by Shashank Jejurikar ’13, A&E Editor
Country Day drama director Mark Femia spent the past three summers in Chicago at Roosevelt University’s “Fast Track” program honing his directorial skills.
With two ambitious productions coming up (The Importance of Being Earnest and The Mystery of Edwin Drood), utilization of advanced directing techniques will be necessary. Luckily, Femia’s courses at the university’s Chicago College of Performing Arts provide him with these techniques.
“I took many courses in all aspects of theatrical production,” he explained, “ranging from Directing Shakespeare to Stage Makeup, and from Literary Adaptation to Stage Combat. Some of the classes were quite academic, requiring lots of reading, research and papers, while others were very physical and required learning specific techniques that were demonstrated in various class exercises and projects.”
Not only have these courses improved Femia’s directing endeavors, but they have also influenced his teaching style. While at the program, Femia and his peers were taught about finding the purpose and meaning of each specific class and how it affects the curriculum as a whole. “My classes have changed and evolved each year as a direct result of my summer studies,” he said.
In addition to the benefits of its content, the three-year program had the convenient trait of taking place during the summer so as not to coincide with its students’ teaching schedules. “I was usually able to start my reading assignments right after exams in May, and that gave me a good month before I had to be in Chicago,” explained Femia. “The true test will be this year,” he continued, citing the winter musical, which he has chosen for his thesis. When asked why he chose The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Femia touted the creativity and literary awareness of the CCDS community. Considering the musical’s unconventional style, its presentation will prove a challenge to everyone in involved, the director in particular. However, our resident drama teacher is up to the challenge: “The multiple endings should prove to quite the challenge, which is something I wanted for a thesis project.”
Femia’s work at Roosevelt University will no doubt enrich this school’s drama program. And though the knowledge he gained from his courses was immense, he cites the true highlight of his experience as the people. He concluded, “The highlight of my work at Roosevelt has to be the 50-some new people I have met over the last three years, forming this great network of advice and help across the country, providing a support network for anything I might need in the future.”