If you pass Jay Sierszyn in the hallway and ask him how he's doing, 他会第一个警告你, “我要用一个故事来回答." The WLC theatre professor of 21 years is set retire at the end of the semester. 成为一名讲故事的人似乎是西耶森进入戏剧职业的曲折道路的核心:“当我被问到我是做什么的时候, 我说我讲故事.“从很多方面来说,这也包括了我在剧院的工作."
这需要一系列的教育, 职业生涯, and life experiences for Sierszyn to eventually realize his calling to theatre education. Perhaps the earliest nudge came from a most unlikely place - a funeral home. “我的姑姑和叔叔开了一家殡仪馆, 我们会在接待大厅举行大家庭圣诞节. 对孩子来说,这是一个完美的玩耍场所! My cousins and I would do 'shows' up front where the casket would normally be on display."
从高中一直到大学, 西尔斯曾以为他最终会成为一名乐队指挥. 他对器乐有着浓厚的兴趣, 还会打击乐, 男中音萨克斯, 除了他的主要乐器之外还有单簧管, 中音萨克斯风. 他把这归功于他的高中音乐老师, 戴夫Krubsack, with being the one who opened his eyes to becoming an educator: "Still to this day, I think he had the most influence on my going into the vocation of teaching. 这就是他的为人和所作所为."
在西尔斯琴大一和大二之间, he joined a traveling Christian pop music-theatre group called Joy Incorporated. 剧团乘坐一辆改装的校车在全国巡回演出, performing concerts and children's shows at churches and schools along the way. “那段时间真的巩固了我的信仰——我们每天一起学习圣经,确实如此, 在某种意义上, 一个非常公开的事工.这段经历也指引着他在教学之路上走得更远:“它让我更加清楚地感受到音乐和戏剧的职业召唤。, 也是为了教书."
戏剧教育事业的戏剧性转变, 然而, 会很快成为一种“啊哈”时刻吗. 在康考迪亚师范学院(现为芝加哥康考迪亚大学)攻读音乐教育学位期间, 他遇到了巨大的障碍, 也被西琴称为音乐理论II. "The Lord made me realize how music should maybe just be a minor. 他让我明白,我并没有那种天赋."
大学毕业后, Sierszyn began teaching English at an all-boys Catholic high school in Chicago. 除了他的教学职责, 他是摔跤教练, 开始了一个演讲项目, 还经营着课后戏剧社. “我在那里教了四年书, 然后我就想, 'Sure I developed their speech program (which they didn't previously have), but what I really wanted to do happened at 2:30 in the afternoon.' "
Realizing that he was most "in his element" while leading the drama club, 为了培养自己的激情,西森进入了北伊利诺伊大学的研究生院. 之后,西琴开始申请大学教学职位. “我最终收到了120多封拒绝信,或者是说‘对不起,我们没有空缺.’”现在他获得了戏剧艺术硕士学位, 在等待进入大学的黄金机会的同时,他又回到了一所路德教会高中教英语和演讲.
坚持终于得到了回报,西尔斯琴收到了森林城市华尔道夫学院戏剧课程的录取通知书, 爱荷华州, 他在那里工作了13年. He continued to nurture his gifts in theatre 和教学 by completing Ph.D. 在密苏里大学的课程, 并通过参与专业团体,如高等教育戏剧协会(ATHE). In time, Sierszyn became ready to author the next "act" of his 职业生涯.
他回忆起几年前在纽约举行的ATHE大会上,他遇到了信誉最好的网投平台排名的一位戏剧教授. “我参加了(大会上的)一个文科焦点小组,有个人向我走来,她的名字叫简·纳尔逊(Jan Nelson),来自信誉最好的网投平台排名. 她问我是否有兴趣回到密尔沃基,因为她刚刚开始了WLC的课程, 我们正在考虑发展和扩大师资队伍."
几年后, 在职业生涯的十字路口, 西尔申还记得那次偶然的相遇, 然后又向尼尔森伸出手:“她说, “你在开玩笑吧, 我们刚刚给了一个拒绝的人一个职位, 我们从秋天开始招聘!' " After a series of subsequent campus visits and meetings with faculty, 学生, 和管理员, 他接受了WLC的召唤. The change did not happen without some anxiety about facing the unknown, but Sierszyn trusted God to light the way: "And so came fall of 2002, 我记得我对自己说:“在你所在的地方——上帝会召唤你,为你安排一条道路——但你可能只看到最初的几步。.' "
sierzyn信誉最好的网投平台排名戏剧系的第一年致力于教学布景设计和灯光. 虽然不是他研究生学习的重点, he was nonetheless skilled in these areas from experiences in college and the classroom. “我觉得,在那些时候,我不知道,主正在为我信誉最好的网投平台排名的这一刻做准备."
多年来,教师和项目的变化逐渐使西森的角色变得更加全面. 这些扩大的机会让西耶森更深入地投入到他的职业召唤中:“我从来都不是一名教师. 我的任务是“教学方面”,让学生明白他们为什么要学戏剧,并让他们明白这不仅仅是为了表演. It's conveying to my 学生 what I have learned and experienced in theatre."
