Friday, March 29, 2024

Penn State School of Theatre director’s career at confluence of art, sport

Dan Carter

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UNIVERSITY PARK — What do you do after you’ve spent 22 years leading a talented and dedicated faculty and staff in the creation of a nationally ranked and respected school of theater?

If you’re Dan Carter, the retiring head of the Penn State School of Theatre, you get out your glove and cleats and play baseball.

Carter is a fit athlete who can still run to first base quicker than most people can walk across the street. His lithe physique belies his 68 years.

In many ways, Carter’s career has been at the confluence of art and sport, theater and baseball.

“Baseball is a game of failure,” Carter said. “There’s always something more to learn. It demands your absolute attention.” The art of theater presents many of the same challenges.

When his tenure at the helm of the School of Theatre ends at the conclusion of this semester, Carter will be found on the baseball diamonds of Asheville, N.C., among other places.

“In the over-28 leagues I play first base,” he noted. “In the over-40 leagues I still play middle infield. Now I play for two teams in Asheville, teams that I’ve played against for 30 years. My regular team is located in Tallahassee.”

Carter played as a youngster, in high school and, briefly, in college.

BASEBALL OR THEATER

“It was then that my acting teacher told me I had to make a choice. Baseball or theater. So I did. He explained to me that theater requires presence. It’s like being on a tightrope. Film, on the other hand is like walking on tightrope that’s laying on the floor.”

Looking back on his career, Carter has no regrets about his decision to forge a thespian’s life.

He came to Penn State from Florida State and Illinois State universities to replace Barry Kur and Carole Brandt. He spent a dozen years as a freelance performer and director.

“I am an actor by training, but I was also a stage manager and director. In the old days, we all did a little bit of everything,” Carter said.

‘PROUD OF WHAT WE’VE ACCOMPLISHED’

In his Penn State years, Carter oversaw phenomenal growth.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished here,” he said. “The faculty was great. And we have a history of exceptional acting teachers. We are like the football team that doesn’t rebuild, we reload.

“The greatest thing about Penn State is its people, including our alumni.”

Carter lists numerous accomplishments that have propelled Penn State to its status as one of the top schools in the country, always insisting that it was a team effort.

One of the biggest improvements was the expansion of available space.

“We inherited this (theater) building, which gave us the space we needed for performance studios, faculty offices and design studios,” he said. “Now, we get to celebrate models of excellence and put them on display.”

Penn State is the only university in the nation that offers a master of fine arts degree in musical theater directing. Students study with Susan Shulman, a renowned Broadway director.

“It was (professor) Cary Libkin who urged us to do this. Nobody else does it. Now we get all the best students in America,” said Carter.

The opening of the Downtown Theatre Center on Allen Street established the connection between campus and community.

“We caught lightning in a bottle when our students performed ‘Blood at the Root,’ a play that was commissioned by Penn State,” said Carter. “It has played all over the world, including the Kennedy Center. It got great reviews when it played Australia and New York City.”

GROWING FACULTY

Under Carter’s leadership, the number of full- time faculty has expanded from 25 to 34.

“I am proudest of the diversity of our faculty and students,” he explained. “We’ve hired nine additional African-Americans and Latin Americans. It was a commitment the school made. It was the right thing to do.

“It would be unconscionable to prepare our students for a world that will not exist when they graduate. It’s a multicultural world.”

The international program within the School of Theatre has become a standard of excellence.

“I am incredibly proud of it,” said Carter. “We send all our graduate students to Europe between the first and second year. And the school pays for the trip. We provide experiences that set us apart from all other programs. In fact, there isn’t a state school in the country that is better than Penn State.”

The proof is in the alumni.

“At one point a few years ago, we had 12 students performing on Broadway at the same time. That’s like having seven players in the NBA, seven players in the NFL and 13 players in Major League Baseball. That’s just actors, just Broadway. It does not include stage managers and designers. Coming here to study is like going to Duke to play basketball,” said Carter.

Carter hopes that in the future, higher education can avoid intrusion by the federal or state governments. Too much time is taken up with bureaucracy, he said.

He will soon leave his position to live on a mountain in North Carolina. He will be working on special projects for Penn State, and is hoping to finish his screenplay. “I will certainly direct,” he said.

And as long as he can continue to hit the curve, there will be a place for him in baseball.