PAGE 3 Where Do We Go From Here? By David Bridel
PAGE 5 Internship Program Grows with Zucker Productions Partnership
PAGE 7 Applied Theatre Arts: Equal Parts Theatre, Education and Therapy
FALL 2007
Tony Award Winner Christopher Akerlind named Director of Design Tony Award-winning designer Christopher Akerlind has been named Director of Design at the USC School of Theatre, it was announced by Dean Madeline
(L. to R.) SCR Producing Director David Emmes with stars Stephanie Zimbalist and Damon Kirsche at the opening night party for SCR’s recent production of A Little Night Music, with lighting design by Christopher Akerlind (see story next column).
Puzo. Akerlind Christopher Akerlind
SOT Alums Achieve “Artistic” Success
at USC this fall.
Puzo stated, “We are ecstatic that Chris will be overseeing our extensive design curriculum at the School of Theatre. He will supervise all areas of design for us, including, sets, costumes, lights and sound. His years of experience as a lighting
Shashin Desai, David Emmes, Tim Dang and Michael Michetti run four of the Southland’s most important theatre companies.
S
joined the faculty
and set designer on Broadway and in theatres nationally and internationally, as well as his expertise working in an academic setting make him the ideal person to run our program.”
ince it began some 62 years ago, USC’s
some cases the founders, of four of our regions
Akerlind said, “I’m honored and excited to join the
theatre program has been committed
most important theatre companies.
faculty at the USC Theater School and to take on
to a philosophy of not isolating the
Dean Puzo’s mission to build a design curriculum
various crafts of theatre but teaching
Before coming to Los Angeles and earning a
an understanding of the whole art.
masters degree in theatre in 1962 at USC, Shashin
known for its creativity and intellectual rigor.”
Theatre students are expected to actively create
Desai studied drama in his native India and at
Akerlind has designed over 550 productions at
theatre rather than passively practice their partic-
Britain’s revered Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
theatre, opera and dance companies across the
ular craft, so it is not surprising that many of the
Settling in Long Beach, Desai established the Long
country and around the world.
actors, playwrights, directors, designers, stage
Beach Summer Repertory in the 1960s, which he
managers and scholars who have passed through
ran for 24 years, and then, in 1985, International
Recent work includes the Broadway productions
the School of Theatre have gone on to become
City Theatre. Honored in 2000 with a special
of 110 In the Shade (Tony nomination), Talk
producers or have established or run theatres.
award for “sustained excellence” from the Los
Radio, Well, Awake and Sing! (Tony nomination),
Among them are the artistic directors, and in
Angeles Drama Critics Circle, ICT, which presents
Rabbit Hole, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife and
(continued on page 4)
(continued on page 2)
A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
A SCHOOL OF IMPACT
S C H O O L O F T H E AT R E BOARD OF COUNCILORS
Dean Madeline Puzo
I can get so occupied with the day-to-day workings and future plans of the School that I sometimes forget what an enormous impact the School of Theatre is having, and has long had, on American theatre and the performing arts. From its very beginning in 1945, the dramatic arts program here at USC has been among
Lisa Barkett Terry Berenson (Chair, USC School of Theatre Parents Council) LeVar Burton Tim Curry Charles Dillingham Michele Dedeaux Engemann (Founding Chair) Robert Greenblatt Susan A. Grode Paula Holt Sheila Lipinsky Martin Massman Madeline Puzo Madeline Ramer Andy Tennant Joe Tremaine Richard Weinberg (Chair)
the very best, quietly and consistently training artists who have been crucial to the vitality of theatre, film and television. Some have become very famous, such as last year’s much-honored actors Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker and Kyra Sedgwick (who won a Golden Globe), but the larger world of show business is full of actors, directors, playwrights, designers, stage managers and producers who are School of Theatre alumni.
Akerlind (continued from cover)
The Light in the Piazza (Tony, Drama Desk, I note this in part because the current Callboard has several fascinating examples of the ongoing impact of
Outer Critics Circle Awards), Rinde Eckert’s
the School. An article profiles four School of Theatre alumni who are not only working directors but the
Orpheus X at the Edinburgh Festival, the world
artistic directors (and in some cases the founders) of four of our region’s most important theatres, theatres
premiere of Phillip Glass’ Appomattox for San
whose influence extends well beyond Southern California. It isn’t widely known that these daring and productive artists received theatre degrees from USC, but given the School’s history and reputation, it is also not surprising that our alumni are so crucial to Southern California’s theatre culture. One finds their entrepreneurial spirit, the willingness to lead and create, among our more recent graduates as well. Looking through the Marquee section of the newsletter, which is full of news of our alumni, I note that they are not only making their way in business but starting their own ensembles and even using their theatre training to explore the dramatic possibilities of the Internet.
