This Thespian Rocks it Onstage and in the Classroom
Arthur Adair, Associate Professor, Communication, Theatre & Media Production, has a distinguished theatrical career that was launched nearly 30 years ago at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club. His career began there with his starring role in the 1997 production of Easy and continues in his current position as director, set and sound designer in the Off-Broadway production of H.M. Koutoukas' Medea of the Laundromat, opening June 12 at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, in association with the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
“What excites me most about the play is the script and Koutoukas' absurdist take on the Medea myth set in a laundromat. As director, set and sound designer, I want to immerse the audience in this wild, campy, and bizarre ride.”
Arthur also has a distinguished teaching career at Queensborough which had a surprising start.
“My first visit to the College was in 2003, as a guest artist playing the role of Iago in Shakespeare's Othello and then directing students in Bertolt Brecht’s The Private Life of the Master Race. Working alongside the students of QCC had a profound effect on me and inspired my decision to become a professor. Since then, I have directed and/or designed over 20 productions at QCC.”
Arthur joined Queensborough’s Speech, Communication and Theatre Arts department (now Communication, Theatre, & Media Production) in 2007 as an adjunct instructor, after receiving his M.F.A. in Theatre Directing from CUNY/Brooklyn College. He was promoted to full-time assistant professor in 2012 and was named a tenured associate professor in 2020.
“As with Queensborough, I also have a rich history at La MaMa. There was a time when making a “modest” living as an artist in New York City was possible, making 12 to 15 dollars per hour for work on stage and behind the scenes. Sometimes you could even get free housing! I lived above La MaMa in a dorm for about five years while working full-time in three different theatres in the La MaMa building. No day job! It was a magical time in my life.”
Arthur wants his students to have a magical experience too—to be inspired and have confidence to follow their dreams. “What will make the difference in successfully pursuing a career in the arts is the student’s work ethic, willingness to fail, learning from failure, and persistence. It’s not impossible, as some may make it out to be, but it takes a tremendous amount of determination.”
Among Arthur’s many directing achievements while at Queensborough include his adaptations of A Doll’s House (Henrik Ibsen), A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare), Ubu Roi (Alfred Jarry); and Far Away (Caryl Churchill), In the Blood (Suzan-Lori Parks), and Metamorphoses (Mary Zimmerman).
Arthur most recently worked with Queensborough alum Victoria Villier, ’15, when she played a starring role in Chasing the New White Whale by Mike Gorman at La MaMa in 2018. Victoria, who is working as Wardrobe for Medea of the Laundromat, said at the time, “Queensborough gave me a solid foundation to compete and succeed in this crazy career! As an acting student I was constantly challenged and given opportunities both on and backstage.”
As for Arthur, his first experience as an acting student was in second grade when he was cast as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. “It’s fair to say I didn’t have enough life experience to grasp Shakespeare but, in any case, the acting bug bit me. It all starts somewhere!”
Click here to learn about Professor Adair's study guide for the production.
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