By: Jennifer Flores
In early August, it was announced that the theater major program was cut from Dominican’s bulletin. Many former theater students were left devastated by the news but have tried to keep theater alive at Dominican through organizations like Curtain Call.
Curtain Call is a student organization that is curated for anyone on campus interested in theater related activities. Their BeInvolved profile outlines their overall objective.
“Our mission is to build an inclusive and supportive community that encourages creativity, collaboration, and personal growth while celebrating diverse voices and making theatre accessible to everyone on campus.”
According to Curtain Call Advisor and Production Technician, Melanie Thompson, the club formed in 2023 and previously hosted events around productions like The Prom, The Wolves, and SpongeBob the Musical.
Before discontinuing theater productions at the Lund Auditorium, the President of Curtain Call, Eliza Santiango explained that the organization was involved in promoting plays and making events that gave students the opportunity to practice for auditions, as well as share advice.
However, since the removal of the program, Santiago stated that there were many changes that the organization had to face.
“We had to cut a lot of events down without any shows happening. There wasn’t a reason for people to try and practice for an audition,” she said. “Not to mention that the people who are interested in theatre and curtain call are extremely busy and can’t always make it to events. We have less events and less people show up, but that isn’t stopping us from coming up with more ideas to get people involved.”
Thompson explained how the club managed to move forward on its own.
“Without a show, the students are being challenged to ground their events in different creative ways and community engagement,” she said. “I’m hopeful that they will continue to find ways to connect with their peers and remain creative in the coming semester. We’re still collecting data on what is landing with DU students and what is not.”
Despite events like the General Meeting and Drag Show Fan Making receiving low turn-out, they managed to get multiple students to sign up to view Little Shop of Horrors at Victory Garden Theater.
Theater productions at the Lund Auditorium, however, remain unforeseeable.
“So far there has been no news about doing a production at the Lund Auditorium next spring, but that also doesn’t mean the theatre community doesn’t have some amazing ideas for next semester,” she said.
If Dominican revives productions in the following semesters, Thompson expressed approval in continuing to support those productions.
“Curtain Call is currently holding down the fort on the theatre front, and I hope the University will honor the passion that Eliza Santiago, Aiden Weeks, Xochi Montane, Alyssa Barrow, and Mia Skaliotis have been putting in,” she said.
Going forward, Santiago wushes to continue leading with hope.
“I wish to have more people on our team and try to get more people to notice our events, but I also want to branch out from people thinking that Curtain Call only cares for the performers,” she said. “Many of us love being backstage as much as we love to be on it and want to show our community how much the stage means to us. It’s how we share stories and express our creative differences, which sounds corny but very true.”
After having to navigate the new adjustments, Thompson mentioned that she is ultimately proud of the team.
“They have had a lot of obstacles and have been so dedicated, even though student clubs have changed so much since I was last in their shoes,” she said. “They show tenacity and attention to detail that makes me really proud to be their advisor, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.”
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