Welcome Kelli Crump: Alma’s new theatre director

JACK JONES
STAFF WRITER

9/30/2024

This school year, Alma College welcomes a new theatre director and Assistant Professor Kelli Crump. Professor Crump joins the Alma College community following the previous theater director, Scott Mackenzie, who retired after eight years of serving Alma College. Crump brings a new and exciting energy to the theater department and hopes to expand the types of topics that theater students are exploring at Alma. 

Crump has a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a Master of Arts in Arts from the University of Michigan. She is returning to familiar territory as she completed her undergraduate degree at Central Michigan University.

Crump “studied Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts… [and] is a recipient of the NAPAT Classical Acting Award, the VASTA Vocal Excellence Award, the Charlene Gordon Arts Impact Award, the John Cauble Emerging Leader Award and the Region III ASPIRE Faculty Fellowship Award presented by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival,” said the Alma College website.

Furthermore, prior to joining Alma College, Crump worked with a variety of professional theater organizations including the Denver Center for Performing Arts and The Magic Theatre in San Francisco.

She is also credited for her roles in “Clydes” and “Hairspray” and previously taught as a visiting assistant professor at Oakland University. She is also involved with the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival, which discusses and works to improve American university-level theater. 

When asked about her experiences joining the Alma College community, Crump had good things to say discussing how welcoming the staff and students had been. She talked about the Student’s curiosity and interest to explore topics beyond their own experience and expand their horizons.

A goal that she hopes to achieve within the department through the productions, is being conscious of the identity of the community, herself and the broader subject of the production. 

The first production that Alma Theatre is putting on and that Crump is directing is “The Wolves” a one-act play by Sarah Delappe that follows a series of gossip and conversations between a high school women’s soccer team. The topic of the play covers a variety of topics including anxiety, girlhood, and growing up. All of these items drew Crump to the production and ultimately led to her final decision in choosing this play to produce.

When asked about why this production was chosen Crump discussed the rarity of plays with ten female roles and the importance of highlighting themes such as sexual harassment and the transition out of girlhood. “The Wolves” opens Thursday, October 31st. 

Additionally, this winter semester, Crump is producing a play called “Storytime Scots” which aims to allow the audience to access their creative sides again as well as “play in the sandbox again,” said Crump. “Storytime Scots” aims to adapt classic Scottish folktales into a play aimed at a younger audience but its goal is to allow everyone involved and attending to play creatively in a way we too often cannot as adults. Crump encourages those attending to wear their pajamas, relax and enjoy.

Both shows aim to expand the boundaries of what theater can do at Alma and show different faces and ideas on stage. Crump hopes that she can help students explore their creativity and the art around them. She also welcomes any and all who have interest in theater not just on stage but in lighting, shop or tech to come say hello and explore that interest to its fulfillment.