{"id":2811,"date":"2012-10-22T15:54:48","date_gmt":"2012-10-22T19:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/?p=2811"},"modified":"2012-10-22T15:54:48","modified_gmt":"2012-10-22T19:54:48","slug":"a-class-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/","title":{"rendered":"A Class Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

On a mild Friday night in early October, Professor of Theatre Gregg Stul<\/a>l<\/a> watched with keen eyes as a group of students worked through a scene of Steven Sondheim\u2019s \u201cInto the Woods,\u201d <\/em>which opened in Klein Theatre Thursday, Nov. 1.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Gregg Stull directs Anissa Felix ’13 in the production of “Into the Woods.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The musical is a coming-of-age story featuring the fairytale characters most anyone will remember from childhood: Cinderella, the Baker and the Baker\u2019s wife, Jack who traded his cow for some magic beans. But life is not a fairytale; a vengeful giant is on the loose and has already claimed a number of victims.<\/p>\n

Stull, the chair of the department and the director of the play, rose from his seat during a particularly poignant scene between a widowed Baker and Cinderella. But Stull wasn\u2019t sure the pair was quite conveying that. He posed a couple of questions, told them to try again. He returned to his seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood, good, good,\u201d Stull said.<\/p>\n

It is a historic theater season at the University of Mary Washington. One hundred years ago, on Dec. 16, 1912, the school staged its very first production \u2013 \u201cAlice in Wonderland.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year UMW Theatre<\/a> celebrates its centennial season by drawing from the diverse and lengthy list of past performances. \u201cInto the Woods\u201d was <\/em>last performed on campus in spring 1995.<\/p>\n

For the students and faculty involved in production, the centennial is of little significance during grueling rehearsals, which run six hours or more six or seven days a week.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Alumnus Gregg Stull, chair of the UMW\u00a0 Department of Theatre and Dance, has taught at Mary Washington since 1991.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But, \u201cthere\u2019s been theater on the hill here for 100 years,\u201d Stull said. \u201cThat\u2019s worthy of noting \u2013 how vital theater has been to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ask Mary Washington theater alumni what helped to mold them into the successful professionals they are today, and time after time they point to the professor they call \u201cGregg.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stull challenged them, former students said, and he elicited the best from them. He made them stretch in ways they could not have imagined. And from the very start, he treated them as colleagues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will tell them the truth,\u201d Stull said.<\/p>\n

If something is not working on stage, he lets them know. He gives them an honest, respectful critique.<\/p>\n

Theater students leave Mary Washington with an understanding of the entire theatrical process, from back stage to center stage. They leave, Stull hopes, with a better understanding of themselves. And that means that sometimes, \u201cskill is the least important objective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stull first came to Mary Washington as a student and soon found his way to the theater department. After UMW, he went to work in professional theater and earned a master of fine arts from the University of Maryland. In 1989, he returned to his alma mater to teach a class. In 1991, he joined the faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been drawn back to teaching, to live the life of teaching. It seems to be my destiny. It suits me well,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery single day is different.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2010, concerned that he could no longer relate to those he taught, Stull took a sabbatical \u201cfor the sole purpose of learning how to be a student.\u201d\u00a0 He chose to study culinary arts, which he knew virtually nothing about.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it again,\u201d Stull said of the experience, \u201cin a way I maybe have lost touch with over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three hours into the Friday night rehearsal nearly a month before \u201cInto the Woods\u201d <\/em>premiered, Stull asked students to perform parts of scenes two times, three times, four times \u2013 gently prodding, asking questions, making suggestions.<\/p>\n

With practice comes mastery. They do this six days a week, then seven, until opening night.<\/p>\n

When they don their costumes and step on the stage of the Klein Theatre filled with parents, professors, and friends, they will be ready.<\/p>\n

Stull will make sure of that.<\/p>\n

-by Kristin Davis<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more about Stull and UMW Theatre in the fall\/winter UMW Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Student performers learn the theatrical process and prepare for life’s stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":4801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[44,45],"class_list":{"0":"post-2811","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-show","8":"tag-gstull","9":"tag-theatre","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Class Act - Great Minds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marty Morrison\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marty Morrison\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/#\/schema\/person\/22f4edfad5bbf9805c6ee36473a05291\"},\"headline\":\"A Class Act\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-10-22T19:54:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/\"},\"wordCount\":685,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2012\/10\/IntoTheWoods-286.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Gregg Stull\",\"Theatre and Dance\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Show on Great Minds\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/greatminds\/2012\/10\/22\/a-class-act\/\",\"name\":\"A Class Act - 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