SHIP :: Faculty Focus

By Matt Slavick ‘06

“It’s been a long time coming,” smiles Music and Theatre Arts Professor Paris Peet.

Paris has been at Ship for fifteen years after teaching at East Carolina University, and it’s taken nearly that long to realize the vision he had when he first arrived here. Thirteen years ago, he was on the committee that first explored the idea of a new performing arts center to replace the aging Memorial Auditorium. Field trips to other universities and colleges who already had these centers, budgetary questions, and design concerns filled the years with a mixture of hope and trepidation; these days, it’s relief and a sense of accomplishment.

The switch from Memorial Auditorium to the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center mirrors the transition begun this year for Paris’s department. Long paired with speech communications, it has since merged with music and is now known as the Department of Music and Theatre Arts.

“The pairing of theater and speech comes from a time when the belief was that language, especially rhetorical forms of language, made for an ideal marriage,” he says. “It’s just more logical nowadays to pair it with music. [Theater and music] are similar in that we prepare performances and, in some cases, collaborate. We have a similar need for rehearsal facilities for preparation and utilize theater spaces for performances. Our colleagues in music understand those aspects of our work that involve rehearsal, production, and performance.”

Though performances may eventually be switched to the Luhrs Center, Memorial Auditorium is still an integral part of the department. Instead of having to teach in cramped classrooms unsuitable for performing in the converted gymnasium of Stewart Hall, Paris and fellow theater professor Paul Leitner will have the entire stage in the auditorium to work with. “There’s new space available to outfit our existing classes into a real acting studio.

He’s excited about the move to the Luhrs Center. Aside from having all of the department offices in one central location, music classes will now be taught in an advanced environment—upgraded classrooms, a band room, and a piano studio a few of the new amenities the facility boasts.

Though the Luhrs Center is an accomplishment for the department, it doesn’t deny the fact that fewer Ship students, and Americans in general, are interested in theater as a hobby these days. Paris mentions the fact that Turkey provides more government funding to the arts than the U.S. “Nowadays we’re competing with communications…television, the Internet, things like that. Fewer people are interested in theater just for kicks.”

During a recent Saturday rehearsal for How I Learned to Drive, and The Pavilion, both to debut in February, Paris (right) helps Donny Hadfield with his posture while rehearsing with Nzinga Morris, left.

One of the things Paris is doing to raise more student interest in the department is making it applicable for other majors. He anticipates revising the curriculum in the theatre minor to focus on classes that train student teachers interested in implementing theater techniques and practices in the classroom, and de-emphasizing the focus on production.

“What’s really cool is that it can also apply to business majors. With the [Luhrs Center], we can have the students doing internships and learning what it takes to run a box office or manage the business side of it.”

Though he’s proud of former East Carolina University student and current CSI: Miami star Emily Procter, his fondest moments are when students are able to apply what they learn from his teachings into successful productions. “Ashley Cease is our former student who is now a company manager at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Anthony Labresco is a recent graduate pursuing an acting career in the Philadelphia area. We have numerous grads working as teachers in various school districts in the area. We have minors who have gone on to graduate school in theatre. We also have some older students who continue to work in professional and academic theatre. Tom Reing is doing very exciting work with a new play that has garnered him many arts council grants and frequent travel to Ireland. We are all very proud of every single one of them. I admire them more for who they are, not what they do.”

Two contemporary American plays performed by Ship students will debut in the spring: “How I Learned to Drive” and “Pavilion.” Both shows will be performed as a repertory, meaning there will be approximately 100 seats onstage allowing for a more intimate interaction with the audience.

Paris finds an occasion every so often to involve himself in the theater community outside of Ship, but his main commitment is to his wife, Claudia, and two sons, Owen and Francis. On campus, Paris is dedicated to bringing the arts alive to those who are already a part of it, and those who haven’t yet been exposed.

“I’ve moved many a desk in my life. I’m excited to teach the way I want, and making more diverse kinds of art available is great.”