Francisco Opera, Anne Bogart’s productions of Score, Room, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Robert Woodruff’s productions of Oedipus, Olly’s Prison and Britannicus, Martha Clarke’s productions of Belle Epoch, Kaos, and her revival of The Garden of Earthly Delights, Cymbeline at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and a site-specific outdoor production of The Mystery Plays in Orvieto, Italy.
And it isn’t only our alumni who are advancing the art of theatre and drama. One of the key strengths of the School is that our faculty are working artists as well as master teachers, something that the article
His extensive credits in opera include produc-
on the minor in Applied Theatre Arts makes apparent. An innovative method of using theatre for therapy
tions at the Boston Lyric, Dallas, Glimmerglass,
and education, the Applied Theatre Arts program was developed by longtime School of Theatre Senior
Hamburg, Houston, Metropolitan, Minnesota,
Lecturer Brent Blair who has utilized and taught his increasingly popular techniques throughout the world.
New York City, Nissei, San Francisco, Santa Fe, and Seattle Operas and over 40 productions
Every great school has its own distinct personality, a philosophy and vision that become a tradition that attracts not only the best students but a specific kind of student. I certainly have always felt that is true of our School. In my work as Dean, I’ve consciously tried to build upon the School’s tradition with the goal of making the School even more than what it has always been. The simple truth is that the School of Theatre has always been excellent but that these days more and more people are aware of it. We have a great past and with the help and support of you, and all who have been or are currently part of the School, the future will be even better.
for Opera Theater of Saint Louis where he was Resident Lighting Designer for 12 years. He is the recipient of an Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Lighting Design, the Michael Merritt Award for Design and Collaboration, and numerous nominations for the Bay Area Critics, Drama Desk, Hewes, Joseph Jefferson, Kevin Kline, Lucile Lortel, NAACP, Outer Critics Circle and Tony Awards. In 1996, along with set and costume designer Anita Stewart, he was appointed co-Artistic
Madeline Puzo
Director of Portland Stage Company in the
Dean
state of Maine, a post he held for three years. A graduate of Boston University and the Yale School of Drama, he was Head of Lighting Design and Director of the Design & Production Programs at the CalArts School of Theater and has guest taught at New York University, the University of Connecticut, the Broadway Lighting Master Classes and at Yale.
2
own principles and values agree with or, more interestingly, contradict those of the world in which they live. Therein, after all, lies a tension, a seed of conflict, and the motive for action; a confluence of factors that mirrors the acting process itself. I once had the great fortune to have lunch with a Spanish neuroscientist who had, in his youth, been a relatively successful actor in his homeland. (He wanted to conduct experiments with nodes attached to actor’s foreheads to trace flashpoints in the brain and compare imaginary to authentic neurological activity. But that’s another story.) I asked him what method he had followed, as an actor, in the creation of his characters, and he replied – ‘That’s simple. I deduce the values that the character holds, and then I know what he does and why he does it.’ This, over a bread roll and a salad nicoise, was my Damascan moment. Thanks to my neurologist’s uncomplicated response, I suddenly understood that self-knowledge is more than emotional honesty, or physical agility, or vocal freedom; that playing action is more than understanding objectives and executing tactics. The foundation of who we are and why we want others to change is planted in the earth of our values. And so it is values – which we might describe as the beliefs that we would die for – which underpin our relationship with the world, (Clockwise from top left) Senior BFA Acting students Mike McLean, Sarah White-Stern, Chris Downey and Catherine Farrington perform in Bridel’s Free Play class, where the actors are encouraged to create their own work.
which bring us out of ourselves and into communication and conflict with others; and so it follows that values are the true subject of character, fictional or otherwise. I propose that it is our job,
Where Do We Go From Here? By David Bridel
our mandate, to draw from our students, as the raw materials of their real and imaginary personae, the value systems upon which their points of view – and thus their desires – and
(Excerpts from a speech given at the
I’m also certain that we need to address this matter
thus their actions – are based. And most impor-
Second National Congress of Acting Teachers,
at length. But though a necessary conversation,
tantly, through the prism of theatre, we are to
The Actors Center, NY, June 16 & 17, 2007.)
