UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS |
Breaking a Fourth Wall
2018/19
The School of Dramatic Arts builds partnerships in (un)expected places
USC Callboard magazine is an annual publication of the USC School of Dramatic Arts for its alumni, parents, students and friends. dean David Bridel assistant dean of communications Delphine Vasko editor Stacey Wang Rizzo graphic design Christopher Komuro contributing writers Tim Greiving, Allison Engel, Lynne Heffley, Stacey Wang Rizzo photography Corey Cano and Ryan Miller of Capture Imaging, Carolyn DiLoreto, Bruce Gilbert, Gus Ruelas, Craig Schwartz Photography © 2018 USC School of Dramatic Arts We’d like to hear from you, keep you informed and/or share your news in an upcoming issue of USC Callboard. Please send correspondences to Stacey Wang Rizzo at staceykw@usc.edu or mail to:
MESSAGE FROM T H E DEAN
I’m delighted to introduce our latest edition of Callboard. In this issue, we explore many of the academic and professional collaborations that are helping the School of Dramatic Arts break new ground; we take a look at the transformative impact of scholarship on the lives of our students; we examine the career of an alum whose training as a stage designer has led to a lifetime of opportunity; and much more. As always, I am inspired by the depth and breadth of our work and the legacy of an education that can be seen and felt in the multifarious careers of our graduates. I look forward to another year of connections and creativity! Come and join us.
David Bridel
Dean Braverman Family Dean’s Chair
USC School of Dramatic Arts Attn: Stacey Wang Rizzo 1029 Childs Way Los Angeles, CA 90089
About the Cover and Main Story Images
Production and acting alumni from both our undergraduate and graduate programs got together in the fall to explore featured partner The Pasadena Playhouse. Special thanks to Kory Kelly and the staff of The Pasadena Playhouse, as well as alumni Reed Campbell BFA ’18, Simon Chau BFA ’18, Ryan Holmes MFA ’17, Helen Chhea BA ’18 and Lisa Ermel MFA ’18. COVER, L TO R: Chau, Ermel, Campbell, Holmes and Chhea. Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
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THEN & NOW
In 1973, USC broke ground on what was formerly Bovard Field to construct a complex of buildings for the School of Performing Arts, which included the Bing Theatre. The theatre was named after USC Trustee Anna Bing Arnold, pictured, whose generosity allowed the Division of Drama to have a home base venue. The 500-plus-seat theatre was completed in 1976, replacing Bovard Auditorium as a primary performance space for the School. Forty-five years since its construction, the Bing Theatre lobby was renovated this summer thanks to the generosity of The Ahmanson Foundation. Photos courtesy of USC Archives.
INSIDE
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In Support of Future Artists
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Scholarships provide students a chance to pursue their dreams.
Designing the Scene
The multi-talents of design alumnus Ed Haynes BFA ’86.
Welcome to the Board
A Spotlight on the Dramatic Arts
Hilton Als, Lisa Kudrow, Joe Mantello and more visit the School.
Alumni Marquee 22 Donor Marquee 18
Two entertainment leaders join the Board of Councilors.
The Power of Partnerships also: Triple Threat / Exploration of Race and Identity
Seeking Truth Through Art / Plays and Policy
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The Power of Partnerships
Dean David Bridel, who took the helm in 2016, came on board with a five-year plan — and new partnerships was one of his priorities. “From the get-go, I was committed to exploring how the School could leverage its position in L.A.,” says Dean Bridel. That meant two things: partnering with other schools on campus, from the Viterbi School of Engineering to the School of Cinematic Arts; and building bridges to the arts and entertainment scene outside, including various medical, community and civic organizations around the city.
By TIM GREIVIN G
CONNECTING AT A REGIONAL LEVEL
One major new enterprise is an enhanced partnership with The Pasadena Playhouse. The School’s MFA in Dramatic Writing program and its director, Velina Hasu Houston, established the relationship in 2013 with the creation of the USC New Works Festival Year 3 at The Pasadena Playhouse. But Bridel and the Playhouse’s new artistic director, Danny Feldman, have teamed up to forge a deeper friendship between school and theatre company to rival leaders like Yale. In addition to the festival for the third-year MFA dramatic writers, students in the School’s MFA acting program will begin producing a small repertory of plays in the Playhouse’s black box Carrie Hamilton Theatre, getting hands-on experience at California’s historic state theatre with professional support. The ultimate goal is to have students on the mainstage. “This is a brand-new venture,” says Dean Bridel, “that requires a whole other level of collaboration between our School and the Playhouse.” It’s actually a 21st century chapter in a rich tradition at the Pasadena institution. “The Playhouse had one of the leading theatre schools in the world for a long period of time,” Feldman says, “from the late ’20s all the way through the early ’60s. The list of alums is out of control — everyone from Robert Preston and Raymond Burr, Sally Struthers, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman... it goes on and on. The Hollywood studios were transitioning from silent films to talkies, and needed a place to send their movie stars ... So they funded the initial school here, and it really became a destination, second only to Juilliard at the time.” The school closed in 1969, and when Feldman took over, he wanted to revive the idea of the Playhouse as a teaching theatre — but rather than start the school over from scratch, he decided to link arms with USC. “At every aspect of the organization — the professional work we’re doing on our stage, working with some world-class artists — I want students there in some kind of role,” he says, “whether that’s shadowing designers, shadowing directors, eventually (hopefully) being in some shows. But also, just creating an opportunity for theatre students pursuing a career to be working with a professional theatre, to be doing readings, to be doing workshops, and just to have our two worlds intermingle. We’ve already seen some great benefits, even at the early stages.” Because of the Playhouse’s national reputation and situation at the center of the film industry, SDA students will get exposure to world-class artists and sophisticated theatre-goers. “We did a play last year with Al Pacino starring,” says Feldman. “Jason Alexander just directed a play. So I think the opportunity of interaction is unique here because of that, because we are in a major market.”
[ CO N T IN U E D ]
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Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
Los Angeles is the epicenter of entertainment — the home of Hollywood and, increasingly, a hive of innovation in new storytelling technologies like motion-capture and virtual reality. Which means that a world of one-of-a-kind opportunities is sitting right in the backyard of the School of Dramatic Arts... and the School is taking advantage.
