Professor brings theater to life at Folsom Lake College

David Harris exudes such a genuine passion for theater and a proactive attitude towards teaching that it's easy to tell this is one of the few times in his life when he is not acting. Harris, the first full time Theater Arts professor at Folsom Lake College, has just finished teaching his first semester at the college. As the Theater Arts program grows, Harris will be teaching entry-level classes, such as Introduction to Theater and Beginning Acting. He is very excited about future classes as well. A Cinema Genre class is in the works as well as a One Act Play Workshop. The class will focus on plays written by David Ives and will be the theater department's first public performance."It's totally student acted, student directed, student designed. The students are going to do everything with me coaching them, so I'm super excited about that," said Harris. The program's first full-length play, "Reckless" by Craig Lucas, will be ready in Spring 2008. Harris, who was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, says theater has been a major part of his life since he began performing in junior high school. At 18, he moved to California to study film and theater at the University of Southern California. Moving from small town Illinois to downtown Los Angeles came as quite a culture shock to Harris and he transferred back to the University of Illinois where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in of Fine Arts. He then went on to earn a masters degree from UC San Diego. Harris considered becoming a college professor when looking into graduate schools around 1990."When you make a decision to go to graduate school, you're making a commitment to a career in the arts, which is a very hard way to make a living," said Harris. "I knew that [teaching] would be an option for me to make money."For a few years after college he had acted professionally in San Francisco and Southern California but when the acting work dried up, Harris began to seriously consider teaching.In 1998, after three years of searching, he found his first college teaching job in Sacramento and has been teaching ever since. Harris now lives in Davis and commutes to Folsom four days a week. With Folsom Lake College's new performing arts center designed and ready to build, Harris finds it hard to contain his enthusiasm for the future of theater and performing arts in Folsom. "The community should be so lucky and excited to have this here for them, serving them. It's going to be a regional jewel," said Harris. The performing arts center, slated for completion in 2010, will feature an auditorium for touring shows and cultural music, a black box theater for FLC's theater department, and a gallery for the art department. Harris believes that performing arts are beneficial to students as well as the community. "It's important to the students because humans express ourselves by telling about our lives...we are providing an outlet for what's natural," said Harris. "Performing arts benefits students, particularly in college, by giving them confidence in self expression or public speaking...It's the perfect age to get those skills."Harris strives to bring an "artistic soul" to the city of Folsom. "My goals are very community oriented in that I want to bring a level of artistic edification to the people here," said Harris. "In theater arts I want to produce plays that address what it's like to be here in Folsom and also to challenge points of view...while also being entertaining."Harris has big plans for the Theater Program and foresees a busy schedule.In the little free time that he does get, Harris enjoys cooking, gardening and vacationing in Bodega Bay.Know Your NeighborDavid Harris, 41Occupation: Assistant Professor of Theater Arts at Folsom Lake CollegeFavorite Play: Death of a Salesman by Arthur MillerFavorite Book: Everyday Zen by Charlotte Beck