it occurs to me that we may find it a depressing
encourage them to practice the debate between
one. With Reality TV in the ascendant, celebrity
belief systems that exemplifies the dialogue our
In addressing the question “What does the
mania continuing to run rampant, and the
world so sorely needs.
future hold for actor-training in the U.S.?,”
pernicious influence of mammon corrupting
I initially thought to begin with the matter of
everything from casting to theatre programming
For if values are the tectonic plates of our
adaptation – how we, as acting teachers, might
around the country, the industry we aim to
cultures, defined by their vast edges, edges that
stay ahead of, or at least in touch with, the
serve appears to be making an ever-dwindling
move with inexorable force against one another,
cultural curve as it affects our industry. The
investment in the craft of acting. Thus, on
then the theatre – as befits the great humanities
business of acting is changing with great rapidity.
consideration, I posit that a genuine dialogue
– offers us the chance to rehearse and prepare
Today’s drama-school graduates are as likely to
concerning the future of actor-training must
for the necessary earthquakes and volcanoes,
be making YouTube videos as they are to pick up
address what takes place within our programs,
reminding us of previous conflagrations, warning
under-5’s on a soap, as likely to voice video-game
not to be distracted by the dizzying landscape
us of future ones. The theatre is our laboratory,
characters as they are to join a fringe theatre
without that awaits our intrepid graduating
our petrie dish; it conducts experiments in the
company. I recently had the chastening experience
actors. I will take the liberty of leaving the
clashes of values and civilizations, and yet, para-
of directing a graduating student as Eddie Carbone
industry to its own devices – for the time being...
doxically, it confirms our commonality at one and the same time, making scientists of us all. The
in ‘A View from the Bridge’ in his last conservatory project – a role that he performed with great
I believe that an education brings about a reck-
stage offers a vital juxtaposition of antagonism
sincerity – only to learn three weeks later that
oning: ask the student to admit to who they
and co-operation, a yes and a no together. It
he’d been cast as one of Fox TV’s “Five Most
are, for a specific purpose – that they become
promotes characters that do things we would
Eligible Bachelors in America.” From Arthur
better prepared for what it is they might do.
never do, but at the same time it requires an
Miller to Reality TV – some startling new career
Know thyself, yes – but know thyself in order
act of collective make-believe in order to help
paths are in the making. Yes, I’m certain that the
to stop thinking about thyself; to turn thy gaze
them do it. Without us, Othello cannot murder
entertainment industry is evolving more quickly
away from thy navel and out into the world.
Desdemona. We may not admire, respect, agree
than we, in our ivory towers, care to admit; and
Education helps students to reveal where their
with or condone his deed, but we do advance his (continued on page 7)
3
SOT Alums (continued from cover)
famous for its new play development program
by any standards
and no other theatre over the last 25 years has been a more fertile or successful incubator of
America’s regional
new plays and playwrights. Donald Margulies
productions
theatre move-
(Sight Unseen), Richard Greenberg (Three Days
annually and
ment. In 1964,
of Rain), David Henry Hwang (Golden Child)
operates seven
Emmes and col-
and Margaret Edson (Wit) are just a few of the
league Martin
major playwrights developed and/or championed
Benson hatched
by South Coast Rep. Even with the massive labor
the seemingly
of building and running one of America’s largest
unpromising
theatres as its Producing Director, Emmes – or
project of creating
Dr. Emmes, for he received his Ph.D in Theatre
and community programs, is now regarded as one of the
Photo by Mark Jordan
one of the stars of five full
educational
Shashin Desai
David Emmes is
David Emmes
preeminent the-
a major theatre institution in fast-growing but
in 1973 from USC – remains an active director
atres in Southern
culturally very underdeveloped Orange County,
responsible for many acclaimed premieres of
California.
California. South Coast Repertory, which began
new American and British dramas.
as a traveling theatre doing Moliere’s Tartuffe Desai is also the award-winning director of
and operating out of a 1960 Studebaker station
While Shashin Desai and David Emmes founded
over 160 classics, modern works and musicals.
wagon, now does some 14 full productions every
their theatres, Tim Dang faced the somewhat
His most recent production, and the opening
season in the stunning three-stage Folina Theatre
different challenge of succeeding a legendary
production of ICT’s current season, was the world
Center in Costa Mesa. SCR is not only the major
founding artistic director: the revered actor
premiere of Calling Aphrodite, a play by fellow
theatre in Orange County but a Tony Award-
Mako who, in 1965, established East West
alum and Director of the School of Theatre’s MFA
winning powerhouse recognized as one of the
Players, America’s first Asian-American theatre
in Dramatic Writing Program, Velina Hasu Houston.
nation’s preeminent theatre institutions. SCR is
company. After switching his undergraduate
A LOOK AHEAD TO OUR SPRING PRODUCTIONS The Love of the Nightingale
2008
Blueprints: The MFA in Dramatic Writing Playwrights Workshop
By Timberlake Wertenbaker Directed by Abigail Desser Bing Theatre February 21 – 24, 2008 Based on the ancient Greek myth of Philomele and Procne, The Love of the Nightingale is an explosive drama about the power of words and the ultimate price of using violence to enforce silence.
