News and Events
Drama Majors Unveil Maloney Green Room
By Mindy A. Beers '01
As Shakespeare once said through Juliet's questioning lips, "What's in a name?" Drama majors joined together to answer this famous question in the form of a naming gift.
To say that Timothy Maloney is a cornerstone of the drama department is an understatement. He is the foundation. Hired just before the Fine Arts Center opened in 1967 as the inaugural department chair, he mandated that drama students study the historical and social contexts of theatre and learn to handle all the aspects of stage production, in addition to portraying characters on stage. "He made you think. He made you work. He didn't hand it to you," said C.A. Hutton '72.
It was a similar effect that inspired Lindsay Krieg '00 to organize a naming campaign in T.M.'s honor. "He has truly shaped who I am, and I am grateful for every pearl of wisdom, every quizzical glance, and every pensive pause that we've shared," says Krieg. "When I was told the estate of Alonzo and Virginia Decker issued a challenge grant of $200,000, I was confident we could raise the remainder."
The campaign is more than halfway towards its goal.
On May 16, those drama majors assembled during Reunion Weekend to show that dedication to the man himself. During a tour of the new Gibson Center for the Arts, T.M.'s wife, Holli Mathison '82, orchestrated the surprise unveiling of the green room to her shocked husband. It was hard to tell which lasted longer—T.M's uncharacteristic speechlessness or the ovation of applause and cheers he received from his former students.
A green room by any other name would not smell as sweet. To name the Timothy Maloney Mainstage Green Room is to thank him in a scope beyond words for tirelessly challenging decades of students to delve deeper into their creative and intellectual potential. As T.M. would say, "...You know what I mean?"