Connections Oct2015

CoFA

CONNECTIONS Newsletter Edition #1 October 2015 l

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From the Dean’s Desk In 1982, Apple CEO Steve Jobs gathered a group of employees together to celebrate a major milestone in creating the Macintosh personal computer. The computer’s hardware cast was ready for mass production, so it was time for celebration, champagne, speeches, and signatures.

Jobs approached his own work as an artist and he believed that Apple employees were artists, too. He invited his Mac team to sign their work by inscribing their signatures inside the back panel of hardware cases ready for market.

The origin of personalized marks and signatures is somewhat of a mystery to me. No matter the origin, one’s signature is the mark of one’s agency and one’s integrity for all to see.

As we begin a new semester, we once again aim to leave an indelible mark on each other and on our students. We carefully prepare our students – each of them – for a life of creative professional, civic, and social engagement, for leadership and service as artists and communication specialists. We inspire them, shape them, and encourage them to pursue their unique callings and, in doing so, we create a community that reflects our belief that creativity is a 21st century core competency.

As you skim through the pages of this first edition, whether you are an alumnus of a program or a friend of the UM family, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the creative energy of our students, faculty and alumni. We are so proud of CoFA and we hope that you find a little bit of yourself as you read through their stories.

Warm regards,

College of Fine Arts Office of the Dean Davis Hall, Station 6663 Montevallo, AL 35115 205.665.6663

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

MICHAEL WILLETT MICHAEL WILLETT’S work was included in the June/July issue of New American Paintings. Willett also completed a large mural with 5 current UM Art students at Oak Mountain Elementary School.

COLLIN WILLIAMS Professor COLLIN WILLIAMS presented new work at the 2015 Sculpture Invitational hosted by the Evelyn Burrows Museum of Art in Hancevile, Alabama. The show showcases the work of 15 artists from across the Southeast and was open from August 1- October 1. Professor Collin Williams’ ART 326 Community Arts class in conjunction with the 2015 Montevallo Mural Camp completed 4 projects this summer. The first project was a mural located on the corner of Main St. and Shelby St. commemorating the sister city relationship between Montevallo and Echizen, Japan. The second project was a mural on the garden shed at the UM Community Garden celebrating sustainability and organic gardening practices.

The third project was 2 murals on the back of the bulletin boards in the outdoor classroom at Ebenezer Swamp. Finally for the forth project students designed and made plant markers to identify the plants at the Pollinator Garden at the Montevallo Recycling Center. The Mural Camp was organized and run with support from the office of Service Learning under the leadership of Professor Hollie Cost and the projects were partially funded through a UM Green Fund Grant.

Art TED METZ

Invitational exhibition “2015 artists Biennial” July – Oct 2015 Johnson Center for the Arts, Troy, Alabama.

Invitational exhibition, 2015 Visual artists fellowship award winners Alabama State Council for the arts, Montgomery, Alabama Sept– Dec 2015.

Two person exhibition: Ted & Robin Metz Kennedy Douglas Center for the Arts, Florence, Alabama August- Sept 2015.

Karen Graffeo with Romanian delegates

KAREN GRAFFEO Artist KAREN GRAFFEO was the invited guest of the 9th International Congress of European Union Romani Rights Leadership, June 3-5 in Sibiu, Romania. The theme of the International Congress was the comparison of Martin Luther King Junior’s strategy for civil rights and the strategy for the EU Romani organizations. Graffeo photographed leaders of the Congress and included the portraits in her exhibition this past summer at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Pictured above (left to right) is: Alex Rudi Darius Varga, a Romani student at the RomanianAmerican University in Bucharest, Dana Varga, State Adviser at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery within the Government of Romania, Artist Karen Graffeo, and Igor Alexandr Roznovschi, Personal Adviser to the Prime Minister at the Prime Minister’s Chancellery.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

Art

DR. KELLY WACKER

MISTY BENNETT Upcoming Exhibition: Coalesce: Drawing Collaborations from Joe and Misty Bennett, Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham, August 9-October 31, 2015.

Opening reception: September 13, 12:30 – 2:30 pm.

Misty Bennett also presented a selection of works from the Landscape Painting class in the exhibition 13 Days, which took place in Bloch Hall Art Gallery from May 26-June 26, 2015.

