January February 2021 College News

THEATRE Acting, Musical Theatre, Per formance and Production, Teacher Certif ication in Theatre, Technical Production, & Theatre FACULTY ACCOLADES Natalie Blackman , lecturer in Theatre, and Ana Baer , professor of Dance, hosted a two-week interdisciplinary creation zoom workshop in January by Cuerpo Academico, a group of theatre and dance professors at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo in Morelia, Mexico. An ensemble of B.F.A. Performance and Production Majors and Merge Dance Company members collaborated in the creation of a piece to be presented this spring in the 2021 Merge Dance Concert. Cuerpo Academico will also present a lecture via zoom webinar entitled “Advance the Performing Arts in Mexcio through Inclusive Interdisciplinary Collaboration” on April 16th. The collaboration was made possible by a generous grant from the University Lecturers Committee. Eugene Lee was featured on Dallas television. Ana Martinez gave a talk “Power and Political Theatre at the Capitol” at the Center for the Study of the Southwest. Bryan Poyser directed a music video for the Austin-based Americana soul group The Watters, which was released in January in support of their new album. Crew members for the video shoot included Bryan's former students Taylor Wright and Ryan Flores . The Drilling Company in New York, who world premiered The Norwegians , have posted a vimeo link to a zoom performance of faculty member C. Denby Swanson’s reproductive rights play Gabriel (A Polemic). C. Denby Swanson was also included in a podcast called Good Noise. The podcast is a performance of her short zoom play Stay with a brief conversation following. Swanson is also on another podcast, with Kelsey Hitchingham of The Hitchingham Group, called Engaging Austin . C. Denby Swanson’s play Waterless Places is being published this spring by Next Stage Press . A recent Church’s Chicken Ad Campaign featuring student, Jada Adams Musical Theatre student Jeremiah Porter (Left) starring in Shaker Hymn’s new music video “How to Love” The Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance's production of Significant Other 18 | January & February | College News 1 2 3 Faculty member Caitlin Turnage will be featured in an upcoming article by Voyage Dallas to be posted soon. Her play Hand Gestures had a reading as part of a zoom night of one acts at Stephen F. Austin University. STUDENT ACCOLADES Jada Adams was signed by Paloma model and talent and MZA Agency. She released her first single “Without you” and recently in a Church’s Chicken Ad Campaign. [ 1 ] Jada also recently achieved more than 1000 subscribers on her youtube channel. Performance and Production student Summer Heart is launching a podcast for Women in Film & Television (WIFT) on February 19. In the podcast there will be an interview, a movie review, a member spotlight and industry news. The podcast will be posted to all podcast streaming services. Texas State playwrights are dominating our regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Texas State students earned five of the six ten minute play slots, two of the three one-act spots, and one of the two full-length spots. Congratulations to Austin Kelly (full length), Madison Miller (one-act), Vic Shuttee (one-act and ten-minute), Cydney Bray (for her ten- minute), Zoe Elter (ten-minute), Zach Masso (ten- minute), Miranda Devere (ten-minute). B.F.A. Musical Theatre major Jeremiah Porter starred in Shaker Hymn’s new music video “How to Love” directed by Texas State alumni Ryan Flores . [ 2 ] M.F.A. Dramatic Writing Candidate Vic Shuttee takes his ten minute play Howie Zasser Can’t Not and a one act play Free Tickets For A Taping of The New Government Funded Sitcom I.C.E Box to the KCACTF Region 6 festival in February. Vic Shuttee also led a comedy workshop with Texas State’s Comedy Association where he focused on scene work and creating new long form improv formats specifically for zoom. ALUMNI ACCOLADES Musical Theatre alumni Maggie Bera played Jane in the new musical Lady Jane’s Radio Takeover . The show is part of a series of musicals released monthly on the One Million Musicals Podcast. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 15 The Texas State Department of Theatre and Dance opened their production of Significant Other by Joshua Harmon on Valentine’s weekend. [ 3] The production follows the lives of four friends in their late 20s and their search for relationships in 21st century New York City and see why finding Mr. Right is much easier said than done. The production was directed by M.F.A. candidate Ryan Scarlata (pictured) and included undergraduate cast members Cameron Keith , Elysa Aguilar , Manali Sunkara , Joann Gilliam , Mason Asberry, and Ryan Scott Long . Faculty member Linda Neno Breining was also a guest performer in the play. SIGNIFICANT OTHER 9