Life is theatre for Crowder instructor

Life has come full circle for J.P. Dickey.

His love for the theatre began as a student at Crowder College and now, as a theatre and speech instructor and fine arts division chair, he tries to instill that same love to his students.

He loves watching students who may have never been exposed to theatre before take an interest in the arts.

“To me that’s a great reward just to get folks interested in the arts,” Dickey said.

He was one of those students.

Dickey was pulled into the theatre scene when he came with a friend to audition for “The Importance of Being Earnest” as a Crowder student. He got a part; she did not.

He had been to speech tournaments in high school, but Crowder marked his first play. He was cast in a play in high school, but it was canceled.

Dickey found a mentor at Crowder in Ed Oathout, “Mr. O,” as they called the music instructor when Dickey was a student.

“There was no actual theatre program here at the time,” he said. “They did all the plays. We did a lot of musicals.”

Mr. O, Dickey said, was a good teacher, patient and knowledgeable, and a good listener and counselor.

“He took us to festivals and to Kansas City to see plays and opened my eyes to a world I’d never known,” Dickey said. “I was wishing he was still alive today so I could say thank you.”

That starting role as Algernon started things for Dickey. He went on to get his education degree from Missouri Southern, then moved to Florida to teach.

Eventually, the McDonald County High School graduate came home. He landed a job at KODE-TV, becoming the first director for “Good Morning Four States” with Bob Phillips and Vicki Kennedy as the first anchors. Working with the station, he helped train high school interns and realized how much he missed teaching. Dickey went on to get his master’s degree at Missouri State, while working at Carthage High School, where he taught for six years. He approached Crowder looking for an adjunct job, but discovered the theatre instructor was leaving and applied for that job.

“I really enjoy teaching,” Dickey said. “And I really enjoy working with students and I really enjoy being at Crowder because being at Crowder is like my second chance.”

He says some of his best teachers were at Crowder: Jack Divine, Glenna Wallace, Russell Walker, Dr. Jim Rhoades, Bob Sneller for speech and Oathout.

The arts, Dickey said, define who we are and lend perspective on life, but they are also entertaining. 

“Arts have carried our faith and our culture and our national selves throughout history,” he said. “A lot of things we do have theatrics in them. So I think it’s important for us to study how it developed and how it intertwines in our life.”

From a Christmas play or an Easter pageant to movies to everyday events, life has its theatrical moments.

“A football game has some theatrical elements to it or a wedding ceremony or a parade. There are all kinds of ways that people use characters, and costumes and ritual to tell us a story,” Dickey said.

Dickey received the Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching in December. He said he is honored to be selected by his colleagues. This year marks his 10th with Crowder College and 30 years since he graduated from the school. He likes his role as teacher and practicing artist.

“It’s a fun job – I won’t lie,” he said.