Lincoln College fine arts students to work at Six Flags

[June 16, 2009]  Eight students from Lincoln College's fine arts program have been able to take what they learned into the real world and have been hired by Six Flags in St. Louis. The seven drama students will be working in a variety of positions, including character dancers, drum line and character escorts.

"The experience is invaluable and a great lesson in how preparation and confidence are rewarded," commented Lincoln College President John Hutchinson.

The students are Tim Bell of Park Forest, Sean Daly of Buckingham, Joshua Dobkins of Hoopeston, Mikel Frost of Lincoln, Samantha Green of Lincoln, Abby Hammer of Clinton, Brandon Hudson of Pekin and Briana Trimble of Danville.

Chris Gray, fine arts division chair and assistant professor of theater at Lincoln College, added that the hiring agent at Six Flags St. Louis felt the Lincoln College candidates were just the right kind of applicants they were looking for -- hardworking and willing to take on a variety of roles to get their foot in the door.

"The preparation the students had in class about auditioning and interviewing made a big difference," Gray said. "Our goal is to prepare students for their future, and we are thrilled that preparing them for real-life situations resulted in a great success for all of them."

Lincoln College also recently announced a new generalist degree program in theater, preparing students in the areas of theater history, technical, criticism and management, as well as acting. Students will have opportunities to be involved in internships and up to six performances each year, so they graduate with hands-on, relevant experience.

The Higher Learning Commission, the accrediting body for colleges and universities, took notice of the program during their site visit recently, noting how developed the fine arts program is at Lincoln College.

Lincoln College at Lincoln is a two-year, private liberal arts college designed to prepare students for university study through a structured, supportive approach to learning. More information can be found at www.lincolncollege.edu.

[Text from file received from Lincoln College; LDN]