“Some of the most wonderful moments arise from overcoming fear and taking risks.” That’s the philosophy Theater Studies doctoral student Andrew J. Henkes lives by, and it has benefited him greatly.
Taking those risks means saying yes to new and different opportunities and circumstances. A fundamental rule of improvisational performance, Andrew explains, is to say yes. “When performing an exercise in an acting class, we direct students to affirm rather than reject the new directions and details that arise out of creative interactions with their fellow performers.”
But many students, he says, “find it scary to submit to the unexpected and they resist when the scene takes a direction that they are unprepared for. Yet, in embracing the unanticipated prospect, they discover new paths and ideas that can lead them to great results.”
That’s what happened to Andrew, who grew up in the Orange County city of Fullerton, when he left the “safety and familiarity” of the U.S. four times to live abroad: in the United Kingdom (twice); in Ireland; and in China. His reward for taking a risk? “I got to see how other people worked and loved, smiled and fought.”
UCSB doctoral student Andrew Henkes. He will receive his Ph.D. in Theater Studies at the UCSB Graduate Division Commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 16.With these global adventures crossed off his “yes” list, in August 2001 Andrew arrived alone in New York City armed with an undergraduate degree in theater (BA, UC Irvine, Drama, 2009); a few hundred dollars to his name; and the optimistic idea that he could make a living and create art in the Big Apple. Things didn’t go exactly as Andrew had planned, but he didn’t reject the unanticipated opportunities; he said yes and embraced them. He became a disc jockey. He worked as a recruiter. He directed his first musical – even though his training was in non-musical theater. As a Fringe Festival ambassador, he welcomed international theater troupes to Manhattan.
When Andrew developed a passion for teaching, this sixth-generation Southern Californian applied to grad school at UCSB despite signs of a difficult job market. “I took the risk of moving across the country to the sunny but unknown locale of Santa Barbara to become a historian and instructor,” he says.
The risk paid off. Andrew, currently a resident of Hollywood, has had “many more unexpected and joyful opportunities” in his years at UCSB. Here are just a few of them: co-organizer of a UCSB academic conference on modern dance; founder of a support group that serves as a social and academic forum for graduate students in the Medieval Studies doctoral emphasis; a volunteer director for premiere productions of students’ plays; and a first-time volunteer sound designer.
Even Andrew’s faculty advisors said “yes” and supported him when he followed his instincts and shifted his research drastically from his Master’s work on late medieval French theater (MA, UCSB, Dramatic Art, 2009) to his doctoral research on 20th Century gay nightclub history. Andrew's research focuses on performances of glamour and deviance in gay bars and clubs in Los Angeles over the last five decades. His dissertation demonstrates that these spaces are both significant artistic workshops for gay and lesbian cultures as well as catalysts for popular cultural trends in the U.S.
"Don't be afraid to deviate from your plans and follow new paths, and always be extremely busy! It's by being active that you develop a network and find even more opportunities." – Andrew Henkes
Andrew will be among the 455 students participating in Graduate Division’s Commencement ceremony this Sunday, June 16. Before he takes the stage that day to be hooded, we had a chance to interview him. Andrew shares how the skills he developed working in the theater have benefited him professionally; his reasons for shifting his research to recording the history of the Los Angeles gay nightclub scene; why he decided to live abroad; his greatest accomplishments; and more. Read on. …
Andrew Henkes worked for a time as a DJ in New York City.
Tell us a little about your research and how you came to choose the topic. Why did you make such a big shift from your master’s work of late medieval French theater to your doctoral research on 20th century gay nightclub history?
One theme that unites my diverse research interests is a strong curiosity about the role of popular entertainment in people's lives. I had always been interested in medieval history, and entered graduate school with the intention of being a medievalist. However, I decided I wanted to make a bigger and more direct social impact and study contemporary history. In the meantime, I began hearing amazing stories about the nightlife of L.A. and realized that many of these stories were at risk of being lost as the artists and entrepreneurs grew older. I decided that writing this book was a project that could really make a difference in the LGBT community.
How did you get interested in acting, and how has acting helped you in your life?
Though I'm trained as an actor, my work in theater has always been as a director and producer. I signed up for theater courses in high school on a lark, and found that the collaboration and storytelling really resonated with me. Since then, I've been involved with theater production in new musicals and plays, classics, queer performance art, and theater/art festivals.
Beyond the pleasures and adventures of making theater, I think it's definitely afforded me the interpersonal skills and problem-solving skills that have been indispensable in my professional life from corporate jobs to teaching.
Andrew Henkes with his host brother from China, who he met up with six years later in London in 2001.
What were the circumstances that took you abroad to live (twice in the United Kingdom, once in Ireland, once in China)?
I was always interested in other cultures, and I had an opportunity in high school to live in China for a month. In college, I spent my year abroad at the University of Glasgow, and fell in love with Europe. It was terribly exciting to be traveling, meeting people from all over, and learning different ways of socializing, living, etc. So, after graduation with my B.A., I returned to Europe to work random jobs for a year. Best thing I could have done – I got valuable work experience, had to be totally independent, and got to backpack all over the continent.
What has graduate student life been like for you?
Graduate life has been a challenge – I started school at 29, after working and living in several major cities. It took a lot of adjustment to get used to small-town life in S.B., and to less income. However, I made some amazing lifelong friends, and it was a thrill to get to spend time reading, studying history, and talking about ideas all the time!
What do you wish you had known before you started grad school?
Andrew HenkesI wish I had had a better sense of how challenging grad school was. ... I would have gotten an earlier start on preparing for it, and would have been more strategic earlier on in the papers I wrote.
What do you like most about grad school and what do you like least?
I love the chance to study history and talk about ideas with other passionate intellectuals; I dislike the social isolation of our work – there are a lot of times when all the writing can get lonely.
What has been a source of motivation or drive for you in your graduate studies?
I'm really passionate about the stories I'm recording and sharing, and I've gotten such positive feedback from my interview subjects along the way.
Who are your heroes and/or mentors and why?
I have a lot of respect for scholars who resist the trends and are good storytellers. My favorite academic texts manage to take you into those moments and offer relevant, thought-provoking analysis without getting weighed down in polemic or jargon.
Andrew Henkes introduces performers for APT 3F at Akbar in Los Angeles.
Name an accomplishment you are most proud of and why.
I am really proud of my work with APT 3F [he is founder and producer of a monthly queer performance night at Akbar, Los Angeles]; INSTALL: WeHo [in 2012, he curated the main stage at the inaugural pop-up interactive art festival in West Hollywood that highlights the talents of emerging artists in the LGBTQ community]; and my dissertation. Between performance work in producing new queer performances and recording the history of L.A.'s gay scene, I really feel like I've contributed to my community.
What do you do to relax? What makes you happy?
Relax? What's that? My work and fun are all intermixed, so when I'm not doing research or teaching, I am usually involved with attending performances or clubs, or working at them as a DJ, producer, or director.
Andrew Henkes, left, and his producing partner David LeBarron at APT 3F's holiday show at Akbar in Los Angeles in December 2012.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I'm actually pretty shy deep down. ... I've learned how to "fake" being outgoing, but I really prefer to be behind the scenes.
What are your career goals?
I'm definitely in pursuit of the elusive tenure-track position.
What do you hope to be doing 5 or 10 years out of graduate school?
I hope to be settled as a professor in a great city and continuing to write, teach, and support local art.
Do you have any advice for current grad students?
Don't be afraid to seize opportunities. Some of the best experiences I've had were things I did not anticipate. Don't be afraid to deviate from your plans and follow new paths, and always be extremely busy! It's by being active that you develop a network and find even more opportunities.