Dr. Dale J. Young’s career has taken him around the country and back again to the Midwest, given him the words of Shakespeare, Miller and Christie to speak, and planted him on classical stages, on film, on street corners or in church basements – wherever an audience thirsts for entertainment.
This fall, Young stepped into the role as Illinois Valley Community College’s new theater instructor and director, and just wrapped up his first production, “Bottom’s on First 2.0,” which he wrote and directed.
The next production that opens in November is David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, “Proof,” which explores human relationships and the brilliance and burdens of genius and mental illness. This show runs Nov. 20-23, and tickets can be purchased at the online box office through the link at www.ivcc.edu/theatre. Tickets for adults are $20 and $15 for high school age and under. Admission for both productions is free for IVCC students.
Young intends to build on IVCC’s theatrical legacy and expose students and audiences to a variety of performing arts. “I hope students are curious about what it means to do these things, and I want to expose them to as many genres as possible. I will throw in some farce and Shakespeare, so that our student transfer program is well rounded,” he promised.
Young says he is excited by all the theater options available locally or within a short drive. “You can never have enough theater! We can spend a lot of time talking about theater, or seeing student theater, but it is also important to see professional environments off campus.”
Theater has been central in Young’s life since his teens, and his career has spanned community and professional stage productions as an actor and a director. “An artist’s goal is to gather life experience, and that is what I have been doing!”
His first starring role as The Elephant Man introduced him to a character that captivated and physically challenged him. He would revisit the role when he was older to discover his own body and mind had changed hugely. “I had matured and my physical abilities and insight had improved.”
He discovered teaching when he became an artist-in-residence at an educational non-profit, and felt just as at home in a classroom as on a stage. Not surprising, since he comes from a long line of teachers, but he was startled to learn that his mother knew his destiny before he did.
“She said she knew I would be teaching, but she had never told me that! Still, if you want to learn your craft, be a teacher. Teaching has been amazing, and it is fascinating to watch people grow and expand their experience!”
Sometimes he worked without walls, drawing crowds of appreciative spectators on street corners with improv, rapid patter and balloon animals. “The level of intimacy with an audience is hard to beat” in that setting, he remembers fondly.
Along the way, he earned a bachelor’s in fine arts (acting, Theatre School of De Paul University, Chicago), a master’s (expressive therapies, Massachusetts) and a doctorate (theater, Ohio).
A short stint as an adult therapist helping people through trauma or addiction unveiled a new truth and other valuable lessons. “I found I was not made to have an affair with art; I was married to it. I realized I was homesick for the theater. (As a counselor) I learned how heal-able people are, how to communicate better, and how to ask hard questions.”
Playwriting is another creative avenue. “If I am not making stuff, I am not me. I was always making stuff – always using a hammer and saw or painting.” As hobbies, he still carves in stone or wood and is a devoted cyclist and outdoorsman.
Young looks forward to expanding theater opportunities and the student theater community, and says community colleges are an ideal stage to do both.
“People have a dream to be performers but do not know where to start, and two-year colleges are a great place for that. What I love about theater is that the theater will accept everyone who is looking for a community and has a warm heart. People deserve a place to feel safe and to be part of a community.”
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