Dear alumni and friends of the Diederich College of Communication:
This spring we celebrated 100 years of teaching theatre at Marquette University. As I considered this history, I dove deeply into how theatre more broadly has been part of Jesuit education. One of our own alumni, Father George Drance, S.J. (Sp ’84), spoke to AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast about this tradition of Jesuit theatre. Dramatic performance has long been a tool for Ignatian education. Dating back centuries, performance was seen as a way to practice rhetoric and to teach the core lessons and values of the Catholic faith. Dramatic performance provided an avenue for the practical education that is the hallmark of Jesuit education.
Fast-forward to today at Marquette where much has changed in how we deliver education, and yet, the core of using performance to explore questions of humanity and to illustrate the lessons of our shared human experience remains. Marquette’s theatre program prides itself on using performance as a vehicle to examine social justice concerns that lie at the heart of our Catholic, Jesuit mission. Performance allows us to imagine the world as it is and as it can be.
Our theatre program continues to evolve as we explore new partnerships across campus and within the community. And we are proud to be able to recognize the students and faculty who have been engaging in this art over the years. In this digital issue of Marquette Comm, we recognize a retiring faculty member, Deb Krajec, and check in with one of our proud alumni, Garrett Zuercher. We hope you enjoy learning about the theatre’s past even as we look to the future.
Best,
Sarah Feldner
