By Sarah McMillin, Assistant Living & Arts Editor
The 2019-20 school year has provided a new beginning for Susquehanna students, but it has also acted as a fresh start for the theatre department’s newest assistant professor Jeanne Tiehen.
Tiehen came to Susquehanna after two years at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. where she taught theatre classes and directed shows.
Originally from Omaha, Neb., Tiehen earned her bachelor of fine arts from Creighton University and both her master of arts and her doctorate in theatre from the University of Kansas, where her research and dissertation focused on science plays and their cultural implications.
As an assistant professor, Tiehen will have many roles including teaching multiple acting and theatre history classes as well as serving as the academic advisor for theatre performance majors.
She is also directing two shows this season: “Seeds,” a play by Annabel Soutar and “Working,” a musical by Stephen Shwartz and Nina Fasco. “Working” will be performed from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6. Tiehen had already hit the ground running when auditions took place on Sept. 1.
“The musical is a really good learning curve for me,” she said, commenting on the transition from Wayne State College to Susquehanna. Tiehen added that she was interested to see how theatre is practiced at a new university.
The transition into a new teaching and directing position is not the only transition Tiehen has had to face. She has also had to conquer the transition of moving to and living in a new state.
Coming from Nebraska and studying in Kansas, her time at Susquehanna is her “first time living and spending this much time east of the Mississippi.”
So far, she said she likes the area and the school. One of the first things she noticed was how welcoming and accepting her colleagues and the Susquehanna community are.
“[I was] dazzled by how kind and generous everyone has been so far and how bright and engaged students are,” Tiehen said.
There are many aspects of her new position that Tiehen is looking forward to. One of these aspects that she especially looking forward to is providing opportunities for aspiring theatre professionals and helping them grow.
Tiehen’s own experiences craft and individual styles in theatre have influenced her desire to provide opportunities for aspiring theatre professionals. When she was as the University of Kansas earning her master of arts, she was in a production of Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons.” The next year, she and the rest of the cast got the opportunity to revisit their roles as they took the show to Shanghai, China for a contemporary theatre festival.
“I have so many wonderful experiences in theatre that I just feel so honored and so fortunate to have this opportunity now to continue making theatre. Especially in higher education to do that, to have that opportunity to teach that as well,” Tiehen said.
As for her classes, Tiehen has been impressed by the student’s attention to detail, participation and willingness to learn. She said, “The engagement and conversation that I’ve already seen in my classes this fall is really impeccable.”
She is excited to get to know the students better. She hopes to help them hone their even more throughout their time here.
“The reward is not just seeing the students on stage, but seeing the growth that they have,” she said. “Every time it is fun and a challenge for me but every time I feel so grateful that I get to do it still.”
The musical “Working” follows several ordinary people as they go about their occupations. Some of the characters making up the ensemble include a housewife, a steel-worker, a teacher and a trucker, among others.
The musical is based on Studs Terkel’s book “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.” The show originally opened in 1977 and was revised in 2012.
Other current theatre department professors and faculty include Erik Viker, associate professor of theatre Anna Andes, assistant professor of theatre Caleb Stroman, artist in costumes Elizabeth Ennis and event management assistant Pat Wendt.
