Since 1972, St. Edward’s University students in the Mary Moody Northen Theatre program at have studied, trained and performed with professionals of the industry.

The first play at the theater was “Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?” guest starring William Shatner, said David Long, artistic director and associate professor of theater arts.

During the 2014-15 season, students of the Mary Moody Northen Theatre perform a production of “Misalliance” by George Bernard Shaw.[/caption]

Long said theater founder Ed Mangum was well-connected in the industry and brought in professional actors on hiatus to work alongside students.

Along the way, the department became affiliated with the Actors’ Equity Association, a union for professional theater actors and stage managers, Long said. The affiliation allows students to work toward an AEA membership.

More recently, the department has brought in local TV actors, stage actors, voice actors, directors and other professionals to work with the students, which helps students build their professional networks, Long said.

Michelle Polgar, managing director of the theater, said the student-
professional collaborative model may be present at other schools on the graduate level, but St. Edward’s University’s program is at the undergraduate level, and undergraduate students get to play more significant roles as opposed to being an extra onstage.

David Long, artistic director and associate professor of theater arts, and Managing Director Michelle Polgar lead the theater department at St. Edward’s University.[/caption]

In addition to acting, students also learn other industry professions, such as a carpenter, dresser or spotlight operator, Polgar said. Students perform one job for one play and a different job for the next play in the season, she said.

“We’re in a unique situation where this is a professional theater on the campus of a university,” Long said.

In its 43rd season, which lasts through the 2015-16 school year, the theater department continues modern productions such as “Mr. Burns, a Post-electric Play,” a show in which actors dressed as characters from “The Simpsons” re-enact episodes of the animated sitcom. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was also performed during the current season, a story that Long said is still socially relevant.

During the spring semester the department will perform “The Government Inspector” in February, a satirical, political play that has been adapted from Nikolai Gogol’s original version, Long said. To end the season in April will be “She Loves Me,” a musical about the human spirit and the fragility of relationships, Long said.

“My goal is to bring in new work into here as well as balance it with a season that explores styles and genres from other places,” Long said.