This past week, The Quad published an article entitled “Theater Dedication” and it sparked a huge outpouring of criticism both positive and negative toward the articles publication. Mainly, the opinion piece got people talking. The focus of the article aimed toward the immense stress that theater majors have toward their profession. Some of the points the writers made are valid, even if the phrasing happened to offend people, but The Quad thinks the writer would agree those people are more than welcome, even encouraged, to love theater with as much heart, soul, flare and time as they desire.
The writer may have had a negative experience with some individuals, but let us draw a line: the writer of the article has an opinion and expressed it. That is her right in the society we live in, just as it is someone else’s right to love something even if it borders on an extreme (whether it be any subject), and our right to print what we choose.
Firstly, it is important to clarify a common misconception. In our office’s experience with certain majors, there are not necessarily students more dedicated to their majors, but those that are more immersed in their field of study. Theater is one of those majors. This is not to say that an English major or a science major cannot be equally dedicated, but for certain reasons theater majors spend more time crafting their respective control of their instruments as compared to other majors. It may be a level of competition between majors that drives them or a necessity for excellence, but there is immeasurable pressure on theater majors around the time of a show or production. And at looking at the theater department’s latest production “Assassins,” hard work does pay off.
But looking at all of those things, some students may not be comfortable devoting such an amount of time to one aspect of their life. It’s not to say they are not dedicated or motivated, but different people have interpretations on interest and they are allowed to express their opinions about how much time can be put in.
The writer did not jam her opinions down other people’s throats nor did she mean harm toward the group of people; she just announced her thoughts and feelings. The Quad says clearly “Opinions expressed within the letters to the editor, columns, and commentaries are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Quad, its editorial board or the student body, faculty, or administration of West Chester University.” This allows The Quad to be a fair vehicle for discussion of opinion on West Chester University’s campus. We thank all of our writers for their submissions, but note that it is opinion and if you have an issue, agreement, disagreement or disassociation with that opinion, you are more than welcome to reply…like members of University Theatre and the theater department did, this week.
On this page and the page across, we are publishing a number of replies about theater that a number of majors validated, a collection of two letters responding to the publication and a letter from the University Theater president. We hope if this or any other topic moves a writer, they feel compelled to express their opinion like these individuals do.