If these Winship walls could talk.
Scholars, scholars, scholars everywhere!
Our UT graduates and faculty were well represented at the American Society for Theatre Research Conference this fall.
Pictured (L-R): Christin Essin (PhD 2006), Kelly Howe (PhD 2010), Charlotte Canning (faculty), Chase Bringardner (PhD 2007), Susanne Shawyer (PhD 2008), Stephen Low (MA 2011) and Rebecca Hewett (PhD 2010).
Also in attendance at this year’s conference: Jaclyn Pryor (PhD 2011), Jessica Del Vecchio (MA 2008), Ramon Rivera-Servera (PhD 2003), Angela Ahlgren (PhD 2011), Jane Barnette (PhD 2003), Beliza Torres Narvaez (PhD candidate), Jenny Kokai (PhD 2008), Meg Savilonis (PhD 2004) and Patrick McKelvey (BA 2008).
When was the last time you read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter? High school? College? What do you remember? What questions did/do you have about the novel?
Please join us for a special afternoon salon in anticipation of the UT Department of Theatre and Dance’s world premiere of The Scarlet Letter by Sarah Saltwick.
WHAT: A Conversation Featuring Dr. Martin Kevorkian, Hawthorne Scholar and Associate Professor of English at UT, and the Cast and Crew of Sarah Saltwick’s The Scarlet Letter. Facilitated by production dramaturg Amy Guenther
WHEN: Friday, November 2, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Winship Drama Building, Room 1.134, 300 East 23rd St., Austin, Texas 78712
This event is free and open to the public.
More Info:
On November 16, 2012, the UT Department of Theatre and Dance presents the world premiere of The Scarlet Letter. Written by M.F.A. playwright candidate Sarah Saltwick and directed by M.F.A. directing candidate Steven Wilson, the production marks the culmination of a year of research, writing, workshops, rehearsals and hundreds of conversations around the question, “Yes, but what did Hawthorne mean? What is the world of this play?”
As Saltwick describes, “This is a new play inspired by an old story. Plots have been changed, characters added, language re-imagined. Where Hawthorne offered the reader ambiguity, I have offer my own dramatic interpretations. But at the heart of the play are the same essential struggles between judgement and freedom, desire and sin, the head and the heart. While the play remains in the time period of the novel, these struggles still speak to a contemporary audience that may also feel lost, lonely and judged.”
The nationally acclaimed, ensemble-based theater collective Rude Mechs has been appointed as the resident theater company of The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. The three-year residency provides university students an opportunity to work with members of the Rude Mechs, learning their methodology for devising new plays and managing a professional theater company.
Since its inception in 1995, Rude Mechs has earned more than 180 local and national awards and nominations. Its touring and off-Broadway productions include I’ve Never Been So Happy;Get Your War On; How Late it Was, How Late; Cherrywood; Lipstick Traces; and The Method Gun, which was selected for the 34th Annual Humana Festival of New American Plays.
Known for its cutting-edge practice, Rude Mechs’ original works break the traditional structure of theater, setting performance as a center for collaboration and community. Its explosive energy, innovative storytelling and collective spirit have placed the group at the center of the nation’s leading theater companies.
“The Rude Mechs are one of America’s hottest, most creative and most outlandish theater companies,” said department chair Brant Pope. “Celebrated in The New York Times and playing to packed houses across the nation, the Rude Mechs, as UT’s resident theater, are now working alongside our students. ‘What starts here changes the world’ is the motto of the university, and this partnership is one of the best expressions of that pledge.”
Rude Mechs’ work has been presented in top national venues including The Walker Arts Center (Minneapolis), The Wexner Center (Columbus, Ohio) and Woolly Mammoth (Washington, D.C.). Connected to an international community of artists, the group has performed in Austria’s SommerSzene, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (winner of the Total Theatre Award for Best New Play by an Ensemble), and the Under the Radar Festival (New York).
