Senior’s work as a dramaturge leads to Outstanding Drama Student award

The winner of the 2019-20 Bloomsburg University Division of Theatre and Dance Outstanding Drama Student award, Kira Loux, doesn’t fit the profile of your typical winner of a performing arts award. She’s one of the people who works tirelessly backstage to make sure everything frontstage is executed flawlessly.

What makes Loux atypical from previous recipients is that she is not a performer, like an actor or singer. Instead, she had an integrated focus and studied dramaturgy. The discipline of dramaturgy seeks to aid the director in fully and accurately representing a production to the public.

“I was really surprised. I didn’t know I was eligible since I graduated in December and wasn’t an actor,” said Loux.

Loux’s work, although behind the scenes, was integral to the success of several shows.

“Kira’s work as a dramaturge helped the audience connect with the shows in a variety of ways,” said Ethan Krupp, a faculty member in the theatre department. “For our production of The Importance of Being Earnest, her packet on Oscar Wilde, the setting of the play, and related background information was vital to helping the actors understand how and why the play exists in the manner it does,” Krupp explained. “Why did Wilde write it, how did people react to it, what does it mean? By having a deeper understanding of these things, the actors were better positioned to successfully embody their characters, because they understood the how and why about how these characters came into being.”

Her role as dramaturge continued as she worked on Naomi Iizuka’s Good Kids, which dealt with the issue of sexual assault. In addition to the production, she curated a library display of resources for sexual assault survivors and moderated a discussion on the subject after performances.

Loux also supported the theater and dance department by welding scenery for the Spring 2018 production of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell and served as student representative to Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. She also was a member of the committee that helped select potential performers for the Celebrity Artists Series for the 2018-19 academic year and helped to guide the construction of the new Arts in Bloom series. In addition to being a theater major, she also majored in history and drew on her knowledge and resources afforded by that discipline.

Loux, a native of Quakertown, now works as a quality assurance archivist for the Almac Group, a pharmaceutical company. As an employee during the current pandemic, she is working hard juggling multiple projects.

“Receiving this award meant a lot to me, especially during these times,” remarked Loux. “It’s easy to get caught up in adult life and things, but it’s good to remember that I have family at Bloomsburg University.”