February 2012
10 posts
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All Over Creation: Dispatch From the New Theatre... →
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UT Talents Shine on Austin Community College Stage
Richard Craig (BFA 1974) recently guest starred alongside alumna Yesenia Garcia (MFA 2007) in the Depression-era comedy The Lucky Spot at Austin Community College. The production was directed by fellow Texas Ex Shelby Brammer, Austin Community College Drama Department Chair.
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Alumna Stars in new Psychological Thriller
Liza Binkley (BA 2007) recently played the lead role in Occupied, a psychological thriller set in the redwoods above Silicon Valley. She is now serving as co-producer for the film’s post-production. Occupied premiered at the 2011 Lone Star International Film Festival in Fort Worth, Texas.
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Alumnus Holden Hansen (MFA '88) Stars Alongside... →
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Alumna Teaching and Directing for University of...
Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson (BFA 1989) is an Assistant Professor of Theatre at the University of Illinois Springfield. She’s currently directing Sam Shepard’s True West, opening February 24, and will star in the role of “Truvy” in Steel Magnolias this summer at the McLeod Summer Playhouse in Carbondale, Illinois.
Recent works include directing Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile...
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Alumna Honored with Educator of the Year Award
Gillian McNally (MFA 2002) is the recipient of the Alliance for Colorado Theatre’s 2011 Higher Education Theatre Educator of the Year Award. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of Theatre Education and Head of Community Engagement and Programs for Youth for the University of Northern Colorado.
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Students get "Wicked"
Contributed by: Felicia Fitzpatrick, Sophomore, B.A. in Theatre and Dance and B.A. in African and African Diaspora Studies
In Wicked’s frivolous and favored song “Popular”, Galinda states, “It’s all about popular!”, as she prances around the stage in pink, giving advice to Elphaba about how to succeed. David Nathan Perlow, who portrays Fiyero in Wicked, provides different advice on how to...
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Texas Ex Lindsey Morgan Hits the Big Screen
Lindsey Morgan (BA Attended) starred this fall as “Maria” in MTV’s original movie DISconnected, and can be seen in the upcoming SONY film Detention. She was also recently cast in the role of “Noemi” in the independent feature film Chastity Bites. She’ll co-star on How I Met Your Mother in the popular television series’ upcoming Valentine episode entitled Drunk Train.
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Alumna Teaching and Designing for University of...
K. April Blackburn-Soroko (BFA 1993) is the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida as well as the Resident Scenic Designer for the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre since 2007. She is also a Resident Designer at Florida Studio Theatre in Sarasota. Recent works include: Beehive: The 60’s Musical, Race, The Savannah Disputation, The 39 Steps, The Last...
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Alumna Starring in new National Geographic...
Jacqueline (Heard) Hinton (BFA 2001) is starring as a ballerina in National Geographic’s mini-series Party Like…, premiering February 9th. Recently, she co-starred on NBC Universal’s Free Agents episode Rebranding, playing opposite Hank Azaria. Last fall, she danced with Clairobscur Dance Company in Uncertain Terrain at the ARC in Pasadena, CA.
January 2012
19 posts
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The Story Wranglers Bring Imagination to Life
“You make the stories. You make the play.” This is the message that transforms groups of third graders into young artists when The Story Wranglers enter their classroom. Part of the Paramount Academy for the Arts, The Story Wranglers are a group of actors and teaching artists who partner with local elementary schools to support enthusiasm for writing, storytelling and self expression,...
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Get Fit with Alumna Tonya Larson (BA '96)
Tonya (Bordeaux) Larson (BA 1996) has a new exercise program, Tonya Larson Fitness, on the NRB Network. The show, running each Wednesday, can be viewed on DirectTV, Sky Angel, online and is downloadable to an iPhone. Tonya recently completed her seventh exercise DVD. Her first DVD, Step Pump, was featured by the Los Angeles Times as one of the “best DVDs fit to get fit to”.
