September 2017 College News

THEATRE Acting, Musical Theatre, Per formance and Production, Teacher Certif ication in Theatre, Technical Production, & Theatre FACULTY ACCOLADES Carl Booker was the costume draper for Singing in the Rain at the ZACHTheatre in Austin, Texas. Susan Busa was commissioned to write an original screenplay for indie producer Brian Thomas Evans and Highway 101 Productions. In July, she won the Fan Favorite Award at the Austin Film Festival pre-festival Pitch Competition. Mark DeVol was the Technical Director and Erin Kehr served as Assistant Technical Director for The Wizard of Oz at The Zilker Hillside Theater in Austin. [ 1 ] Kevin Gates published a book review of The Duchess of Suffolk (edited by Richard Dutton and Steven K. Galbraith) in Early Modern Culture (Volume 12: 83- 85). In addition, he co-directed ZACH’s summer youth production of Twelfth Night . In June, Kaitlin Hopkins produced The World According to Snoopy at Theatre Under the Stars and following its close in Houston, directed the show at Theatre Aspen in Colorado. Kaitlin was also invited to speak on Mental Health and Artists at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts School in August. In addition, Kaitlin was chosen to be a recipient of the SMArts Advocacy Award. SMarts awards are presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the creation, support, or advocacy of all art forms in San Marcos, Texas. Lauren Lane and Michael Rau traveled to Brazil with alum Nik Crawford (BFA Acting) to collaborate with artists from the University of Brasilia on a piece to be produced at Texas State in the summer of 2018. [ 2 ] Clay Liford was the winner of a $5000 Austin Film Society Grant for his narrative feature film The Texas High School Regional Theater Festival Murders . The film is currently in production. The Wizard of Oz at The Zilker Hillside Theater in Austin Laura Lane and Nik Crawford at the University of Brasilia Kelsey Bunner in The Wolves , playing at Hyde Park Theatre Photo: Daniel J. Vasquez 14 | September | College News 1 2 3 Sarah Maines was Lighting Designer for ZACH Theatre’s production of In the Heights. She was also featured in a Live Design Online article, Lighting Their Lives , that investigated how several lighting designers lit their homes or offices. Marqui Maresca provided ADR Voiceover for the film Last Flag Flying directed by Richard Linklater and staring Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne. The film is set for a November release. Sandra Mayo has received a promotion to Full Professor. Her article “Assertiveness and ‘Somebodyness’: Theatre Strategies and Resources to Enhance Achievement of African American Girls, K-12” was published in the Texas State University Journal of Research on Women and Gender . Brandon McWilliams was the costume designer for Much Ado About Nothing and Cyrano De Bergerac at the Texas Shakespeare Festival. He also designed the costumes for ZACHTheatre’s production of Singing in the Rain in Austin. Chuck Ney’s book, Directing Shakespeare in America: Current Practices received an excellent review from Tom Scholte in the Shakespeare Bulletin (Vol.35, Number 2, Summer 2017). Mr. Scholte notes that the book’s “potent combination of practical wisdom and abstract reflection make it a truly stimulating read for novice and veteran directors alike.” Michelle Ney did Scenic and Costume Design for ZACHTheatre’s production of Lady Day at the Emerson Bar & Grill. She also served as scenic designer and Cheri DeVol was associate scenic designer for Zach Theatre’s production of Singing in the Rain . The production plays through October 29. Jim Price wrote a new play entitled Group Animal Names which will have a reading at Texas State this fall. Michael Rau was invited to participate in the Forward/ Story Residency in Bintam, Indonesia, where he collaborated with fellows from the UK, Australia, South America and the US. In addition, he directed a reading of Kate Soper’s new opera The Romance of The Rose in New York City and participated in the Multicultural Curriculum Transformation Institute where his Directing 1 course received a Multicultural course designation. Michael also developed a new work with playwright Michael Yates Crowley for their company Wolf359 and presented a paper at the Association for Theater in Higher Education, in Las Vegas Nevada, on “Spectacle for One, creating an immersive theater piece for solo audience members.” Kiira Schmidt Carper taught Musical Theatre Jazz for the prestigious American Ballet Theatre intensive on the UT campus and went on to play the part of Judy in A Chorus Line at The Muny in St Louis, MO. The production was directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Dennis Jones. Richard Sodders directed Don’t Dress for Dinner at the award-winning Sheldon Vexler Theatre in San Antonio. STUDENT ACCOLADES Miriah Borden (MFA Lighting Design) worked as Assistant Lighting Designer for In the Heights at Zach Theatre in Austin. Kelsey Bunner (BFA Acting ’18) has a role in Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves , playing at Hyde Park Theatre in Austin. [ 3] The play, one of the hottest new shows in the country, deals with a soccer team and “the scary, exhilarating brightness of raw adolescence” ( NY Times ). Madison Cagle (MFA Costume Design) was Assistant Costume Designer for In the Heights at Zach Theatre in Austin. She also worked as a dresser for their production of Million Dollar Quartet . Annalise Caudle (MFA Lighting Design) was an Assistant Lighting Design Intern for Prince of Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club in NYC. Associate Lighting Designer for the Dallas Shakespeare productions of Merry Wives and Don Quixote and Lighting Designer for their Junior Players’ production of Othello . Jessie Clites worked on wardrobe for Something Rotten! with Texas Performing Arts (Bass Hall), The Producers and Hello Dolly at Garland Summer Musicals. Ana Cobos and Sally Rath both worked at Opera Saratoga in the costume shop. Laura Fischer served as the Costume Apprentice at Summer Stock Austin, working on Spamalot and Annie Get Your Gun , serving as wardrobe supervisor. College of Fine Arts and Communication | 15