Midwestern College Drama Department

The Midwestern College Drama Department was headed by Hollywood actor and producer Al Ruscio. Every student at Midwestern College enrolled in at least one of the drama classes and worked on or in the production of a play.

Under “Ruscio’s leadership the drama department produced 30 plays, a rigorous schedule for a school which closed five years after opening. The plays the department and its students showcased were demanding of both talent and those working behind the scene. Some noted productions were “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Oedipus” which won honors in regional contests, “Of Mice and Men,” “Waiting for Godot,” and “Three Men on a Horse”.

Dave Steigerwalt, a 1969 Midwestern College graduate, taught for two trimesters after graduating from Midwestern College, then went on to earn a master’s degree in secondary education from Seton Hall and taught speech and drama for 30 plus years in New Jersey before retiring. He remembered Ruscio as one of his most memorable instructors. In an interview with the Denison Bulletin and Review, he told the reporter that he modeled all my directing after him. Many of my students won awards and went on to be professionals. I attribute that mostly to him.”

Many students went into education and like Steigerwalt enjoyed long successful careers in the dramatic arts. Marsha Kracht spent 25 years in film-making which allowed her to travel the world. She is particularly proud of being at NASA working on four films about the Space Shuttle. She has returned to Denison became President of the Arts Council and Secretary for the Denison branch of AAUW, American Association of University Women. Others found a career in show business acting, producing and writing.

Anne Sward and Joe Cortese have developed a noteworthy portfolio in films and television. Anne, a gal from Bronxdale, NY, appeared in the long running soap opera, “As the World Turns”, and most recently plays the part of ‘Paige’ in the film “95 ers: Time Runners”. Anyone interested in learning more about Anne’s career will find her portfolio listed at the Internet Movie Data Base a good resource. Try searching youtube.com for some enjoyable clips of Anne heralding the role of drama teacher.

Joe Cortese, a Jersey boy from Paterson, enjoys a well written biographical listing at IMDB.com which speaks of his fine film resume. You may have seen him in “Monsignor” which he starred in with Christopher Reeve for director Frank Perry and 20TH Century Fox, and “American History X” with Edward Norton for Warner Bros. Joe has received major accolades for his numerous top rated television projects including “The C.A.T. Squad”, a trilogy of two-hour movies for NBC and producer/director William Friedkin, and The highly rated mini-series “Something’s Out There” for NBC. He also recently shot, “The Bronx Bull”, with William Forsythe portraying the legendary fighter Jake LaMotta for director Martin Guigui, as Vito Latzzio, a character described as the Italian Johnny Carson.