Dan Mallory: The Play's the Thing for Class Speaker

During her University Convocation speech in August 1997, President Nan Keohane encouraged the 1,627 newest members of the Duke community to "consider the next four years as a journey, a path of exploration" that would lead them to the next stage of their lives.

Dan Mallory, a member of the Class of 2001, took that advice to heart.

Mallory, who will give the class speech at Sunday's graduation exercises in Wallace Wade Stadium, has spent his undergraduate years pursuing his twin passions: literature and theater. He's earned high marks in the classroom and accolades on the stage. In the best tradition of a classic liberal education, Mallory immersed himself in 20th century British literature, not for any job prospects, but for the sheer enjoyment it brought him.

"When I arrived at Duke, I planned a double major in English and drama," says the Charlotte senior. "Then I really got turned on to British literature, thanks in large part to Ian Baucom's English 90 course. Joyce's Ulysses was a baptism of fire for me. Soon I found my interests broadening: Romantic poetry, Shakespearean comedies, contemporary British drama - everything since the Renaissance!"

Many in the Duke community know Mallory from his work in theater. He has consistently garnered rave reviews for his stage portrayals and lately has emerged as a budding director. As a sophomore, he co-founded Where's Gus?, a student theater company established to provide a new venue to showcase Duke's dramatic talent.

Mallory rates his performance in Tom Stoppard's historical comedy, "Arcadia," as his best work. "It's a play about physics," he says, "which doesn't sound like the most compelling subject for a stage production, but it's an absolutely mind-blowing work. It starts out like a drawing-room comedy and just gets denser and deeper."

Jeffery West taught Mallory in an acting course and directed him in "Arcadia." He recalls a letter he received from President Keohane praising the production and singling out Mallory for special mention. "She wrote to say that 'Arcadia' is one of her favorite modern plays," says West, "and that she thought Dan did a better job with his role than his counterparts in professional productions she'd seen in New York and Chapel Hill."

Junior year at England's Oxford University was a turning point for Mallory. "It changed my attitude toward life," he says. "At Duke I'd been studying hard and was active in theater, but I'd come to realize I wasn't having any fun. At Oxford I discovered British youth culture, went out clubbing, went to bars and concerts. When I came back, I found I could do the same thing here. I learned it was OK to have fun."

As graduation approaches, Mallory has reflected on his own path of exploration over the past four years. In preparing his commencement speech, he asked himself: What's the most valuable thing I'll take from my time at Duke?

"If I'd been asked that question two years ago, I would have said the academic experience, the inspiration of a stellar faculty," he says. "But even more, I've come to value the friends I've made. People say the friends you make in college are the ones you'll keep throughout your life. I certainly hope it's true."

Classmate Charles Aitken, a history major from Ft. Lauderdale, is one of those friends. He and Mallory have passed many a night this year at their "second home," the James Joyce pub, musing about life, love and the future over pints of Guinness and cider.

Rupi Legha, a history major from Houston, has come to treasure her friendship with Mallory. The two met as freshmen during their first week on campus. "For every good thing that's happened to me over the past four years," she says, "Dan has always cheered the loudest."

At Sunday's commencement, the accomplished stage actor will deliver his lines to his largest audience ever.

"People often disparage student speeches," he says. "They joke about clichesuch as, 'We're standing on the edge of tomorrow...." I want to say something different. Without being sentimental, I really want to talk about what I've loved about Duke, not what's waiting in the real world, but the people I've learned from and appreciated while I was here.

"I want to remind everyone that LSAT scores don't really matter beyond this point. GPAs are immaterial. Who's going to remember? What we need to bring out into the world is ourselves."

Mallory has been accepted to the master's program in 20th century British literature at Oxford next fall, but may defer starting school for a year. He may try to land a screenwriting job in Los Angeles. A year in Paris sounds inviting. Perhaps he'll hole up in upstate New York and work on his second novel. Or maybe work with his fledgling theater troupe. So many paths, waiting to be explored.

"Dan is one of the few students I know whose four years have truly been a journey with an unknown destination," says Legha. "He figured out what mattered most to him, academically and personally, and he let those passions guide him. I have no idea where he'll be 10 years from now, but I know he'll be seeking a genuine, fulfilling experience."