Photo by Brooklyn Ahrens, Clarion.
Karen Taulbee has spent more than 27 years behind the scenes at the Haugh Performing Arts Center, helping productions come to life while mentoring generations of students in Citrus College’s theater program.
This November, the longtime technical supervisor will retire, leaving behind not just productions, but a culture.
“My biggest concern is the amount of institutional knowledge that is disappearing,” Taulbee said.
Alongside Taulbee, Recording Arts Specialist Mike Caudle and Shop Coordinator John Patrick are also retiring. Combined, the three represent nearly a century of experience at the Haugh. Their departure marks the end of an era for the theater program.
Taulbee talks less about achievements and more about people and students learning to trust themselves, crews gaining confidence and artists discovering a place where mistakes are part of the process.
“I am confident that my replacement will continue to foster a nurturing environment where students can explore, fail safely, and succeed,” she said.
For Taulbee, theater only works when people support one another.
That philosophy shaped her leadership style throughout her career. Although her role carries authority, she rejects the idea that leadership means controlling every decision.
“I think that there is a common thought that the title ‘director’ implies that the TD dictates everything, whereas leadership comes entirely from supporting a team of equally crucial creative minds,” Taulbee said. “My role is to help bring their vision to the stage.”
That mindset began years before she ever worked professionally in theater. In middle school, Taulbee joined drama simply because her friends were involved. During one production, while playing a skeleton, she became more interested in what was happening backstage than what was happening onstage.
“The crew looked like they were having more fun than I was,” she said.
The next year, she enrolled in Stage Techniques and immediately connected with lighting and stage management.
“Lighting design felt like coloring live pictures — like playing with crayons,” Taulbee said.
Even now, she speaks about theater with the same excitement.
Taulbee described herself as an introvert growing up, though early experiences helped her develop confidence in public spaces. Because she was tall, she attended modeling school as a child, something she said taught her how to carry herself with confidence and helped shape her leadership skills later in life.
Still, theater was not originally her focus.
“I was more interested in sports, ice cream, and hanging out with friends,” she said.
The person who changed the direction of her career was William Morse, chair of the theater department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Taulbee credits him as both mentor and advocate.
“He profoundly influenced me, and I’m grateful he saw potential in me,” she said.
Years later, Morse personally contacted her about an opening at Citrus College.
“He is actually the one that called me one day to say that there was a stage manager position open at Citrus College that he thought would fit me perfectly,” Taulbee said. “He was right.”
Over time, theater shaped more than her career. It shaped the way she approached mistakes, responsibility and relationships.
“It is OK to ask for help and you can accomplish greater things when you do … Mistakes are meant to teach us what to do next time,” Taulbee said. “Taking responsibility for your mistakes is not a weakness, but a willingness to see your blind spots and adjust.”
She believes accountability creates growth rather than weakness.
The demands of live theater carried into her personal life as well. Rehearsals, performances and tech weeks often consumed nights and weekends while most people were off work.
Her husband understood the schedule because he once worked in theater himself before later becoming a teacher and businessman.
For years, their schedules barely overlapped.
“I would get home after he had gone to sleep and he would be up and off to work before I woke up,” Taulbee said. “We had several years of that, but it made us find different ways to connect.”
Despite the long hours, Taulbee still speaks about the Haugh with deep affection. The building, now more than 50 years old, has survived floods, fires, recessions and a pandemic.
“I love this building!” she said.
To her, the theater represents more than performances; it represents creativity.
