Theater has always been a part of Dr. Harry J. Elam Jr.’s life. As a child, his mother kept a box of costumes for him to dress up in.
“I was fortunate too that she took me to the theater,” says Elam, who had served as vice provost for undergraduate education at Stanford University before being named president of Occidental College. “I just remember being amazed at acting and actors, and also, more than that, the power of theater to deal with complex, important social issues.”
In high school, Elam formed a theater group called “The Family” within the Black Youth Theater Group in Boston and continued to participate while in college at Harvard University.
By senior year, Elam intended on pursuing a law degree. However, he realized that the only aspect of law school that “excited” him was the “drama of the courtroom.”
Elam decided to attend the University of California at Berkeley where he eventually earned his doctorate degree in dramatic arts. There, he became interested in the research side of theater.
“When I got there, I found that love of research and theater, that love of writing critically about theater and performance,” says Elam. “And also coupled that with the idea of teaching. I really liked all of that.”
After graduating, he received a job as director of the committee of Black performing arts at Stanford. However, he arrived at a difficult time for both the university and the arts. At the time, the school was looking to cut a portion of its operating budget. One way to accomplish that was by eliminating the performing arts program. However, Elam pulled together students, alumni and faculty to save the department.
