By Bradley Nelson
Inspirational. Impeccably dressed. Intimidating. These are common descriptors former students use when they speak of Donnie Rigby, professor emeritus.
When the announcement went out that Rigby was to be honored at a dinner theater celebration in October, the response from her former students was enthusiastic.
Many former students and faculty traveled to the campus to thank Rigby for her contributions to Walla Walla College and the community, and to name a new black-box style theater space after her.
In a series of toasts from former students, colleagues, and successive drama instructors, it quickly became clear how much Rigby inspired her students over the years.
“Donnie had that rare gift of making everyone believe in her vision of the possible,” said Jim Bock, a former communications student. “And for young college students, her vision was life-affirming. She knew that through drama, she could reach students in a unique way that none of the other professors could quite match.”
Former communications student Jean Inaba, 1980 graduate, expressed her gratitude for Rigby’s support when she was a student. “Through your encouragement and kindness,” she wrote, “I left [WWC] a better human being, kinder and gentler to myself, more forgiving of my own imperfections, with greater self-confidence, and a wider appreciation of what was really important in life.”
Perhaps Dan Lamberton, former religion student and current English professor, best summed up the evening’s sentiments when he said, “You did change my life, and I know that.”
At its core, drama is about communication. In the process of its creation, students learn stage presence, physical expression, and vocal control, as well as teamwork, patience, and responsibility. The many weeks of rehearsals create a unique camaraderie between students who otherwise might have never known or worked with each other.
“I think students from almost every discipline on this campus have been on the stage in Village Hall,” says Rigby.
In April of 1961, Rigby directed the first theatrical production on the college campus, “Heidi,” a musical play based on the famous book by Johanna Spyril. With this production, she inaugurated the drama program at WWC, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this school year. She went on to direct at least one play every year until she retired in 1992.
“Help came from a number of sources,” says Rigby, “A few teachers were there to support me, and many students.”
Although she often spent countless hours on dramatic productions, she was always quick to give credit to everyone who helped—from the actors to the people who painted the stage.
One of the most memorable plays Rigby says she ever directed
was a musical production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” The huge production
incorporated an orchestra, a choir, and dance choreography. Rigby personally
logged more than 200 hours putting the production together, but in the end
she says, “Every night I looked at it, I still enjoyed it.”
Over the years, Rigby took a number of shows, mostly reader’s theater
pieces, on tour to churches and schools around the Northwest.
The first theatrical performances were performed in Columbia
Auditorium, the campus gymnasium and events hall. Rigby recalls that it was
a poor space for theater and hard to hear the actors.
In 1971, dramatic productions were moved into Village Hall—originally
built in 1920 as the campus church.
Village Hall has served the drama program adequately over the years, but it has limitations. When the Department of Communications relocates into its new, expanded facilities in the Canaday Technology Center, the drama department will have a new space to perform in. When construction is complete, “The Donnie Rigby Stage” will feature a lighting grid, movable stage, dressing rooms, and a “green room.” The new space will provide an additional venue for staging future plays, depending on the requirements of each particular production.
Rigby says it’s good for the college to have both a traditional stage and the more intimate space a black-box theater affords. “Some plays work better in a small enclosure,” she says.
Walla Walla College, the first Seventh-day Adventist college or university to offer a drama minor, currently stages at least two full-length productions and an evening of one-act plays each school year. A drama major is under development and 16 students are currently pursuing a drama minor.
Although other Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities now offer classes in drama or have dramatic productions, only two currently offer a drama major or minor. La Sierra University is offering a drama minor for the first time this year, and Union College offers a bachelor of arts degree in drama in conjunction with two nearby universities.
Donnie Rigby was a rebel. In the face of inadequate facilities, lack of funding, and pushing the bounds of the template for Seventh-day Adventist education at the time, she single-handedly developed a drama program at WWC, and in the process made a difference in the lives of her students. Some of her former students are now teaching drama at colleges and academies, including Mark Robison at Union College and Marilynn Loveless at WWC.
David Lennox, a 1988 English and speech graduate, says one of the things he learned from Rigby was to take risks. “You might ruffle some feathers,” he says, “but if the cause is a good one, the outcome will be good too.”
“My husband, Don, and I had a wonderful experience
teaching at the college,” says Rigby. “I am thrilled that drama
is continuing on campus.”
John Brunt, vice president for academic administration, attributes Rigby’s
success at promoting drama as a valid art form to her wisdom, sensitivity
in judgment, and understanding of her audience. “She had that marvelous
skill as a teacher,” he says, “both to instruct and inspire her
students to do their very best, so that everything she did was top quality.”
In the words of Rodney Vance, assistant communications professor from 1992 to 1995, “Donnie has done more to establish storytelling as a credible discipline for the spirit than anyone else in the Seventh-day Adventist church.” W