Randy Messick, a theater arts professor at Bakersfield College, will be retiring in the middle of the academic school year after teaching and directing at BC for 30 years.

While directing his final Shakespeare Festival this month at BC, Messick recalled some of his favorite moments during his time teaching.

“I had some amazingly talented students since I have been here and so have been able to do some shows that were first-rate because of the talent of the students,” he said. “Some have gone on to continue to work in professional theater, and I’ve had a lot of great experiences with the Shakespeare Festival.”

Messick, who will turn 60 in November, will be retiring between semesters, meaning he’ll be done when the fall semester ends in December.  “It’s just the time you’re supposed to go,” he said. “When you reach all those things, you’re not supposed to stay around. You’re supposed to get out and let new people come in and do stuff.”

Messick has enjoyed his time at BC. “[I’ve] been lucky,” he said. “I’ve been riding a wave, you know, for 30 years, as far as the shows go. For the most part, I’ve been really blessed.”

Some of his memorable highlights include doing the play “Hair,” which explored the hippie atmosphere of the 1960s. The play called for two-thirds of the cast to take their clothes off right before intermission during a song.

Messick said that it created a big controversy with the people, who were against this play, but it gave the show a lot of publicity and made it the most well-attended show ever to be put on by BC students.

“The students and I really got to learn about what it really means to exercise freedom in the arts because a lot of people didn’t want us to do that play, and we did it,” he said.

BC is currently presenting “King Henry IV Part 1” in the outdoor theater. There are four showings left from Oct. 21-24. All shows are at 8 p.m.