothing more beautiful than an empty theater right before the lights go out."
--Scott Cummings, Theatre Department Chair and Associate Professor
“My most memorable moment is the night Fr. Monan struck the stage three times with the ceremonial staff thus officially opening the Robsham, and fulfilling the dream of Fr. Joseph Larkin and Paul Marcoux. Both of whom had worked tirelessly for many years to see the dream of the Robsham come true. It was remarkable and very special.”
--Howard Enoch, RTAC Director
“I remember friends. Friends in the green room. Friends backstage. Friends in class. Friends at rehearsal. Some of the most important relationships of my life were formed in the Robsham. These friends continue to touch my life every day.”
--Paul Daigneault, Producing Artistic Director, SpeakEasy Stage Company and 2011-12 Rev. J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor in Theatre Arts
Since its 1981 gala debut with a production of “Camelot” starring actor Gordon MacRae, the theater has been the venue for some 120 faculty or guest-directed shows, in addition to student-directed performances. Classics both past and present have been staged, as well as musicals and other plays, among them original works.
The storied production history includes works ranging from those by William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller and Samuel Beckett to Rodgers and Hammerstein, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Besides hosting theatrical, musical and dance performances, and serving as the home for various campus performing arts groups, Robsham has been the venue for academic, professional and University-wide gatherings.
“The Robsham Theater Arts Center holds a special place in the hearts of the Boston College community and is a treasured resource for many of our students,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski. “The Robsham offers students an opportunity to experience the many facets of a live stage production, from lighting and set design, to costume design and production, to musical, theatrical, dance, comedic, and oratorical expression.
“As we celebrate Robsham’s 30th anniversary and the hundreds of original student theatrical productions, concerts, comedy performances, dance troupes, and important University events that have debuted under its stage lights, we also take great pride in the fact that Boston College is a community that truly values the arts and the importance of artistic expression.”
Among those ensuring that the show has gone on over the past three decades is Howard Enoch, who has served as RTAC director from its beginning. He also has directed, and appeared in, numerous Robsham productions.
“This special anniversary also marks another milestone for the Division of Student Affairs: It coincides with Howard Enoch’s 30-year tenure as director of Robsham,” Rombalski noted. “Student Affairs looks forward to commemorating Robsham’s proud history throughout this 30th anniversary season and to recognizing Howard’s important role in creating such a meaningful community resource.”
The season is dedicated to Enoch in recognition of his service as well as to the theater benefactors, the late E. Paul Robsham and Mrs. Joyce Robsham, for their support of the performing arts at Boston College. The E. Paul Robsham, Jr. Theater Arts Center was dedicated in 1985 in honor of their son, a member of the BC Class of 1986 who died following his freshman year.
Reflecting on Robsham’s 30th anniversary, Enoch praised all those who had helped make the theater a reality, as well as those “who have filled it with hard work and incredible talent. Anyone who has the desire to express themselves artistically, especially on the stage, can find a home in the Robsham. It is a warm welcoming place where you will work harder than you have ever worked before and love every minute.”
Remarking on the achievements of the many alumni who were integral to Robsham’s success, Enoch compared Robsham to a flower garden: “Growing, blooming, then past to make way for the next flower. I hope the next 30 years can produce as many beautiful productions as the first 30 years did.”
The RTAC anniversary will be commemorated throughout the 2011-12 academic year, beginning with the fall production (Oct. 26-30) “Into the Woods,” directed by Paul Daigneault ’87, the 2011-12 Rev. J. Donald Monan, SJ, Professor in Theatre Arts. The musical, which garnered several Tony awards, intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests.
Prior to the Oct. 30 matinee at 2 p.m., a brief event will mark — to the day — the 30th anniversary of the dedication speech by then-University President J. Donald Monan, SJ. Fr. Monan, now University chancellor, and Daigneault will offer remarks. After the performance, audience members will be invited to stay for an anniversary cake in the outer lobby.
Daigneault, the first BC alumnus to hold the prestigious theatre arts professorship, is the founder and producing artistic director of the SpeakEasy Stage Company in Boston, one of the most successful and respected professional theaters in New England. [For more on Daigneault click here.]
During Nov. 17-19, Robsham will stage the award-winning play “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.” Directed by Marc Franklin '12, “The Effect of Gamma Rays” — which chronicles the troubled family life of a young girl — offers a timeless lesson that something beautiful and promising can emerge from even the most afflicted soil.
The spring semester will feature John Patrick Shanley's “Doubt” and “Rising Up,” a dance showcase featuring faculty choreographers and student dancers. The 2011-12 season ends during the annual Boston College Arts Festival with a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
"The Robsham is just a shell. It's a big, wonderful tool,” said Theatre Department Chair and Associate Professor Scott Cummings. “What we really want to celebrate this year are the hundreds and hundreds of student artists whose creativity has come to life in this shell, who have used this tool to express themselves in ways they did not know they could."
Information on Robsham events and history is available here. Tickets can be purchased online for a small fee here.