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Alumnus James Culley to Retire
James “Jim” Culley (MFA 1984) will retire within the next year after teaching 25 years at San Jose State University in California. He plans to continue teaching half time and designing for Children’s Musical Theatre San Jose. Latest designs include: Legally Blond, 9 to 5, Emma, and Dead Man’s Cell Phone.
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George Brant (MFA '08) Premieres Three New Works
George Brant (MFA 2008) premiered several new plays this season: Grizzly Mama in September 2011 at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights, OH; The Mourners’ Bench in March 2012 at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI; and Salvage in April 2012 at Theatre 4, New Haven, CT.
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Presenting "3", an inaugual M.F.A. Dance Concert
3 A MFA Dance Concert March 8, 9 at 8:00 p.m. B. Iden Payne Theatre The performances are free and open to the public.
About 3 Master of Fine Arts candidates, Ellen Bartel, Chell Parkins and Alvin Rangel, take the stage in the Department of Theatre and Dance’s inaugural M.F.A. dance concert March 8 and 9.
3 includes Ellen Bartel’s Watch The Gap, a site-inspired contemporary dance about New...
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UTNT Presents "Bacha Bazi (Boy Play)" Feb. 16-25
Bacha Bazi (Boy Play) Written and Directed by Gabriel Jason Dean
February 16, 22, 24, 25 at 8:00 p.m. February 19 at 2:00 p.m. Oscar G. Brockett Theatre
Tickets for UTNT productions are $10 per performance and may be purchased at the Winship Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to curtain.
About the play The eve of Obama’s election finds Aaron, a documentary filmmaker from Texas, in...
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UTNT Presents "Static" Feb. 17-26
Static By Tom Horan Directed by Courtney Sale February 17, 18, 23 at 8:00 p.m. February 25 at 5:00 p.m. February 26 at 2:00 p.m. Lab Theatre Tickets for UTNT productions are $10 per performance and may be purchased at the Winship Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to curtain. About the play Since Emma was a little girl she heard the ghost stories told about her neighbors Walter and Millie...
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UTNT Presents "River City" Feb. 16-25
River City By Diana Grisanti Directed by Lydia Nelson and Rudy Ramirez February 16, 22, 24, 25 at 8:00 p.m. February 19 at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Lab Theatre Tickets for UTNT productions are $10 per performance and may be purchased at the Winship Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to curtain.
About the play Shaken by her father’s death, Mary sets off to uncover three...
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UTNT Presents "The Chronicles of Bad Ass Women"...
The Chronicles of Bad Ass Women By Holli Gipson Directed by Daria Davis February 17, 18, 23 at 8:00 p.m. February 25, 26 at 2:00 p.m. Oscar G. Brockett Theatre Tickets for UTNT productions are $10 per performance and may be purchased at the Winship Box Office beginning 90 minutes prior to curtain. About the play The Chronicles of Bad Ass Women is a collection of outlawed histories retold through...
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Alumnus Co-Editing Ambitious Anthology on Design
Peter McKinnon (MFA 1976) recently edited and published the first of a three volume series of books looking at stage design throughout the world from 1975-2015. Entitled World Scenography, the first volume will be launched at USITT in Long Beach in March 2012, with volume two being launched in Cardiff, Wales at World Stage Design in September 2013 and the last volume at the Prague Quadrennial in...
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Alumnus David McTier a Fulbright Scholar to Kosovo
David McTier (PhD 1995) has been named a 2012 U.S. Fulbright Scholar to Kosovo, where he will teach aesthetics and direct at the University of Prishtina during the spring term. In August, David will return to the U.S. and resume his faculty position at Sam Houston State University.
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Alumna Sells Feature Film to IFC
Judi Krant (BA 1994) won the 2009 Grand Jury Award at SXSW for best narrative feature film and the Chicken and Egg Award for Emergent Female Director for her debut film, Made in China. After a successful run on the film festival circuit, picking up multiple awards both domestically and abroad, Made in China was sold to IFC for distribution.