他自称是个讲故事的人, Sierszyn understands theatre to be the art of telling the human story. "You can't have theatre without the subject matter being human life.他帮助学生认识到这一点, 在参与剧本和演出时, 角色将反映真实的人, 毫无保留. "Students freak out when I say, 'There's probably not going to be theatre in heaven.' In plays, we are exploring what it means to be human, and that includes our sinful nature."
西尔斯琴通过课堂来理解作为一名基督教戏剧学生和观众意味着什么:“在某些方面, 每个故事都是基督教的故事. 如果你从基督教的角度来理解人类的意义——这就是戏剧中所发生的——我们就能从角色的行为中看到“为什么”. 我们可以看到我们有同样的错误或挑战.他鼓励学生分析从节目中学到的教训,并将其应用到他们的灵修生活中:“希望如此。, 好的戏剧能让他们思考, “我的生活怎么样?? 我是如何反映在这个故事里的? 怎样通过祷告的思考和读经的过程来加强我的信心呢?' "
是否担任董事, 设计师, 或生产商, 在他21年的WLC职业生涯中,他几乎参与了拉贝剧院的每一部作品. 对他, a good show is one that connects 学生 and audiences to something known, while at the same time exposing them to the unknown: "If it's too cliche, 没有什么新鲜的,也没有什么不同, 然后是小睡. 另一方面, 一个故事不应该被灌输到不同的文化中,或者以一种人们不知道发生了什么的方式来讲述. No, we need enough of what we recognize, and yet be told something new."
当被问及他信誉最好的网投平台排名任期内最喜欢的戏剧时, Sierszyn回答, 我最喜欢的节目是下一部. I know that's pretty cliche, but I feel I am called to be in the moment." His sentiment is more than just a passing platitude to evade a ponderous question. 而, 西耶森的态度可以追溯到他对自己职业的理解:“我认为这在很大程度上是一件戏剧式的事情——投身于此时此地, 并且出现在舞台上和排练中."
Of course, Sierszyn wasn't without a handful of highlights as seen from the director's chair. 这位经验丰富的戏剧教授深情地回忆着 行尸走肉, which he produced with an "ensemble" - or group-centered - approach. “这是一种非常松散的东西. Most of the characters weren't cast until about eight to ten days before we opened, 这让学生们抓狂. 我让他们把很多自己的“自我”带到角色身上,并对主题进行研究. There were times for sharing thoughts and perspectives - it was a very artsy-fartsy, 混合的方法.“节目中最令人心酸的时刻, 然而, “我们用幕布把拉贝剧院围起来,让观众坐在中间靠得很近. 当这个死刑犯要去执行死刑的时候, 其余的演员唱了这首赞美诗 多么奇妙的爱 从窗帘后面. Now, whenever I hear that hymn, I think about how effective that was in the show."
《十大网投平台信誉排行榜》 was another favorite: "The cast was wonderful and so willing to explore things. We brought back alumni to be in the show and to compose the music.“西尔森的记忆不断涌现。”如何在商业上取得成功 我信誉最好的网投平台排名的第一场大秀是什么. One of the cool things with that was that we had a working elevator door on the set. 未排练的莎士比亚作品, 弓的弯曲 - the ones I'm thinking of all came out of the "ensemble" experience and were not as scripted. These shows had creativity that came out of being in the moment, which made them totally unique."
Not all of the memorable moments happened at show time, 然而. In fact, many of the most meaningful experiences occurred behind the curtain. “其他人看不到其他记忆. 所有后台和商店的工作, the laughter from 学生 coming out of rehearsal - I say to myself, “这就是我喜欢做这个的原因.' "
Sierszyn considers his circuitous 职业生涯 path to be a tremendous blessing. Though a more straightforward trajectory may have been easier at times, the twists and turns have given him untold opportunities to grow and serve. 只有在事后,他才能看到神是如何使用这些情况和经历来装备他去服事别人. "We don't always know why the Lord leads us on paths that are disconnected, 但后来我们回过头来,发现‘哦, 这就是为什么会这样!' "
sierzyn努力创造一种环境,让学生们喜欢这些类型的职业积木. 他意识到了, 就像他自己的经历一样, 许多人将被召唤以他们还不知道的方式服务. 许多WLC戏剧专业的学生都有, 当然, 后来在专业剧院当演员, 作家, 技术人员, 和经理. Many more, 然而, have found themselves serving their neighbor off the stage. “我们做戏剧的方式非常符合WLC的使命. 我们同样想要庆祝那些职业召唤最终没有在剧院的人,就像我们在这个领域的校友一样. 除了你的专业,还有很多其他的东西. 这和我有联系吗? 是的! 我从来不是只看戏的人."
西尔斯琴的WLC绝唱, 拼布英国将于2023年4月首演. 以美国拓荒者为背景, 这部音乐剧用被子的图案和补丁来代表一个错综复杂的故事网络:“In 拼布, 我们听过很多这样的小故事, 或“补丁,就像被子一样, they become part of a larger thing that is passed on from generation to generation.这位伟大的讲故事的人再也找不到比这更完美、更令人心酸的演出了.