October 2021 College News

College of Fine Arts and Communication | 17 4 Alumnus Russell Reed's frst feature flm Hierarchy 5 Alumna Anna Uzele in the the Broadway musical Six as Catherine Parr 6 Texas State department of Teatre and Dance's production of El Nogalar 16 | October | College News Kyra Belle Johnson (Musical Teatre ’21) was involved in the new musical workshop House of Dreams Te new work will premiere in NYC for industry professionals. Lilly Kren (Musical Teatre ’21) joined the national tour of Summer: Te Donna Summer Musical . She joins the cast as a member of the ensemble and the Joyce Bogart cover. Te national tour starts November 16th. Tommy LeVrier recently had two plays, Te Alcoholic Drama and Phoebe , produced at the American Teatre of Actors in New York. His play Carson and Huston will be produced there in January. He has also published three books with Meade Press. As an actor, he landed a feature part in a reality show called Tousand Dollar Listing which they are selling to Bravo. He also appeared in a YMCA commercial, played a bishop cardinal in Daredevil , and several other parts in Mysteries at the Museum and Deadline Crime among others. Ben Mayne (Musical Teatre ’11) opened Girl from the North Country on Broadway this month. Alumni Russell Reed just completed production on his frst feature flm Hierarchy . [4] Te flm revolves around three adopted brothers planning a heist while dodging an insistent foreign mafa, revengeful family ties, and a determined police force yearning to track them down. Musical Teatre alumni Jorrel Javier (Musical Teatre ’18) was cast in the new musical workshop of Romy and Michele . Te workshop is set to be presented to industry professionals at the New 42 Studios in NYC. Brandon Rosen (B.F.A. Design & Technology) is Assistant Lighting Designer for Disney Teatrical’s production of Aladdin in Mexico City. Anna Uzele (Musical Teatre ’18) reopened the Broadway musical Six as Catherine Parr at the Brooks Atkinson Teatre. [5] Anna originated the role at Chicago Shakes and is now originating the role on Broadway. Anna was also featured in the promotional performance on the Jimmy Fallon Show. DEPARTMENT ACCOLADES Under the direction of guest Anna Skidis Vargas, Texas State’s department of Teatre and Dance presented alternating translations of El Nogalar in the Patti Strickel Harrison Teatre. [6] Set amid the explosive drug wars in present-day Northern Mexico, El Nogalar is the story of the Galvin family's struggle to hold on to their homestead—and their precarious social status—before it slips away. Te play shadows the family's housekeeper, Dunia, as she watches the family matriarch Maite and her daughters squander their money and risk losing everything to a local drug cartel. Despite warnings from friends and family, Maite ignores her dwindling fortune as stubbornly as she ignores the sinister capos simmering at her doorstep. Tis poignant and moving story from playwright Tanya Saracho, dubbed "a major playwriting talent" by the Chicago Tribune , explores the choice between adapting to the changing world—or getting left behind. EL NOGALAR SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 3 El Nogalar by Tanya Saracho recently opened to live audiences. Te event was a success and both the Spanish primary cast and English primary cast had crowds gathered to celebrate this part of the Texas State theatre season. Te performance included many talented Texas State actors including: Yasha Alaniz, Ana Paula Monterrubio, Rachel Arguello, Elisa Pedraza Sanchez, Anastacio Gutierrez, Brenda Salas, Lucia Chavez, Andrea Olmos Tejado, Diego Arroyo Aceves, Ricardo Lopez Montilla, and Sierra Salazar . Jai Auzenne served as the production stage manager with lighting designer Rachel Aho , scenic designer AnnDee Alvidrez , sound designer Brennon Cope , and costume designer Rossina Loyzoya bringing their amazing theatricality to this production. Te show was directed by guest director Anna Skidis Vargas and student Kylie Gutierrez served as production dramaturg. [6]