October 2020 College News

College of Fine Arts and Communication | 15 DEPARTMENT ACCOLADES Te B.F.A. Musical Teatre students created a new contemporary work with Choreographer/Director Christian Warner that explores a snapshot into the current world through movement and artistic expression entitled Tey Scream In Silence As Te Horizon Leans Forward . [ 3] Original music was composed by Andrew Bochner and senior musical theater major Austin Kelly. Project produced by Kaitlin Hopkins and Cassie Abate . Fernando Roca Perez , Emily Edwards , Marcus Mauricio Garcia , Jack Sessions , Zach Masso , and Fred Eichholtz were selected as the six fnalist playwrights of the frst ever biannual James W. Price Ten Minute play festival. Te directors selected for these plays include students: Raul Ramirez , Magen Huntley , Aidan Hartung , Shelby Curry , Josh Roberson , and Gustavo Leal . Tis festival is produced in collaboration with faculty member Caitlin Turnage’s Playwriting 3355 class. Joining Turnage on the production team is third year M.F.A. Vic Shuttee and frst year M.F.A. Jess Fienes . Te judges for the competition include faculty members Natalie Blackman and Jerry Ruiz . Te students in the Advanced Sound Design class participated in the fall 2020 Creative Challenge, organized and moderated by the Teatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association (TSDCA). In an efort to foster creativity, collaboration, and to form new pathways into the growing feld of Teatrical Sound Design and Composition, TSDCA brought together 33 students from all over the nation. Te students were put in groups of 3-4, making sure all were from diferent locations, to schedule, collaborate, and create a piece of work that is in response to a text/video/image prompt. Moderators from TSDCA coached the teams, and were made up of some of the fnest sound designers in the world. It culminated in a presentation on the evening of Oct. 21. On September 1st, students from the Texas State University chapter of Te United States Institute of Teatre Technology (USITT) created a lighting installation entitled “Red Alert” at the Performing Arts Center. Working with performing arts staf to design and install the project, our Bobcats transformed the building into a brilliant, red lighting display. Created in conjunction with #WeMakeEvents North America’s nationwide “Red Alert” movement, a coalition of industry trade bodies, businesses, unions and non-proft associations lit up more than 2,000 performance venues, iconic structures and residences over 75 cities and towns across the United States to raise public and media awareness in support of the live events sector. In October, the Texas State Department of Teatre and Dance hosted a virtual reading of Te Exonerated by Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank, directed by M.F.A. third year director Aaron Sparks . Tis virtual reading was available to Teatre and dance faculty and majors. Te casts included students Emily Edwards , Jack Durham , Whit Flowers , Jordan Gregson , Javaun Butler , Lauren Green , Payton Russell , Delan Crawford , and Josh Vetter . Te production stage manager was Caylin Salinas with assistant stage manager Gabby Carney . Te sound designer was Miranda DeVere . Te Texas State Department of Teatre and Dance aired the introduction to Love Wave 2000 . Te cast list includes: Elizabeth Belfast , Wallis Brown , Jackson Cosgrove , Amanda Ero , Evan Hays , Ricardo Lozano , Ellena Martinez , Max Otremba , Morgan Podojil , Ryan Polk , Abigail Remaley , and Manali Sunkara . #ALUMNISPOTLIGHT Tommy LeVrier is in discussion with Te American Teatre of Actors in Manhatten to produce two of his plays, one of the plays, Phoebe , was produced by Edward Albee and Lanford Wilson. LeVrier has also published three books on Amazon including one play and is a featured actor in a reality TV show Tousand Dollar Listing which is being added to Bravo at this time. 7