Residency activities include student internship opportunities with the Rude Mechs in the areas of development, marketing, arts education, venue management, and production. The company will also serve as a guest responder on Department of Theatre and Dance productions. As a result, students will receive invaluable insight and feedback on their work from company members.
This event is now ‘sold out’. For more information, email tdfamilyweekend@gmail.com
Families are invited to experience “a day in the life” of their theatre or dance student during The University of Texas at Austin’s annual Family Weekend.
Join us in the Winship Atrium, the students’ favorite gathering space, and
- Meet faculty, teachers and mentors
- Attend classes highlighting acting, design, dance and theatre history
- Walk the same halls as your student and see the department’s theatres and studios
- Gather at a reception for students and family members
WHEN: Saturday, October 27 at 10:00AM
WHERE: Winship Drama Building Atrium, 300 East 23rd St., Austin, Texas 78712
R.S.V.P.: Please email your acceptance to tdfamilyweekend@gmail.com, and include the number of family members attending
Parking is available at the San Jacinto Garage, located at the corner of San Jacinto Boulevard and 24th Street.
See a Department of Theatre and Dance Performance following the reception!
THE CATARACT, by Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright and alumna Lisa D’Amour, takes the B. Iden Payne stage at 2:00 p.m. Set in Minneapolis in 1883, this poetic drama explores one week in the lives of Cyrus and Lottie Finch, a stalwart couple who take in two vagabond lovers from the South. The unlikely pairs’ intersection unearths their deep-seated desires – ones which they fight to keep buried.
Discount tickets are available for Family Weekend participants. Additional performance and ticket information will be provided in response to your RSVP for the October 27 events.
Learn more about The Cataract at jointhedrama.org
Theatre and Dance Celebrates our 2012 Doctoral Graduates!
Pictured (L-R): Dr. Heather Barfield, Dr. Marcus McQuirter, Dr. Omi Osun Joni L. Jones, Dr. Jaclyn Pryor, Dr. Kristin Leahey, Dr. Bukola Kpotie
Dr. Heather Barfield is the business director and operations manager at Austin Creative Alliance, an arts and creative industries advocacy and services non-profit organization.
Dr. Marcus McQuirter is professor of drama at Austin Community College.
Dr. Jaclyn Pryor is a visiting assistant professor of queer studies and public practice at Hampshire College.
Dr. Kristin Leahey is resident dramaturg at Northlight Theatre.
Dr. Bukola Kpotie is the executive director of the Lagos Museum and Research Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
Photo: Oladotun Ayobade
Alumna Nina LeNoir (MFA ’93, PhD ‘99) has been elected Treasurer and Chair for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s Finance Committee. Congratulations Nina! She is the current chair of Chapman University’s Department of Theatre.
From Performance as Public Practice to Acting to Playwriting and on, our alumni are making their mark! Learn more about our graduates’ recent accomplishments today.
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance announces an inaugural five-performance Subscription Series with a spectacular 2012-2013 Season! The 2012-2013 season brings to the stage dramatic storytelling by Pulitzer Prize acclaimed playwrights, two world premieres, a bold adaptation of a cherished classic, and enthralling dance by nationally renowned choreographers.
“You are about to witness one of the ways that the arts brings new things into the world,” explains Brant Pope, chairman of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin. “Our 2012/13 season rivals in creative energy anything a state of the art science lab or think tank could invent. This year, we have two world premieres – the stunning adaptation of The Scarlet Letter, and Suzan Zeder’s brilliant The Edge of Peace. The latter marks the first co-production between our department and the celebrated Seattle Children’s Theatre. Audiences will relish the regional premiere of The Cataract by UT alumna and Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright, Lisa D’Amour. Add to this, Lynn Nottage’s smash hit Intimate Apparel and Dance Repertory Theatre’s compelling choreography in Roots and Wings and this season is proving to be one of the most exciting yet!”