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UNEXPECTED COLLABORATIONS
On the cutting-edge front, SDA has a new partnership with a “digital transmedia” production company: PCB. The North Hollywood company innovates technology for videogames, virtual reality, augmented reality and other emerging art forms. It has worked with such film directors as James Cameron and on games including the Call of Duty series and Titanfall.
Students from the USC School of Dramatic Arts, Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and Thornton School of Music gained an unparalleled experience last spring when the world-class art schools combined artistic talents for one of the most relevant musical dramas of our time.
Starting in Spring 2019, PCB will offer a semester-long course for SDA acting students that will immerse them in voiceover and performing training in the arena of motioncapture and VOCAP — which is a new technology PCB invented that allows actors, using a head-mounted microphone, a much fuller range of expression in vocal performance. CAMPUS PARTNERS
Triple Threat
The production of West Side Story was the first time in the university’s history that acting, voice and dance majors blended on stage for a performance presented by the School of Dramatic Arts in partnership with the two other schools. The three schools will again work together for a new musical theatre BFA degree, which will welcome its first class in Fall 2019. The rigorous, cohort-based, conservatorystyle undergraduate program features comprehensive training in acting, voice and dance. “Musical theatre requires all three of our disciplines,” Dean David Bridel says. “I believe very strongly in the professional imperative to constantly seek collaboration between disciplines.”
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CAMPUS PARTNERS
OPPOSITE: West
Side Story rehearsal.Photo by Carolyn DiLoreto.
ABOVE: An
Octoroon. Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Exploration of Race and Identity
“What we’ve noticed for the past 20 years we’ve been in business is that actors sometimes have a difficult time understanding some of the technical limitations or boundaries that we have in videogames or other digital platforms,” says PCB co-founder Keith Orem. “Sometimes they’re acting inside of a box [and] they don’t know what their limitations are, so we wanted to create a program that focused more on the techniques and understanding of the industry.” It’s an expansion of the company’s existing six-week workshops, “Are-U-Game,” and will give students a significant leg up in an exploding performance field. “We’ve certainly had a huge benefit by being exposed to this new generation of actors that comes through, that is developing really great skill sets from the ground up,” says Orem. “Probably 70 to 80 percent of our actors are finding new
The School of Dramatic Arts presented An Octoroon as part of the Suzanne DworakPeck School of Social Work’s 2018 All School Day, an annual educational forum dedicated to dialogue and an exchange of ideas to better communicate across race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability. Students participated in a series of interactive improv scenes about identity and social inequality in relation to social work, and engaged with SDA actors and faculty members to explore themes of racism, classism and sexism.
work as a result of the classes, so we’ve had a really good response. When we realized that USC represents this amazing pool of actors that are looking to expand their craft in all different mediums — outside of not only being in film or theatre or television — it was a great opportunity for us to expand what we were doing, and have a more focused approach for the students.” Beyond these only-in-L.A. partnerships in the world’s entertainment capital, the School and its faculty have reached out to several other, less obvious institutions for rewarding relationships. These include Beit T’Shuvah, a Jewish faithbased rehabilitation center for substance abuse — which provides a practical practice field for Theatre and Therapy students; and the Alliance for Community Transit-Los Angeles (ACTLA), where students practice “invisible theatre” connected to propositions on the ballot. [ C ONTINUE D ]
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CAMPUS PARTNERS
Plays and Policy
In spring 2017, the USC School of Dramatic Arts and Sol Price School of Public Policy created Policy at the Playhouse, an initiative at the USC Bedrosian Center that examines governance through the voices of theatre. “This partnership [allows] the great expertise at the School of Dramatic Arts to deepen conversations...” says Aubrey Hicks, executive director of the USC Bedrosian Center, “The arts are too important to leave out of governance conversations, we must explore what it means to live in our democracy.” Along with conversations about theatrical productions on and off campus, Policy at the Playhouse features a podcast of the same name to bring conversations about Los Angeles theatre to off-campus audiences. Collaborations have also included a panel discussion of the theatre of politics during the 2017 presidential election. In spring 2019, USC dramatic arts and public policy students will join academic forces in a cooperative class created to tackle the issue of mass incarceration and explore emerging models of restorative justice.
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STRONGER TOGETHER
PARTNERS
Seeking Truth Through Art
The Institute for Theatre and Social Change at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, in partnership with Roski School of Art and Design and the California African American Museum, hosted its first conference in April to explore expressive and interactive art as a tool of social change. The event, Radical Fictions: Transformational Art in an Era of Alternative Truth, invited scholars, artists and activists to share their expertise through performance, workshops, discussions and panels to dissect message distortion and false narratives.
“Together, they build fictional versions of doctorpatient interactions,” explains Dean Bridel, “which are then performed in front of a live audience of medical practitioners — who then interrogate those minifictions and explore other options, in terms of how to deal with difficult patients, or indeed how patients might deal with what they perceive as difficult doctors.” There’s also an ongoing, newly-amplified partnership with the Viterbi School of Engineering, teaching improv to engineers, and an upcoming collaboration with the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, where one of the country’s renowned practitioners in Theatre and Aging will demonstrate how theatrical practice can be a tool for offering agency and self-actualization to seniors, particularly those suffering from mental impairment and other forms of memory struggle. Add to that a new and pioneering BFA in Musical Theatre, offered by SDA in partnership with the Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and the Thornton School of Music. The degree, which will accept its inaugural class in the fall of 2019, was an outgrowth of the recent team-up between the three schools — dancers, actors and musicians — on the massively successful, sold-out production of West Side Story. All of these alliances — whether off-campus or not, directly arts-related or less-than-obvious — take advantage of the School of Dramatic Arts’ singular seat in the heart of Los Angeles. And they all tie into SDA’s core mission.
Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
CAMPUS
On campus, beyond natural partnerships with the Roski School of Art and Design (centered on social change) and the School of Cinematic Arts, SDA partners with the Keck School of Medicine. Along with its training in medical clowning, a new initiative called ACT Together brings doctors and other medical practitioners into the same space as theatre artists in the practice of “forum theatre.”