Massman Theatre April 11 – 27, 2008 Presented over three successive weekends, this workshop features the exciting and diverse new works by School of Theatre secondyear MFA in Dramatic Writing students: Forrest Hartl, Julie Oni and Alexis Robian.
Compleat Female Stage Beauty
BFA Sophomore Show
By Jeffrey Hatcher Directed by Stephanie Shroyer Scene Dock Theatre March 6 – 9, 2008 In 1661, the most famous portrayer of female roles on the London stage was not a woman, but a man, applauded onstage and off for his interpretations of Shakespeare’s tragic ladies – Ophelia, Cleopatra and, especially, Desdemona.
Directed by Lora Zane Scene Dock Theatre April 24 – 27, 2008 An annual tradition, a play will be announced this spring that will spotlight the talents of the Bachelor of Fine Arts sophomore class. SPRING DANCE CONCERT
Footprints: Dance and Architecture
Carousel
Directed by Margo Apostolos Bing Theatre May 1 – 2, 2008 A multimedia concert that features the dancers and choreographers interpretations of some of the world’s greatest architectural sites.
Music by Richard Rodgers; Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Based on Ferenc Molnar’s play Liliom, as adapted by Benjamin F. Glaser Bing Theatre April 3 – 13, 2008 One of the finest musicals ever written, Carousel is a story of love, loss and redemption with a musical score full of classic Rodgers & Hammerstein songs, including If I Loved You, You’ll Never Walk Alone, What’s the Use Of Wond’rin’ and June Is Bustin’ Out All Over.
Under Construction: The Master of Fine Arts Play Project Scene Dock Theatre May 27 – 31, 2008 A festival of plays by the three graduating playwrights of the MFA in Dramatic Writing program: Donald Jolly, Brian Jones and Mayank Keshaviah. The readings, which will each have two public performances, will be presented concert style with professional actors and directors.
Book of Days By Lanford Wilson Directed by Paul Backer Scene Dock Theatre April 5 – 8, 2008 When murder roars through a small Missouri town, a woman begins her own quest to find truth and honesty amid small-town jealousies, religion, greed and lies.
2008
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit http://usc.edu/spectrum or call (213) 740-2167.
4
major from math
try’s most active Asian-American play development
Drama Critics
to theatre – and
program. As a director, Dang is especially cele-
Circle Awards,
earning a BFA in
brated for his revivals, featuring Asian-American
including
1980 – Dang
casts of major musicals.
Outstanding
became an actor
Tim Dang
Direction) and
and EWP became
Anyone who follows the most daring shows
Hard Times. He is
his artistic home.
being done at L.A.’s smaller cutting-edge the-
a double Ovation
He eventually
atres has most likely seen or heard about the
Award winner
moved to direct-
award-winning work of director and School
(as director and
ing and was so
of Theatre alum, Michael Michetti (BFA, 1980).
co-producer) for
successful that he
Currently co-artistic director at the celebrated
was chosen to be
The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena, Michetti
Michael Michetti
his production of A Midsummer
the company’s new Artistic Director. Under Dang’s
has developed a reputation for provocative and
Night’s Dream, set in British Colonized India, and
stewardship, EWP, which had long worked as an
imaginative productions of new plays, classics,
won another L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for
Equity waiver company in a 99-seat house, moved
musicals, and operas. Among Michetti’s many
his direction of Pera Palas. Prolific and creative,
into Little Tokyo’s historic Union Center for the
acclaimed productions are a Romeo and Juliet
Michetti is one of the indispensable figures in
Arts where it produces a full season of shows in
set in antebellum New Orleans; a revival of the
L.A. theatre.
a new 240-seat theatre and operates extensive
musical, Anyone Can Whistle, which he altered
education and artist development programs. Dang
with the blessing of its authors, Stephen Sondheim
Desai, Emmes, Dang and Michetti each exemplify
passionately believes that nurturing new talent
and Arthur Laurents; the world premiere of Tom
an entrepreneurial, theatre-making spirit that
is integral to EWP’s mandate to “give voice to
Jacobson’s Ouroboros; and his own intensely
has always been an element of USC’s drama
the Asian Pacific American experience” and EWP’s
theatrical stage adaptations of the classic novels
programs and is certainly integral to the School
David Henry Hwang Writers Institute is the coun-
The Picture of Dorian Gray (winner of two L.A.
of Theatre today.
