A remarkable evolution
Sitting in his office at Lynn University, Associate Professor of Drama Adam Simpson reviews the slate of 2022–23 productions. The robust schedule includes "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a five-act masterpiece that is one of Shakespeare's most beloved and challenging plays, and "42nd Street," the Broadway musical classic. Both performances feature drama students in Lynn's Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) program.
In that moment, Simpson, who serves as chair of the drama program, reminisces on his 17 years at Lynn and marvels at the department's remarkable evolution.
In 2005, he and his colleagues taught in a humble space within Lynn's former College of International Communication. The group, which included Simpson's wife Carrie Simpson, associate professor of Dialogues of Learning, and Dr. Katrina Carter-Tellison, vice president for Academic Affairs (formerly dean of the College of Arts and Sciences), had a vision for growing and enhancing the program.
The Simpsons and Carter-Tellison focused on developing a B.F.A. curriculum, which they launched in 2018, while Carter-Tellison simultaneously transitioned the program to the College of Arts and Sciences and secured approval to launch the new degree track.
Today, Lynn Drama has 40 B.F.A. students and celebrated its first graduating class this past May.
"Launching the B.F.A. completely changed the dramatic arts at Lynn," Simpson said. "It elevated the quality of our training and productions, helping us recruit faculty members with incredible experience and talented students from around the world."
Lynn recently recruited Michael Hunsaker to serve as assistant professor. Hunsaker is a theater writer and musical composer who grew up in Boca Raton before garnering years of experience on New York City stages.
Last semester, Hunsaker wrote a screenplay titled "A Proposal" for four Lynn B.F.A. seniors who were members of the initial graduating class. The students asked Hunsaker to film the performance for their capstone project. Once complete, "A Proposal" was screened at Lynn and has now been shown internationally in Rome and Berlin and won festival awards in New York City and Los Angeles.
"I am beside myself with pride," Hunsaker said. "I wrote 'A Proposal' for the students in a way that I knew would play to their strengths. The type of recognition they're receiving is vital to a young actor."
Jared Neil '22, a Lynn alumnus and star of "A Proposal," credits Hunsaker and Lynn Drama with his growth as a performer.
"Lynn is where I learned to be confident in myself," Neil said. "My professors coached me to push myself both in and out of the classroom."
He added, "Thanks to the encouraging team behind the B.F.A. program, I am graduating and signed with two agencies, made lifelong friends and worked with great mentors. Thanks to them, I'm off to start my career."
Also new to the Lynn Drama program is Artist-in-Residence Danielle Jolie Dale-Hancock, a Broadway veteran, former New York Knicks dancer and the first Radio City Rockette dance captain of color.
"Our master class series has really taken off under Danielle's leadership—we've brought in some amazing artists and big stars to perform at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center, from Chita Rivera to Alton Fitzgerald White," Simpson said.
Simpson is grateful for the trust Lynn placed in the drama department's leadership, saying it feels as though they received "the keys to a Ferrari."
Despite the program's growth, Simpson said it's vital to remember those early days and never forget your roots: "We're still small and sticking to our mission of individualized attention and private training, as well as mentoring even after graduation," he said. "It's important to us that students and graduates always feel supported."
"Our B.F.A. program is four years old—and we're just getting started," he added. "We have so many goals, from adding additional talented faculty to showcasing our best productions to date. We want to see our alumni go on to be successful, on stage and on screen. We want to help them follow their dreams."