DR. SCOTT MEYER DR. SCOTT MEYER published an article featured on the cover of the Summer edition of New Ceramics Magazine. “The Search of Richard Hirsch: A Legacy of Chance and Design” offers insights on the art and life of Meyer’s longtime studio colleague and the subject of Meyer’s book, With Fire. New Ceramics, published in Germany, is considered the premiere publication on ceramic art in Europe. An article focusing on Meyer’s work will be included in an upcoming issue.

DR. KELLY WACKER participated in the Shoal Creek Project Faculty Workshop organized by the Environmental Studies program.

The goal of this workshop was to help faculty to bring issues of sustainability into the classroom in meaningful ways.

Wacker spent a week at the University of Louisville in the Margaret M. Bridwell Art Library doing research on connections between eco-art, art history, and natural history and found an interesting and unexplored connection between ecology and art history. In short, she is exploring some new ways of looking at art and nature within the framework of the anthropocene. The Shoal Creek Project and her summer research trip combined with having attended in the Plastic Gyre: Artists, Activists, Scientists Respond Symposium in March are contributing to Wacker’s research program. In addition, connections that Professor Wacker made at the symposium have resulted in bringing artist Pam Longobardi to campus to speak in November as part of our Martha Allen Lecture Series in the Visual Arts.

DR. CATHERINE WALSH In May 2015, DR. CATHERINE WALSH (Art) was awarded the Ph.D. in History of Art and Architecture at Boston University.

On October 2-3, Walsh will participate in the inaugural Digital Humanities at Boston University conference, for which she is an invited panelist in the session “What are the digital humanities?” Walsh also is delivering a paper at the Sixteenth-Century Society Conference in Vancouver, October 22-25. Her paper, “Environmental Disruptions in Renaissance Sculpture: Mapping Origins and Destinations of Marble, Stalactites, and other Materials,” explores how Italian Renaissance sculptures expose ecological awareness. The paper also examines theoretical and technical challenges of early modern spatial data and is a presentation of her in-progress spatial (digital) art history project Mapping Sculpture.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

Communication DR. JAY COFIELD DR. JAY COFIELD (MC), MR. BROOK PRUITT (MC) and six Mass Communication students attended the Sports Video Group Collegiate Media Summit in Atlanta, May 27-29.

This is an industry gathering with various conferences featuring national networks such as ESPN and equipment manufacturers dedicated to college sports broadcasting. Dr. Jay Cofield (MC) completed a new commercial “The Rhythm of the College” using the professional independent filmmaker style Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. Dr. Cofield used the advanced video-editing program DaVinci Resolve in the production.

Dr. Cofield led the creative team with a strong student crew.

The commercial was shown at Alabaster City Fest, June 6 and is available on YouTube. Dr. Jay Cofield (MC), Mr. Brook Pruitt (MC), and three Mass Communication students were the TV/media crew for the XTERRA Southeast Championship Triathlon and USA Triathlon Off-Road National Championship at Oak Mountain State Park in May. The Shelby County Reporter ran a news story about the event and a TV video news release was provided to local TV stations and confirmed to have aired on Fox 6. The highlight video edited by the students is available on YouTube and was included as part of the official news release by XTERRA.

DR. SHERRY FORD DR. SHERRY FORD (COMS) presented a paper at the Alabama Communication Association summer conference held at the University of Alabama in late July. Her presentation was part of a session on “Great Ideas for Teaching”, or GIFTs,

and highlighted an assignment she developed to teach interpersonal communication skills using the “Humans of New York” weblog as inspiration to meet fellow UM community members. Sherry also served as respondent to a panel titled Media Effects, Behavior and Society.

DR. BRUCE FINKLEA DR. BRUCE FINKLEA is currently making minor revisions to his invited 6,000-word entry, “Media Effects: Comprehensive Theories,” to the International Encyclopedia of Media Effects. Publication of encyclopedia is slated for 2016. The editor of the encyclopedia praised Dr. Finklea’s entry for its “clear and straightforward narrative and the elegant style.”

Dr. Bruce Finklea’s paper entitled “Nurturing new men and polishing imperfect fathers: A textual analysis of protagonists’ hetero- and homosocial relationships in Pixar Films” is under review by the editor of the forthcoming Broadcast Education Association’s Race and Gender in Electronic Media: Challenges and Opportunities. Dr. Finklea was asked to contribute this entry to the book after he presented the paper it is based on at the BEA convention’s Research Symposium in April 2015.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

Communication DR. SALLY HARDIG

DR. TIFFANY WANG Rebecca B. Leach (COMS Senior) and DR. TIFFANY R. WANG (COMS) published a manuscript entitled “Academic advisee motives for pursuing out of class communication with the faculty academic advisor” in Communication Education. This manuscript was translated into an invited essay for the July 2015 issue of Communication Currents.