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Alumna Jenny Connell's Plays Coming to the Stage...
Jenny Connell’s (MFA ‘09) Chrysalis, developed as part of the UT Department of Theatre and Dance’s “Once Upon a Weekend,” was performed along with fellow MFA Playwright Andrew Hinderaker’s Dry in The Gift Theatre’s “Take Ten” showcase, a celebration of the Chicago’s theatre’s ten-year anniversary. Heralded by The Chicago Sun-Times as “poignant...
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34th Annual International Showcase Hits Austin
International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY) is proud to bring the 34th annual Showcase to Austin, Texas from January 18 - 21, 2012. IPAY is joined by the following hosting partners in Austin: The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance, Texas Performing Arts, The Long Center for the Performing Arts, The Paramount Theatre and Stateside at the Paramount, and Holden &...
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Alumnus Howard Casner's Screenplays Recognized in...
Howard Casner’s (BFA ’76) screenplays Rough Trade and Welcome to L.A. were recognized by Chicago’s 2011 Great Gay Screenplay Competition. A dark comedy in the vein of Swimming with the Sharks, Casner’s Welcome to L.A., was a top five finalist of the annual competition and received a staged reading last fall.
Casner moved in 2001 from Chicago to Los Angeles, where he has earned a reputation...
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Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig (MFA '09) named 2011... →
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Alumna Leads Outreach and Education at American...
Sarah Enloe (BFA, ’01) is the Director of Education for the American Shakespeare Center in Virginia. The world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s Indoor Theatre, American Shakespeare Center is an URTA organization that plays in rep 52 weeks a year.
Sarah holds a master of fine arts in dramaturgy and master of letters in teaching from Mary Baldwin College’s Masters in Shakespeare and...
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UT Theatre and Dance Community Recognized in The...
Congratulations to the Department of Theatre and Dance productions, students, faculty, alumni and friends named as top picks of 2011 in The Austin Chronicle’s annual list of standout performances. Selections from “Top 10 Theatrical Wonders of 2011”
8) Lauren Lane – Featured performer, The Cherry Orchard, Department of Theatre and Dance Fall 2011 production
Lucien Douglas and Lauren Lane,...
Top 10s: The peak performances of 2011 →
December 2011
9 posts
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Scott Kanoff Recognized with 2012 Texas Exes...
Scott Kanoff, Department of Theatre and Dance lecturer of directing, has been named a recipient of the Texas Exes Teaching Award. The student-nominated and student-selected awards were first given by the Texas Exes in 1982. The annual awards promote quality teaching at The University of Texas at Austin by publicly recognizing professors who have had a positive influence on the educational...
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Alumna Halena Kays lands new role with The...
Halena Kays (MFA ‘11) is the new Artistic Director for The Hypocrites. A director, writer and performer from Chicago, she is the co-founder and former artistic director of Barrel of Monkeys where she created and directed the majority of their public performances including their critically acclaimed long-running show: That’s Weird, Grandma, called “the best reason to live in Chicago on a Monday...
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Alumni Lead at Westlake High School
Westlake High School, nestled in the Texas Hill Country, wrapped up their fall season this week with their annual production of The Nutcracker. This year’s iteration of the seasonal favorite included a “Carol of the Bells” light show and a band.
The onstage performance is designed and orchestrated in large part by the Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew (TEC), an organization...
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Congrats to the Rude Mechs for making Time Out New... →
The Rude Mechs Co-Producing Artistic Directors include Madge Darlington (UT M.F.A. ‘04), Thomas Graves (UT M.F.A. ‘08), Lana Lesley, Kirk Lynn (Department of Theatre and Dance Lecturer, UT M.F.A. ‘04), Sarah Richardson and Shawn Sides.
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Dance Repertory Theatre returns to Tanzsommer...