Internship Program Grows with Zucker Productions Partnership
T
hanks to the help of Pat and Michael Peyser, parents of Natalie Peyser ‘10, the School of Theatre has forged a new partnership with Zucker Productions, an independent production studio located
(L. to R.) Amanda Carrozza and Erica Sardi.
in Santa Monica, CA, that offers internships to our students. Zucker Productions, co-headed by Janet and Jerry Zucker, have
their upcoming projects, which I’m really excited about. It’s amazing to
produced the movies My Best Friend’s Wedding, A Walk in the Clouds,
feel like I’m part of something big.”
Rat Race and First Knight, in addition to others. Sean Gesell, Director of Development at Zucker Productions interviewed This new partnership is a great addition to the established internship agree-
and hired Erica and Amanda for the internships. When asked about the
ment the School has forged with Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles’ largest
joint venture, Gesell said, “Zucker Productions is excited about the develop-
theatrical organization that operates the Mark Taper, the Ahmanson Theatre
ing partnership with the USC School of Theatre. Here at Zucker Productions,
and the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Students and administrators alike are pleased
our interns play an integral part in the development and production of
that the School is expanding its internship program to include opportunities in
our projects, assisting in production and casting research, contributing
the film and television industries. And of course, the students involved in the
opinions, reading and evaluating potential incoming projects. The students
new venture are thrilled that they receive academic credit for the experience.
at USC have the reputation of being intelligent and resourceful and the interns we’ve hired thus far have lived up to those expectations.”
This semester, two students – Erica Sardi ‘09 and Amanda Carrozza ‘11 – are serving as Production and Development interns at Zucker Productions. When asked about her experience, Erica said, “My experience has been great. It’s
If you have an industry contact or internship opportunity for School
such an amazing opportunity. My duties include everything from reading
of Theatre students, please contact Visiting Artist and Internship
scripts to doing project research to running errands.” Amanda echoed
Coordinator Louise Bale at bale@usc.edu or call (213) 821-2519.
Erica’s sentiments saying, “I’m in the process of reading screenplays for
5
Applied Theatre Arts Equal Parts Theatre, Education and Therapy The techniques taught in the School of Theatre’s Applied Theatre Arts minor empower people to actively engage with the forces – social, political, psychological, personal or intellectual – that shape, and often limit, their lives. Because ATA is applied to different fields, it requires a knowledge of those fields: pedagogy, psychology, sociology, political science, cultural studies, etc. ATA is fundamentally interdisciplinary and Blair’s students spend as much time on acquiring the necessary intellectual foundation as they do on ATA techniques. In Theatre in Education, students study traditional theories of education as well as contemporary critical pedagogy. Theatre and Therapy covers the major psychotherapeutic theories and methods. Students in Theatre in the Community are exposed to a variety of cultural and political theory to free them from assumptions about different cultures. “We don’t want to go into someone else’s community pretending to be experts,” observes Blair.
Senior Lecturer Brent Blair leads an improv workshop for a Theatre and Therapy class at Manual Arts High School.
A
lthough theatre has been used
replayed but can take over the role of the
for social activism, education and
wronged laborer (the play’s “protagonist”)
therapy, rarely have the methods
and demonstrate how the laborer could
been as rigorous as those of Applied
solve his problem. Of course, the other players
Theatre Arts (or ATA), a field
remain in character and may not be persuaded
Once they have an intellectual grounding, students learn ATA techniques, such as devising scenes that present an issue in a clear protagonist/antagonist format, helping non-actors be effective performers and “Image Theatre,” in which body position and tableaux are used to portray experiences and relationships. And all of Blair’s ATA students must do field work applying ATA in a local school, clinic, shelter, therapeutic facility or a community group.
technique developed by School of Theatre
by the new tactics but what is important is
Senior Lecturer Brent Blair to enable groups to
that the group actively engages with the issue
explore specific issues through the creation and
and not only discusses it but actively rehearses
performance of interactive plays. Inspired by the
possibilities for change. They have been
revolutionary work of Brazilian director Augusto
transformed from passive spectators into
The program, completely contained within the
Boal, Blair has spent two decades developing
“spect-actors.”
