Teacher's Appreciation Week is here, and I wanted to celebrate teachers/professors who have made an impact in my life, one way or another. When starting this interview project with professors I love and admire, the main teacher I wanted to interview for this was my favorite teacher of all time: Professor Staci Walters.
In 2015-2016, I took two semesters in Professor Walters's Theatre Technology. From the moment I met Professor Walters, I knew she would make an impact on my life. I always thought I could never be in tech for theatre productions. I felt I wasn't "smart" enough to do that. After taking her class, I found I was more knowledgeable and capable than I gave myself. I learned a lot from Professor Walters and was fortunate to work alongside her in four and a half productions! I found a new love and appreciation for the arts. Professor Walters, since day one, has always been informative, brilliant, funny, and completely honest. There is never anything fake about Staci. She wants her students, and those around her, to succeed and have the knowledge to better prepare them for the future.
Staci Walters is a fighter in what she believes in. That can be hard to do in an industry that is made up of artistic views, but more importantly, money and power. It is a process that can be a struggle for most. For as long as I've known Staci, she has always fought the struggle and for her, I'm grateful. She has taught me everything I know behind the scenes when it comes to theatre. She has taught me that it's never okay to be treated unfairly in a toxic environment. She has taught me that there is so much more to the industry than just being an actor, writer, or director. I got to sit down with Professor Staci Walters for an interview. We talked about being in the industry today, education and what it means, and what advice she can give to anyone interested in going into the entertainment world.
Please, take a read!
Tell us who you are and what you teach.
I’m a Teacher, Producer, and Production Manager. I like to say I’m a manager of Creative Process. It does require a lot of creative decisions and decision-making. But under the context of “what’s best for the process?” and “solutions to managing all these people (in this process) that have artistic needs and technical needs for a specific end date”. I’m a person who got stuck in the theatre as so many of us do. (We laugh) I’m a parent and a caretaker. I’m really focused at work on helping students who align their “wants and desires” in Arts and Entertainment with the reality of the professional world. Sometimes that can make it really hard but that’s what I try and do. I try to translate that professional world into a format that students can understand and get experience with, in a Higher Ed environment.
What made you want to be a teacher? In the entertainment setting?
(She laughs) I used to tell people, “Don’t do theatre, unless you have to,” (We laugh) It’s like News is very timely. It’s live and happening now. But with art and creativity, you’re reacting and also creating for the moment in the future. I really love that aspect of it. I love the artistic approach to social commentary and seeing what makes audiences more alive. Right before COVID, we had a couple of shows that were doing that! It was bringing people from all over the city and selling out. It was really forward-thinking. We were three days before opening another production, just like that, all about worker’s rights and unions. And then of course, like everyone else in the world, we got shut down. Now we’re trying to restart that.
What I find interesting about, when I first met you, you weren’t trying to a “big production”. Most people whenever they have to come in and fix a theatre program, they try to “go big”. But with you, you’ve realized your resources and used them starting small and then worked your way up to the goal you wanted. Do you think that’s why your shows, towards COVID, were being more elaborate and what you wanted?
Absolutely! I appreciate your comment! (I laugh) When you start somewhere new, you need to observe. So, I observed what do our students want? What does our audience want? What are we capable of? What are our resources? It took a few years and we kept pushing. Every show pushed a little bit more. Then we created a model to know where our support and resources came from. I think that’s one of the reasons our participation grew, and one of the reasons our audiences grew. We were also putting local professionals together with international professionals. That was also really exciting.
And now, because of everything, have you had to restart again, or are you planning on forging forward with what you’ve done?
That’s the plan… The plan is to do small and then work up. Rebuild. One of the things about higher ed is that you have a culture that you develop and a program. Usually, that culture will last four to six years at a four-year institution. But at a two-year institution, it lasts two years, max! With COVID occurring for two years, we’re essentially starting from scratch, starting from nothing.
What does education mean to you?
I think it’s about giving students the resources they need to be successful now. It’s less about sending them on a path of educational attainment and higher ed to give them the degree they need to grow in the industry because that doesn’t always happen the way you hope either. Education is more about allowing students to see the opportunity in that path. It is a lot more path-focused, especially here in Las Vegas. We have so many entertainment roles and positions! They may not align, specifically, with what a student thinks theatre is but it's about opening their minds and letting them see that you can always produce theatre when there is an ability to do it. You also have to be able to work within this entertainment structure and now it’s about adapting. We have more opportunities, here in Las Vegas than in almost any other geographical location. We have a far better system available to students, who are willing to open their minds and take opportunities.
Do you think education is important?
