Bruce Brenneman
Bruce
Brenneman, Assistant Professor of Theater, has taught at Houghton
College since 1982.From 1982 to-1998, he taught part-time while
fulfilling his responsibilities as Director of Conferences and
Special Programs. During those years he taught Grammar for Teachers,
English Methods, Theater Arts, directed two productions a year and
observed student teachers who were English majors.
In 1998, he joined the English Department full-time and presently teaches Principles of Writing, Theater Arts, directs two major productions a year, and teaches Business Writing in the college's P.A.C.E. program(Adult Degree Completion).
During his years at Houghton he has served as adviser to both the STAR (newspaper) and the BOULDER (yearbook) staffs. He has also been a class adviser several times and for several years coordinated the FYI (First Year Introduction)program.
He will be retiring in May 2008 after a career of 47 years. Prior to coming to Houghton, he taught English and Drama at Fillmore Central School.
His most recent production, You Can't Take It With You, the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy by Hart and Kaufman, was his 101st production. The shows he has produced ran the gamut from Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid to Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. He will close his career in March with Thornton Wilder's Our Town. His philosophy of theater is to instill a love of theater in both actor and audience member. Coupled with that is instilling confidence and skills in the actors so that this could be a lifelong pursuit.
In his Principles of Writing classes, Prof.Brenneman attempts to not only acquaint the students with basic rhetorical patterns and mechanical correctness, but equally important, to help them gain confidence in their writing and find it fulfilling and enjoyable.
A graduate of Taylor University and Wesleyan University, Prof. Brenneman lives in Houghton with his wife Kathie, a 1964 Houghton graduate. Their daughter, Suzanne, (Houghton 1994)and her two daughters, Emma and Julia, live with them. Their son, Brian, and his wife, Holly, live in Nashville.
