WSU...and beyond
A couple days ago I went to Wayne State University to talk to the head of their PhD program and to get a feel for the University. The meeting was at 10am so I made sure to get there early. I did, surprisingly enough, get there at the exact time I was planning…met up with Jim Costello, some of you may know him…a whiz when it comes to stage lighting…and he showed me where Dr. Thomas’ office was. The meeting went well enough, I suppose. I realized just how underprepared I was for such a meeting. I thought I spent enough time figuring out what questions to ask so I wouldn’t look like a total tool…turns out he answered all of them before I had a chance to ask them…that was the first five minutes. Then we just started talking and here’s where it got real interesting and why I really like what WSU has to offer.
The PhD program they teach is a broad based scholar/director program catered to develop scholars to fit into the state sized university level where the prof would be required to where several different hats…while they have several specialized faculty on hand, it’s not the type of degree program they offer, hence a very marketable degree. I also like the concentration on directing. Dr. Thomas was saying that there is only one other University in America with a scholar/director program and that is at Stanford…and even still, at WSU the doctoral students direct a full length, fully supported play each year, whereas at Stanford, according to what I was told, the directing emphasis is in the classroom and on scenework. So…I really like what WSU has to offer on that level…it really is a curriculum that I think would fit me.
They have a lighting lab. A room the size of EMU’s lab theater dedicated to lighting. I wanted so badly to play. A room for sound editing. A room full of 40x60 heavy duty drafting tables BEGGING for someone to stretch a piece of velum out on and create…and apparently they have something called a budget that lets them actually afford to do things. Yeah, I was drooling…especially when Jim said they just got $40,000 worth of color scrollers in…nice.
The area is definitely a culture shock for me. Not so much for all the people around but all the traffic. I’m such a doofus when it comes to navigating around Detroit, and had no idea that WSU is literally right on Woodward. After my meeting I was waiting for Jim to give me a ‘tour’ of the facilities and the inside scoop on the University (which has a rather impressive police force might I add)…so yeah, while I was waiting, I went for a brief walk around campus. I made one turn and thought, “hey, that building looks familiar.” Yup, it was the DIA. For some reason, that really floored me. I stopped by a really awesome art supply store that I had wanted to visit for years, Utrecht. Very nice…a real artist’s haven. I could spend a lot of money there.
I never realized just how big WSU is. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it in this year…as much as I’d like to, I have too much prep work to do before I’ll even consider myself ready. So…now to begin. There are still other universities to look at, but for what I feel I want to do, this is the best fit I’ve found so far.
Aside from that, work is getting a little more tolerable now that my summer help is here and I’m not working 11 days in a row…I need to pick my running back up. I’m trying now to run in the mornings. Get up around 6, start running by 630, back by 7-730, shower, eat a HEALTHY breakfast, relax for a few, come to work ready and awake…did that today, and I’d like to think I’ll continue to do so. Got at least one 5k this month, maybe another that I’d like to run…waiting to hear back from my trainer on that. So, yeah. One day at a time, one step at a time…I’m not even sure if I’m looking for a finish line, just gonna enjoy the view as long as there is one.
b-ri