Since starting at Pierce college 21 years ago, Theater Department Managing Director Michael Sande has guided more than 100 productions.
“I also find that [plays are] often the most fulfilling to work on when you see they have sort of sparked in interest in the audience, “Sande said. ‘That’s what you want. You want to stimulate conversation. I think it’s part of our duty in theater is to provoke thought.”
Before his career working at Pierce, he studied journalism at the University of Washington shortly after being hired as a public relations intern at a local Theater in Seattle. He figured since he had stage fright acting wasn’t for him continuing his career by working behind the scenes in places like Seattle, California, and across the East coast for years.
“I took a break from it, but then I saw this opening at Pierce and thought, ‘This could sort of rejuvenate me and give me the passion back for the theater itself because you’re dealing with students,’” Sande said.
Sande works with his colleagues to make decisions about the plays they put on, the cost of the production, and the cast.
Theater Professor Edras Toussaint said Sande is a valuable member of the theater department.
“Every play that we have done together, I have seen just how hard Michael worked to try to get butts in our seats,” Toussaint said. “I think I’ve done six, seven plays now, and with every one of them, Michael has been one of the necessities in making our plays successful.”
His experience with his students seems to be meaningful
Pierce Student Deniz Boysen has known Sande the past three years and said he’s a pleasure to be around.
“He’s very easy-going and respectful and focused,” Boysen said. ‘We’ve always been able to trust Michael to carry out anything that we need him to do with helping outreach with the department.”
Some of Sande’s favorite experiences while working at Pierce is the curtain call; enjoying the clapping of the audience. He also likes to choose plays that are challenging for him and the audience to make them think, for example plays about drinking and driving, religion, and nudity.
“The collaborative process always starts with the concept that we all agree on is student come first, to showcase the talent we have and nourish that,” Sande said.