Gila Community College is excited to offer 5 new courses in theatre and cinema.

The brand-new Theatre and Cinema Department is a dynamic team of teachers who aim to captivate your imagination. Certain that Rim Country will be a thriving arts community, we invite you to enroll in classes for the upcoming Spring semester.

Rick Aydelott, Kathy Bertram, Jim Clark, and Elizabeth Fowler are providing a creative environment for students of all ages, and have scheduled their program to allow for total immersion, as none of their class times overlap. Whether you are an avid audience member, or aspire to be on stage or screen, there is an offering for you. The foundational courses they are teaching in the Spring of 2026 will invite audience members to the wonders of these arts. For those who want to be the makers, these courses will prepare you for the performance, technique, and script-writing classes that will follow next season, including staging a show and producing film.  So, come to GCC and enroll now!

Here is the lineup:

• The Art of Storytelling (THC 103) with Kathy Bertram: 3:15 – 5 pm Friday
• Film Appreciation (THC 115) with Elizabeth Fowler: Tuesday 9:30 -10:20 am and Thursday 9:30-11:10 am
• Introduction to Cinema (THC 110) with Rick Aydelott: Tuesday 5:00 – 6:15 pm and Friday 8:00 – 9:15 am
• Introduction to Theatre (THC 105) with Jim Clark: Thursday 4:30 – 6:00 pm and Friday 1:00 – 2:30 pm
• Creative Theatre II (THC 102) with Elizabeth Fowler: Friday 9:30 am -12 pm

Kathy Bertram served as the Education Director of National Science Foundation-Programs for the University of Alaska and Alaska Pacific University systems for 35 years before retiring in 2018. In that capacity, she directed multiple cultural programs for Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Alaska in Cross-cultural Studies Science Education, an M.P.A from Indiana University in Science Writing and Public Administration, and a B.A. from

Wittenberg University in Theater, Communications, and Journalism.

Kathy is thrilled to be teaching The Art of Storytelling, which she says “is as old as time. Stories have been used to preserve culture and history; they are the cornerstone of ancient and modern theater, and of journalism.” Her course will involve students sharing stories in various narrative styles, forms, and genres. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the rich history of storytelling and its use in sharing and preserving history, cultures, and current events.

Elizabeth Fowler is a professional artist and the Director of Programs on the Board of Rim Country Artists. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she created her own Independent Concentration in Theatre. Elizabeth has thirty plus years of teaching, writing and theatrical direction experience, having taught Art and History at the local Shelby School. She has been leading an introductory acting class at the college for the past three semesters, and will now teach Creative Theatre II. In this new class, students will build acting skills through improvisation, monologue, scene work, and direction. They will learn to be confident on stage.

Elizabeth will also teach Film Appreciation, with lecture sessions that examine the art of film. Students will learn the qualities of cinematic techniques and discover how films tell stories through narrative structure as well as character and thematic development. Films demonstrating the themes, techniques, and genres described in lectures will be viewed in separate sessions in the classroom and at the Sawmill Theatres on the big screen! Popcorn, anyone?

Jim Clark has a Master of Performing Arts degree from Oklahoma City University, where he majored in Directing. He knows theatre inside and out, having taught, directed and produced it all his life. He retired in 2017 after serving for twenty-eight years as the President and Managing Director of the 1,500 seat Lutcher Theater Inc., Orange, Texas. Before that he was the Managing Director of the Bartlesville Community Center, Bartlesville, Oklahoma. 

Jim Clark’s Introduction to Theatre course will provide students with a broad base of knowledge about the theatre and foster an appreciation of this dynamic art form through the study of dramatic plays, varied theatrical practices, the roles of different stage artists, and the historical and cultural significance of diverse dramatic forms and genres.

Rick Aydelott has a Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinematography from Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida. He has been an independent film maker for over twenty-three years, and owns Front Lawn Productions. He knows all aspects of the trade, having worked behind or in front of the camera since a he was a teen. He directs, writes, masters color and sound, edits, and does visual FX. From music videos to feature films — he can do it all. 

Rick’s Introduction to Cinema course will reveal the aesthetics and cultural impact of cinema from its origins in the late 19th century to the present day. Students will explore the evolution of film as both an art form and a global industry, examining major movements, technological innovations, and key figures that have shaped the medium. Through screenings, readings, demonstrations, and guided discussions, films from a variety of genres, styles, and national traditions will be analyzed to understand how cinema reflects and influences society. This course is a must for those wanting to get behind the camera.

Take one, all, or any combination of these five new classes. Enroll today by going to gilacc.org or visit the GCC Payson Campus at 201 N Mud Springs Road.

Get ready to be enriched and enlivened by the world of cinema and theatre!