1. HIRAMMAGAZINE 1514 SPRING
Although Hiram College’s
liberal arts ideology has only
recently been given the name
“Hiram Connect,” the concepts
behind it – self-discovery, hands-
on learning and reflection
– have long been part of the
Hiram College tradition. Read
about one graduating senior’s
experience with the philosophy.
The three-quarter thrust stage in Hiram
College’s Renner Theater has a minimal set
with five black chairs and five black wooden
boxes. In the background, a single plain
white screen with a projection slide reads
“welcome” in German. The five actors, or
“demonstrators” as they’re called in the pro-
gram, are dressed head-to-toe in black.
The scene is part of a research project that has
been brought to life on the stage - a culmina-
tion of nearly four years of learning at Hiram
College. Theatre arts major August Scarpelli
’16, of Sheffield Lake, Ohio, is the writer/direc-
tor of the production, and the scene is part of
“Attacking Brecht,” his senior capstone project.
“The project is an hour-long lecture/demon-
stration on the German playwright, poet and
theatre director, Bertolt Brecht,” Scarpelli says.
“Brecht was considerably one of, if not the most,
prominent forces in 20th century theatre. The
demonstration is intended to intellectually at-
tack his theories and practices using the tools of
the plays he wrote and the theatre itself.”
While the demonstration, which ran two eve-
nings during the middle of the fall semester and
was open to the public, was an important part
of the project, for Scarpelli, “the real work of the
project started once the presentation was over.”
Before turning in his capstone at the end of the
fall 2015 semester, Scarpelli completed a direc-
tor’s book that includes, among other items, his
research, daily journal entries, the demonstra-
tion script and a reflective paper examining not
only this particular experience, but other theat-
rical experiences he’s had up until this point.
“Something I very much value about my Hiram
education, especially in the theatre department,
is the continued emphasis on reflection and
the importance of what I am learning from the
experience – and how that is so much more im-
portant than the presentation of the material,”
says Scarpelli.
He is grateful that the theatre arts department
allowed him the flexibility to put together a cap-
stone project that is uniquely “August.”
“I honestly think my senior capstone at any oth-
er school would have had much less to do with
me and the expression of my ideas. Having the
control and intimate engagement with the de-
partment during the process was a very special
part of the experience,” he says. “I am confident
that without my Hiram education I would not
have the intellectual capacity to weave such a
project together.”
As he wraps up his senior year, he is also prepar-
ing to co-direct a play titled “The Horatio Project:
Hamlet the Miniseries,” an adaption of the
Shakespearean play, alongside his advisor, Rick
Hyde, M.F.A., professor of theatre arts.
“Some students you don’t have to advise very
much, you just have to aim occasionally,” says
Hyde, professor of theatre arts and the Howard
S. Bissell Chair in the Liberal Arts. “August is an
extremely curious young man. He loves to know
things and he loves to find things out. He will
spend his whole life learning.”
In addition to spending a lot of time with
Professor Hyde in the theatre, Scarpelli traveled
with him to England for a study abroad course.
“August is the kind of guy that when you’re walk-
ing down the street in Stratford-Upon-Avon and
you turn to him and say, ‘Shakespeare walked
down this street,’ his eyes get big – and that kind
of thing is what has him editing and working on
‘The Horatio Project,’” he explains.
As if co-directing a play and writing, direct-
ing and presenting a capstone project wasn’t
enough, Scarpelli, who between serving as the
president of the Theatre Guild, being a member
of Phi Gamma Epsilon fraternity, disc-jockeying
at the College’s radio station and performing at a
regional theatre, still manages to find the time to
mentor other students.
“He consistently challenges himself and is
always prepared to discuss ideas,” says Betsy
Bauman, M.F.A., associate professor of theatre
arts and department chair. “As a performer, he
has great discipline. He sets examples of how to
be a responsible, disciplined actor. He has really
matured to the point where I believe he mentors
newer students admirably.”
As for life after graduation, Scarpelli hopes to
own and run a theatre one day. With a promis-
ing future ahead of him and a robust college
career coming to completion, he credits Hiram
for much of his success.
“Whatever path I end up following in May, I feel
incredibly confident in my ability to interact
with all kinds of artists that work in the theatre
and work with them well, while at the same time
cultivating and wielding whatever artistic skills
I have in a way that I find important.”
As a student who has taken advantage of
nearly everything that Hiram College has
to offer, senior theatre arts major August
Scarpelli’s experience embodies the
Hiram Connect philosophy.
By Jessica Scheve
“I honestly think my senior capstone at any other
school would have had much less to do with me
and the expression of my ideas. Having the control
and intimate engagement with the department
during the process was a very special part of the ex-
perience,” he says. “I am confident that without my
Hiram education I would not have the intellectual
capacity to weave such a project together.”
THE ART OF
Reflection