A letter from the Artistic Director

A Letter from the Artistic Director—

We are in a tumultuous time, losing ourselves, our futures, our very lives to greed and power, to technology, to the idea that different is wrong. We have been trained to be distrustful, defensive, even hostile; and we shy away from humanity because we have been taught to fear it.

But it is within us to turn this around. We need to connect more with each other, not less, and not via anonymity on the internet. We need to connect in person, in conversation, in shared spaces and experiences. This season’s Theatre Arts Lab Series was curated to highlight the strength, meaning, and purpose of human connection. Each production’s themes center around the need for others in our lives—the need to be acknowledged, understood, and valued.

The Arts—usually the first to be diminished in times of economic hardship or political oppression—are a societal necessity. Even at Dominican, the Arts have waned to a shadow, an afterthought, but we need the Arts NOW. The Arts not only remind us of our humanity, but provide opportunities to CULTIVATE it. 

Also, it is vital that we be creators as well as consumers. Who cares if it’s “good”?! Making Art is an act of affirmation, an act of humanity. In creating, sharing and connecting through Art, we will find our way to one another. So let’s go see that play and concert, visit that art gallery, read that book, and also let’s paint that painting, dance that dance, pen that poem, and sing that song. The Arts are where the soul reenergizes, where oppression is confronted, where we find bolstering of spirit, and where humanity is given a voice. The Arts transform and transcend. 

Thanks for joining us. Let’s connect and keep it going…

In Art and Hope,

Krista Hansen, Artistic Director

SPECIAL THANKS

Patrick Raddatz, Midwest Event Solutions

DUPAC Staff: Samantha K. Barr, Dave Hudson, Melanie Thompson 

All the Students working in the Scene Shop, Costume Shop, Box Office/Event Services

Deep gratitude to the Dominican University community and our audiences who have supported the Theatre Arts department over the years.

“The arts, as media of the imagination, are disciplines  which give form and substance to our capacity to be who we are." 

— Stephen K. Levine