Absolutely! Especially in theatre, in my opinion. We have different levels and layers of theatre. We have community theatre, which inspires audiences and people to get involved, but it doesn’t pay. It’s largely a volunteer system. I think that education is important for students to have an open mind and learn how they can adapt that excitement in a way that will be professionally recognized. I also know that education is where you’ll have access to the newest technology, which has transformed theatre in the last hundred years! School is where you can get that “hands-on” approach and be introduced to those things. Those are the skills that will make you most successful in the industry.
What is something you love about teaching and what is something you hate about it?
I always love exposing students to experiences and ideas that they haven’t thought about before. One of the main classes, I teach, is Intro to Design and Technology class. I love to challenge students to all of the positions and production roles. Designers, don’t build. Most students don’t know that. So many times, we only see the last third of the process (when making a show) and we assume we know what the jobs are. Nobody understands that there is so much research, designing, and building that goes into it. There are all these hidden processes, that no one sees. I really love to flesh out the entirety of the process. I’m a realist. I want people to have a real understanding of what they’re getting into. Something I don’t like is that it is really hard to teach work ethics. Theatre is such a time commitment. There are no small tasks. It’s challenging to motivate students to understand the importance of the small tasks and how they get built upon in that process!
What was it like teaching during the pandemic?
(She laughs) We had some technical classes that were especially difficult online. For a moment, they were largely a textbook quiz sort of class when we, all of a sudden, had to go online. That got better as we went. We did have a few, like the shop classes, that were in-person. We teach across several spaces and could spread the students out to complete tasks. I did teach online. What was fun about that was that it put me “face to face” with students, rather than being in these cold lecture halls. Online, you feel really close and can see people’s faces. It ended up working really well. To think about it, that is the way artistic and creative processes have largely occurred in the last decade, in arts and entertainment. We are no longer geographically bound. People have been working this way for a decade because it was available. The pandemic sort of helped to align some of that curriculum and education with the early process we never see.
That’s interesting to say. I remember when I was doing shows years ago. Creative teams, especially writers, would ‘video into’ rehearsals to see the process. Yeah, you’re right. The entertainment world has already been doing that. So, there wasn’t a change to what you were already doing! So, to change subjects… We’re seeing more and more, faculty members come forward that there are not enough budgets for supplies; students are behaving worse and worse towards teachers; parents sometimes are getting involved in their kid’s education, mainly because it is all online, so they see it. Do you think the pandemic had anything to do with this shift that we’re seeing or was it bound to happen?
We had an abrupt switch to the mode of teaching. In the beginning, across the board, there were changes in everyone’s ability to deliver information and provide feedback. We’re seeing lower budgets now because enrollment just dropped over the years. Your money, this year, is defined by how much was made last year. We had COVID funds for two years when enrollment dropped. But now, we’re looking at a future with less funding because we had lower enrollment. Everyone had to reassess their lives and everything. The ability to create revenue dropped. Now we’re seeing it come forward. It’s a very different world than it was a few years ago.
In my experience, the theatre has always had budget problems. Have you experienced these problems firsthand? Not only with the budget but also with students with inappropriate behaviors towards the teachers. Have you experienced that?
I think I have a different approach to budget than many people do. Theatre and entertainment are about adapting to your resources. You have to have the ability to really understand your resources. I could do a show for twenty-thousand, or I could do a show for twenty million! I teach the same when we’re talking about ideas and designs. We must pay our artists. We must support that freelance and gig economy that we rely on!
What advice would you give to someone who is trying to be a teacher?
It’s hard... I would say the same thing as I do about theatre: Don’t do it unless you have to! (We laugh) It’s hard. I realized I have taught in conservatories. I have taught in graduate programs. I have taught in a two-year program. The students and the type of students you have are so different. Try to understand what is your motivation and does that aligns with the type of institution you want to teach? I think we have to be real with what we want… In academia, you have to stay open-minded, and goal orientated. I think that is really hard to find in people and it’s really hard to do. You also need to be collaborative. You need to be a social creature. Being an educator… (She sighs) if you have a calling for it- bless you. (We laugh)
So, I wanted to ask you this because you are in the arts. This has always been a debate that arts are just as important as sports. Do you think arts, in general, are important for everyone, even if they’re not going for an arts degree? Do you think arts is important to teach in the world?
I think the arts if you’re doing right, provide an unmeasurable ability to create complex reasoning and understanding of such a vast variety of social factors. It’s the only place where math, science, feelings, and emotions, all of those things are calculated. They come together and are analyzed equally. I think problem-solving and complex reasoning are things that can only be taught in the arts because you’re talking about reality and hypothetical. You’re trying to come up with solutions to that. The arts are about pushing thought processes and imagination. That is why it is called the arts!