“One of my philosophies about theatre arts practice, or dramatic arts practice, is that it is built on the muscle of collaboration,” explains Dean Bridel. “And because the theatre arts are rooted in communication and empathy as two of their most basic values, that positions us really advantageously, as we are curious about exploring the way that we can intersect with differing disciplines and differing organizations — because we lead with those values.” Tim Greiving is an arts journalist in Los Angeles, specializing in film music. He produces radio features for NPR, Classical KUSC, and Southern California Public Radio, and writes for the Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post.
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SDA Scholarships
Building the School’s scholarship fund is a key priority so that we can offer more merit-based scholarships to future incoming students. For more information about supporting the School of Dramatic Art’s scholarship fund, please email Kim Muhlbach, associate director of development, at muhlbach@usc.edu or 213 821 4045.
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By LYNNE HEFFLE Y
Natalia Leyva Lezcano at the 2018 SDA Scholarship Luncheon.
Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
In Support of Future Artists
E VA N H E L M U T H S C H O L A R
AS AN UNDERGRADUATE theatre major, Natalia Leyva Lezcano struggled daily with financial uncertainty. “I didn’t have a car and I had to work outside of school, so I always had to try to find transportation to get there. My first year, I missed a bunch of classes because I had to work, or I’d go to my classes and then I didn’t have the money to pay the rent. It was very difficult,” she confides. After earning her BFA at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus, Leyva Lezcano applied to the USC School of Dramatic Arts MFA program, determined to continue her training as an actor, even if it meant drowning in student loan debt. When her letter of acceptance arrived, Leyva Lezcano was overwhelmed to learn that she had been awarded the Anderle Family Endowed Memorial Scholarship. “I read the letter three times,” she says. “My reaction was, ‘really, why me?’ I’m coming here to L.A. from Puerto Rico and you don’t even know me.” When she met some of the SDA scholarship sponsors at an informal welcome luncheon, “it was like meeting family.” “To be honest,” she adds, momentarily fighting tears, “I had never felt that kind of support in my life. For the first time, I didn’t have to worry about how I would pay the rent or get a costume or buy books for school. I was able to fully concentrate on my studies and the program.” That security gave Leyva Lezcano the freedom to explore her art in ways she didn’t expect. “Theatre is a beautiful way to show human relationships, that this is what human beings are,” she observes. “And I’ve learned so much about myself. I want to be able to share my art and keep acting, and as a Latin woman, I want to represent my country, especially with all that’s happening now.” Steve Nagelberg and Jerri Nagelberg, members of the SDA Dean’s Circle, and lead donors to the SDA Scholarship Fund, wrote in a joint statement, “We are always moved by the stories we hear and the impact that the dramatic arts is making on students’ lives. We enjoy knowing that our financial support is not only helping the School of Dramatic Arts secure the best talent, but that it is also reducing students’ financial burden so they can fully focus on their training at USC and position themselves for the greatest success in the field.” Alejandra Villanueva, a sophomore in the SDA BFA program, was born in San Diego, but spent most of the first years of her life in Mexico. When her family moved back to San Diego, Villanueva spoke “zero English, so I was a few steps behind in school and that was a huge challenge.” Battling depression in middle school, Villanueva found refuge in pursuing theatre. “I had a drama teacher with her own nonprofit theatre group, where we would go to low income communities to do plays for kids,” she recalls. Her depression lifted and in high school,
Evan Helmuth BFA ’99, a noted film and television actor and a beloved member of the School of Dramatic Arts family, unexpectedly passed away last year. During his time at USC, Evan was recognized for his remarkable talents as a performer when he received the prestigious Jack Nicholson Award for Outstanding Actor. To honor Evan and his time at the School, Evan’s sister Erika, along with her husband Brian Saunders, have endowed a scholarship in his name to be given to BFA acting students. This scholarship is a testament to Evan’s love of the craft, his passion for the School and the many important friendships he forged while at USC. The first Evan Helmuth Scholar arrived at the USC School of Dramatic Arts this fall.
Villanueva participated in theatre- and creative artsbased projects in a variety of ways, from acting to writing scripts and stagemanaging. “I would take every opportunity offered.” Villanueva applied to the SDA BFA program and learned that her acceptance came with a generous scholarship. The impact of this financial support has been profound, she says. Alejandra Villanueva “… people believed enough in me to invest in me and my dream of being in the performing arts, [which] has truly helped me be confident in what I’m studying. It sometimes brings me to tears that people willingly help me and support me in that way, and it has kept inspiring me.” When she felt “shaky” freshman year, Villanueva says, “it gave me that little push that says ‘you can’t drop out now’ because these people believe in you. It’s truly a blessing that there are people out there willing to help someone from my community, to give kids the opportunity to fulfill their dreams. I’m so grateful.” Lynne Heffley is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and editor for print and online publications. She is a former general arts reporter for the Los Angeles Times and is a founding member of The Journalism Shop, the online co-op of ex-Los Angeles Times staffers.
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E D H AY N E S
BFA ’86
DESIGNING THE SCENE
SAY YOU’RE OPENING a restaurant and want an unusual, dramatic interior. Maybe you manage a corporate brand and want an unforgettable, altered reality experience for clients at an industry show. Perhaps you are a band, political campaign or celebrity seeking a dazzling concert design. Or maybe you’re a director for theatre, opera, television, film or video, and need a production designer to put a fresh stamp on a play, music video, narrative film or TV show. In all these cases, your problem would be solved with one call: to Ed Haynes BFA ’86. A theatre design major at USC, Haynes has worked on all the projects mentioned above.
FOCUS ON ALUMNI
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The discipline he learned in theatre design, he says, makes his varied career possible. “The theatrical training, with its emphasis on themes and creating a feeling, is invaluable background for the marketing work,” Haynes says. “In fine arts, you can create something and people will look at
it and admire it,” he observes. “But as a set designer, you’ve got to design things that other people can actually use. … You have to understand it and display it.” The simple truth is, he says, that nearly all theatre designers today work in various creative genres to put together a sustainable career. Here’s another simple truth: set designers do much more than design sets. As Haynes puts it, “The set designer is responsible for the set, furniture, painting, props and anything actors hold that is not a costume.” Haynes likes to make his sets ergonomic and actorfriendly, and he’ll sit on furniture pieces on his sets to test them out. “French Revival furniture is beautiful, but it is really uncomfortable!” he laughs. One of the most valuable courses he took at USC was a course in ergonomic design in the School of Architecture. It was not open to non-architecture majors, but it was in the days of noncomputerized registration, and Haynes enrolled without being detected as an interloper.