School of Theatre, encompasses ATA’s broader applications and Blair hopes that the minor will
and teaching ATA in universities, hospitals, jails, shelters and community centers around the
Although Blair, who sometimes refers to his
attract students from diverse majors, such as
world and seen it used by groups as diverse
work as “liberation arts,” initially developed
Political Science, Psychology and Anthropology.
as the inmates at Australia’s Borallon Maximum
ATA as a way to empower and help marginalized
“What we do is sometimes called ‘cultural field
Security Prison and teachers working with
or oppressed communities, he has also applied
work,’” Blair observes. “I think ATA techniques
genocide survivors in Rwanda.
it extensively to education and mental health.
can be very useful for any discipline or field that
In the classroom, ATA allows students to creative-
needs to explore and understand other cultures
At its most basic, ATA involves a specific group
ly engage with a subject. And ATA techniques
or communities.”
co-writing a simple play that portrays a concern
can be as therapeutic for troubled individuals
or problem common to the group. For example,
as for troubled communities, regardless of
Interest in Applied Theatre Arts has grown great-
a group of day laborers might create a play in
whether the individual’s problem is external
ly in recent years as more and more professionals
which a laborer does a job but is then denied his
circumstances or an internalized attitude.
devoted to enabling social or personal change
pay. The play does not resolve the dilemma; it
Blair’s classes on these uses of ATA, Theatre in
have discovered the potential uses of theatrical
simply presents it. Then the play is performed for
Education, Theatre and Therapy and Theatre
techniques in this work. The ATA minor at USC
the group. It is here that ATA most departs from
in the Community, form the core of the new
is a mark, not only of how far and how quickly
conventional theatre practice: anyone in the
five-course ATA minor, which also requires
Applied Theatre Arts has evolved, but of the
audience can not only ask for a scene to be
classes in directing and acting.
discipline’s bright future.
6
Where Do We Go From Here?
F O C U S O N F A C U LT Y
(continued from page 3)
Charlotte Cornwell
grisly ends (and her grisly end) through the willing faculty of our imaginations. Great theatre
A Senior Lecturer teaching acting, Charlotte Cornwell’s distin-
implicates us in every last zealotry, makes empa-
guished 30-year career began when she trained at the Webber
thetic the worst of convictions. When we leave
Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She made her
the auditorium, our own values are sharper in
professional debut with three seasons at the Bristol Old Vic
consequence, they have been cut on the edges
Company, playing a broad range of roles from Kate Hotspur in
of a collision; and yet our tolerance for the other
Shakespeare’s Henry IV to Becky in Sam Shepherd’s Tooth of
is that much deeper too, for we have seen into
Crime. Her first major TV series, the influential “Rock Follies,”
the heart of the enemy. There is nothing more
in which she starred, won the BAFTA award for Best Drama Series. She spent three years as a leading member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been a leading actress with the Royal National Theatre since 1984. She has worked extensively
important for a culture to do than test its capacity for compassion like this, and there is no better place to do it than in a room with other people. So perhaps there is one basic question we must
both in the West End and on the Fringe, and has appeared in
ask ourselves, as a matter of principle, and as
the U.S. in several productions, including Richard III at Royce
a premise for all other questions to follow: how
Hall and An Enemy of the People at the Ahmanson Theatre, both opposite Sir Ian McKellen;
can we bring the student into contact with the
Athol Fugard’s The Road To Mecca; and as Maria Callas in Terrence McNally’s Master Class. She
value system that is the foundation of his or
has starred opposite an extensive list of respected actors, including Anthony Hopkins, Tim Curry,
her own world? To accomplish this magnificently
Bob Hoskins, Val Kilmer, Kate Nelligan, Pete Postlethwaite, Joanna Lumley, Joseph Fiennes, John
difficult task, I believe that we must ask our
Hurt, Charles Dance, Daniel Day-Lewis and Helen Mirren. She has worked with noted stage and
students to create their own work.
film directors, including John Carpenter, Trevor Nunn, Phillip Noyce, Clint Eastwood and Harold Pinter. Her film credits include White Hunter, Black Heart, The Krays, The Russia House and Ghosts of Mars. Her U.S. television credits include “The West Wing,” “The Practice,” “The Agency,” “Family Affair” and “Gideon’s Crossing.” Most recently, she appeared as Mrs. Lintott in the West Coast premiere of the Tony Award-winning Best Play, The History Boys, at the Ahmanson Theatre.
