Soelberg Director of Theatre

By Katie Deem
The Theatre Department welcomes Dr. Carson Soelburg as Director of Theatre, from Lubbock, Texas, where he recently completed his doctoral studies at Texas Tech. His experiences include a teaching position at Cornell University as a part of the Resident Professional Theatre Artist program, Guest Director for Olivet College during its Sesquicentennial Celebration, Director of Education for Salina Community Theatre, Director of the Professional Training Program for the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival, Program Director for Stagedoor Manor, and Director of Performing Arts for Fairmont Preparatory Academy. Theatre companies have produced ten of Soelberg’s original works, many of them musicals.

Dr. Soelberg has worked in 37 states. When asked why he came to West Virginia he replied, “You go where the work is.” He did not particularly consider the location, though he does notice how accessible metropolises like Pittsburgh and Columbus are from Parkersburg. He values congeniality, a sense of humor, and a little bit of craziness. He searched for a group with whom he could work, others who value growth, expansion and risk-taking. Moreover, he wanted to be around those who value the students more than they value themselves. He found that here at WVUP.

Soelberg will be teaching the 400-level course Playwriting for the spring semester. In this course, students will write a play with the intention of having it performed. The next semester, a directing class picks up the script, chooses a cast, spends the semester rehearsing and producing the play, and then performs it in the spring semester.

He is currently teaching Theatre Appreciation, Acting I, and Theatre Makeup.

Though highly accomplished, Dr. Soelberg bears no pretense. He instantly puts others at ease and finds others as interesting as they find him. He has a “passion for learning” and jokes about also having “a passion for Mexican ladies.” He is an animated and entertaining addition to the theatre department.