Professor Melda Beaty’s Sabbatical Revives Play Production Course at Olive-Harvey and Playwriting Award

City Colleges of Chicago students now have a new way to experience the performing arts, thanks to Melda Beaty, an English professor at Olive-Harvey College.

This fall, Beaty revived Theater Arts 240: Play Production, a course that gives students hands-on experience in every aspect of theater—from writing and reviewing plays to performing and managing lighting, sound, and costumes. The course grew out of Beaty’s 2022 sabbatical, when she wrote “New Breed 2.0”, an original stage play for students to perform and study across disciplines.

“I wanted to create a space where students could explore creativity and storytelling,” said Beaty. “So many of our students focus narrowly on their academic pathways. This course invites them to try something new—to express themselves and learn through performance.”

Beaty’s own journey into theater began with her love of writing. After earning her master’s degree in English, she wrote her first play in 2010 and began training with Chicago Dramatists Theater. Since then, she’s written multiple plays, contributed to and worked as co-editor of Black Masks Magazine, served on the board of the August Wilson Society, and gained national acclaim for her work.

In 2022, Beaty won the Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin National Playwriting Award from the International Black Theater Festival for her play “Coconut Cake.” The production follows a group of older men on Chicago’s South Side who meet daily at McDonald’s to play chess, reminisce, and explores issues of friendship, aging, and mental health. The award included five professional productions of the play in cities across the country.

Her work has drawn the attention of major names in theater, with celebrated actors like Marla Gibbs, Ted Lange, and Loretta Devine performing in staged readings of her plays. Most recently, “Coconut Cake” was presented in an off-Broadway industry reading sponsored by actress Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Looking ahead, Beaty continues to develop new plays while encouraging students to embrace the arts.

“Delayed does not mean denied,” she shared. “Keep creating—something good will happen.”

Through her teaching and creative work, Professor Beaty is helping bring storytelling, performance, and cultural expression to the forefront at Olive-Harvey College—and inspiring the next generation of voices to take the stage.