It all began with a church play featuring shepherds in choir robes and beards made from plastic bags. A young boy sat enthralled in the audience during this first encounter with theatre and let the characters performing on stage fascinate him. That boy, Clyde Ruffin, would eventually grow up to become Professor and Chair of Theatre at MU and Founding Director of the World Theatre Workshop. Years later, Ruffin admits that theatre is still where his heart is.

Although Ruffin emphasizes that many of his productions are dear to him, the works that resonate as unforgettable are Langston Hughes’ Tambourines to Glory and the Black Theatre Workshop’s Strands. In Tambourines, he worked with a predominantly African American cast, and the production sold out every night. Strands took two years to create, won various playwriting awards, and was a regional and national winner at the American College Theatre Festival.

Ruffin explains his approach: “You know, I hadn’t really thought about whether or not I had a philosophy, because I was committed to doing what I felt was right; I’m kind of guided by my heart in that way.” He inspires his students and actors by encouraging them to be confident and to take ownership of their talent. He doesn’t believe in offering his students intensive direction throughout rehearsals and class; he feels that personal development is more valuable to human growth.

Ruffin states that the advent and departure of talented students is the biggest challenge he faces. “The work goes on while the students come and go,” he observes. “There are periods where I’ve had so many wonderfully talented students that anything seemed possible, and then there are years where the talent pool is not as significant as you’d desire.” Casting appropriately for plays is another obstacle he must overcome.

Ruffin received the Kellogg Fellowship in 1984 and completed the program in 1988. He chose to work on issues of aging, and how cultures are transferred from one generation to the next. The fellowship provided him with funding to travel around the world, and these adventures taught Ruffin life-changing lessons.

“Part of my hopes or desires for the department is that we will continue our legacy in order to strengthen our Ph.D. program and our M.A. program,” says Ruffin. Along with these goals, he hopes that the department will obtain the necessary resources to continue to have an extraordinary production program and to improve classroom and studio space.

Ruffin takes us backstage to watch actors prepare and warm up for the night’s performance of Holding Up The Sky.