The Young! Tanzsommer summer dance festival is the experience of a lifetime for young dancers — an opportunity to perform in Austria at one of the most respected dance gatherings of its kind. We’re trying to raise $15,000 by Feb. 1 in order to help 15 undergraduate student dancers in The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Theatre and Dance attend this prestigious festival in...
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For He's a Jolly Good Fellow - Kirk Lynn earns a... →
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Kirk Lynn Honored as 2011 United States Artists...
Kirk Lynn, Department of Theatre and Dance lecturer of playwriting and directing, has been honored as one of the 2011 United States Artists Fellows. This prestigious award grants 50 of America’s finest artists with individual fellowships of $50,000. Past winners include Austin-based choreographer Deborah Hay, Anne Bogart (artistic director, The SITI Company), Ping Chong, Bill Rauch...
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Alvin Rangel seizes the day (and the dance)
“I first saw Alvin Rangel dance in May 2010. A minute or two into the piece, ‘Mapping Desire’ by Holly Williams, I felt the relief mixed with excitement that occurs when you realize that your experience as an audience member is in the hands of a proficient, capable performer, one who can take you places. Physically, he was muscular, powerful, and well-proportioned, with...
"The doors to the theatre don't keep the world...
“I’m reasonably certain that the terms ‘occupy’ and ‘Wall Street’ never appeared in either 360 (round dance) or Guest by Courtesy, but that didn’t stop me from thinking about the movement with which they’re associated as I watched those plays the week before last.”
Read the entire article:
All Over Creation: Occupied World Seat The doors to...
November 2011
17 posts
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A need to understand dance →
A response to the The Daily Texan column, “Questionable value of arts programs,” from members of our Performance as Public Practice and Dance faculty.
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Alumnus Tommy Tune (BFA '61) Developing New... →
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Luke Leonard (MFA '10) and Monk Parrots are in...
Led by Artistic Director and University of Texas at Austin alumnus Luke Leonard (MFA ‘10), Monk Parrots is a performing arts organization founded in New York City that encourages creative approaches to theatre-making and builds repertory performance works that cross artistic boundaries. Recently, Monk Parrots has been invited by 59E59 Theaters to present their new work, Here I Go, in the...
Alumna Amanda McBroom (BFA '69) Performs at NYC's... →
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Congrats to Marlane Barnes (MFA '10) on her latest... →
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Kevin Beltz (MFA '10) is now working in the Art... →
Animal Makers is a specialty shop for ultra-realistic animal replicas and animatronics for film, television, commercials and installation work. Salem (the talking cat featured in “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”), Budweiser’s croaking frogs, along with hundreds of others have been designed, built and performed by the AMI crew.
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Doctoral candidate's work selected for prestigious...
Doctoral candidate Katelyn Wood’s paper has been named to the “Top Paper Panel” for the Western States Communication Association Performance Studies Interest Group. The convention will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico in February 2012.
Katelyn holds a B.A. from Illinois State University in Communication Studies and Gender Studies and has an M.A. from Rhetoric and Language at UT. Her thesis...
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"Desire always has its price." →
The Austin American-Statesman reviews 360 (round dance).
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WatchCan you believe Meryl Streep was here one year ago?
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Costume Designer Susan Mickey Wins Joseph...
Professor Susan E. Mickey received the 2011 Joseph Jefferson Award this week for her costume design for the Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s production of The Madness of George III.
Original rendering by Susan Mickey
“This award marks yet another recognition of the extraordinary artistic achievement and national reputation of Susan Mickey,” said Brant Pope, chair of the...
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In Memoriam: Mark Hunter (PhD 2005)
Mark Hunter (PhD 2005) passed on Sunday, November 6. Mark most recently served as Chair and Associate Professor of Directing/Theatre History and Criticism for the Cornell College Department of Theatre and Communication Studies.
A memorial service will be scheduled in the future. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Crisis Center, 1121 Gilbert Court, Iowa City, IA 52240 and/or The...