By ALLISON EN GEL
The Wiz. Photo by Phillip Hamer/The Muny Theatre Company, St. Louis, MO.
At USC, he learned to work with tiny budgets in seasons that included 20 or so productions. The School of Dramatic Arts play that was his breakout for scenic design was Ring Round the Moon, directed by the late, legendary John Blankenchip. “It was both a pleasure and terrifying working with him,” Haynes recalls. “He demanded your best, and I always walked away learning something new. John was in the (theatrical craft) union in all categories, and his knowledge was vast. He was the Jedi of our order.” Haynes learned to draft by hand, and did so through graduate school, an MFA in scenic and lighting design at the University of Connecticut, and his first eight years as a designer with Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. One of CTG’s theatres is the circular Mark Taper Forum, and dealing with the round stage while drafting was daunting. When an architectural drafting company asked him to test its 3D modeling program, it was
lifechanging. “When I first was able to draw the Taper on a screen, it was magic,” remembers Haynes. “The sky opened up and the angels sang.” The program, ArchiCAD, allows designers to draw floors, windows and walls as they exist in the real world, rather than imagining something and then trying to make it work in the real world. Haynes has worked with that program for 18 years, and is such an expert that he has taught online courses for the company. He supplements ArchiCAD with a rendering program, Artlantis, for applying textures and lighting to his designs. But his process always begins with sketches made in pencil on yellow pads. The yellow pads are important, as they have a quarter-inch scale grid. After the pencil sketch, comes a black and white sketch on unlined paper, as he works to discover a pleasing structure or a repeating motif. Color is added last, and then Haynes transfers his design to a computer. [ C ONTINUE D ON NE XT PAG E ]
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Fences. Photo by Lone Tree Arts Center, Lone Tree, CO.
Haynes grew up in his father’s business “surrounded by carpet samples, paint chips and furniture books.”
Ed Haynes
Some years, Haynes designs as many as 10 theatrical productions outside his home base of Los Angeles. In addition to hours of preproduction research and design time, each outof-town show requires an early production visit, one to two days overseeing the set building and 10 to 12 days of tech rehearsals and previews. His recent show, The Wiz, at The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre somehow compressed all the on-site work into one week to build and paint, and a day and a half for tech rehearsals in an 11,000-seat outdoor theatre with an enormous, 140-foot wide stage. “I was completely and totally floored” when I heard the schedule, Haynes admits. “I called a few friends who had worked there and asked, ‘Is this right?’ ” He learned that, yes, it was right. The Muny puts on seven major productions in eight weeks during the summer. He pulled it off with breathtaking designs. The Wiz was one of his bucket list shows, and he appreciated the rare opportunity to
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incorporate unlimited amounts of fantasy into his design. The Tempest is also on his bucket list, as is working again with Oskar Eustis at The Public Theatre in New York City. Haynes’ design interest started early. His father was an interior designer, and Haynes grew up in his father’s business “surrounded by carpet samples, paint chips and furniture books.” His sister became an architect, and Haynes notes that until very recently, there was always a drafting table in every place he lived. “It was our dining room table for a long time,” he says. In his own home, which he shares with his wife (a theatre director) and 24-year-old twin sons, he prefers the comfortable, sturdy Craftsman style. “My sister favors midcentury modern style and we argue over it all the time,” he laughs. Allison Engel is an author and produced playwright who has been an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor at national magazines. She has covered USC’s six arts schools and Classical KUSC and KDFC radio stations.
Welcome to the Board
The USC School of Dramatic Arts has appointed Lori Furie and Joshua B. Grode, two individuals recognized for shaping the current landscape of the entertainment industry, as the newest members of its Board of Councilors. They will be joining a distinguished group of industry and community leaders tasked with advising the School as a top-ranked institution for dramatic arts education. LORI F URIE is executive vice president, visual effects, at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she has been for 20-plus years. For the first part of her tenure, she was a creative production executive, rising to the position of senior vice president, production, for Columbia Pictures. During that time, she oversaw the development and production of a variety of movies — including Stuart Little, Cruel Intentions and Fly Away Home. While working on the Stuart Little franchise, she became
JOSHUA B. GRODE is the chief executive officer of Legendary Entertainment, a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television, digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media/VR) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions with offices in Burbank, Calif., and Beijing, China — which is the corporate headquarters of Legendary East. Legendary’s properties are known around the world and range from blockbuster successes such as Pacific Rim and The Dark Knight to recent break-out television/ digital triumphs like The Looming Tower and Lost in Space. Legendary’s recent global film projects include Skyscraper — starring Dwayne Johnson and Neve Campbell, and Detective Pikachu — starring Ryan Reynolds, Bill Nighy, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton and Rita Ora. Legendary’s pictures have generated worldwide gross receipts in excess of $14 billion. Grode previously held the title of partner and member of the executive management committee at the Los Angeles law
Board of Councilors Michele Dedeaux Engemann Founding Chair
immersed in the world of VFX and, ultimately, the studio asked her to create and run a VFX department for both Columbia and TriStar. Since that time, she has overseen a plethora of projects — including several installments in the SpiderMan and Smurfs franchises, Jumanji, Men in Black 3, The Walk and Ghostbusters. Furie also oversees 3D for the studio. Prior to working in the film business, Furie spent five years in the music industry working at a booking agency and in artist management. Furie graduated from UCLA with a degree in political science.
Steve Braverman Chair
office of Irell & Manella LLP and chair of the firm’s transactions practice. Irell & Manella is one of the top 10 highest profitable firms in the world and is recognized as the world leader in intellectual property matters. At Irell, Grode focused on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, and day-to-day corporate governance matters. Grode was recognized as a leader in entertainment, media and corporate finance transactions, and was named a “Super Lawyer” each year from 2006-2016, a Variety “Power Lawyer” and a “Leading Attorney” for Southern California by the L.A. Business Journal. Grode was a founder of Summit Entertainment, the successful independent studio that developed and distributed the Twilight franchise film series and was instrumental in the strategy of converting and building Marvel Comics into a movie studio. Marvel Studios culminating in its first release, Iron Man, which launched Marvel’s current super-hero hit making machine and its eventual sale to The Walt Disney Company. Grode also sits on the board of directors of the Special Olympics of Southern California.
