June 23rd 2011: SPINKS, David Payne. David with his wife Jo and their two children, emigrated from England in 1971 for David to become the first regular faculty member in Dramatic Arts at the U of L. He had distinguished himself in drama and education in England, teaching for Cambridge University, and producing plays for children, youth and adults throughout Cambridgeshire.
David brought with him from England, in addition to sterling qualifications and invaluable experience, a charisma that was palpable. He literally galvanised the university community even though, as the first regular faculty member in Dramatic Arts, he was a department of one, with only a couple of offices and a corridor for a theatre. A master of improvisation, and perfectly content to make bricks without straw, David set about designing new quarters and recruiting faculty, building his Department from the ground up. His knowledge of, and passion for, theatre combined with his boundless enthusiasm and charismatic personality propelled the department forward at lightning speed. He drafted the first curriculum, integrating it into the Faculty of Arts and Science, and hired the first faculty members. He also worked closely with the architects to design the physical layout of classrooms, the University Theatre, complete with green room and dressing rooms for the University Centre for the Arts, opened in 1981 by Sir Peter Ustinov. This complex included an experimental theatre-- David’s favourite, because, although he sometimes directed scripted work, he was exceptional at encouraging students to find the drama in their own lives, and then helping them to create shows that were meaningful to performers and audiences alike. He also established a scholarship fund for drama students. Needless to say, students flocked to his classes, and through David's inimitable style of teaching, acquired his passion for theatre, and particularly that aimed at children and young audiences. Many became friends of the Spinks family, visiting his home, and enjoying wonderful get-togethers there.
Though he was a great organiser and planner, David’s greatest gifts were displayed in the classroom. He was a born teacher; and many of us--faculty as well as students--have reason to be grateful. As Dr. Ches Skinner, former professor of drama, now Dean Emeritus of Fine Arts, said simply, “David was my mentor. He had an unrivalled passion for teaching, and excelled at helping students find their own voices and then enabled them to find the confidence to use them.” Another of his protégés and long-time colleagues, Richard Epp, actor, director, playwright and professor, said: “David Spinks was a gentleman of good humour, intelligence and extraordinary generosity. His leadership as a teacher and his encouragement of colleagues permitted the arts to play a major role on this campus in its formative years. I am privileged to have known David and to have worked with him in the dramatic arts." David himself was a fine theatrical director, and those who saw them will never forget such productions as Mother Courage, Oh What a Lovely War!, Toad of Toad Hall, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mary Magdalene, Inook and the Sun and the rest.
David was promoted to Full Professor in 1988, and retired in 1990, having earned the love and respect of colleagues and students alike, and having received one of the University’s first Distinguished Teaching Awards. On his retirement, the experimental theatre he designed and used so brilliantly was renamed the David Spinks Theatre in his honour. He left a flourishing Department of Dramatic Arts which includes twenty-five faculty members, and services hundreds of students annually.