By Justin Muszynski
The average play that the CCSU theatre department puts on may cost anywhere from $1,000 to $6,000 however, when Lani Johnson, the former chair of the theatre department, started working here in 1968 she needed to do what she could with only about $250 total.
“Today, that might get you one costume, maybe two,” said Johnson who is currently a professor of theatre. “It was hard trying to come up with good work when you really didn’t have a real budget.”
That, to Johnson, is one of the biggest differences she sees in CCSU today. The theatre department is a reflection of the school as a whole, being much better off financially and generally more successful.
Reflecting on what other struggles professors faced in the past, Johnson cites what used to be the theatre department’s scene shop, which she describes as just a “big wooden building.”
“I think it was something left over from World War II and it was somewhere around where Vance is now,” said Johnson. “We had to share it with the maintenance people who stored paint and all kinds of chemicals and that building burned down. Today, all our scene work is done here [Maloney Hall] so a lot of the change has been for the better.”
Another thing Johnson notices today that she feels is a big step forward for CCSU is its diversity. The University prides itself on its diversity with a firm mission statement that’s goal is to “promote, develop and support a culturally diverse community,” according to its website.
“When I started teaching here there were only two African American professors,” said Johnson. “I have no statistics, but from what I’ve seen it seems like there’s much more diversity in the backgrounds of students and faculty, which I think is very healthy.”
One thing however, that Johnson notices that may be a step backwards for the University is something the student population controls. She says that there isn’t much political involvedness compared to what she calls the “hippie” era.
“I think students back then were much more involved, they were very much against the war in Vietnam,” said Johnson. “So much has changed today with no threat of being drafted. I suspect that students in the 60’s and 70’s might also have reacted similarly to the war in Iraq with protests because as far as I know, that was the first time in history the true face of war was brought into our living room with pictures of slaughtered civilians, drug problems and reality and horror of war.”
On the other hand, while students’ feelings towards the war may not be as strong as they used to be, there are other things on campus that Johnson feels have improved, for one, the school never had an African American studies program.
“I remember a group of African American students went into the administration building and basically kicked everybody out and demanded an African American studies program,” said Johnson. “Many were arrested but they were able to get a program that would allow them to learn about their heritage. The school gave them a program but wasn’t willing to pay the professors to teach it. So I, and some other professors volunteered and we taught it.”
Overall, Johnson feels that while not all, but many changes that have occurred at CCSU have been for the greater good. She again points to the theatre department as an example of this.
“A lot of the changes were for the better, I think we’re able to give a much better education to our students who are pursuing careers in theatre,” said Johnson. “We’re able to have the best equipment, sound and lighting equipment and more money to spend on things that make it better for the students.”