Patrick J. Adams Chris Andrews Lisa Barkett Todd Black Dean David Bridel Denise Chamian Michael Chiklis Michael Felix Brad Fuller Lori Furie Joshua B. Grode Donna Isaacson Gary Lask Stacy Lederer Alexander LoCasale Michael Meyers Dr. Steven Nagelberg Byron Pollitt Linda Bernstein Rubin Rik Toulon Noelle L. Wolf Warren Zavala Alumni Leadership Council Alexander LoCasale Chair Adam Blumenthal Kate Cannova John Coffey David Fickas Jaclyn Kalkhurst Devin Kelley Sean Lask Henry Martone Tomm Polos Pranav Shah Adrienne Visnic Parent Ambassadors
A SALUTE TO MICHAEL FELIX The USC School of Dramatic Arts Board of Councilors met in June to thank Michael Felix on his three years of service as chairman of the USC School of Dramatic Arts Board of Councilors. Dean David Bridel highlighted his outstanding leadership in galvanizing and engaging the board in meaningful ways at such a critical time in the School’s growth. Steve Braverman, co-CEO of Pathstone Federal Street and long-time SDA champion, has taken over as chair of the board. Braverman’s passion for the School and his deep belief in Dean Bridel’s vision will help carry the School into this next exciting phase of continued elevation and expansion of programming and facilities.
Suzanne Bruce, MD & Malcolm Waddell Elizabeth & Thomas Dammeyer Scott & Deborah DeVries Kathryn & John Gilbertson Anne Helgen & Michael Gilligan Perry & Hilary Hoffmeister Mike & Stacy Lederer Ernest & Raphael Morgan
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A Spotlight on the Dramatic Arts
Joe Mantello
Multi-award-winning director Joe Mantello, who has directed more than two dozen Broadway productions and has received a Tony Award for best direction of a play and best direction of a musical. He also appeared in the original Broadway production of Angels in America.
Each year, the USC School of Dramatic Arts invites the industry’s most influential artists and leaders for Spotlight@SDA, a series that allows guests to engage with students and alumni through conversations, workshops and master classes. These are the artists from the 2017-18 school year.
Lisa Kudrow
Corey Cano/Capture Imaging.
Gus Ruelas/USC Photo.
Emmy Award-winning actress Lisa Kudrow, best known for her portrayal of Phoebe Buffay in Friends. She recently voiced the mom in The Boss Baby, starred in HBO’s The Comeback and Showtime’s Web Therapy and executive produces Who Do You Think You Are?
Mark Hamill
Gus Ruelas/USC Photo.
Screen and voice actor Mark Hamill, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series and as the voice of the Joker for Batman: The Animated Series.
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Hilton Als
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Chief theatre critic at The New Yorker and 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner Hilton Als, who wrote White Girls, a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, and The Women.
Gus Ruelas/USC Photo.
Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who portrayed Nadi in the film House of Sand and Fog, opposite Sir Ben Kingsley, and as Saddam Hussein’s wife in the HBO-BBC drama House of Saddam.
Photo by Bruce Gilbert.
Kevin Kline
Academy Award and three-time Tony Award winner Kevin Kline, whose roles include the films Sophie’s Choice and A Fish Called Wanda, and Broadway productions of The Pirates of Penzance and Present Laughter.
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ALUMNI MARQUEE
C l as s of 1 9 8 0 s Inga Ballard MFA ’83 can be seen in a Trulicity national commercial and her voice can be heard in a spot called “American Rivers.” She is also a company member of Quick Silver Theater Company.
Cl ass of 1 9 7 0 s
▲ David Sharp BFA ’78 is a professor of spirituality and the arts at The Fox Institute in Boulder, Colo. He also wrote Power For Life: Inspiration Guidance for Daily Living, published by Woodlake Books.
Todd Black ’82 is producer for the Amazon Studios film Troupe Zero, starring Viola Davis and McKenna Grace. Cynthia DeCure BA ’88 served as dialect and vocal coach for the fall world premiere of the play El Huracán at Yale Repertory Theatre. She also co-edited the book, Scenes For Latinx Actors: Voices of the New American Theatre, by Smith and Kraus publishers.
Grant Heslov BFA ’85 produced the film Suburbicon, as well as the miniseries Catch-22 and film Red Platoon. Marguerite MacIntyre BFA ’84 wrote for season five of The Originals. Mark A. Nichols BFA ’81 is the new technical director for Bainbridge Performing Arts. Forest Whitaker ’81 plays Zuri in the Marvel film Black Panther.
ARE YOU AN ALUM OF THE SCHOOL? Tell us what you’ve been up to and we’ll feature it in Callboard ! Email Stacey Wang Rizzo at staceykw@usc.edu.
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USC CALLBOARD
Kristin Carey BFA ’91 appeared in the television series Bull and Speechless, as well as The Fifth Quarter and Too Old to Die Young, and the films The Price of Silence and Philophobia: or the Fear of Falling in Love.
Cynthia Guastaferro is a youth and teens program manager at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga Canyon. She worked alongside many USC students and alumni as a member of the Theatricum Repertory Company. MFA ’80
Cl as s of 1990s ▲ Stacy Latham Alley BA ’96 was appointed as director of musical theatre at the University of Alabama, where she won the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award. As a director and choreographer, recent credits include Virginia Samford Theatre, Forestburgh Playhouse and SummerTide Theatre. Alley serves as vice president of the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance.
Edgar Landa BA ’92 directed The Tempest at Off Square Theatre/ Thin Air Shakespeare in Jackson Hole, Wyo., with Kendall Johnson MFA ’14 as Ferdinand. He was fight director for Center Theatre Group’s Water by the Spoonful at Mark Taper Forum and co-directed Associate Professor Oliver Mayer’s Yerma in the Desert, which starred Anthony Bryce Graham MFA ’10 .
▲ Jason Peck BFA ’97 and Jonathan Winn BFA ’96 formed Thrown Stone Theatre Company, a professional company dedicated to new work in Ridgefield, Conn. Their production of the U.S. premiere of Ross Dunsmore’s MILK was named on the top 10 list of best equity productions in the state. Mykle McCoslin BA ’96 will star in indie drama Run with the Hunted (2019) with Ron Perlman, Michael Pitt and William Forsythe. Written and directed by John Swab, with Jeremy M. Rosen producing under Roxwell Films. Shawn Pelofsky BA ’93 , actress, producer and professional stand-up comedian has her first one-hour comedy special, Stretch It Out, available on Amazon, iTunes and On Demand.
