The theatre department welcomed Kim Britt into the action this summer as the new technical director.
Chairman of the theatre department James Brandon said she was a perfect fit: when he saw her application, he said it was exactly what they were looking for
Her online portfolio highlighted her ability not just to brainstorm ideas with other people, but to execute them well, he said.
“It’s always about execution,” Brandon said. “Having a great idea is only a small part of the picture. You have to be able to make it come to life.”
There are five members total that run the theatre department, with focuses in acting, lighting, dance, and costumes. Britt, as technical director, would be the sixth.
“She is very easy to work with, flexible, forged ideas with others, and was always well prepared – she did her homework,” Brandon said.
Britt visited Hillsdale once as a guest designer in January 2020. She helped make clay masks for a performance of “J.B.,” a play based on the book of Job.
Britt said her interest in theatre began when she started a drama club at her high school.
“One of the larger buildings on campus, which became a kind of hangout, was our art building,” Britt said. “It was a renovated gym that had a painting space, a sculpting area with oil, and everything.”
One of the art teachers, who also sponsored a chess club, let them use the space to work on art projects and hang out throughout the day. Eventually, the students, becoming a drama club of about 20 people, wrote and performed sketch comedies. Although its growth felt natural, Britt explained the difficulties with creating theatre at a small, rural high school.
“I think the most interesting part to handle was the funding,” Britt said. “There wasn’t any pool that we were drawing from– just whatever we could throw at it.”
The club used comedy night dinners and performances for funding. All 20 students collaborated to write each play, Britt said.
“It was a kind of family effort, where we would help with whatever our strengths were,” Britt said. “Everybody contributed something– whatever we were good at or whatever we could contribute, we did.”
After graduating high school, Britt went into theatre, hoping to work in film later.
“They’re different disciplines,” she said. “With theatre, what you’re looking at is everything coming together for each night– even though you have all the same items, all the same people, everything is scripted, etc., each performance could be different.”
In theatre, the actors and audience react to each other over the course of the play, making each performance organic and unique, Britt said.
“With film, you don’t have that same dynamic. It’s set in stone. You could almost say it’s stagnant– because you can watch it so many times, and it’s exactly the same.”
Before attending Memphis University, Britt took a break to work with educational programs for high schoolers or adults who need more support to get into college. She worked with Upward Bound Math and Science for high schoolers and Educational Opportunity Centers for adults. The program’s goal was to break down economic and other barriers for low-income, first-generation students. It was the same program that had helped Britt before high school as well.
“I was familiar with the things some of them were going through,” Britt said.
AJ Palubinskas, a junior who works in Hillsdale’s scene shop, said Britt has taught the students a lot in the short amount of time she’s been with them.
Junior Jacob More, who also works in the scene shop, described the unique camaraderie there that lets them throw candy at each other and play ’80s music, and he hoped the new tech director would continue that community.
When Britt joined the theatre staff, she took this atmosphere in stride and amplified it, according to More.
Britt herself said she particularly enjoyed the scene shop culture and felt like she was finding another family there.
“It feels like she has been here longer than just this semester,” More said, “and we’re happy to have her!”
