Students To Protest College of St. Scholastica’s Decision To Cut Theatre Program

DULUTH, Minn. —  There was growing disappointment and sadness Sunday from current and former theatre students at the College of St. Scholastica after learning Friday that the college’s long-running theatre program will be dissolved.  Students plan to hold a sit-in protest at CSS during the day Monday to try to get the decision reversed.

“These stories that everyone has, it can feel so isolating when it’s not been told. So theater, it’s that community. It’s a space of love for us to be able to share that,” said Paige Staub, CSS Student and Theatre Program Member.

The College of St. Scholastica announced Friday that its decades-long theatre program will be shut down this fall.

Students involved with the theatre program are reacting by saying the program is a staple of expression not only at the college, but in the community as well.

“It’s one of the reasons that I came to Scholastica,” said Audrey Eklof, CSS Student and Theatre Program Member. “I have always been in theater and I found having a place that I could be in the theater was something that would make it so that I felt more at home. I felt more comfortable. I was able to blossom into who I am today.”

The CSS Theatre has been producing productions since at least the 1970s, according to a former director of the program.

“The second I walked on to campus, I was ingrained in that community and felt like part of that community and that continued throughout, like, you know, being involved in that production,” said Charley Hagen, Former CSS Student and Theatre Program Member. “And even when I wasn’t in shows, I would go and support, write articles about it. Like, theater is a primary reason why Scholastica became such a big part of my life.”

The college released a statement Friday to faculty, staff and students about the decision.

“As The College of St. Scholastica navigates the challenging environment of higher education, we face difficult decisions. One of those decisions is to cease offering theatre productions starting in the fall semester of 2024,” according to the statement.

CSS said the decision to cut the theatre program was “not made lightly.”

“We acknowledge the impact this decision will have on students, faculty, staff, and the broader community, and we are grateful to the students, faculty, staff, and audience members who participated in our theatre’s history,” according to the statement.

Students say they found out about the closure after two professors and student workers were let go from their positions.

“Theater it had, it still has, because I refuse to believe it’s gone quite yet. It has all it needs to build our students into who they want to be. And that’s all what Scholastica is about. So I just don’t understand where the value disconnect has happened between Scholastica’s Benedictine values and the cutting of this program that’s so essential to its students,” said Staub.

A post on the CSS Theatre Facebook page Friday asked, “What does theatre at St. Scholastica mean to you?”

“Theater is a space to share our stories of all emotions, of joy, of anger, of grief,” said Staub.

And many current and former students replied with their own experiences from the program.

“College is the time that people tend to find themselves and theater gives them that opportunity to find themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin and even pretend to be somebody else once in a while,” said Eklof.

With two weeks left in the school year, students are planning to speak up against the pending shutdown of the theatre program. A group of students plan on hosting a sit in at the college on Monday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to “protest” the shut down.

As for the future of liberal arts at the college, the statement from CSS ended with the following:

“The College remains committed to providing intellectual and moral preparation for responsible living and meaningful work. The College maintains a strong commitment to the liberal arts, including providing students with a deep understanding of the fine arts to fully realize their full human potential and transform the communities where they live and work. St. Scholastica will continue its long-standing and excellent work in the fine arts through its academic programming in music and visual arts.”