Additional non-subscription season highlights include Fall For Dance; UTNT (UT New Theatre), curated by preeminent playwright Steven Dietz; and the Cohen New Works Festival, presented by The University Co-op. An audience favorite, the Cohen New Works Festival offers over 30 plays, dances, and exhibits to more than 8,000 patrons in six days.
Tickets for the department’s inaugural five performance Subscription Series are on sale now online at jointhedrama.org, or by calling (512) 471-4454.
Individual tickets for all performances go on sale August 20 at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at jointhedrama.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO (2386).
The Cataract
By Lisa D’ Amour
October 19 – 28, 2012
Oscar G. Brockett Theatre
Set in Minneapolis in 1883, this poetic drama explores one week in the lives of Cyrus and Lottie Finch, a stalwart couple who take in two vagabond lovers from the South. The unlikely pairs’ intersection unearths their deep-seated desires – ones which they fight to keep buried.
The Scarlet Letter
Adapted by Sarah Saltwick
Based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne
November 16 – December 7, 2012
Oscar G. Brockett Theatre
Sin. Guilt. Judgment. Love.
Hester Prynne comes to the stage in this world premiere reimagining of Hawthorne’s classic tale.
The Edge of Peace
By Suzan Zeder
Directed by Linda Hartzell
February 1 – 10, 2013
A play for all ages, The Edge of Peace tells the touching story of Buddy, a young boy struggling to make sense of a world at war. The final play in Suzan Zeder’s Ware trilogy, this world premiere is produced in partnership with Seattle Children’s Theatre.
Intimate Apparel
By Lynn Nottage
March 1 – 9, 2013
Esther, a gifted seamstress, dreams of finding love and longs to open a beauty parlor in Harlem. She meets George, and her aspirations appear within reach. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage weaves a tale of romance, ambition, and self-discovery in Intimate Apparel.
Roots and Wings
Artistic Directors David Justin and Charles O. Anderson
April 19 – 21, 2013
Hot on the heels of 2012’s critically acclaimed Catalyst, Dance Repertory Theatre takes flight. The showcase presents exciting new dance works and re-staged masterpieces by nationally and internationally acclaimed guest artists and faculty.
Join the drama this season and become a Subscription Series holder!
Learn about the full season of offerings online or by phoning 512-471-5793.
Open the latest scholarly theatre or dance publication, and you are apt to see articles by Department of Theatre and Dance faculty, alumni and students. The recent March issues of Theatre Topics and Theatre Journal are no exception.
Dr. Rebecca Rossen’s article Jews on View: Spectacle, Degradation, and Jewish Corporeality in Contemporary Dance and Performance is featured in the March publication of Theatre Journal. An assistant professor at the Department of Theatre and Dance, Dr. Rossen’s research focuses on 20th and 21st century American dance, theatrical stagings of identity, and the relationship between scholarship and performance. In addition, she is a faculty affiliate in the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies, the Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies, and the American Studies Department.
Dr. Rossen recently received a National Endowment for the Humanities research grant for her study “Jewish Identity in American Modern and Postmodern Dance.”
Alumna Claire Canavan’s (PhD 2010) article Created by Ensemble is in the March publication of Theatre Topics. Dr. Canavan is a lecturer at Texas State University-San Marcos.
Theatre Topics also features a book review by alumna Susanne Shawyer (PhD 2008). The current book review editor for this respected journal is alumnus Chase Bringardner (PhD 2007), who teaches at Auburn University. In addition, alumnus Ramon Rivera-Servera (PhD 2003) serves on the editorial board of Theatre Topics. Dr. Rivera-Servera is on faculty at Northwestern University.
Fadi Skeiker’s (PHD 2009) article “Performing Orphanage Experience: Applied Theatre Practice in a Refugee Camp in Jordan” has been published in Applied Theatre Researcher. He is an assistant professor of theatre arts at The University of Jordan in Amman.