Have you ever noticed that people who grow their own vegetables are invariably splendid cooks? So it is that the best actors, or the besttrained actors, must continually be asked to plant, and then water, and then grow, by which I mean create, their own stories. Only by demanding acts of personal creativity from our students can we truly bring them face to face with themselves, make them responsible for who they are and
Don Llewellyn
what they might do; promote a sense of them-
As an Associate Professor and Director of Scenic Design for
selves as artists, as agents of change, as masters
the School of Theatre, Don Llewellyn develops curricula for
of their own destiny, and eventually as inheritors
the BFA and MFA design programs. As a faculty member since 1982, Don has designed dozens of shows for the School, including last season’s production of The Threepenny Opera at
of the tradition of theatre, bringing people into the same room at the same time to debate the past as they dream up the future.
the Bing Theatre. He received a BS in Biology from SUNY and his MFA in Theatre from Tulane University. He has worked extensively in the professional arena as well, creating scenic designs for International City Theatre in Long Beach (Charley’s Aunt, Judgment at Nuremberg, Tea, Once On This Island, My Boy Jack, Awake and Sing!, A Christmas Carol, Raisin, and Master Harold…and the boys. He has designed sets for other local regional theatres as well, including Things We Do For Love and the premiere of Three Travelers at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble; The Misanthrope at A Noise Within; Diablogues at the Tiffany Theatre; Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of the Shrew at the Kingsman Shakespeare Festival; and Perchance to Dream at the Open Fist Theatre Company. For his work in theatre, he has been honored with an Ovation Award, two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, a Beverly Hills/Hollywood NAACP Theatre Award, four Drama-Logue Awards, two Backstage West Garland Awards and a 20th Anniversary Award for outstanding contribution to International City Theatre. His professional associations have included the United Scenic Arts of America, Local 350; the American Theatre Association; Illinois Theatre Association; and the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE), Local M-482. (Above) David Bridel, a stage director, choreographer, playwright and master teacher of acting, is a School of Theatre Lecturer and Head of Movement for the MFA in Acting program.
7
MARQUEE Summer of Tears, a sketch-based comedy troupe comprised of USC alums Kirstin Eggers (BFA Acting, 2001), Jamieson Fry (BA Cinema, 2004), Will Greenberg (BFA Acting, 2002), Rob Kerkovich (BA Theatre, 2001), Nick Massouh (BFA Acting, 2001) and Todd Waldman (BA Broadcast Journalism, 2001), won the award for Best Sketch at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival held in Aspen, Colorado, earlier this year. The alums first met on campus when they all starred in the improv comedy troupe Commedus Interruptus. The VH1 series “I Hate My 30s” could hold its own SOT reunion as it features five alumnae: David Fickas (BFA, 1996), who also co-created, co-wrote and co-directed the series; Ric Barbera (BFA, 1995); Jill Ritchie (BA, 1996); Mark Kelly (BFA, 1995) and Rachel Lawrence (BA, 1999). Patrick J. Adams’ (BFA, 2004) production of Marat/Sade, presented at the Sacred Fools Theater Company in Hollywood, was named Production of the Year at the 28th Annual L.A. Weekly Theater Awards held this past April 2007. Robert Baker (BFA, 2002) has a featured role in the George Clooney-directed romantic comedy Leatherheads, set in the world of 1920s football. He also appears in Alan Ball’s Nothing Is Private and the drama Save Me. Todd Black (BFA, 1982) is one of Hollywood’s most prolific producer’s, having produced A Knight’s Tale, Antwone Fisher, which won him a PGA Golden Laurel Award, Alex & Emma, S.W.A.T., The Weatherman and The Pursuit of Happyness, which starred Will Smith in his Oscar-nominated role. His latest film project is The Great Debaters, starring Academy Award winners Denzel Washington (who also directs) and SOT alum Forest Whitaker (1982). Sophia Bush (2003) was the biggest competitive individual-category winner at the seventh annual Teen Choice Awards winning three awards: Choice Movie Breakout: Female; Choice Movie Actress Horror/Thriller: for The Hitcher; and Choice Movie Actress Comedy: for John Tucker Must Die. Caroline Choi (BA, 2004) recently co-starred in a episode of NBC’s long running hit, “E.R.” Erin Carufel (BA, 2000) has a featured role in the Gregory Hoblit-directed film Untraceable, starring Diane Lane and Colin Hanks. She appeared last season on the television series “Scrubs,” “CSI: Miami” and “Without A Trace.”
