DATE: Wednesday, August 20, 1997            TAG: 9708200436

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

SOURCE: BY JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY                    LENGTH:   97 lines

COLLEGE OF THE ALBEMARLE RAISING CURTAIN ON NEW THEATER PROGRAM

College of the Albemarle's blossoming theater department may be raising the curtain on a new era for the performing arts here.

``We're going to have one of the largest associate of fine arts programs in the state,'' said Sandra Boyce, COA's chairwoman of the fine arts department and supervisor of the theater program. ``The musical theater program at COA is a marvelous opportunity for the community.''

In concert with the new semester system this fall, COA will expand from two drama classes to 29 courses in technical theater, music and drama, including vocals, jazz and tap dancing, stage makeup, sound technology and stage management.

The two-year degree will provide a base for a bachelor's degree or a job in a small theater company, Boyce said.

``In most first jobs you have to wear two or three hats,'' Boyce said. ``You might have to press costumes and then make tuna fish sandwiches.''

Boyce hopes to recruit students from North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.

``It's great to see the arts getting some attention,'' said Mary Cherry, one of the founders of Encore Theatre Company, an Elizabeth City community group that produces three shows a year.

Cherry said she hopes for better communication among Encore, the University Players at Elizabeth City State University and COA's COAST Players.

``We need to all cooperate with each other,'' she said. ``The best way to go after students is to become a part of the local theater community.''

With three theater groups in Elizabeth City, one in Perquimans County and another in Edenton, Cherry said the area is relatively rich in theater arts.

``The best thing you can do is develop local talent,'' said Tom Campbell, a member of the Encore Theatre Company. Campbell is a veteran extension agent but enjoys the performing arts and helped organize First Friday Coffeehouse, where untrained artists can perform. He's considering taking some of COA's courses.

To carry out the program, Boyce recently hired Scott McElheney, who has a master's degree in fine arts in science and lighting design, and James Young, who has a master's degree in musical theater. McElheney and Young will teach classes and guide students through actual productions. Boyce herself will teach some drama classes.

``The big change is we're going to use this building as a laboratory for teaching theater, technical theater and musical theater,'' Boyce said of COA's state-of-the-art stage and auditorium.

COA's theater, built in 1990 for $3 million, seats 1,000 people and came equipped with the latest in lighting and sound systems. It is the largest and best theater facility in northeastern North Carolina, Boyce said. The next nearest to it is at East Carolina University in Greenville.

McElheney, who came here from the University of Mississippi, was immediately impressed when he came for his interview. He found himself in electronic dreamland. Much of the sophisticated equipment that came with the theater had never been used because nobody knew how until now.

``My first thought when I came here was, `I don't care what they pay, just hire me,' '' he said.

For nearly two months, McElheney, 27, has sorted through stage equipment and props crammed into corners and piled in spare rooms. Boyce, in a quick tour of the theater, proudly pointed out that the piano studio is now a piano studio and not a glorified storage closet.

McElheney discarded truckloads of homemade props and sets that had long outlived their usefulness. He saved the good pieces of plywood and boards and stored them in racks he made from metal pipes. Since coming here, McElheney is usually seen in a soiled T-shirt, dripping in sweat.

``You build things for the theater so that they are easy to move and easy to store,'' McElheney said wiping his brow with the sleeve of his T-shirt. ``Most stage pieces only have a five-year life span.''

McElheney bought new tools, including a large electric saw, so that when productions begin this fall, his students can build the sets.

``I'm big on hands-on experience,'' he said. ``The best experience comes from building sets and learning from your mistakes.''

Young, 28, will replace the retiring Leland Chou. Where Chou taught instrumental music, Young will teach music as it applies to the theater - dance, voice and performance.

``Singing, acting and dancing at the same time is like chewing bubble gum, eating crackers, and drinking soda and patting your tummy all at the same time,'' Young said.

Instead of a chorale, as in the past, Young plans to develop a show choir that performs song and dance numbers.

``Presentation is as important as the music itself,'' Young said.

As Young was about to graduate from the University of Idaho last year, he wrote letters to 323 two-year colleges with drama programs. COA was the only one that offered him a chance to teach in all three of his specialties - music, drama and dance. COA's program is even rare for four-year universities, Young said.

``This is something I've hoped for all my career,'' Boyce said as she sat at her desk in an office within the theater complex. Just behind her on the wall was the smiling face of the theater's comedy mask. Her smile was just as big.

For information about the program or upcoming shows, call 335-0821, Ext. 295. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Sandra Boyce, right, Jamie Young, center, and Scott McElheney, left,

are leading the fine arts expansion at the Elizabeth City college.

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