College of Arts and Sciences

On this week’s episode of Segue, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s weekly radio program exploring the lives and work of the people on campus and beyond, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Kevin Leonard, PhD, interviews Peter Cocuzza, former chair of the Department of Theater and Dance.

This episode of Segue airs at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 27. Listeners can tune in to WSIE 88.7 FM The Sound or siue.edu/wsie.

Cocuzza earned a master’s in fine arts in performance from the Professional Acting Training Program at Ohio University before joining the SIUE faculty in 1995. During his 26-year career, he taught a variety of performance classes, directed more than 35 productions and served as the department chair for five years.

As an actor, Cocuzza has performed dozens of roles on stage, adapted and toured a one-person show, toured children’s theater with the Saltworks Theatre Company, and has several regional commercials to his credit.

“Welcome to Segue, Peter,” begins Leonard. “How did you become interested in theater?”

“I grew up in New Jersey, where there was no community theater in the 1950s and 1960s,” answers Cocuzza. “A friend in the next town asked me to join a junior theater company. I agreed and was cast the role of a lieutenant in South Pacific. The show’s lead was drafted into the Vietnam War, and the director moved me up to play his role.

“My parents came to see the play, and at that time, you had to grey your hair and put wrinkles on your face. My mom leaned over to my father and said, ‘Who is that one boy? He’s so good!’ They didn’t recognize their son, and that was my introduction to theater.”

“What was the most fulfilling aspect of your career at SIUE?” inquires Leonard.

“On a macro-level, I enjoyed being a teacher at a young university and impacting the lives of its students in many different ways,” answers Cocuzza. “On a more micro-level, I was able to teach the things I was good at. As a theater generalist, I could teach many different topics, and this experience was rewarding for me.”

Cocuzza is credited for the Department of Theater and Dance’s growth, specifically through the development of new events and programs, and recruiting students from across the country to attend SIUE.

“Is there a single production that stands out in your memory from your time directing at SIUE?” asks Leonard.

“Every production has its own personality, triumphs and challenges,” says Cocuzza. “I typically work with younger students on their first production, which tend to be largely cast. When I got to work on Proof, which has a cast of four people, it was delightful for me, because I was able to work with the most talented students we had.”

Two other notable productions described by Cocuzza include Female Transport, a story about female convicts traveling from England to Australia, and High School Musical, a large-scale show that sold more seats than the theater allowed.

“For different reasons, these productions stand out to me as each one is painted with its own color and brush,” adds Cocuzza. “When the light bulb goes off and you see that a student understood what was said in class two years ago, it’s so powerful.”

“What was it like teaching theater remotely throughout the pandemic?” asks Leonard.

“My personal teaching style is Socratic, where I’m asking students stupid questions and leading them to find the answers rather than using a PowerPoint,” says Cocuzza. “The questions didn’t change, but the format changed. Because the format changed, we lost some of the connectivity and intimacy that we have in a classroom.

“Thankfully, we were able to have some classes on ground while socially distanced and wearing masks. Even though we couldn’t do some of our normal group exercises, I was able to find creative ways to introduce the material and get students to understand the value of what theater can do in their lives.”

Tune in at 9 a.m. on Sunday, June 27, to WSIE 88.7 The Sound to hear the entire conversation.