The Pandemic Year in Review

June 17, 2021

When the pandemic closed the University in March 2020, Cal MacLean gave three directives to guide faculty and staff going forward.  Our mission was to instruct our students, improve our spaces, and develop/strengthen policies and processes related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Instruct Our Students

Faculty immediately shifted to online learning to finish the semester.  Then, in the following fall and spring semesters, the teaching style shifted to a hybrid model of both online and in-person learning, all the while maintaining strict safety protocols.

Students – as well as faculty and staff – also learned an entirely new skill set:  how to create and stage productions virtually.  The Open Hand – Revisited, A Christmas Memory, Airness, and an Anti-Racism Play Festival all were streamed during the pandemic. In addition, the students wrote, produced, performed, and designed a series of Halloween short stories and radio plays called Mighty Frightening Audio.

Improve Our Spaces      

New LED stage lighting, a newly-leveled stage, a new concessions stand, props thoroughly catalogued, and an improved paint area in the Scene Shop are just some of the improvements made to the theater spaces.

And, students now have brand new spaces in the Walters Academic Building.  So far, four faculty offices, a seminar room, a design classroom, and graduate studios for scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound have been completed.  Highlights of the studios and smart classrooms include:  a model lighting lab and a moving lights lab, a laser engraver, 3D printer, plotter, recording area, multiple spray booths, plenty of drawing/work tables, and assigned workspaces for every student.

This fall, a department library, acting classroom/rehearsal space, two acting coaching rooms, a commons area, and relocation of the computer lab and undergraduate sound/projections/lighting lab from the basement of the Alumni Memorial Building will complete the project.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) task force was created to recommend changes in the area of recruitment, retention, departmental policies, and outreach.  Then, a standing DEI committee took those recommendations to develop improved practices and policies, oversee their implementation, and measure the results. 

Exit Stage Left

June 17, 2021

After 15 years with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Theatre Department Head and CBT Producing Artistic Director, Cal MacLean, announces his retirement effective August 1, 2021.

MacLean joined the theatre department and CBT in 2006. Throughout his tenure, he directed several productions, most notably Amadeus, Sweeney Todd, and Candide with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, as well as such other memorable productions as The Crucible, The Life of Galileo, Our Country’s Good, and Kiss Me Kate.

MacLean created and implemented a program which brought professional playwrights to campus to develop new plays written specifically for MFA students in acting and design, two of which, he directed. The Open Hand by Rob Caisley and most recently, People Where They Are by Anthony Clarvoe, were hugely successful from both an artistic and commercial perspective.

“Cal has worked tirelessly and attentively to maintain a sound and solvent enterprise, keeping an eye on the bottom line as well as a vision and an aesthetic that satisfies and fulfills the dual-mission of the Theatre Program,” said Tom Cervone, managing director. “I have had the great privilege and pleasure of serving with and for Cal throughout the majority of his 15-year tenure. We have grown the staff, the budget, and the audience, and in spite of being temporarily paused due to the pandemic, Cal, has, in his own words, left the apartment much cleaner than when he arrived.”

MacLean led the department to become the eighth ranked MFA acting program in the country and has been instrumental in the drive to build a new Carousel Theatre.

“Community engagement has been a priority for Cal during his tenure; he has done an amazing job bringing a diverse group of people together to support the Clarence Brown Theatre,” said Margie Nichols, advisory board chair. “The increased enthusiasm we have seen for the CBT will be an important piece of Cal’s lasting legacy.”

Most recently, MacLean received the College Marshal award, which is the college equivalent of the Macebearer and the highest college honor award to a faculty member.

“In his 15 years as UT theatre department head and artistic director of the Clarence Brown Theatre Company, Cal’s innovative vision and dedication has led the department to being one of the top 10 theatre programs in the country,” said Theresa Lee, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Year after year, he has worked with our theatre faculty and MFA students, as well as professional actors, to develop seasons featuring old favorites and new programming that challenge our audiences to think about the changing world around them. His legacy includes a transformational gift from President Boyd in honor of his wife Jenny to build a new Carousel Theatre and set the stage for UT theatre in the Knoxville community for many more years to come. And, of course, the bathroom facilities in the Clarence Brown Theatre!”

The university will begin a search for his replacement in the coming year. In the interim, Professor and Associate Department Head Casey Sams will serve as department head and Professor and Co-Artistic Director Kate Buckley will serve as artistic director.

Setting the Stage

June 17, 2021

Built by Volunteers during the 1950s as part of a community project, the Carousel provides an intimate experience with audience members watching performances from all angles.

The Carousel Theatre Campaign seeks to overhaul the approximately 300-seat Carousel, a theatre in the round directly adjacent to the Clarence Brown, with flexible seating and staging, a lobby for pre- and post-show gatherings, and cutting-edge technology.

Will you join us and Set the Stage for the Future of the Carousel Theatre?