Last year, the St. Ambrose Theatre Department welcomed a new club to campus: the Theatre Appreciation Club (TAC). This newly formed club has seen many positive changes since last year, including increased membership and a plethora of new activities being offered.
While it is still early in the school year, TAC has a busy school year ahead full of fundraisers, cabarets and other events, such as the annual Fresh Face Revue and the end-of-the-year Galvin Awards.
Led by junior officers Luke Peterson, Ellie Larson, and new club producer Allison Hutson, the Theatre Appreciation Club is open to everyone, regardless of major. The club strives to bring an increased appreciation of theatre to St. Ambrose, and the officers and faculty advisor Daniel Rairdin-Hale are planning activities and events that will best serve the student community.
Each month, TAC has a minimum of two meetings. The first meeting serves as a business-style meeting in which the club's officers discuss upcoming events/fundraisers and field questions/ideas from current club members.
"We really want the club to be a collaborative effort," TAC director Luke Peterson said. "All of us officers strongly believe the best work gets accomplished when you collaborate with others, so we always urge club members to come with ideas and events for the future. We are here to serve the SAU community the best we can, and we love hearing all the new ideas our club members have. Without their input, events such as the Miscast Cabaret and Open Mic Night would not have been possible."
In the fall semester, TAC plans to offer a wide variety of opportunities. An Open Mic Night in the Beehive was TAC's first successful student event. Later this semester, club officers will organize many fundraisers, such as a T-shirt fundraiser and play and book sale as well as accepting donations at the Disney Cabaret and the Fresh Face Revue. The money fundraised will go towards planning the annual trip to Chicago in December. TAC's Chicago trip is a great opportunity for the students as the trip is both entertaining and educational.
"Even though I'm from the Chicago area, going on this trip was a very educational opportunity," SAU sophomore Nyssa Wagner said. "It allowed me to see the city with new eyes because the trip helped me see parts of Chicago that aren't on the tour maps. I learned so much about the art of theatre, and I loved the sense of community that we all formed on the trip. I can't wait to participate again in the future!"
While the fall calendar is booked with events, the spring semester is equally as busy. The spring semester will begin with another Open Mic Night followed by the Miscast Cabaret and 24-Hour Play Festival, which debuted last year.
New for the spring semester is a staged reading of an original play that will be written by current club members and a fundraiser still yet to be announced. To wrap up the school year, members of the Theatre Appreciation Club will once again plan the end-of-the-year Galvin Awards to celebrate the 2019-20 school year.
"Our goal is to try to bring more structure to the club this year," Peterson said. "Last year, we were getting our feet underneath us. This year, we are able to see what worked well from last year and expand on it to make the club the best it can be."
All in all, the Theatre Appreciation Club is a wonderful addition to the SAU campus. The Department is proud of the growth TAC has seen, and TAC cannot wait for all the fun events they plan on TAC-kling in this school year.
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