April & May 2019 College News

4 Johnny Brantley (BFA Musical Teatre) featured in BroadwayWorld's “Debut of the Month” article (Photo: Walter McBride) 5 University of Mississippi’s Fly by Night the Musical featuring lighting design Annalise V. Caudle (Photo: Tomas Graning) 6 Dennis Whitehead Darling’s production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Spazio Teatro NO’HMA in Milan, Italy 20 | April & May | College News Andrew McIntyre and Miriah Borden (both M.F.A. Design) attended the Hemsley lighting portfolio review in NYC and getting feedback on their portfolios and networking with Broadway designers and technicians. Andrew McIntyre (M.F.A. Design) is a fnalist for the Seattle Rep Assistant Lighting Designer apprenticeship. B.F.A. Performance & Production major Nate Nelson directed Romeo and Juliet at Te Price Center. Stage Management by Paola Sanchez (B.F.A. Performance & Production), Crew by Ashley Hennie (B.F.A. Performance & Production). Te production featured B.F.A. Performance & Production majors Liz Catchings , Zach Masso , Jill Linton , Amy Bouquet , Abigail Holtfort , Sarah Brookshire , Josh Vetter , Maren Leonard , Sophie Ellis , and Sidney Murray ; B.F.A. Teatre Teacher Certifcation majors McKenna Preston , Willard Culmer , Cameron Keith ; B.F.A. Acting majors Matthew Kennedy and Jon Costa ; and Karly Behrens (Pyschology major, Teatre minor), and TJ Smith (English Education major). Shane Satterfeld (B.F.A. Acting) was lead Dialect Coach for the departmental production of Te Importance of Being Ernest . Sydney Smith and Miriah Borden (both M.F.A. Design) will be Lighting Designers at Stagedoor Manor in Lock Sheldrake, NY, this summer. B.F.A. Performance & Production majors Amber Mawande-Spytek and Sarah Tijerina , and B.F.A. Acting Major Casey Glaude were the featured presenters in the Night of Hope Gala for Ransomed Life at the J.W. Marriott hotel in San Antonio. Te students starred in a 30-minute play written by Dawn Coleman, executive director of Ransomed Life, and directed by Acting Faculty member Natalie Blackman . Katie Svatek (B.F.A. Performance and Production) is one of four undergraduates in the nation invited to participate in the Kennedy Center Undergraduate Playwriting Intensive in Washington DC in June. B.F.A. Performance & Production majors Lilith Tijerina and Sarah Tijerina performed Luz. Loosey. Lucy. Lose. Ya lo sé , an original performance piece based on Sandra Cisneros’ Loose Woman at the Sandra Cisneros’ San Antonio Circle Symposium. (Re)Appropriate, the non-illusory theatre troupe founded by B.F.A. Performance & Production majors Lilith Tijerina , Sarah Tijerina , Jayden Reider , and Giovan Lugo (B.F.A. - Teatre Teacher Certifcation) toured their show, Fill the Seats with People Who Laugh At Jokes Like Tat at Te Vortex in Austin this April. Te show starred B.F.A. Performance and Production majors Natalie Cantu , Madison Miller , Rachel Ditzig , and Mariah Epps , as well as Martinique de León y Peña (B.F.A. Studio Art: Expanded Media). Carlos Nine-Vila (M.F.A. Design) will be assisting lighting designer, Phillip Rosenberg (Broadway: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder , Te Elephant Man , It’s Only a Play ) on Terrence McNally’s new play at ZACH early this summer. ALUMNI ACCOLADES For the past 27 years, Stephanie Zerbel Adams has been a performer at Universal Studios Florida, entertaining visitors as Lucy Ricardo from “I Love Lucy,” Popeye’s Olive Oil, and Wilma Flintstone. She was featured in Hillviews as one of the “Sunshine Eight. ” Rita Anderson (M.A. Theatre History) has had her work published in the newly released Best Women’s Monologues 2019 . In addition, her play, Avalanche , will be published in 30 New Ten Minute Plays 2018-2019 and When Beggars Die Tere Are No Comets Seen will be published in Endlessly Rocking (An Anthology to Celebrate Walt Whitman’s 200th Birthday) in May. Trevor Berger (B.F.A. Musical Teatre 2018) is headed to Tokyo to play Tony in the international tour of West Side Story . In addition, Trevor opened the Weston-Ghostlight New Musical Award winning musical Alice Bliss at the Weston Playhouse. Michaela Bolt (B.F.A. Musical Teatre 2017) set sail on her journey with Celebrity Cruise Line’s Constellation Cruise Ship. Elizabeth Brady (B.F.A. Musical Teatre 2017) has been cast in Te Music Man at Te Goodspeed Opera House. Johnny Brantley (B.F.A. Musical Teatre) made his Broadway debut in Beetlejuice . Johnny is featured in a BroadwayWorld “Debut of the Month” article. [4] Te cast also performed on Te Today Show . Michael Burrell (B.F.A. Musical Teatre 2017) is starring in the international tour of An American in Paris . On December 9, 2019, Te Public Teatre’s Emerging Writers Group will do a reading of a commissioned play by Oscar Cabrera . Oscar is also a Serial Writer’s Room residency recipient at the Flea Teater. He recently performed in the world premiere of Mariesela Treviño Orta’s play, Wolf at the Door , at the Jersey Rep. Annalise V. Caudle (M.F.A. Design) was the guest lighting designer for the University of Mississippi’s Fly by Night the Musical . [5 ] She then traveled to Chicago to be the Assistant Lighting Designer to Aaron Spivey for the Goodman’s production of A Winter’s Tale . After opening she will travel to Brunswick, ME to be the ALD for Maine State Music Teatre’s summer season. Brian Corkum (B.F.A. Musical Teatre, 2018) is playing Snowboy in Abilene Opera’s of West Side Story . Dennis Whitehead Darling’s production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ opened April 11, at the Spazio Teatro NO’HMA in Milan Italy. [6] Dennis will direct Jelly’s Last Jam at the Hattiloo Teatre in Memphis Tennessee in August and Independence Eve at Opera Birmingham in January of 2020. Dennis is also slated to direct the world premiere of Marian’s Song for the Houston Grand Opera in March of 2020. Te commissioned opera is based on the life of Marian Anderson, one of the most celebrated singers of the 20th century. Julia Estrada (B.F.A. Musical Teatre, 2017) did Married to an Angel at New York City Center’s Encores with award winning choreographer/director Josh Bergasse. Whitney Hall is performing in A 3D Adventure by Matt Lyle at Circle Teatre in Fort Worth. John Michael Hoke (B.F.A. Performance and Production, 2018) stage managed Austin Scriptworks’ annual play festival, Out of Ink , at Hyde Park theatre in Austin. Rocky Hopson (M.F.A. Directing) has directed four plays in Amsterdam in the last year and a half. Te company Orange Teatre has hired him as a Dramaturg/Consultant. He’s working on their current production of Noises Of as well as helping with play research for upcoming seasons. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 21