Faculty Portrait: Roger Oliver

Liberal Arts and Drama Faculties

Roger Oliver grew up a theater lover in Cheshire, Conn. He intended to become a journalist until he realized as an undergraduate at Middlebury, where he was an English major, that he wanted to go to graduate school for drama, teach dramatic literature and theater history on the college level, and write about theater from that perspective. And so he did—he got his PhD at Stanford and taught first at NYU (he’s still an adjunct there). He arrived at Juilliard in 1985, becoming part of the faculty of the brand-new Liberal Arts department. He was also one of the very first members of the editorial board of the brand-new Juilliard Journal (so brand-new it wasn't even called that yet). Oliver joined the Drama faculty when Michael Kahn became director of the program, in 1992.

Who was the teacher or mentor who most inspired you when you were growing up?
My high school Latin teacher, Joseph Foley, inspired me with his passion for language and literature and teaching. The editor of our local weekly newspaper, August Loeb, published my first writing to appear in print and hired me for three summers while I was in college. Both men were passionate about theater in very different ways.

How did you end up working at Juilliard?
There used to be an ad that read, “I got my job through The New York Times” and that literally happened to me. I was working at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (at various times as scholar in residence and director of humanities programs) and wasn’t looking for a teaching position but saw in the Sunday Times that Juilliard was looking for people to teach humanities, so I applied and have been here ever since!

What are some of the biggest ways that Juilliard has changed since you came here?
It’s a much friendlier place than it was when I arrived. The residence hall has helped break down some of the barriers between the students of the different divisions, as has the increased social awareness and activism inspired by President Polisi’s idea of the artist as citizen. President Polisi’s commitment to the Liberal Arts department has also made my work and that of my colleagues more rewarding.

What are some ways it’s stayed the same?
The excellence, commitment, and passion of the students remains a constant as does the inspiration and warm support I receive from my colleagues in Liberal Arts and Drama.

What are your non-drama related interests or hobbies?
I love number and word puzzles, especially acrostics. I also love most kinds of music, ranging from opera to jazz and the American Songbook, and have even been a guest host over the years on the Singers Unlimited program on WBGO, the jazz radio station.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
Most people would not suspect that I have been an inveterate sports fan since childhood and helped root Stanford to victory in the 1971 Rose Bowl.

If you weren’t in the career you are in, what would you be doing?
I would imagine that if I hadn’t become a teacher I would have pursued a career in some area of writing or the arts.

What are you reading/watching/listening to?
I have read the first three novels of Elena Ferrante’s quartet of Neapolitan novels and look forward to reading the fourth this summer. I have recently started going to the movies again and for the first time ever saw all the films nominated as best picture for the Academy Award. And there are always the great singers: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, etc.

What do you always get asked?
I get asked, either implicitly or explicitly, is Oliver your first or last name?