By Carrington Davis
The Scene staff
Forest Park students, faculty and staff had been performing plays in the campus theater for decades until productions were paused more than a year ago.
The communications department hasn’t had the funds to make repairs or hire a theater manager, according to chair Sandra Arumugan-Osburn.
“We do have some structural issues in the theater that prevent us from allowing spotlights to work in the perfect way for a full theater production,” she said.
But things are looking up. Osburn expects St. Louis Community College to hire a theater manager by the end of spring semester to replace Alex Saccavino, who retired in 2023.
The last play produced at Forest Park was “All in this Together” in 2023. It featured a mix of faculty and students in the cast.
Since that time, the theater has been used for graduation ceremonies and meetings that didn’t require elaborate spotlights.
Attendance at plays dropped off after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to communications professor Carla Moody, who has directed several plays during her 20 years at Forest Park.
“Like most things after the pandemic, we didn’t do as much,” she said. “But I think people just weren’t comfortable coming out.”
Moody directed her last play, “Wrapped in Rainbows,” in 2015.
Before the pandemic, Moody taught “readers theater” with open-audition cast members reading from scripts. Forest Park also was an active participant in the annual One Act Play Festival, which included universities and colleges in the St. Louis area.
“Theater is very social,” Moody said, noting that actors interact with each other and audience members while also being exposed to literature.
Two classes, Acting 1 and Filmmaking, are still offered on campus. Acting 1, taught by Professor Brian Rolf, is a six-week intensive course open to beginner and experienced actors.
Brandi Tomas, 21, a diagnostic medical sonography major, raved about the class, the students and the professor, who she described as having a “real passion for his work.”
“The building/classroom we were in was a bit sketchy,” Tomas said. “You can tell that the school is trying to bring the program back.
“Hopefully, it could flourish within the next couple of years, and I would love to be a part of it.”
Forest Park’s theater has a “thrust” stage, which means it extends into the audience, so people are sitting on three sides.
The theater’s full name is Mildred E. Bastian Center for the Performing Arts. Her likeness is shown on a bronze plaque in the lobby.
“In recognition of her contributions to public community colleges, especially her work with citizens’ groups and the Missouri Legislature to establish a junior college district for St. Louis-St. Louis County,” it reads.