Tiffany also had a co-authored paper with Dr. Audra Nuru (Fairfield University) entitled “Turning points and communication in first generation students’ family and faculty advisor relationships” and a discussion panel entitled “Lambda Pi Eta undergraduate researchers and their research advisors: Embracing academic opportunities of a lifetime” accepted for presentation at the National Communication Association convention in Las Vegas, NV.

DR. BRUCE FINKLEA (MC) and DR. SALLY HARDIG (COMS) are awaiting publication of their co-authored book chapter entitled “Seen but not heard: Exploring muted group theory in Pixar’s The Incredibles, WALL-E, and Brave” in the forthcoming edited book Communication Basics for Millennials: Essays on Communication Theory and Culture. Their chapter was submitted in the spring with no revisions required by the editor. In fact, the editor praised their chapter, saying, “This is pitch-perfect…. The chapter unpacks MGT [Muted Group Theory] beautifully and is certain to get discussion going among readers.” The collaboration between Drs. Finklea and Hardig serves as an excellent example to students in the Department of Communication to see how Mass Communication and Communication Studies can and do intertwine in today’s mediasaturated society.

DR. SUSAN THOMPSON DR. SUSAN THOMPSON (MC) has been accepted for Marquis’ Who’s Who in America 2016. She is under consideration for Marquis’ Who’s Who in the World 2016.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

Music

DR. LORI ARDOVINO

published two works during the summer, including a transcription of Torelli’s Concerto in D, originally for trumpet and strings, transcribed for soprano saxophone and piano and secondly, an arrangement of Mozart’s Serenade No. 10, “Gran Partita”, mvts. 1. Largo; molto Allegro, 3. Adagio, 7. Finale, molto Allegro, arranged for saxophone choir. Also near to completion is her book of 10 graded duets for clarinet and bass clarinet. Dr. Ardovino also taught at the Young Musicians’ Camp and worked at three other band camps at Thompson, Montevallo and Oak Mountain Middle. She will present her faculty clarinet and saxophone recital on October 5. Her piece, Under Water will be performed at the Birmingham New Music Festival on October 8.

DR. MELINDA DOYLE Under the direction of DR. MELINDA S. DOYLE, the University of Montevallo Concert Choir performed in some of the world’s best known musical venues on their inaugural invitational 2015 European Performance Tour held in Prague, Budapest and Vienna.

In addition to the tour, Dr. Doyle was the Choral Coordinator for the UM 2015 Young Musicians’ Camp. She also presented a session at the Alabama American Choral Director’s Association Summer Conference entitled “Strategies for Success: Preparing Choral Students for College” as well as a Reading Session for Middle and High School choral directors throughout the state of Alabama. While visiting family in Florida, Dr. Doyle was able to attend the Florida Vocal Association Summer Convention held in Altamonte Spring, Florida. In the fall of 2015, Dr. Doyle is hosting the Festival of Voices and the All-State Preparation Workshop for choral students from middle and high school throughout the state of Alabama. In addition to the annual fall and winter performances

of the UM Choral Ensembles, the Concert Choir has been invited to perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in November.

THE LEBARON TRIO consisting of DRS. LORI ARDOVINO, MELANIE WILLIAMS, and LAURIE MIDDAUGH has been invited to perform at the National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors Conference at the University of South Dakota, October 9-11.

DR. RODERICK GEORGE spent the early part of his summer on a professional audition trip in New York City. He was also the featured artist in a performance tribute for Alabama native Everett McCorvey, recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Artist Award at the Alabama State Celebration of the Arts Awards Program at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre in Montgomery. . This was followed by his travel to the Czech Republic, Budapest, and Vienna as the featured faculty soloist on tour with the UM Concert Choir. He also taught lessons for the Young Musicians’ Camp and performed on the annual faculty showcase. Later in the summer, he was featured in concert at the prestigious Brevard Music Festival in Brevard, North Carolina.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

Music

at the 2015 Symposium on Music Teacher Education. Additionally, the executive committee of the Society for Music Education invited Dr. Hoffman to discuss findings from his examination of music education in rural communities. Just 20% of all symposium proposals were accepted for presentation. Ted will present a session on teacher certification examinations at the National Association for Music Education’s In-Service Conference in October as well.