Megan Densmore (BFA, 2005) performed her stand-up comedy routines in September at the Aura Nightclub in Studio City and at the NoHo Arts Center. Tate Donovan (BFA, 1985) stars in the new FX series “Damages.” Zsa Zsa Gershick (MFA, 2005) recently won a GLADD Media Award for Outstanding L.A. Theatre for her play, Bluebonnet Court. The play was also awarded two NAACP Theatre Awards for theatrical excellence, as well as three L.A. Weekly and L.A. Stage Alliance nominations. Bluebonnet Court can be seen March 20 – April 13, 2008, at San Diego’s award-winning Diversionary Theatre. (www.diversionary.org.) Ben Giroux (BA, 2007) guest-starred on the USA Network comedy “Psych.” He also produced and starred in Invasion! The Musical presented at the Hudson Backstage Theatre. Laura Howard (BA, 2006) recently starred in Michael Eisner’s web-series “Prom Queen.” The show was nominated for an Emmy and a second season is currently in development. David Hilton (BFA, 2005) has been named field project coordinator for ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls), one of the world’s largest theatrical lighting manufacturers. Nikki Hyde (BA, 2006) has received a stage management fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for next spring. She recently staged managed a new play, Butterflies of Uganda, at the Greenway Court Theatre in West Hollywood. Swoosie Kurtz (1968) stars in the new ABC series “Pushing Daisies,” a hybrid dramatic/romantic-comedy about a man who can reverse death. Alma Martinez (MFA Acting, 1994) was reappointed to the Board of Trustees of the National Theater Conference, an organization founded in 1932 to bring together theater professionals and scholars. She was also invited to serve on the Board of Directors of Trustees of the Claremont Museum of Arts. She performed a supporting role in the feature film Crossing Over, starring Harrison Ford and Sean Penn, written and directed by Wayne Kramer and produced by The Weinstein Company, and had a guest star role in last season’s closing episode of the CBS television dramatic series “The Unit,” Executive Producer David Mamet.
We’d like to hear from you, keep you informed and share your news in an upcoming issue of Callboard. Please mail this completed form to: USC School of Theatre, Attn: Tony Sherwood, Childs Way, DRC 104, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0791, or fax to (213) 821-4051.
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Kelly Preston (1981) recently starred with Kevin Bacon in James Wan’s thriller Death Sentence. Joni Ravenna (BFA, 1984) produced “Donovan in Concert: Live in L.A.,” starring the iconic singer/songwriter from the ‘70s performing his greatest hits to a SRO crowd at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, which was seen nationally on PBS television. Additionally, she completed a play commissioned by the Black Rock Center for the Arts to teach math through music to elementary students. Her production company, Raven Productions, purchased a broadcast television license and now owns the PBS affiliate Channel 9 in the Coachella Valley. Cari Smulyan (BA, 2002) is one of the producers of the hit Broadway musical Xanadu. Mageina Tovah (BA, 1999) appeared in the summer blockbuster Spiderman 3 and Live! a film with Eva Mendes. She has guest-starred on many television series and had a recurring role on CBS’ “Joan of Arcadia.” Bree Michael Warner (BA, 1998) most recently gueststarred on the series “American Heiress” and Nickelodeon’s “iCarly.” She can currently be seen in several commercials and is slated to begin shooting the feature film Terminal Trap with John Schneider later this fall. Michael T. Weiss (BFA, 1984), after appearing on stage at Boston’s Huntington Theater Company in their productions of Burn This in 2004 and Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 2006, made his off-Broadway debut this past summer in the Atlantic Theatre Company’s production of Scarcity.
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Joy Nash (BA, 2003) created a YouTube sensation with her video “A Fat Rant,” daring overweight women to stop obsessing about how they should look and start feeling good about the way they are. Developed as a monologue for a class, the video has been watched by more than 700,000 people, inspiring more that 690 pages of debate in its comment section, one of the largest tallies in the history of YouTube’s popular entertainment category.
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Meghan Beals McCarthy (BA, 1995) left her Artistic Associate position at the Pearl Theatre Company in New York City to earn her MFA in Directing at DePaul University in Chicago. For the past three summers, she worked in New Play Development at Steppenwolf Theatre. She is now the Literary Manager & Resident Dramaturg at Northlight Theatre in Chicago.
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