The spring semester has brought light to Kean’s capabilities, one of them being recognized as the best acting school in New Jersey by the renowned newspaper and talent casting organization, “Backstage”.
The Kean Theatre Conservatory (KTC), accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theater (NAST) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), was surprised but proudly accepted the title.
Professor Holly Logue has been at Kean since 1984 and teaches contemporary acting and directing. She reflected on what makes the KTC so special.
“One is its location. Obviously, for theater, being four train stops from New York City is huge,” she said. “Having a professional [theater] company in residence is significant because, as far as I know, we are one of only nine universities in the US that has a professional company and residents like this.”
Logue believes the recognition comes from the overall efforts of the program, including faculty members who are working professionals, the in-residence theater production company Premiere Stages (PS), collaboration with Kean Stage, and partnerships with high schools.
Tyler Sautner, 2024 KTC alumni and Assistant Musical Director for Rent and Alice by Heart, shares his journey at Kean that led him to being part of KTC.
“I’ll always remember a mounted production of Indecent by Paula Vogel… it was probably one of the most stunning pieces of theater [I’d] seen in a while,” Sautner said.“I saw it, and I was like, wow, this is what Kean students are capable of? And I’m like, I want to be on that stage.”
There’s collaborative work between the KTC, PS, and Kean Stage. KTC and PS alternate theater production months to satisfy the full-year calendar programming, and Kean Stage brings in outside industry leaders for other artistic events on campus.
KTC professors also facilitate opportunities for students’ new interests.
“I want[ed] to give other things a shot. So I asked Holly, I was like, listen, I really enjoy music; is there any way where I could be able to express that? And sure enough, we found a way and I composed the next main stage production alongside Marcus McPherson, ‘Animal Farm’,” said Sautner.
Jennifer Lane, author of the Backstage article that recognized KTC, highlights Kean’s efforts to invite “famous working professionals, such as icon of the stage and screen Billy Porter,” to host master classes for theater enthusiasts.
Logue recounted anecdotes of past collaborations between students and outside performers like Billy Porter, Kelly O’Hara, Patti Lupone, and, more recently, Giancarlo Esposito, all thanks to Kean Stages. She also emphasizes the level of production that goes into KTC’s performances, from costumes to scenery and the performances themselves.
Kean counts on five theaters around campus to fulfill all types of production needs. At the Bauer Boucher Theatre Center, there’s The Black Box, a versatile warehouse-style open space, flexible enough to be transformed into many different settings with a capacity of 99 seats, and others, like the campus’s famous Wilkins Theater, which seats 1000 people.
According to Logue, the KTC varies their shows based on categories: a musical, a classic, a contemporary play, and a wild card. The play selection process is made by six faculty members and two selected students.
“We have learning goals in mind, you know? We want them to learn certain skills,” Logue said, “If we did a musical, what kind of music do they need to be learning? Is it a dance show? Does it require tap dancing skills? Is it more ballet? We look for what is required for the show…”
KTC offers several different degree programs. “There’s a BA, which I describe as the pizza with everything – you do a little bit of everything in the BA program… And there’s different tracks for the BFA. There’s a musical theater track, a straight acting performance track, and there is a design and technology track,” Logue explained.
In addition to KTC’s effort to provide new opportunities for its students, and despite no official partnership made, KTC’s friendly connections with the theater production company Plays In The Park (Edison, NJ) have attained various opportunities over the summers for Kean students.
“For a long time, we’ve been saying we’re New Jersey’s best-kept secret. People discover us and say, ‘I didn’t even know you were here!’” Logue said, “We hear that so much… So this sort of affirms that word is spreading,” said Logue.
With this recognition and production successes, Logue believes KTC has “room for growth” and enrollment rates to the program could increase.
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