Theatre students share memories of recently passed professor Preston Spence

Maeve Bauer, Spectrum Editor 

Beloved VCUarts theatre assistant professor and technical director Preston Spence passed away on Nov. 6. Since then, students and faculty have been sharing photos and memories of Spence to keep his memory alive. 

A memorial service for Spence was held on Nov. 22 by his family with support from the VCUart’s theatre department. Students shared photos of Spence and wrote letters to commemorate his impact as both a professor and mentor. 

Spence led his students with a sense of understanding that is not held by most in professional settings. Instead of merely giving orders, he made a point to meet students where they were and develop the fundamentals of their craft. 

Spence’s legacy continues to live on at VCU with a group of students commemorating his everything he did for the community. 

Dakota Cupples, a third-year scenic design student, transferred to VCU during the spring semester of their first year and recalls Spence being the staff member they met in the staging department.

Spence’s classroom environment was a very welcoming and judgment-free environment, according to Cupples. It was very easy to make mistakes in the shop as Spence did not make students feel stupid — rather, he always helped them understand what they were doing.

“He would just be very patient with everyone, and like every time I would mess something up, I’d go, ‘OK, I messed up,’ and then he was like, ‘So yes, you did,’ but he wouldn’t make me feel bad about it, and he’d get like an exact way to fix it,” Cupples said. 

Cupples said learning to not put themselves down after making a mistake is one of the biggest lessons they learned from Spence. He created a very encouraging learning environment with room for everyone to grow. 

Cupples shared some of their fondest memories of Spence showing how he cared for his students in a plethora of ways. 

“My friend Sydney, she transferred out of the program, and I remember him doing this, even though she left he always made her feel very welcomed in the shop,” Cupples said. 

Cupples shared a story of Spence welcoming Sydney back to the shop to use resources for a plant pot that needed some modifications. Spence always encouraged former students to come visit the shop, according to Cupples. 

“I always caught myself just like visiting sometimes cause I didn’t have shop,” Cupples said. “I would just sometimes go visit him in the shop at random times because I missed him.”

One memory that has stuck with Cupples was when Spence gifted a handful of students koozies because they kept mixing up each other’s drinks in the shop, showing the way Spence cared for his students, even in small ways. 

The last time Cupples saw Spence was for help with a problem they had, and the last thing they said to him was “thank you.”

Spence’s impact on the theatre department is very apparent through the way his students talk about him. 

Third-year scenic design student Sayaan Bashir remembers the first time he made Spence laugh. 

Bashir said Spence always seemed more serious than he actually was, and never really seemed to get Bashir’s jokes until one time. 

“We were all kind of standing around and I made one of the dumbest jokes,” Bashir said. “I swear to God it was honestly just an onomatopoeia. I just said a random noise in response to a sentence he said, and he just started busting out laughing. And that was, I swear to God, one of the first times I’ve ever heard him laugh.”

One of the biggest things Bashir has had to come to terms with is that he has not only lost a friend, mentor and professor, but also everything that made Spence who he was. 

“He, at the end of the day, had such a wealth of knowledge and experience that he loved to impart on others and love to teach and love to give,” Bashir said. 

Bashir said it is difficult navigating his education after losing such an important pillar of it. Bashir described Spence’s approach to teaching as being very understanding, and he would show you how to do something instead of just telling. 

“He’d always check on you, even the smallest things to make sure we were doing it correctly and it was really beautiful,” Bashir said. “Once you did learn from him properly, he began to trust you in ways that you never really would’ve imagined … it was honestly kind of an honor when you finally get to start learning from him that there was like a sense of trust that was built.”

Since his passing, the theatre department has been slowly changing as people transition into new roles, according to Bashir.

“There’s less centralized direction, but everyone is pitching in and doing their part to fill the shoes that Preston left behind,” Bashir said. “At the end of the day, it’s quite a role to try to fulfill.”

Counseling services are available to all students and staff who are grieving. There is a 24-hour hotline available at the number (804) 828-6200, as well as a grief support group and free individual sessions with a counselor, which can be found on VCU’s counseling service page. 

Additional services can be found on the RamStrong website.