While other departments go out with a string of faculty speakers, the Department of Theatre Arts goes out with its usual dramatics, complete with song and dance.

On May 27, when most graduates will be at their department’s graduation ceremony watching slide shows of the semester gone by, graduates from the Department of Theatre Arts will be in the throws of yet another performance – their final at San Francisco State, and they intend to go out with a bang.

For more than 15 years, the Player's Club, a student-elected and student-run group of theatre arts majors, plans a department graduation that is by the graduates and for the graduates. Sign up sheets are circulated two months before graduation and there are weekly planning meetings for all students and graduates participating.

The ceremony usually features two student emcees, skits, two musical reviews organized and performed by the graduates, a slide show of the graduates with baby pictures and current pictures, faculty and graduate speakers.

This year, Aileen Clark and Rob Little will be hosting the ceremony. Clark is the activities director for the Player’s Club and has been organizing the ceremony with other Player’s Club members and graduates since late April.

“People look forward to it. It’s exciting because it’s the last time we’re all together putting on a show and being goofy,” said Clark.

Theatre Arts Department Chair Roy Conboy, said the entire department looks forward to the graduation ceremony.

"It's always exciting, and full of inventive ideas, that showcase the talents of our graduating seniors. I think the highlight in recent years has been the 'Techie Review,' which is a song and dance number put on by the technical theatre students."

This year the graduates have produced a mocumentary about the process of producing a play.

“There are intense interviews with students who are supposed to be the actors in this fake play and everyone is running around like crazy,” said Clark. “It’s making fun of the process of putting on a show.”

The musical reviews have become an infamous part of the graduation ceremony. There is a musical theatre review which stars the performance emphasis majors, and a "Techie Review" which gives the technical theatre students a chance to sing and dance.

Each graduating class tries to top the last, revamping songs from Broadway musicals and choreographing funny dance numbers. Last year the graduates performed the song “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?” from Avenue Q, but sang “What do you do with a B.A. in Drama?” instead.

“I’m excited for the whole thing, but I just want us to top last year’s musical performance,” said Ryan Foster, 24, senior theater arts major. Foster and Player’s Club Secretary Danielle Thompson have been brainstorming ideas for the musical number for weeks, but aren’t giving away any details.

“It’ll be about life, love, growing up- all of it!” said Thompson with a big smile.

Player’s Club member, Thu Tran, will graduate next year, but he plans on attending the graduating ceremony to see friends and check out the performances and the mocumentary.

“It’s cool that every graduating class builds their own performances. They get to high light their talents and do whatever they do best and it’s always different and fun,” said Tran.

Graduating senior Paula Berkenstat will perform in the musical theatre review.

"I'm excited, but I'am really nervous. There have been graduating classes who start rehearsing for this thing in March. People get really into it and there's pressure to make it a really cool show," said Berkenstat.

Joan Arhelger teaches lighting design and has attended and spoken at many Department of Theatre Arts graduation ceremonies.

"The students put a huge amount of effort into their performances... It's not a culmination of the work they've done here because we do so much during the semester that is so high quality, but it is fun for everyone involved," said Arhelger. "It's sassy and celebratory as well as a wonderful showcase of talent. I'll definetely be there."