DR. CYNTHIA MACCRAE

In addition to their joint faculty recital at UM in October, DR. GEORGE and DR. CYNTHIA MACCRAE performed selected Lieder of Franz Schubert for the Mid-Day Music Series at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham on September 25. In November 2015, Dr. George has been invited to perform at a special concert at the historic DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to abolish slavery.

DR. BECKY HALLIDAY In May, DR. BECKY HALLIDAY traveled with DR. TED HOFFMAN to Mountain Lake, Virginia, where they were co-presenters at the Mountain Lake Colloquium for Teachers of General Music Methods.

Their poster represented a collaborative effort between researchers at three institutes of higher learning. At the same conference, Halliday co-presented with a colleague, Ann Harrington, from the University of Kentucky. Their presentation was titled An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Instrumental Music Educators in Kodály Training. This trip was made possible by the President’s Travel Award, which was awarded to both Halliday and Hoffman. At the end of May, Dr. Halliday traveled with the UM Concert Choir as Documentarian of their European Tour. While there, she took photographs and video recordings of concerts and events. In addition, she posted photographs on the choir’s Facebook page and maintained a blog about the trip.

She is preparing for follow-up presentations scheduled during the fall semester. The Montevallo Arts Council provided Dr. Halliday’s travel expenses. In June, she served as co-director for the UM Young Musicians’ Camp. In this capacity, she organized and oversaw evening activities, including recitals, movie night, field night, and mixers. During camp, she also taught private oboe lessons and performed on the faculty recital.

DR. TED HOFFMAN had three of his summer research projects accepted for presentation at national conferences. In September, Ted, alongside his colleagues from Florida State University and the University of Colorado, will present their collaborative research project “A Comparative Analysis of Influences on Choosing a Music Teaching Occupation”

attended the Keyboard Wellness Seminar at the University of North Texas in Denton, July 24-August 1. This seminar, designed for piano teachers and advanced performers, included of seven days lectures, lessons, masterclasses and recitals focused on cultivating a better, more effortless technique at the keyboard.

Participants learned ways to use the body in as efficient and healthy a way as possible, allowing for more freedom and fewer physical limitations in practice and performance.

DR. JOSEPH SARGENT spent three weeks in Europe this summer, working on two separate research projects.

He first traveled to five cities in England, collecting musical manuscripts and historical documents for a critical edition of music by 17th-century composer Nathaniel Giles, to be published next year in the British Academy’s Early English Church Music series. He then presented a paper on canon in Renaissance Magnificats (a genre of sacred music) at the international Medieval-Renaissance Conference in Brussels, Belgium. An expanded version of this paper will be included in a forthcoming edited collection of articles on Renaissance canon techniques.

DR. CHARLES WOOD traveled to Brasov, Romania where he was invited to join the faculty of the Brasov International Summer Voice Program.

Dr. Wood worked with 10 singers from Bucharest, the University of Transylvania, and the German High School in Brasov.

The singers ranged from the novice to the professional. Wood taught private voice lessons, English Diction, coached art songs and opera arias, and staged six opera scenes.

The program presented performances at Mogosoaia Palace in Bucharest and at the Reduta Cultural Center in Brasov.

YOUNG MUSICIANS CAMP The twelfth annual summer Young Musicians’ Camp, again under the direction of DR. TED HOFFMAN, DR. BECKY HALLIDAY, and JULIE MCENTEE, enjoyed record participation in 2015. More than 160 middle and high school musicians from across the State of Alabama were welcomed by 45 faculty, staff, and undergraduate student counselors. Additionally, Ted taught graduate –level music education coursework in the Master of Education program, while maintaining an active research agenda.

FACULTY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Department of

EMILY GILL

Theatre

EMILY GILL designed costumes for two professional productions in Bimingham: Hedwig and the Angry Inch with the Dane Peterson Theatre Series and Peter and the Starcatcher for City Equity Theatre.

MICHAEL WALKER

MICHEAL WALKER is the most recent addition to the faculty of the UM Theatre Department. He obtained his BFA in Theatre from the University of Alabama and his MFA in Acting from Rutgers University.

MARCUS LANE

KEL LAEGER

MARCUS LANE directed Hedwig and the Angry Inch for the Dane Peterson Theatre Series in Birmingham.

KEL LAEGER designed sets and lights and KYLE MOORE designed sound for a new play about Tallulah Bankhead that was part of a city wide festival in Jasper, AL.

