91ֿ welcomed its newest director for the School of Theatre and Dance in July after a nationwide search to fill the position. Tony Hardin grew up loving the arts, pursuing a career in scenic, lighting and projection design. He recently served as an associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Kentucky before becoming a director at 91ֿ.
Learn more about Hardin as he answers five questions.
Why did you decide to come to 91ֿ?
91ֿ values the arts. They don’t only say that, but they also live those words in their actions by providing the resources, the personnel and the money that is needed to have a thriving arts community at a research one institution.
How do you feel your role at 91ֿ is different from previous roles in your career?
It’s different because it's bigger. This is a school of theatre and dance, so there’s multiple degree programs: undergraduate and graduate. There’s a faculty and staff of over 34 individuals and multiple campuses. It’s bigger, but at the same time there are more resources, and there’s more support here. It would be daunting, but because I have the support and the right people around me, it’s not daunting at all. It’s actually very relaxing, and I feel at home.
What sparked your passion for theater and dance?
I was blessed to have a family growing up that liked the arts. My dad was a sales engineer for Ford and my mother was a school teacher. They sacrificed, and they did things. I was able to see a touring production of “Les Miserables” in Louisville in 1987. I was in the audience watching the Javert suicide. He’s out there, the line from the song is, “ I am reaching but I fall, and the stars are black and cold…” As he’s reaching out, he’s connected to a harness that you can’t see, but he leaps off a scenic element and hangs there. He’s “falling” and the scenic unit flies up. There’s fog on the ground, and it's starting to swirl and he lowers into the fog and is gone. It got me hooked.
I went into undergrad as a psychology major. I was taking a class and saw one of my first mentors teaching and designing and doing all these things, and I thought, “that’s what I want to do.” So I changed majors within the first few weeks of my first semester to become a theater major and the rest is history.
What is your favorite show to watch versus your favorite to work on?
That’s a tough question. I think my most recent favorite is “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” I designed the scenery for that at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company back in January. It was a great company, great director and creative team, it was a lot of fun.
Prior to that, I have so many. I think “Spring Awakening” is up there. “Jesus Christ Superstar." These are powerful shows and usually they’re centered around things that happened in my life that I can really connect with. I can watch “Les Miserables” multiple times, I can watch “Spring Awakening” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” multiple times. I’ve also worked on about five “Into the Woods” productions and have enjoyed those. It’s so hard to choose.
Do you have any goals for the future?
I'm just enjoying my time here. It’s nice to be at a state institution — a land grant institution — that believes in the arts. One that not only says they believe in the arts but they put their money where their mouth is by providing the right resources and people.
Northeast Ohio has been good to us so far, but I haven’t had a winter yet so I have to brace myself for that.
I spent my career being behind the scenes and making things work, making sure we solve things in effective and efficient ways. What I’m trying to do here is just that - my job, which is helping faculty, staff and students do their respective jobs. I support the students so that they learn what they need to learn to be successful in theater and dance.
To learn more about the School of Theatre and Dance, visit: www.kent.edu/theatredance.