Let’s talk about the entertainment world. I think we’ve been exposed to more tyrannical directors and producers. It has sort of tarnished what was revered for the entertainment world being this elegant and dreamy industry. I know I have worked with you on projects with some directors and producers, that have been a little toxic in the workplace. Before you, I thought that was the social norm for the entertainment industry and I think most people thought that way… What would you say to people that are going through the toxicity in the industry today?
It's such a large problem… We’re finding it in so many work environments! In the arts, it can be unchecked because there is not a governing body of any kind to look out for that kind of behavior. I think it’s important to remember that we’re making this for our audience and not ourselves. That can get in the way of artists. We have to remember that we’re a group of people making a collaborative decision that is going to be best for the group of people seeing our piece together. We need to focus on the art. Why are we doing this? Why is it important? If we have a mission and creative path we’re trying to achieve, we’re not going to run into those issues.
Of all the jobs you have had in theatre, what was your favorite job and what was your least favorite?
That’s a tough question… One of my favorite jobs was assisting in the L.A. Opera. The Opera was producing a three-million-dollar scenic budget and CBS Studios was building it! So, they had this big shot Scenic Designer from London! It was fun because it exposed me to such a different world. You know, Opera and theatre are related but the network and the people- they’re really two different beasts! It was so interesting to see how these really large-scale productions were coming together because this was going to tour to like five continents and was being built in CBS Studios! In this film production shop! They weren’t even making money on it- the reason they were doing it was that they found that their shop-build labors were bored! On the other end, I’ve had a production or two, that I had to step out of… I was a set designer and was recruited by this director. We had this brilliant idea. It was such a cool, artistic show! We presented the ideas but the board of directors of the theatre company was people with money. They were people who like to watch theatre but don’t understand. (I laugh) We started getting into talks about it and there was no pay. So, the whole team is doing it for the artistic experience. I think at some level, you get through enough of the meetings to realize these producers are going to push their ideas onto it. They are providing the money and the support but they have never participated in a thought-provoking artistic dialogue about why, how, and who it is for. So, as a group, we weren’t interested anymore. There was nothing to want to participate in anymore. It’s hard to step out of production… It's hard...
I know this will be very shocking to a lot of people… There are a lot of people that realized or are realizing that, in the entertainment world, it’s not just actors, directors, and writers. (Dramatic gasp!) Especially actors! Everyone wants to be an actor. Everyone wants to get into the entertainment world as an actor. What advice can you give people who want to be in this industry?
I have a different view of this than a lot of people. I tell people, “Well you can go to school.” Some schools probably offer a degree for Supermodels! You can get the degree but that doesn’t mean you’ll be a supermodel! (I laugh) It’s not just actors! It’s now that way for directors and designers too. It’s not just education. It’s the school you go to and the network. It’s who they put you in touch with and the opportunities you’re exposed to! Unless you’re the best of the best and you’re getting into one of those top five schools, that sort of thing- then you’re probably not in the top 5% of all the actors in the country that are going to make it. You need to be able to compete, nationally and internationally! You need a backup plan. Every successful actor I knew in L.A. had a full-time job! Most of them had a secondary skill in entertainment, that kept them close to the industry. It’s easy to find people who want to be actors. It’s even easier to find people, who are lazy, that want to be actors! The only way to be a successful actor is to have more perseverance, willpower, and drive than anyone around you!
Are there any shows or events happening at the CSN Theatre? Are there ways we can get connected with the program?
The program is growing right now. The best way is to come and enroll in the program. The Theatre AA prepares you for a more general approach, but you still learn some technical skills, which are where the jobs are here in town, and in most of America right now. We did a show this past year and it was really difficult. We will do a production or two next year and that is being decided. The best way to get involved is to come, take some classes, and get a real good understanding of the industry.
Lastly, if you could describe yourself, using three adjectives, what would they be and why?
Persistent. (She laughs) Maybe… It’s very hard. (I laugh) I’m demanding. I’m a pretty demanding person. I used to be funny, but I think I’m serious now. (We laugh) I do have a great deal of empathy. So, I think I’ll just end with empathetic.
Every chance I get to see Staci is always insightful and meaningful. Teachers and mentors like Staci are very rare. For that, I'm grateful to know someone so incredibly bright and witty. That is why it is important to thank all the teachers that have meant something to you. That is why teachers are important. Being a teacher, sadly, is a thankless job. It is time we changed that. I am thankful for Staci Walters. I am thankful for all she has taught me. Because of her, I know my self-worth. I know I can stand my ground and fight for what is right. Staci's honesty and courage have helped me realize that there is so much more I can do, as a person, than sit on the sidelines. She has taught me that education and educating yourself will make all the difference in the world. Especially, in a world full of idiots.
Thank you, Staci Walters, for being my teacher, mentor, and friend!
If you or someone you know have a story that you would like to share, please contact me. This is all experience for me. I would love to share any and all stories I can!
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