Matt is an English major who is planning on graduating in May.




			By Matt Slavick ‘06 “It’s been a long time coming,” smiles Music and Theatre Arts Professor Paris Peet. Paris has been at Ship for fifteen years after teaching at East Carolina University, and it’s taken nearly that long to realize the vision he had when he first arrived here. Thirteen years ago, he was on the committee that first explored the idea of a new performing arts center to replace the aging Memorial Auditorium. Field trips to other universities and colleges who already had these centers, budgetary questions, and design concerns filled the years with a mixture of hope and trepidation; these days, it’s relief and a sense of accomplishment. The switch from Memorial Auditorium to the H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center mirrors the transition begun this year for Paris’s department. Long paired with speech communications, it has since merged with music and is now known as the Department of Music and Theatre Arts. “The pairing of theater and speech comes from a time when the belief was that language, especially rhetorical forms of language, made for an ideal marriage,” he says. “It’s just more logical nowadays to pair it with music. [Theater and music] are similar in that we prepare performances and, in some cases, collaborate. We have a similar need for rehearsal facilities for preparation and utilize theater spaces for performances. Our colleagues in music understand those aspects of our work that involve rehearsal, production, and performance.” Though performances may eventually be switched to the Luhrs Center, Memorial Auditorium is still an integral part of the department. Instead of having to teach in cramped classrooms unsuitable for performing in the converted gymnasium of Stewart Hall, Paris and fellow theater professor Paul Leitner will have the entire stage in the auditorium to work with. “There’s new space available to outfit our existing classes into a real acting studio. He’s excited about the move to the Luhrs Center. Aside from having all of the department offices in one central location, music classes will now be taught in an advanced environment—upgraded classrooms, a band room, and a piano studio a few of the new amenities the facility boasts. Though the Luhrs Center is an accomplishment for the department, it doesn’t deny the fact that fewer Ship students, and Americans in general, are interested in theater as a hobby these days. Paris mentions the fact that Turkey provides more government funding to the arts than the U.S. “Nowadays we’re competing with communications…television, the Internet, things like that. Fewer people are interested in theater just for kicks.” During a recent Saturday rehearsal for How I Learned to Drive, and The Pavilion, both to debut in February, Paris (right) helps Donny Hadfield with his posture while rehearsing with Nzinga Morris, left. One of the things Paris is doing to raise more student interest in the department is making it applicable for other majors. He anticipates revising the curriculum in the theatre minor to focus on classes that train student teachers interested in implementing theater techniques and practices in the classroom, and de-emphasizing the focus on production. “What’s really cool is that it can also apply to business majors. With the [Luhrs Center], we can have the students doing internships and learning what it takes to run a box office or manage the business side of it.” Though he’s proud of former East Carolina University student and current CSI: Miami star Emily Procter, his fondest moments are when students are able to apply what they learn from his teachings into successful productions. “Ashley Cease is our former student who is now a company manager at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Anthony Labresco is a recent graduate pursuing an acting career in the Philadelphia area. We have numerous grads working as teachers in various school districts in the area. We have minors who have gone on to graduate school in theatre. We also have some older students who continue to work in professional and academic theatre. Tom Reing is doing very exciting work with a new play that has garnered him many arts council grants and frequent travel to Ireland. We are all very proud of every single one of them. I admire them more for who they are, not what they do.” Two contemporary American plays performed by Ship students will debut in the spring: “How I Learned to Drive” and “Pavilion.” Both shows will be performed as a repertory, meaning there will be approximately 100 seats onstage allowing for a more intimate interaction with the audience. Paris finds an occasion every so often to involve himself in the theater community outside of Ship, but his main commitment is to his wife, Claudia, and two sons, Owen and Francis. On campus, Paris is dedicated to bringing the arts alive to those who are already a part of it, and those who haven’t yet been exposed. “I’ve moved many a desk in my life. I’m excited to teach the way I want, and making more diverse kinds of art available is great.” Matt is an English major who is planning on graduating in May.