SHANNON URTNOWSKI
News Editor
According to theatre professor George Neilson, many involved in the theater world have at some point found themselves uttering the words, “I can’t, I have rehearsal.”
As Neilson has been acting and directing since age 5, first being introduced to theatrical presentation at a children’s puppet show, he said he has used the phrase many times.
However, Neilson plans to slow down his pace come the end of the semester and retire from Pepperdine, after serving on the faculty since 1985.
“I have not been able to devote the time needed to act, because so often I am in rehearsals,” Neilson said. “I see acting and directing professionally as the next stage, perhaps, getting back to something that I left.”
Over the years, he has acted professionally in about 60 shows, from the United States to Canada to Scotland. He received a diploma in speech and drama from the Royal Scottish Academy of Dramatic Art in 1964 and an MFA in theater from the University of Georgia in 1966.
A current project Neilson is working on, which he plans to continue into his retirement, is the experimentation of projection in theater. Neilson began exploring the technology this year.
Although Neilson is leaving, many agree he has left a lasting mark at Pepperdine. For example, he formed the Theatre and Television degree with Professor of Telecommunication Susan Salas about 10 years ago.
“It combines the production side of telecomm with the acting side of the theater major,” said Cathy Thomas-Grant, chair of the Fine Arts Division.
Many of Neilson’s students agree he brings a unique flair and great experience to the Fine Arts Division that will be irreplaceable.
“He’s been at the base of the department for a long time,” said sophomore Rebecca Klein, who served as the stage manager for “The Laramie Project,” which Neilson directed. The play recounts the fictional story of a trip to Laramie, Wyo., taken by members of New York’s Tectonic Theater to investigate a murder mystery.
“One of the most important things he’s done here is direct ‘The Laramie Project,’” Thomas-Grant said.
Neilson said he chose to direct the piece, which showed in Lindhurst Theatre last semester, because it “was socially significant and had meaning, value and a message that is very pertinent.”
Senior Jordan Jarvis, who was cast in the show, said he believes he has been a cornerstone for the theater department.
“We became very close through the process, and I enjoyed working with him very much,” Jarvis wrote in an e-mail. “George has definitely been an asset to our program, providing his unique wit, past experience and thorough knowledge of theater.”
Outside of directing student shows, Neilson has been teaching courses in theater analysis and interpretation and alternative performance styles. And, Neilson founded the Edinburgh program, which theater students are still involved today in 1986.
“I’m from Scotland, and I had been running, at the previous university I taught at, an Edinburgh program,” said Neilson, who referenced his experience at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. “I had contacts with the theater, and I had contacts with accommodations.”
Thomas-Grant said his influence in the theater department has benefited Pepperdine since his arrival 23 years ago and will continue to do so over the years.
“It’s a wonderful thing for George, but it’s bittersweet for us,” she said. “We wish him the best of everything.”
04-03-2008