This fall, UST Drama is making history. Stoic Theatre, UST’s theatre, officially launched UST’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre – Houston’s first and only program of its kind. This groundbreaking new degree begins its maiden voyage with the timeless show, “My Fair Lady,” opening on Oct. 2 at the MATCH theatre in Houston.
Broadway World wrote a piece about the show and all the wonderful actors and technical crew involved.
Assistant Director of Fine Arts & Drama Michael Morrison, who is directing “My Fair Lady” mentions how this showcases UST students standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Houston professionals, proving that our city and our university belong at the very center of the arts, all while bringing people together.
“The beautiful thing about theatre is that a group of strangers from all walks of life come together to experience a show,” he said. “The differences and divisions melt away as we laugh, cry and tap our feet together.”
Eric Domuret, UST Chair of Fine Arts, Drama, and Dance, and Member of Dramatist Guild of America, sat down for a Q&A with MAX Studios Bridget Richardson to share this history-making BFA in Musical Theatre and how theatre is at the core of the mission of UST.
Bridget Richardson: Tell us about the new BFA in Musical Theatre.
Eric Domuret: We’re really proud of this. Starting this fall, UST is launching Houston’s only BFA in Musical Theatre. We already have a drama program, a dance program and a music program, and we’ve been producing musicals in the drama program for years. It was really a no brainer that we should make this degree available. The BFA combines acting, singing and dance at a professional level, but it’s also rooted in the liberal arts, so students get that broad foundation that shapes them as whole people. It’s designed to get young artists ready to walk into auditions or rehearsal rooms and feel like they belong there.
BR: Since this is the only one in Houston, why do you think this would be attractive to students?
ED: Houston is one of the biggest arts cities in the country, but until now, if you wanted a BFA in Musical Theatre, you had to leave town. Now students can stay in Houston and get world class training while also being connected to the city’s professional theatres. Plus, a degree in Musical Theatre is in high demand. High school students often get swept away the first time they experience a musical. It’s inspiring, it’s transformative. And in Texas, especially in Houston, theatre is huge at the high school level with things like UIL One Act Play competitions and the Tommy Tune Awards. So the hunger for this kind of program is already here, we’re just giving students the path forward.
BR: In what ways do UST drama students get contact with working professionals in the Houston area?
ED: Honestly, right from day one. We bring in actors, directors, and designers who are actively working in Houston theatre. Our faculty are also performing and directing around the city, so students are constantly learning from people who are doing the work right now. And it’s not just about learning new skills, it also establishes professional connections before they even graduate. Let’s be real, in theatre it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.
BR: Absolutely. You’ve got connections with a couple of theatres, so productions are not always on campus, right? Can you explain a little bit about those partnerships and why they are special?
ED: Exactly. We’ve produced at MATCH in the theatre district, and at The DeLUXE Theatre in Third Ward, among others. Performing off campus is a different ballgame, it feels professional because it is professional. And it’s important training too. Much professional theatre is never rehearsed in the space where it’s actually performed. Tours often show up, tech in a space they’ve never seen, perform for a week, and then pack it up and move on. For both performers and technicians, getting used to that kind of environment, walking into an unfamiliar house and making it work, is invaluable training for their futures.
BR: It also exposes students to the broader Houston community. Why do you think it’s important for the UST community to attend these productions to support students and enjoy leisure?
ED: Theatre is communal, it’s meant to be experienced together. When the UST community comes out, they’re not only supporting our students, they’re entering into something deeply human. Engaging in leisure is arguably the most important thing a person can do. And in theatre, you get all of the fine arts in one: music, dance, writing, rhetoric, poetry, visual art, even science and geometry in the technical side. Theatre is the only art form that explores the entire gamut of the liberal arts in one expression. The funny thing is, it’s often overlooked because when we do it well, it feels so much like real life that you don’t notice the hours of skill, time and craft behind the beauty.
BR: That’s very well said. Let’s help our community look forward to that leisure. Do you have the full show schedule with dates for the coming year?
ED: Yes, we kick off with “My Fair Lady” at MATCH, Oct. 2–5. In the fall, our students will perform “Wit” by Margaret Edson, Nov. 14–22. It’s a Pulitzer Prize winning play about a brilliant professor facing terminal cancer, who ends up finding grace and humanity in her final days. It’s a deeply moving piece. In the spring, we’ll produce “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time,” April 17–25. That one follows a 15-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who sets out to solve the mystery of a neighbor’s dog, and along the way unravels family secrets. Both are extraordinary plays that showcase the depth of our students’ talent.
BR: Those are definitely great shows to look forward to coming up. It really seems that UST Drama is thriving. Can you tell us about your vision for student success?
ED: The Drama program has dreams and ambitions that are larger than life. We’re growing rapidly, and that’s a wonderful problem to have, but we’re also at the point where without support, we’ll start bursting at the seams. We desperately need help, whether that’s time, talent, financial support or lending your expertise. If you can make things happen, we need you.
BR: Finally, how would you describe UST Drama as integral to the University’s mission?
ED: The Catholic Church has led the history of the world in the arts and artistic expression. When someone goes on vacation in Rome or London, they don’t go for mundane practicality, they go for the art, the music, the architecture, the theatre. The Jesuits of old made the fine and performing arts central to their education of young men. Somewhere along the way, this was lost in exchange for comfort and practicality. But here we are, a Catholic University right in the museum and arts district of Houston, with a golden opportunity for a renaissance in Catholic art. Theatre is not just a nice distraction for the American, it is an intrinsic and necessary aspect of the identity of the Church. We cannot lose it.