▲ Lani Shipman BFA ’94 is in her 21st year as co-founder and owner of Youth Academy of Dramatic Arts (YADA) and artistic director of Third Street Theatre, both in Los Angeles.
Satiar Pourvasei BFA ’99 and Zachary Grant BA ’15 starred in Skylight Theatre Company’s production of Hostage with Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx BA ’11 as associate producer and Edgar Landa BA ’92 as fight choreographer.
Anthony Sparks BFA ’94 was promoted to coexecutive producer and writer on Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed television drama Queen Sugar. Sparks has also recently sold his television drama, The Deep Clean, to Viacom/BET Networks and will serve as the pilot’s writer, executive producer and showrunner. Danny Strong BA ’96 has been named one of “Hollywood’s 50 Most Powerful TV Show Runners” for 2017 by The Hollywood Reporter for Fox’s Empire. Stephanie Temple BA ’95 saw her play, Anasi, an African Folktale, performed for the New Conservatory Theatre Center Family Matinee Series. Mageina Tovah BA ’99 was up for Emmy consideration for her ASL work with Marlee Matlin on The Magicians. Tovah is also known for her awardwinning film Hux, as well as work in Spider-Man 2 & 3, American Horror Story, How to Get Away with Murder, among others. For over a decade, she was a collaborator with author Ray Bradbury and his Pandemonium Theatre Company. Krista Tucker BFA ’95 is head writer and story editor for Disney Junior’s new animated series Fancy Nancy.
▲ Warren Skeels BFA ’98 is creator and executive producer of MTV’s Siesta Key.
Robin Veith BFA ’96 is set to pen the televised adaptation of Mary Beth Keane’s novel Fever and will serve as an executive producer.
Mike McLean BFA starred as Captain Von Trapp in the 2017-18 national tour of The Sound of Music. ’08
Photo by Matthew Murphy
Amy Willerson BA ’95 has spent her career working with non-profits to improve arts education and artintegration in academic classes. She conducted research on how new curriculum guidelines for non-arts classes can better provide a lens through which theatre students may see the world. Cl as s of 2000s Nathan Agin BA ’03 wrapped the first season on The Working Actor’s Journey podcast as creator and host. The podcast received more than 3,000 downloads in its first 100 days with guests including Robert Pine, Dakin Matthews, Harry Groener, Clyde Kusatsu, Anne Gee Byrd and Armin Shimerman. Erin Carufel BA ’00 was seen in the HBO series Here and Now, and the film Peppermint. Stephen Edlund BA ’09 was associate director for Hello, Dolly!, Meteor Shower and A Bronx Tale on Broadway. Meghan Finn BA ’02 is artistic director of The Tank and will be directing the New York premiere of Pedro Reyes’ Manufacturing Mischief.
Travis Hammer BA ’03 appeared in all seven episodes of Netflix’s Godless. Taylor Hawthorne BA ’08 and Ashley Steed BA ’09 were featured in The Ridiculous Darkness, a satire presented by the Son of Semele group. Sarah Hollis MFA ’08 , Amielynn Abellera MFA ’11 and Abe Martell MFA ’16 starred in Pasadena Playhouse’s production of King Charles III. Eric Ladin BA ’01 was a series regular on History Channel’s Six. Michelle Lema BA ’07 is a content strategist for Oh My Disney at the Disney Digital Network. Regan Linton ’04 is artistic director for Phamaly, a theatre company formed entirely of people with disabilities. Alex Lubischer BA ’09 was awarded a residency at Roundabout Theatre Company by the Tow Foundation. Kelli McNeil BA ’03 wrote her first book, Sleepy Toes, which was published by Scholastic and named “One of the Best Books for Kindergarten” by We Are Teachers. Joy Nash BA ’03 portrayed Señorita Dido in the new season of Twin Peaks and landed the starring role in AMC’s new drama series Dietland.
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ALUMNI MARQUEE
Kevin Marshall Pinkney BA ’05 was stunt double for LilRel Howrey in the film Uncle Drew, and guest starred in ATL Homicide and was seen in the PetSafe/ScoopFree commercial “Catspiracy 2.” Charlotte-Ann Riffey BA was cast as the voiceover for the national LinkedIn radio commercial, the national Sketcher TV commercial and Mattel’s My Little Pony books. ’03
Alexis Roblan BA ’06 , MFA ’09 won the 11th Anniversary Barbour Playwriters Award for The Andrew Play, and wrote Red Emma and the Mad Monk, which premiered at The Tank’s annual Lady Fest.
▲ Nick Rutherford BA ’06 wrote and stars in The Unicorn, a feature film that premiered at SXSW, and wrote and stars in Dream Corp LLC, an absurdist comedy on Adult Swim that is entering its third season. Jennifer Sarvas BFA ’06 was stage manager for Kaiser Permanente’s educational theatre show It’s Stop Time. Stark Sands BFA ’02 stars as Horace Gilmer in To Kill a Mockingbird on Broadway and can be seen in the film The Post, starring Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.
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USC CALLBOARD
Charlie Carver ’12 starred as Cowboy in the 50th anniversary of Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band on Broadway, a play that explores the lives of a group of gay men in 1960s New York City. Carver has also been involved in film, where he has recently played Jude in In the Cloud.
James Snyder BFA ’03 performed as Gus in Beauty and the Beast at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Peter Vack BFA ’09 can be seen in the films The Price and Assholes. Kaily Westbrook Smith appeared as Franky in the film People You May Know.
BFA ’05
▲ Bradford Barnes MFA ’14 performed as Lyons in August Wilson’s Fences at the Lone Tree Arts Center. Kat Belinfante BA ’14 hosted the comedy show Too Much Hot Sauce in Atlanta.
