Dusk falls over a deserted campus as actors slip into the backstage entrance of the Garvin Theatre; rehearsal is about to begin. Inside the house lights illuminate the empty theater. Rows of seats rise up from the stage like soldiers standing guard. On stage actors mill about, waiting for their director to arrive.

Enter Katie Laris. She strides in, her presence adding a palpable sense of energy and enthusiasm to the room. Dressed for comfort in head to toe black, she fits the role of director.

She warmly greets the assembled cast members. “Hello, David. Winslow, how are you? Good to see you, Kent!” Then quickly gets down to business. “We can start on page fifty-six. Let’s take it from the top.” she says. And with those words, the magic begins.

Laris is a Theatre Arts Professor and is the director of the Santa Barbara City College Theatre Group’s latest production, “Born Yesterday,” which opens this Friday, March 14 at the Garvin Theatre.

The actors begin to rehearse a scene, repeating the same few lines over and over. Laris listens and watches intently. She offers suggestions that seem minor, but when added together makes the difference between wooden characters merely acting a role, and actors truly inhabiting their characters.

Winslow Corbett, a veteran actress based in NYC, plays the lead role of Billie Dawn, an illiterate former chorus girl. Winslow describes working with Laris as a “delight.”

“She’s so smart and generous, and open to trying new things, which is incredibly valuable to me as an actor,” said Corbett. “She has great vision and instincts, and gives us a lot of freedom. I trust her.”

Laris’ goals as director are to deliver believable characters that the audience can connect with, and at the end of the evening to have the audience exit the theatre not only entertained, but informed.

“The great thing about theatre is that it’s a live performance,” said Laris. ” I’ve now directed over 100 plays, and a big part of what I consider in selecting material is whether or not it’s something that I can get behind, both emotionally and intellectually.”

“Born Yesterday,” which is described as a political satire and romantic comedy, examines luxury, power, and greed in 1940’s era Washington D.C. The play condemns corruption in American politics while confirming the value of education.

“I come from parents with strong political beliefs, and I’ve always been engaged in finding out about the world,” Laris said. “For as long as I can remember I’ve read the news, but I’ve always doubted the major news sources.”

These days Laris keeps current by listening to Pacifica Radio. She also reads the Los Angeles Times, as well as the New York Times.

A Santa Barbara native, Laris first began acting and directing in high school. She then ventured north to Portland, Oregon to attend Reed College where she majored in theatre and literature.

While in Portland, Laris helped found a community theater group, acted on stage, but ultimately made the decision to focus on directing.

“I wanted to be in the driver’s seat,” she said. “The role of an actor is a passive one, waiting to be cast. As a director you have much more control.”

The decision to focus on directing led Laris to graduate school in Manhattan, where she obtained her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Directing at Columbia University. She also began writing and producing television documentaries, which have aired on Animal Planet, PBS and Discovery Health.

Despite her busy schedule, she somehow managed to find time to get married, and have two children.

Assistant Stage Manager Anna Rook describes Katie as “creative, insightful and crazy.”

“As director, she’ll be in her seat, offering suggestions, but she just can’t explain it,” said Rook. “She has to act it out, so she’ll jump up and totally inhabit a character, then turn back into herself. It’s amazing to see.”

-Diane Bock is a Journalism 271 student