The show must go on
It’s funny how life unfolds in ways we don’t expect. The story of how Elliot Wasserman, Professor of Theatre and Chair of USI’s Philip H. Hagemann Performing Arts Department, arrived at the University of Southern Indiana 32 years ago is one of those stories.
When Wasserman was in first grade, the son of his mother’s best friend, Larry Roseman, participated in the school production of Cinderella, and Wasserman sat in the front row admiring how comically Roseman played the king’s page. “He stole the show. I was truly in awe of him because I did not think I could ever be brave enough to do anything like that. I was too afraid to risk it,” he says.
It took a few years, but Wasserman worked up the courage to take to the stage himself when he was in the 10th grade. “I was playing a psychiatrist, of all things. So, I took one of my dad’s pipes without permission and actually lit it during the show, much to the shock of the audience and the drama director, Ellen Davis! But she forgave me, and I had a nice little high school career under her tutelage after that and I will always be grateful to her.”
After graduating high school, Wasserman studied English, wanting to become a writer. He took a job as a high school English teacher in Athens, Georgia, after graduating. However, there was a catch to the teaching position—he had to run the Drama Club as well. Suddenly, he had to direct plays, drawing only from his high school experience. “I still recall the names and faces of my students—and the trust they put in every directing decision I made,” he reflects. “When the musical came in the spring, much to my surprise, all the mothers showed up to find out what sort of costumes I needed them to sew for their children. Suddenly I was a costume designer and a very inept one, but all the seamstresses carried me and designed over my shortcomings.”
At the end of that school year, Wasserman began to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Florida, but he says the idea of being a part of theater, and being good at it, never really left his mind. “I abandoned my plans to get my doctorate In English, which was hard because I loved studying literature. But I decided to see where theater might take me.”
This decision led him to the University of Georgia in Athens, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre. At first, he thought he might combine his interest in writing to become a playwright, but that changed once he took a directing class. “I always told myself I was meant to be a writer and an English professor. Many people in the theater sense that theater is their calling from a young age. It’s funny; although I always loved the theater, it wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realized directing has always been my calling,” he says.
A call from a fellow alum after graduation presented a directing opportunity in Illinois. “That started my career,” he says. “I directed Guys and Dolls for them, and the next year they asked me back to direct The Sound of Music. At the same time, I took a job at a junior college in Atlanta teaching English, speech and theater.” Things were off and running.
Wasserman says the job wasn’t easy at the collegiate level, though. As the sole theater instructor at the junior college, he wore many hats, and a high expectation for many performances each season rested solely on him. This, combined with raising a young family, had Wasserman pausing and reassessing his career goals, refocusing on becoming an English professor. However, he continued to take a few professional directing jobs on the side.
In the midst of writing his dissertation while studying in the English doctorate program at Emory University, he came upon a job listing for a theater teacher at USI. Wasserman applied and was offered the position. Within the first year of his new role at USI, he says the environment within the theater department cemented for him; this was where he was supposed to be. “I had colleagues to work with. I had never had that luxury before,” says Wasserman. “They affirmed my work. They supported me. In fact, the whole College of Liberal Arts seemed to be behind me. The position allowed me to focus on my directing—even to select the shows I chose to work on—rather than rushing around, trying to do everything. It seemed to me I had died and gone to heaven. I realized I had been seeking this all my life. Without USI and some very special colleagues, such as Shan Jensen, Steven Williford and the late Doug Hubbell, I might never have known it. I owe them thanks. They helped me become who I am. And maybe I should credit a little push from a third grader named Larry Roseman, who will never know he was my first inspiration to pursue this life in the theater.”
Once Wasserman came to terms with his love for theater and USI, he set goals for himself and the program. Eventually, he wanted theater to be its own department, and he wanted to be a part of shaping it. “The culture at USI was to identify areas of promise and to help them grow. Because of that, I always had something to work toward. USI gave me that.”
His vision came true in 2005, when theater became its own department on campus. He has served as the department’s Chair since its creation. But that wasn’t the end of the growth or USI’s investment in theatre. For the first 25 years, USI Theatre had access to Igleheart Theatre, located three miles east of campus. In 1999, the Mallette Studio Theatre was added when the new Liberal Arts Building opened, and the program continued to grow.
In 2015, USI completed the construction of the USI Performance Center, a new state-of-the-art theater facility on campus with a 300-person capacity. Though it took time to come to fruition, the new facility has given USI Theatre the opportunity to expand further and thrive. “I can look back on these past three decades and know that I have had a wonderful career,” reflects Wasserman.” Seeing the Performance Center being built made the journey I was on worth it. I am grateful that USI believed in its theatre professors and the program and that it gave us a space and the support to shine.
Over the years, Wasserman was also involved with USI’s professional theatre in New Harmony, Indiana. The New Harmony Theatre created endless opportunities for residents of Southwestern Indiana who genuinely enjoyed performing arts and theatre. But it also provided a professional, local stage for talented actors from entertainment centers around the country to practice their craft.
Wasserman was able to partner with colleagues Eric Altheide, Shan Jensen, and Paul Weimer to put on productions that brought joy to the local area. When the closing of New Harmony Theatre occurred in 2019, it left Wasserman and his fellow colleagues sad but thankful. “It was bittersweet seeing it to its end as it was something that felt like home and fit like a glove—I just hope the New Harmony community benefited from what was done,” he adds, “and that one day they will want it back.”
This year, Wasserman is retiring from USI Theatre and the field that has occupied his heart and existence since unexpectedly stepping into it so many years ago. It’s odd to take that final bow, but he’s looking forward to going on walks with his new golden retriever puppy, having the opportunity to focus more on his playwriting and finding new books to read. “I can’t wait to pick up a good book and just sit in my chair with no more distraction than a dog asking to play,” he says. “Of course, if there are grandchildren in my future, I’ll be up out of that chair, happily.”
Wasserman has undoubtedly brought growth to USI. He has shown his willingness to strive for greatness and to help shape a theatre program that will continue to grow and thrive. He tells his students to be proud of the work they do, and that it’s a great honor to be part of something you helped create with other artists.
Wasserman has pushed students’ boundaries and challenged them in every piece of work they have produced. “I hope I brought some sense of the need to take risks, to pursue creativity, and to know that everything you learn about the world can be channeled into what you do in the Theatre.”
The boy six decades ago who looked up in awe at that grade school stage and a kid named Larry Roseman now reflects on a career that has touched the lives of so many students. He wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a journey that’s come full circle, and he hopes somewhere out there was a student looking up at one of his stages saying, “I want to do that one day.”
This article was written by University Strategic Communication Graduate Assistant, Shaila Dalrymple.