Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Donald Gagnon

If you can’t find Western Connecticut State University Professor of Theatre Arts Dr. Donald Gagnon in the classroom teaching one of the many English or theatre courses on his schedule, you’ll most likely track him down enjoying a musical, drama or other stage performance at a venue somewhere in the Northeast. Fortunately for his students, his prolific theatre attendance benefits them both directly and indirectly.

The majority of Gagnon’s students are theatre arts majors in the university’s School of Visual, Performing, and Communications Arts, and as such, often have their own love of theatre.

“However, since most of our students are focusing on performance, while I come to the field from the literary/history/criticism angle, I think it’s important for them to understand that there are other ways to appreciate the art — to find more to excite them and inform their understanding and work,” Gagnon said.

“Certainly, as they learn how to sing, dance, act, design lighting, or stage manage a show, they all have their primary points of interest that may not reflect mine — though I’ve done all of those things as well,” Gagnon continued. “It’s important that they love the theatre in more ways than they may already do, because in such a demanding field, they can never know when doors will open into rooms they may not have even known existed — but they have to be ready to walk through as many of those doors as possible to increase their chances of success. I can bring something to their theatre studies that can give them even more to love about theatre and help them find work.”

Dr. Donald Gagnon with Theatre Arts students attending the Broadway revival of ‘Once On This Island.’

Not only does Gagnon share his personal theatre experiences with his students, he also frequently brings them to attend shows via a lottery system for students in his Senior Portfolio capstone. As if seeing a show isn’t exciting enough — the students get to see it with an esteemed faculty member who encourages contextual conversation about the experience.

“Currently, I’m fortunate enough to be able to share my professional good fortune and position with the Tony Awards to help my students see more professional theatre at the very top of the business,” Gagnon said. “With ticket prices continuing to climb according to new business models, Broadway prices have become prohibitive, even to the people who should be attending those shows the most as a form of professional preparation.

“All the students I’ve taken have indeed seen shows before, but some of them may have seen only one or two Broadway productions — though those same students may have seen many wonderful regional productions,” Gagnon continued. “They are familiar with the art and business of the theatre. Their responses are most interesting, however, when the shows we see are not completely successful. Usually, they have insights to offer about what might have been missed on the journey from concept to performance, and I enjoy listening to them trying to reconsider the production. It’s revealing of their insight and their education in our department, as well as their developing critical perspectives.”

Dr. Donald Gagnon and Theatre Arts students for a screening at the Lincoln Center Theatre on Film and Tape Archive.

Gagnon estimates that in 2025, he attended about 35 Broadway shows, and probably 20 more off-Broadway, regional, and university productions. “Fortunately,” Gagnon said, “my position on the Tony Award nominating committee makes my extensive Broadway theatre-going possible.”

Gagnon’s desire to share his love of theatre with students and his enthusiasm in general have  made quite an impression, as evidenced by his selection for six WCSU Student Leadership Awards for Outstanding Advisement in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, and 2022; and the WCSU Provost’s Award for Teaching in 2017.

He also is nurturing the next generation of dramaturgs serving as faculty dramaturg and mentoring students for six major department productions each year. According to the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas, “… dramaturgs contextualize the world of a play; establish connections among the text, actors, and audience; offer opportunities for playwrights; generate projects and programs; and create conversations about plays in their communities.” Gagnon’s  efforts in this regard earned him a Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Outstanding Achievement Award in 2024, as chair of the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy.

Howard University dramaturg Dr, Khalid Long, Dr. Donald Gagnon, Dr. Sandra Shannon (top August Wilson scholar) and others on the panel at Howard University discussing the new book on August Wilson scholarship in which Gagnon has an essay.

Gagnon said dramaturgy provides the perfect opportunity to engage students who enjoy research, writing, and social, cultural, and historical studies but may not have thought about how these areas relate to theatre. “When I returned to grad school for my Ph.D. in English/Literature, I knew I was going to have to focus my studies on a particular genre or on a particular subject or author,” Gagnon said. “And in fact, my first subject of study for a major doctoral research project was James Baldwin, who is known mostly for his novels and his political writing. However, he wrote two Broadway plays and was good friends with Lorraine Hansberry, the playwright of ‘A Raisin in the Sun.’ Part of my interest in studying him was to find out how he was able to apply his successful prose skills to the arts of theatre. I think it was then — two months into my Ph.D. studies — that I knew I had found a way to reinforce my affection for prose literature with my affinity for dramatic literature, as well as African American studies. Baldwin remains a critical voice in my head. No turning back.”

When asked if his work as a dramaturg is the perfect bridge between his love of literature and the written word — and theatre, Gagnon responded with an enthusiastic “yes, oh yes!”

That passion has been a long time in the making. Decades before he pursued his Ph.D., Gagnon’s love of theatre was nurtured by his parents.

Dr. Donald Gagnon and his husband, Dr. Lance Smith, in front of the Ogunquit Playhouse — where he was introduced to theatre in elementary school.

“My parents were inveterate theatregoers in Boston, but when I was seven, they took me and my brother to see a professional summer theatre production of ‘You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,’” he said. “They chose perfectly; I was enchanted, and we had a chance to go up on stage after the show to have our programs signed by the Peanuts ‘characters.’ That night, I had a dream about being on that stage with them. That visit seemed to awaken my fondness for the theatre. After that, they started taking us to more shows, and by the time I was 10, I had become a regular theatregoer — albeit at local/regional theatres, since Boston theatres were so expensive.”

With so many shows under his belt in the years since then, does he have any favorites, one might wonder?

With his usual quick wit, Gagnon responded, “Pick a favorite play? You’re asking me to choose a favorite among my cats. However, there are some productions and performances that remain indelible for various reasons: The original Broadway production of ‘Ragtime’ in 1996, as well as watching a former student play the leading role of Coalhouse on Broadway and in the national tour; Brian Dennehy as Willy Loman in ‘Death of a Salesman’; Yul Brynner recreating his “King” in ‘The King and I,’ while my dad shouted ‘Bravo!’ from the cheap seats; Angela Lansbury in one of her inimitable Tony-winning roles in ‘Sweeney Todd’; the staging of the original production of ‘Dreamgirls’ — and all that talent. Those will always remain dear and vibrant.”

Dr. Donald Gagnon with students from WCSU’s Americans in London course attending the West End production of Hamilton.

As with the numerous accolades collected by the productions he cited, Gagnon himself has amassed too many awards to list in their entirety. In addition to the aforementioned Student Leadership Awards, Provost’s Award and American College Theatre Festival honors, Gagnon also has received the 2019 DGBM Recognition Award, and the Pinney Hall Professor with the Most Positive Impact award in 2021. He’s served as a faculty advisor or co-advisor for the WCSU English Society (which was named Outstanding Student Organization of the Year in 2011), the English Honor Society, and the Gay/Straight Alliance (named Outstanding Student Organization of the Year in 2009 and 2012), as well as The Fourth Wall — the theatre arts diversity group — and Encore.

He has been a highly sought-after moderator, panelist or presenter at institutions that include the Berklee College of Music, Emmanuel College, the University of Michigan and Founders Hall in Ridgefield, and has given lectures for organizations ranging from the Modern Language Association to the Popular Culture Association. His reviews have appeared in the popular culture journals Everything Sondheim and The Sondheim Review, to name just a few.

Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how Gagnon has time to sleep between writing, reading, teaching advising, reviewing and shuttling between shows — but he manages it all with a smile and most likely has saved you a seat.

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