Former Cowley student finds success as high school theatre instructor

Chad Nulik, who graduated from Cowley College in 1997, has gone on to be an accomplished theatre instructor at Salina Central High School.

Nulik recently received word that Salina Central High School’s production of the comedy farce “Noises Off” was selected for a performance at the International Theatre Festival on June 23-28 at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln.

Only 10 to 12 student productions from the U.S. and Canada are picked to perform each year at the festival.

“I am amazed in the work that the students have put in to the outcome of the show,” Nulik said. “I have always felt that I had talented actors and techies, but this is truly an exciting time for our department.”

“Noises Off,” first produced in October at the school, initially was selected as one of four shows from Kansas to be performed at the Kansas State Thespian Conference in January in Wichita.

Two adjudicators at the state conference selected the show for the International Theatre Festival.

Nulik came to Cowley College from Mulvane High School. During his second year at Cowley, current theatre director Scott MacLaughlin was hired as the technical director.

“It was working under Scott that gave me a new appreciation for Tech Theatre,” Nulik said.

The two spent hours learning how to run specials with the lights for the college’s production of “Grease”. “Scott had a love for the theatre that I had not seen before and it was because of my experiences with him that gave me that same appreciation for the theatre,” Nulik said.

Nulik worked with the sound system and lighting in the Robert Brown Theatre during MacLaughlin’s first year at the school.

“He was a great help to me,” MacLaughlin said. “We spent a lot of time in the theatre.”

After Cowley, Nulik went on to graduate from Emporia State University in May of 2001 with teaching credentials in both communication/theatre and social sciences. During his tenure at ESU Chad was involved in the Associated Student Government as well as Sigma Phi Epsilon. He held leadership positions in both.

Currently, Nulik is working on his Masters in School Administration from Emporia State University. He has been working at Salina Central High School since August 2001.

Nulik spends a great deal of time with his theatre students taking them on field trips such as the Kansas Renaissance Festival, the New Theatre Restaurant, Kansas State theatre programs, and last year taking his thespian troop to New York City to see five Broadway shows.

MacLaughlin was ecstatic to hear his former student had a production selected for a performance at the International Theatre Festival.

“The opportunity to perform at the International Conference is like winning a national title in athletics”, MacLaughlin said.

Under Nulik’s guidance, Salina Central’s theatre program does four main stage productions a year.

“I enjoy working with the kids, seeing them perform is what makes me keep coming back,” Nulik said.

Nulik credits his time at Cowley with helping him get to where he is today.

“Cowley allowed me to continue working in theatre,” Nulik said. “I was unsure of what I wanted to do in life and it gave me the chance to grow. I had a great time while at Cowley and met some great teachers that I will never forget.

Cowley was a great place for me at that time in my life and I will never forget the time that I had in the Theatre department.”

Spring 2008