ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THEATRE EMERITUS

Ever since he was a student in the fourth grade, Ernie Zulia has steadfastly believed that “not only can theatre be key to a strong community, but it can change the world.”

Zulia brought that philosophy to Hollins in 2005 and it profoundly affected the world on campus. Under his leadership as associate professor and artistic director, Hollins Theatre became a dynamic and creative force on the stage. The theatre department brought national acclaim to Hollins, earning multiple Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival awards and a place on The Princeton Review’s list of the top college theatre programs in the country. In 2019, OnStage Blog named Hollins Theatre as the top undergraduate theatre program in Virginia.

Before coming to Hollins, Zulia had already directed more than 100 productions of plays, musicals, operas, and world premieres in theatres around the United States and abroad. He was perhaps best known for his stage adaptation of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, based on the series of bestselling books by Robert Fulghum. The production premiered at Roanoke’s Mill Mountain Theatre (MMT) in 1992 and went on to receive thousands of productions around the world.

At Hollins, Zulia built upon that distinguished reputation, challenging and entertaining audiences with a mix of dramas, musicals, comedies, children’s theatre, and new work by Hollins playwrights.

In 2011, Hollins Theatre launched the Legacy Series, showcasing plays, musicals, and original theatre pieces based on works by Hollins’ most recognized writers and rising stars. Beginning with the classic children’s book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown ’32, the Legacy Series has included A Woman of Independent Means (Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey ’60), Bellocq’s Ophelia (Natasha Trethewey M.A. ’91), Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Annie Dillard ’67, M.A. ’68), Good Ol’ Girls (Lee Smith ’67 and Jill McCorkle M.A. ’81), and Decision Height (Meredith Dayna Levy ’12, M.F.A. ’18).

Zulia estimated that about 4,000 schoolchildren, families, “and people of all conceivable demographics” saw Goodnight Moon during its 2011 run (the production enjoyed a revival in 2015), while Bellocq’s Ophelia, which Zulia adapted for the stage with Associate Professor of English T.J. Anderson III and Lexie Martin Mondot ’12, was invited to be presented at the Kennedy Center’s 11th annual Page to Stage Festival of New Play Readings after its February 2012 premiere at Hollins.

On Labor Day weekend in 2016, Zulia and Hollins joined forces with the City of Roanoke, MMT, and Roanoke Public Libraries to organize the first-ever Starcropolis, an evening of live theatre beneath the Roanoke Star on Roanoke’s Mill Mountain. The event featured a series of short plays created specifically for the festival, including works written by playwrights from the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University.

“In this fast-paced world where we are all trapped in front of one kind of electronic screen or other, the live theatre event is more valuable than ever,” Zulia said of Starcropolis. “It brings us together in one place at the same time to share a laugh, shed a tear, and experience the power of great stories.”

With Zulia’s creation of the Hollins Theatre Institute, the department’s undergraduate and graduate programs came together under one umbrella to foster unique opportunities for innovative theatre artists. One of the artists Zulia brought to Hollins was Todd Ristau, founder of the Playwright’s Lab. A $3 million gift from the James S. McDonnell Family Foundation to Hollins Theatre in 2009 gave Zulia the opportunity to transform and update the theatre space.

In an April 2021 interview with The Roanoke Times, Zulia said, “I’ve had a fantastic run at Hollins. In many ways, it was a marriage made in heaven.” He emphasized that even though he has retired, he intends to stay actively involved with directing, writing, and especially college theatre.

“Hollins and Wendy-Marie [Martin M.F.A. ’14, Certificate in Directing New Work ’17, Zulia’s successor as chair of the theatre department] have invited me to return as a visiting artist and consultant, and I plan to take them up on the offer.”