University of Central Florida Theatre Department: Dr. Donald Seay Papers

The University of Central Florida Theatre Department was established in 1969 when the university was Florida Technological University (FTU). According to the Department History of UCF Theatre, the department experienced quite the overhaul in 1992 when Dr. Donald Seay was made Chair. Before then, the UCF Theatre Department was struggling as it was one of the University's smallest departments (financially and with lackluster productions). Seay was quick to propose changes to the Theatre Department, which included a revised curriculum that included a Bachelor of Arts degree which started in Fall 1993. He also urged the administration for a musical theatre concentration that finally came into fruition in Fall 1998. Donald Seay wanted six full-scale productions, which needed the financial approval of the administration, and included two more faculty members for the department. Seay also introduced a Summer theatre program with a summer season of four productions that included students, faculty, and guest artists. Over the 23 years of Dr. Seay's stay at UCF, the Theatre Department has grown tremendously.

Donald Seay started out as an actor, with his first notable role being Bernard in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. While acting, and doing technical work on the side, he received his bachelor's degree from Southern Mississippi in 1961. He then went off to work in several theatres, including the Alley Theatre in Houston, Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati and the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, N.J. Deciding to forgo the life and career of an actor, Seay returned to school and received his MFA from Southern Miss, in 1973. He went on to teach at several universities across the country including St. Edward's University in Austin, where he began his career in administration. Seay received his doctorate in 1987 from Texas Tech University and found himself as the chairman and artistic director of the of the theatre program at Otterbein College in Westerville, Ohio. Wanting to help a department grow, Seay left Otterbein for UCF, whose theatre department was struggling. During Seay's tenure as chair of the UCF Theatre Department, he directed a plethora of plays and helped the department become rather successful. A few of the plays included were Dracula, Taffetas, The Lark, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and The Lady's Not for Burning. After stepping down as chair of the department, Seay went on to teach at UCF for another decade, continued to direct plays at the university and promoted the growth of UCF Theatre.

In addition to directing plays and acting as chairman of the UCF Theatre Department, Dr. Donald Seay worked to connect the department with outside sources of entertainment that could bring increased funding and opportunities to students and faculty. Through Disney, numerous scholarships and internships were awarded to Theatre UCF. Seay was also a member of the UCF Theatre Guild, which was an organization that was firmly behind promoting the awareness of The University Theatre in the Orlando community, supporting the growth of the Theatre Foundation Fund, and volunteerism among guild members for the benefit of the Department of Theatre at the University of Central Florida.