C l as s of 2 0 1 0 s ▲ Claire Adams BA ’15 recently portrayed the titular role in Violet at the Actors Co-op and Medium Alison in Fun Home in San Diego. Other credits include Incognito at Rubicon Theatre Company, The Last Five Years and Lucky Stiff at the Actors Co-op, as well as Hairspray, Assassins and Funny Thing… at the Cabrillo Music Theatre. Film credits include The Remarkable Life of John Weld, Skinny Fat Girl and Slice the Musical. Kristin Avila BA ’12 performed the role of Bulldozer in the first national tour of the original musical Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site with Bay Area Children’s Theatre. The original production, in which she originated Bulldozer, won six Theatre Bay Area awards, including for best production of a musical and best new work, when it originally ran in 2016.
McKinley Belcher III MFA performed as Teddy and Nicholas in Ken Urban’s A Guide for the Homesick at the Huntington Theatre in fall 2017. ’10
Megan Breen MFA ’10 wrote Cynosemma with O-lan Jones and was codirected by Nathan Singh BA ’10 and Sabina Zuniga Varela MFA ’11. Roland Buck III BA ’15 can be seen in the National Geographic miniseries, The Long Road Home, based on the book by Martha Raddatz, and the third season of NBC’s Chicago Med as the recurring role of Dr. Noah Sexton. He is also in the Adam Sandler and Chris Rock Netflix movie The Week Of. Ariana Burrell BA ’12 wrote and directed two one-acts, Ace and Juiceboxes, at Moorpark College in Moorpark, Calif.
Thomas Chavira MFA ’10 produced 33 Variations, which was nominated for eight Ovation awards, including best play (intimate theatre), last spring. He also produced The Man Who Came to Dinner at Actors Co-op. Inda Craig-Galván MFA ’17 has been named winner of the 2018 Blue Ink Playwriting Award by American Blues Theatre. Her play Welcome to Matteson! will receive further development. Allen Darby BA ’13 was recently admitted into American Conservatory Theater’s MFA in acting program. Satchel Dennis MFA ’15 was in Twelfth Night and August Wilson’s Fences at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre PCPA in Santa Maria, Calif. Casey Dolkas BA ’10 is a lead in the feature film 50k and the current face of an advertisement for The Sierra Club. He also recently wrapped on a short film and is pitching a pilot. Liz Frederick BA ’14 directed a production of Fragile Things.
Ellis Greer BFA ’14 and Brandon Rachal BA ’13 were seen in Native Son by Nambi E. Kelley at the Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, Calif.
▲ Jacob Grodnik BA acted opposite John Travolta in the Fred Durst-directed film Moose and began shooting in the film Disturbing the Peace, opposite Guy Pearce. Last year, he was seen in Dear Dictator with Michael Caine, Tiger with Mickey Rourke and End of a Gun with Steven Seagal. The writerproducer just secured life rights to Richard Davis, who invented the bulletproof vest. ’13
Mark Jacobson BA ’11 appeared as a series regular in the Nickelodeon television show I Am Frankie. He starred in the West Coast premiere of Incognito by Nick Payne at the Rubicon Theatre Company and appeared on TV Land’s Lopez and CBS’ Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. Stephen Jensen BFA ’17 was named a “30 Under 30” by Live Design Magazine, a magazine focused on the entertainment design industry.
Corey Johnson MFA ’14 starred in Denim Doves at Sacred Fools Theater Company.
Kapil Talwalkar ’15 landed a lead role on ABC’s upcoming comedic soap pilot False Profits.
Moronai Kanekoa MFA ’13 starred in the film Kuleana.
Sedale Threatt Jr. MFA ’15 stars as Levi in the Freeform drama Siren.
Zachary Kaufer BA is senior director of professional and international licensing at Theatrical Rights Worldwide, a boutique musical theatre licensing agency in Manhattan. ’12
Kyla Ledes MFA ’16 starred in the short film The Sacred Disease, for which she was named best actress in an international film at the New Renaissance Film Festival Amsterdam. The film won Best International Short Film at the festival and also received a Cinematic Achievement Award at the Thess International Short Film Festival in Greece. Jacqueline Misaye Lee BA ‘12 starred in Little Women, a world premiere multicultural transposition by USC Distinguished Professor Velina Hasu Houston, inspired by the Louisa May Alcott novel, and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera. It was presented by Playwrights Arena at the Chromolume Theatre in Los Angeles in Fall 2017. Luke Lenza BFA ’15 coproduced and co-starred in the independent feature film What Are We?, written and directed by SCA alum Jonah Feingold, and produced by SCA alum JJ Rubin. The film cast also included BFA alumni Patrick Reilly BFA ’15 , Nikola Balac BFA ’16 and Alex Szemetylo BFA ’16 .
▲ Victoria Pearlman BA ’16 , Monisha Dadlani BFA ’16 and Marinela Zubovic BFA recently directed and produced the Los Angeles premiere of Sarah Treem’s When We Were Young and Unafraid to a soldout house at The New Collective Theatre in Los Angeles. The show also featured alumnus Paul Stanko BA ’13 .
’16
Shane Paul McGhie BFA ’16 can be seen in What Men Want, starring Taraji P. Henson, and stars in the upcoming film After.
Sara Molinar BA ’17 performed as Mary in River Street Theatre Company’s production of The Speed of Darkness.
Charlotte Spangler BA ’14 starred as Olga in Three Sisters at Elysium Conservatory Theatre in San Pedro.
Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at After Hours Theatre Company.
BA ’11
▲ Dylan McTee BA ’16 stars in the feature film Midnighters, which released in theaters, on VOD and Digital HD. He was also seen on MTV’s Sweet/ Vicious, which starred alumna Taylor Dearden BA ’15 , and in the indie western/thriller The Wind. Kathryn Meister BA ’14 was production stage manager for the tour of Hamlet with the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival and stage manager for a new work being produced at the Professional Performing Arts School with Waterwell Productions, written by Charise Castro-Smith.
Sheridan Pierce BA ’15 was cast as Abigail in Dear White People and as Syd in One Day at a Time, both Netflix original shows. Pia Shah MFA ’13 starred as Leela in the comedic drama Orange at South Coast Repertory. In addition, Shah’s improvised comedic feature film Grass, which she stars in and co-wrote, is now available online at Amazon, iTunes and Google Play. She also voices Qadira in the video game Indivisible on Nintendo Switch. Madhuri Shekar MFA ’13 was selected for the 2018 Bay Area Playwrights Festival for her play House of Joy.