DR. DAVID CALLAGHAN DR. DAVID CALLAGHAN did pre-production work for his project directing Next To Normal for the Red Mountain Theatre Company in Birmingham in February, 2016. He also chaired and participated in two panels at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference in Toronto; and continued work as a member of the Editorial Board on a new peer reviewed section of the magazine published by the Society of Directors and Choreographers (SDC) in NYC. David chaired and presented papers on two panels in Montreal, July 2015, at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference.

Dean Peters presents David Callaghan with the keys to the department’s first truck

STUDENT NEWS

Communication

CLARKE STACKHOUSE (MC) completed an internship at the Birmingham Museum of Art this summer.

JOHN ENGLE, RACHEL HENDERSON, BRIANNA DAVIS, and ABBY MCNEELY (all MC) assisted Dr. Jay Cofield in the production of “The Rhythm of the College,” which was presented at Alabaster City Fest on June 6.

GERALD CUNNINGHAM, ADAM PETTWAY, CHASE JOHNSTON, MELISSA HERBERT, JOHN ENGLE, and MICHAEL RATCHFORD (all MC) produced the live images for the concert projector screen at Alabaster City Fest, June 6. They operated equipment provided by Fox 6 and were highly praised for their skill and professionalism.

GERALD CUNNINGHAM, ADAM PETTWAY, MICHAEL RATCHFORD, COURTNEY BOYD, MELISSA HERBERT, and RACHEL HENDERSON (all MC) attended the Sports Video Group Collegiate Media Summit in Atlanta, May 27-29 with Dr. Cofield and Mr. Pruitt.

GERALD CUNNINGHAM, AMALIA KORTRIGHT, and JOHN ENGLE worked as the TV/media crew for the XTERRA Southeast Championship Triathlon and USA

638

Triathlon Off-Road National Championship at Oak Mountain State Park in May under the supervision of Dr. Cofield and Mr. Pruitt.

AUSTIN CRAFTON is interning at the Talladega Super Speedway this semester.

SYDNEY FIELDS was recently hired by Rush Videos, a Birmingham-based wedding videography company, as a Videographer. She is currently working for them while completing her senior year at UM. Sydney also serves as the President of the UM chapter of the National Broadcasting Society.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN

the College of Fine Arts?

For more information on upcoming events, please visit: montevallo.edu/cfa and click on the link to CoFA’s New Interactive 2015-2016 Perfomances and Events Schedule or use the following web address: http://www.montevallo. edu/fine-arts/college-of-fine-arts/performances-and-events/

UNDERGRADUATES

256 178 105 99 40 & 6 WITH A 16:1 ART MAJORS

COM MAJORS

FULL-TIME FACULTY

185 150

MUSIC MAJORS

STAFF

THEATRE MAJORS

CoFA

BY THE NUMBERS

STUDENT TO FACULTY RATIO

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS, SCHOLARLY PAPERS, & ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS

FACULTY CONCERTS, PRODUCTIONS & EXHIBITONS

100

STUDENT PERFORMANCES, BROADCASTS & EXHIBITONS

ALUMNI NEWS

Art

JAMIE BERRY was offered a 2-class teaching assistantship at the University of South Carolina where he is a first year MFA student in the Ceramics Dept. He has also been asked to fire the anagama kiln there toward a possible re-design/reconstruction of the existing structure. Berry’s work at UM focused on the anagama kiln (Fat Bastard) where he is a veteran of numerous firings.

BRANDY BAJALIA graduated from the School of Visual Arts with her MFA in Fine Arts.

MARK BASCO graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with his MFA in painting. He has accepted a job as Graphic Designer at GlobalFit in Philadelphia.

BETHANY MOODY began the MFA program at the University at Buffalo, New York.

Communication

JACOB BOBST (B.A., MC, 2015) is working part-time at Alabama’s 33/40 in Birmingham.

STEPHANIE DOROUGH (BS, COMS & MATH, 2015) is pursuing her Ph.D. in Mathematics at Auburn University.

KENDAL OVERTON (BS, COMS, 2015) is working full-time as an Event Coordinator at the Birmingham Zoo. EMILY DONOVAN (BS, COMS, 2015) is working full-time as a Program Support Specialist at McKean Defense Group in Pascagoula, MS. RYAN KIRKLAND (BS, COMS, 2015) is working full-time as a Youth Pastor at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Jemison.

VICTORIA MCCAIN (BS, COMS, 2015) is pursuing her Masters of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University.

