University of Washington School of Drama - History

History

The University of Washington School of Drama traces its origins to 1919 when Glenn Hughes, a recent graduate of Stanford University, joined the faculty of the Department of Dramatic Art, a part of the English Department. Though he came to the University of Washington as a poetry fellow, Hughes soon became determined to create a first-rate drama school. From 1930 to 1961 Hughes led the Department, which became the School of Drama (SoD) in 1941. He wrote more than 60 plays; wrote and edited various literary and scholarly publications; launched one of the West Coast’s first foreign film series; and established the drama program as the center of theatrical life in Seattle. Under Hughes’ leadership, the drama program became a center of Seattle’s theatrical life and a respected part of its cultural milieu. In 1961, Hughes retired and was succeeded by Gregory A. Falls. Falls created the Professional Actor Training Program (PATP), a prestigious BFA (now MFA) program that placed the School among the nation’s top professional acting conservatories and initiated the Ph.D. program in theatre history, theory and criticism. It was during this time that the stream of UW drama graduates began pooling in Seattle. Graduates and former faculty stayed in the city, founding their own theatres and forming the genesis of what is today one of the country’s most active and diverse theatre communities.

The School’s role in establishing Seattle’s vibrant theatre life was seminal. Founders and artistic directors of many of Seattle’s leading theatres were first students or faculty at the School of Drama. Greg Falls founded ACT Theatre. Duncan Ross became artistic director of the Seattle Repertory Theatre for over a decade. Alumus M. Burke Walker founded The Empty Space Theatre, which remained in the artistic forefront for over 35 years and former faculty member Arne Zaslove was artistic director for nearly twenty years at the Bathhouse Theatre. Alum Jenny McLauchlan Carlson was co-founder of Seattle Children’s Theatre. Alumae Linda Hartzell is current artistic director of SCT, which is considered one of the leading children’s theatres in the country. The late Ruben Sierra, alumus and former faculty member, created one of the country’s first ethnic theatre companies, The Group Theatre (formerly the Ethnic Cultural Center), which was later led by Tim Bond, a directing graduate of the UW who served as Associate Artistic Director at Oregon Shakespeare Festival for 11 years and is now producing artistic director at Syracuse Stage. Even the enormously successful Oregon Shakespeare Festival was founded by alum Angus Bowmer.

More recently, three theatres have been founded in Seattle exclusively by School of Drama alumni. The enormously successful, Washington Ensemble Theatre (W.E.T.), was founded in 2004 by 9 alums representing every one of the school’s programs. Two years later, W.E.T. was awarded “Best of the Fringe” by Seattle’s alternative newspaper, The Stranger. Founded in the past two years is the UW’s latest contribution from directing alumnus Mark Jared Zufelt, two time recipient of Seattle Times Footlight Award for Best Production, Next Stage and a group of undergraduates founded Emerald City Scene.