New FAPA chair selected

Allan-Lindblom hired, replaces Barasch

Published 9/3/98

From a 23-branch state university to a small office in Lawrence hall sits Point Park College's new fine, applied and performing arts chairman.

Dr. Ronald Allan-Lindblom is the new Chairman and Artistic Producing Director of Point Park's FAPA department, succeeding former chair Dr. Shirley Barasch. Barasch, who has been at Point Park since 1969, will teach full-time and become director of music and fine arts.

When Allan-Lindblom first heard who was interested in hiring him, he was taken aback.

"I wasn't looking for a job at all. I was quite surprised, and when I heard 'The Pittsburgh Playhouse' it sparked my interest, so I submitted my application," Allan-Lindblom said. Soon after, he received an invitation for an interview.

Originally envisioning Pittsburgh as a "dark, big city," Allan-Lindblom soon felt otherwise, comparing it to Boston and Seattle in cleanliness and scenery. "When I came through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, I thought, 'My God, this is the best kept secret in America,'" he said.

After his first interview, Allan-Lindblom knew he wanted to work at Point Park, but his desire to live in Pittsburgh was solidified on his way to California. While waiting for his flight home, an attendant began a conversation with him. After realizing Allan-Lindblom was in town for a job interview that involved the Playhouse, the attendant upgraded his ticket to first class.

"That was a good omen," he said.

Apparently it was because Allan-Lindblom was invited for a second interview, and on June 5 he was offered the job. Three weeks later, he packed up and left for Pittsburgh.

Allan-Lindblom came from the theatre arts department of California State University, Long Beach, where he was the associate artistic producing director of the California repertory company. While at CalRep, Allan-Lindblom produced between six and nine shows annually and was responsible for producing and directing all aspects of CalRep's national and international tours. He also coordinated a 10-production play season on the theatre department's undergraduate and graduate levels.

Spending 11 years at duties ranging from undergraduate teaching to university administrator, Allan-Lindblom also helped develop an MFA program in theater management at CalRep.

Plans for FAPA

Although FAPA's programming for the upcoming season was set before Allan-Lindblom was hired, he envisions some changes in the future. Currently he is on a task force that is looking at the Playhouse's future. Recommendations will probably be made in December. Throughout the year, Allan-Lindblom said he will listen to the faculty and learn more about FAPA's strengths and weaknesses.

In addition to his responsibilities as FAPA chair and as a member of a task force to examine the Playhouse, Allan-Lindblom is also teaching a theater appreciation class. Preferring teaching and directing to acting, Allan-Lindblom knows that sometimes the best way to help a student achieve success is to stay out of their way. "My real job is to empower the artists here, develop the vision and lead it with them," he said.

International experience

One change Allan-Lindblom said will take place is an increase in FAPA's exposure to international works, which shouldn't be a problem because Allan-Lindblom has had international experience both as an actor and an administrator.

While at CalRep, Allan-Lindblom was involved in a campuswide, summer-arts program that brought world-renowned artists to a selected campus for extensive hands-on workshops. Now that he is at a smaller college, Allan-Lindblom would like to have FAPA students attend international workshops instead of arranging workshops to be held locally. "I have very good contacts with festivals in countries like Germany, Switzerland and Scotland," he said.

Some international directing credits of Allan-Lindblom include "Bombs Bursting in Air" in Edinburgh, Scotland; "Article XXIV" in Shanghai, China; and "Le Miracle de Piaf" in Hong Kong.

In addition, Allan-Lindblom has worked with Josef Svoboda and the Laterna Magika Theatre in Prague, and performed the lead in the American premieres of "The Black Monk."

After acting and directing in Asia, Europe and America, Allan-Lindblom has observed several differences between the three. One of the most significant is the way art is funded. "There are towns in Europe right now that spend more money on an individual theater than we have of the whole NEA (National Endowment for the Arts)," Allan-Lindblom said.

Allan-Lindblom said people in other countries attend artistic events more than Americans. Recalling an instance while he was preparing for a production in China, a producer asked him if some native artists could look on. Seven hundred fifty people and a national television camera crew later, Allan-Lindblom learned something about the Chinese language. "In China, there is no word for schedule."

However, the lack of support may give America an advantage over its global counterparts, Allan-Lindblom said. "It has a tendency to make us stay very hungry because we know that less than one percent of the population attends the arts."

Fitting in.

Despite traveling 3,000 miles to a new surrounding, Allan Lindblom feels right at home. One reason for the cozy environment is because he recognizes Pittsburgh's artistic community, which he says is different from California.

"Los Angeles doesn't really have a theatrical community. They have a film and television community that sometimes does theater," Allan-Lindblom said, adding that an actor in California will perform in a theatrical event hoping that it will open a door to a television or movie career, but in Pittsburgh the performer's attitude is different. "There is a commitment to the arts that doesn't go beyond the show that they're in," he said.

In the long run, Allan-Lindblom hopes to break free of the shackles that working for a statewide institution can grip somebody with and unleash his and FAPA's artistic talents to new heights. "I'm much better at being a builder than a maintainer," he said.

• Caption one: Dr. Ronald Allan-Lindblom in his office.
• Caption two: Allan-Lindblom and more than 50 FAPA students pitch in to help clean up the Playhouse of Point Park College. Photo by Amanda Gillooly.

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