RYAN MORIARTY (MC, 2015) is working at TIME Inc.’s Southern Living magazine as a Video Fellow.

DEVAN COOLEY (MC, 2015) is working at Hibbett Sports corporate headquarters as their Video Production Coordinator.

SLOAN GIBBY POPPELL (MC, 2014) was promoted from News Content Specialist to News Producer at WSFA 12 in Montgomery, AL. CARLY LAING (MC, 2014) was promoted from News Producer to News Producer/Reporter at KLFY News 10 in Lafayette, LA. JOLYN HANNAH (MC, 2013) is working at WTVM News Leader 9 in Columbus, GA, as an Associate Producer.

KALYN WOLFE (BS, MC, 2010) has ben promoted to columnist at the Pensacola News Journal for PNJ Business.

Theatre

STEVEN HOUSE designed sets at a summer theatre in Iowa and continues to teach as a visiting Instructor at Northern Arizona University.

RACHEL REHOME DOZIER-EZELL continues to work as a freelance costume designer in NYC and as resident designer for the New School Theatre Program. She also designed costumes for PEDRO PAN, an original musical written by UM alumni that was presented in the recent NYC International Fringe Festival.

REBECCA APARICIO and STEPHEN ELKINS wrote the book, lyrics and music for the musical PEDRO PAN, which was presented for several performances throughout the prestigious NYC International Fringe Festiva. Aparicio also directed the show and various other UM alumni worked on it in production capacities.

LYNSEY BUCKELEW and MEGAN STEIN appeared in the film SHITBIRD directed by UM alumni BO MAGUIRE, presented at the recent Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival. Theatre alumni Stephen Elkins also composed music for the film.

MARY KATE MCLAURINE continues to perform as a touring actor with Missoula Children’s Theater.

TRENT LOGGINS is working as an actor and in arts administration at Seaside Music Theatre.

LINDSEY BRISTOL completed a tour with the Jim Henderson company and performed in several musicals in a professional summer theatre in Colorado and recently returned to NYC, where she resides.

HANNAH JEAN FERRIS completed her season as an Equity Stage Manager at Alabama Shakespeare Festival and recently too a new position at Playmakers Rep Theatre in NC. EJ WILSON continues to work on the Beatles LOVE! show with Cirque du’ Soleil in Las Vegas.

JASON STYRES continues to work on many projects as a NYC Casting Director with Jay Binder Casting, including the upcoming Broadway revival of DAMES AT SEA. Recent UM Theatre graduates BARRINGTON MCQUEEN, KATIE RAULERSON, JALEN BROWN and HUNTER BROWN are acting and touring with Birmingham Children’s Theatre for the 2015-2106 season.

JULIAN ROBINSON and JEFF SPEETJENS continue to direct and produce various film projects in Los Angeles, and Speetjens recently directed a commercial for Microsoft (he also performs as a puppeteer for the “Bootsy Bellows” nightclub in Beverly Hills).

CAMERON WATSON recently directed a critically acclaimed production of William Inge’s PICNIC for the Antaeus Theatre Company in Los Angeles.

LEAH LUKER continues to direct and coordinate production for Birmingham Children’s Theatre.

BLAIR DYSON and ERIC BROWNE continue to teach the

next generation of theatre students at Prattville and

Baker High Schools, and Browne is active as a director of several recent acclaimed productions in Mobile.

JARED WRIGHT, a junior Musical Theatre major, performed the role of Robinson the Butler in the professional production of MARY POPPINS for Red Mountain Theatre company this past summer, performing along side UM theatre alumni NICK CRAWFORD, AMY JOHNSON and BARRINGTON MCQUEEN.

About CONNECTIONS

CONNECTIONS is a new, monthly e-publication of the Dean’s Office of the College of Fine Arts (CoFA). The newsletter is designed to feature faculty and staff achievements, student achievements and news from our alumni. This letter is also intended to make information from departments and the dean’s office more accessible and available in an easy format. We encourage all contributions that include photos of the topic or people themselves so we can get to know each other better. Submissions are due one week before the 15th of each month.

Electronic submissions can be sent to Administrative Assistant JULIE MCENTEE at mcenteej@ montevallo.edu.

The COFA Office of the Dean is the academic administrative office at the College, and the personnel office of its undergraduate faculty. The dean’s office oversees faculty hiring and mentoring, reappointment, promotion, tenure, the performance and event season and instructional and support staff for academic departments and programs.

Publication designed by: Amy Mathews

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CONNECTIONS

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