Dale J. Young has stepped into his new role as Illinois Valley Community College’s theater instructor and director, bringing decades of stage and teaching experience to the campus, according to a news release from IVCC.

Young completed his first two IVCC productions this fall: “Bottom’s on First 2.0,” which he wrote and directed, and David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play “Proof.”

Young said that he intends to build on IVCC’s theatrical legacy and expose students and audiences to a variety of performing arts.

“I hope students are curious about what it means to do these things, and I want to expose them to as many genres as possible,” he said. “I will throw in some farce and Shakespeare so that our student transfer program is well-rounded.”

Young said he is excited by all the theater options available locally or within a short drive.

“You can never have enough theater,” he said. “We can spend a lot of time talking about theater, or seeing student theater, but it is also important to see professional environments off campus.”

Theater has been central in Young’s life since his teens. His career has spanned community and professional stage productions as an actor and a director, according to the release.

“An artist’s goal is to gather life experience, and that is what I have been doing,” he said.

Young discovered teaching when he became an artist in residence at an educational nonprofit and felt just as comfortable in a classroom as on stage, according to the release.

“[The instructor] said she knew I would be teaching, but she had never told me that. Still, if you want to learn your craft, be a teacher. Teaching has been amazing, and it is fascinating to watch people grow and expand their experience,” he said.

Young earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from DePaul University’s Theatre School in Chicago, a master’s degree in expressive therapies in Massachusetts and a doctorate in theater in Ohio.

Playwriting is another creative avenue for Young.

“If I am not making stuff, I am not me. I was always making stuff – always using a hammer and saw or painting,” he said.

As hobbies, he still carves in stone or wood and is a devoted cyclist and outdoorsman.

Young said that looks forward to expanding theater opportunities and the student theater community, adding that community colleges are an ideal stage to do both.

“People have a dream to be performers but do not know where to start, and two-year colleges are a great place for that,” he said. “What I love about theater is that the theater will accept everyone who is looking for a community and has a warm heart. People deserve a place to feel safe and to be part of a community.”