Erin Corcoran (ercorcoran@ursinus.edu)
Dr. Meghan Brodie is no stranger to the Ursinus Theater and Dance Department. As the college’s first theater major ever in 2000, she has always been connected with the discipline. She says her time as a student here shaped the person she is today, “That [old black box theater in Ritter] was my home when I was an undergraduate—it seemed like one of the few places I could be myself and was accepted for the outspoken, nerdy, artsy woman I was becoming.” Now, she takes on a new role as the Theater and Dance Department Chair.
As the Department Chair, Brodie serves as an intermediary between both departments. She also acts as a liaison between the Theater and Dance members to address their needs and concerns regarding a variety of classroom-based issues. Additionally, she collaborates with members of casts and crews for productions, including the Technical Director and Theater and Dance Coordinator, along with staff members relevant to making the yearly productions run smoothly.
Her first few weeks as Department Chair have been eventful, to say the least. While adjusting to the new responsibilities of the role, unprecedented challenges arose for Brodie when floors in the Kaleidoscope sank during Hurricane Ida and mold was discovered in August. This created yet another new task for her, as the go-between between the Theater and Dance Department and Facilities to address these issues. During this time, she was welcoming a new assistant professor and administrative assistant, casting for the upcoming production she directs of Pride and Prejudice, updating the website, and getting familiar with her new role. She is hoping for “less eventful” months sooner than later.
Despite these obstacles, Brodie loves her job at Ursinus. Her favorite theater courses to teach are about women and drama, queer drama, and dramatic literature classes. She constantly challenges herself to create curriculums on subjects that are engaging for all students and strives to make her pupils better writers. Her favorite parts of the college are her colleagues and students. “I am SO grateful to work with such supportive, smart, and kind colleagues—both faculty and staff. I also love my students. Their dedication, enthusiasm, and compassion are a constant source of hope to me. Their kindness and sense of community inspire me to pay forward the support that has brought me to this place in my life.”
Currently, Brodie is directing Ursinus’s adaption of Pride And Prejudice. This comedic adaptation of the Jane Austen classic is especially meaningful to the cast and crew as it will be the production with the first live audience since the pandemic. The show is running October 28-31, for more information and to purchase tickets go toursinus.edu/tickets.
Those interested in getting involved in the Theater and Dance Department can contact Brodie and Dr. Karen Clemente, respectively. Studying either field prepares students for success in the professional world, as well as creates well-rounded candidates for any related opportunities. She emphasizes the importance of the arts stating, “the College’s commitment to the arts means more to me than I can express.” These disciplines “are an essential part of an exceptional liberal arts education because the arts teach us not only about ourselves, but about the society we strive to be,” she concluded.