A brand new campus club at City College has amassed nearly ninety members since the start of the spring semester. Intriguing students from the film, theater and music departments, Theater Arts Community at SBCC Club has broad goals for his future.
President Grace Wilson heads the club and bases its origins on building a tighter community around the performing arts.
“I realized last semester that all theater arts majors don’t do things together outside of class,” Wilson said. “So the whole inspiration was to bring people together and create a space where all artists can come together.”
Wilson eventually brought his inspiration to life after consulting with professors and friends about the reality of starting a club.
“The biggest thing was finding an advisor, finding out if this existed before and then finding out who was interested,” Wilson said. “I asked Matt Talbot to be our advisor, who said yes, and we hit the ground running straight away.”
Many of Wilson’s friends were immediately on board and now serve as eleven board members. Their efforts to create a welcoming environment in the theater arts community extended across multiple departments, demonstrating their desire for inclusivity. Alina Reitz, the club’s musical theater representative, hopes to bridge the gap between the music and theater department.
“I’m the only music specialist on the board and one of the few in the club,” Reitz said. “Merging the departments is something I want to do because we definitely don’t have enough collaboration.”
At first, their weekly meetings consisted of music, games, snacks and a few hours to get to know each other better. However, given their rapid growth, the club had the opportunity to expand into theatrical events as well. Their first improv night was held on April 4 in the Drama building.
“It was so great and there were so many people,” Wilson said. “It went so well we’re going to start doing it every week.”
But that’s just one of the many goals they have for the future. There has been talk of cabaret-style events, actor monologues, karaoke, various workshops, an open mic night and a possible showcase at the end of the year, according to Reitz.
“I always hoped something like this would exist and now it does,” said event coordinator JT Kelleher. “It’s really like a treat for everyone. We do acting stuff, but it’s not a chore… everyone should expect to be welcome and really just have fun with it.”
Regardless of your primary or current passion, the club welcomes anyone hoping to study or improve in the theater and music departments, even if it means just attending an event for the experience.
“Theater has always been the thing that cheers me up,” said club vice president Lexie Brent. “And I know that’s the case for a lot of people. It’s a place where you feel like you can be yourself and it’s such a friendly, supportive environment.”
Funded by a $600 grant from the Associated Student Government (ASG), the club is in the process of creating T-shirts for all over ninety members. Kelleher humorously mentioned how the only real conflicts between board members so far have been the color and design choices of their merchandise.
And while Brent played devil’s advocate, helping with the logistical side of operations and cost management, she revealed how the solace found in the theater outweighed any perspective differences they’d faced so far.
“This is a community built on intention,” Wilson said. “Creating art, uplifting each other, building relationships and encouraging self-expression is the goal.” Looking to the future, Wilson hopes to eventually return to City College and see the club flourish.
Their next improv night will be from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on April 9th in the Garvin Theater Building room DM-155, open to anyone hoping to join or witness the club in action.
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