▲ Tiffany Kim Stevens BA ’16 directed Blue Milk, an official selection at the 2018 Beverly Hills Film Festival. She is currently in post-production for her next film, Irresponsible. Photo by Eddie Sakaki
Adrienne Visnic BFA ’14 and AJ Helfet BA ’14 starred in the production Barefoot in the Park at The Lyric Hyperion Theatre. The production also included stage manager Christina Bryan BFA ’14 and technical director Kate Harrow BFA ’14 . Emma Ward BA ’14 recently started on her third project as an associate casting director. She is currently working on Legends of Tomorrow for The CW at Rapaport Baldasare Casting. She has worked on a variety of other casting projects in the last four years, including Famous in Love for Freeform, Lucifer for FOX, T@GGED for Verizon and Beyond for Freeform. Colin Woodell BFA ’14 stars in the television series The Purge and the film Unfriended: Dark Web. Jordann Rebecca Zbylski BA ’12 was cast in Serena Dolinsky’s piece of movement theatre Red Sand at the Santa Monica Playhouse Physical Theatre.
▲ Clare Will BA ’15 plays the lead role of a young neurologist in The Resilient Hearts Project.
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Supporters of Dramatic Arts The USC School of Dramatic Arts would like to recognize the generosity of the following individuals and organizations who have supported the School over the past year towards core programs such as production, professional development, scholarship and the Dean’s Strategic Fund. We recognize at the visionary level those donors whose tremendous generosity has reached the cumulative giving level of $1 million+. Their extraordinary commitment has built the foundation for our continued ascent and future achievements.
VISIONARY CIRCLE
Anonymous* Dr. & Mrs. Peter Bing and the Anna H. Bing Living Trust Steve Braverman* George N. Burns Trust Stephen A. Ellis & Karen Ellis* Katherine B. Loker Martin Massman Trust Robert & Elizabeth Plumleigh —In Memory of Karen Plumleigh Cortney* Alice, Teresa & Byron Pollitt DEAN’S CIRCLE
The Ahmanson Foundation Rama Backer* George & Dyan Getz* Michael P. Huseby Family* Brian & Dianne Morton* Steve & Jerri Nagelberg* PATRONS OF TRIBUTE
Barnett Charitable Foundation* Lionel F. Conacher & Joan T. Dea* Michael & Debbie Felix* Peter M. Jarowey II & Constance M. Jarowey* Seth & Vicki Kogan* Edit & Edward Komberg* Joshua & Siobhan Korman Philanthropic Fund* The Lederer Family* Linda Bernstein Rubin & Tony Rubin* Erika Helmuth Saunders & Brian Saunders —In Memory of Evan Helmuth James & Leslie Visnic* Albert & Bessie Warner Fund SEASON SPONSORS
The John & Jordan Davis Foundation Christine & Gabriel Dassa* Scott & Deborah DeVries* Kathryn & John Gilbertson Perry C. Hoffmeister & Hilary C. Hoffmeister* *Represents multi-year pledge
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USC CALLBOARD
The Kalkhurst Family* Pamela & Mark Litvack* LoCasale Consulting, Inc.* Michael & Melissa Meyers* Melissa Posen & Lawrence Hirschhorn* Lauren & David Rush* Meryl & Marc Winnikoff EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Anonymous The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Adam Blumenthal* John D. and Leslie Henner Burns Family Foundation* The JIB Fund Alexander & Megan LoCasale* Doug & Elissa Mellinger Regina K. Eremia Trust Adrienne Visnic* PRODUCERS
Anonymous Joan Beber Todd S. Black & Ruth Graham Black Owsley & Victoire Brown Elizabeth & Thomas Dammeyer Roger & Michele Dedeaux Engemann Jason Grebin & Lorie Kombert-Grebin Jeff Kribs Gary & Karen Lask Rik Reppe Marshall Sonenshine & Therese Rosenblatt Steven & Ellen Teplitz George & Marla Thorogood Town & Gown of USC Dick & Noelle Wolf DIRECTORS
Chris & Jennifer Andrews Anonymous Randolph & Ellen Beatty Laurie & Todd Campbell Denise Chamian & Richard Horowitz Michael & Michelle Chiklis Alex Cohen Brad & Ally Fuller
Lori & Simon Furie Donna Isaacson & Lewis Henkind Todd & Victoria Johnson Sarah & Joseph Montes Christine Marie Ofiesh Sally & Howard Oxley Robert R. Scales —In Memory of Suzanne Grossmann Scales Robert & Fay Taragan Rik Toulon Michael & Norma Wank Richard & Diane Weinberg Lucy Wrubel Linda Yu Warren Zavala & Sarah Self PATRONS
Patrick Adams & Troian Bellisario Jonathan & Adrienne Anderle Barbara Cotler The Emanuel Bachmann Foundation —In Memory of Emanuel O. Bachmann Tom & Noelle Hicks Melvin & Doris Hughes Patricia Heaton-Hunt & David Hunt Holly & Andrew McCloskey Cathy Moretti Emily & Stephen Reynolds Brian Sacca Lon & Linda Snyder Alice & Joe Torre Ruth Tuomala & Ernest Cravalho J.W. Woodruff & Ethel I. Woodruff Foundation ANGELS
Craig & Sarah Antas —In Honor of Maura L. Antas Theodore V. Arevalo Edward Barlow David Bridel Cleared by Ashley, Inc.
Dr. J. Perren Cobb & Mrs. Cynthia Cobb Christopher & Tammy Collins Els Collins & Jimmie Greene Freddie & Andrea Fenster Jeff & Marie Fishman Laurie & William Garrett Edward & Kelly Gill Christine Crandall Hamparyan David & Debra Jensen Mr. & Mrs. Michael A. Kane Bob & Gail Kantor Meg & Lawrence Kasdan Devin Kelley —In Memory of Paul Backer Marguerite E. Maclntyre & Michael Schaefer Ernest & Raphael Morgan Scott S. Mullet & Jenelle Anne Marsh-Mullet Dr. Willa Olsen Sean & Janis O’Malley Mary Reveles Pallares Tomm Polos Madeline Puzo Tim & Vicki Rutter Pranav Shah Rick & Jeanne Silverman Abe & Annika Somer Jeff & Cathie Thermond Robert & Jane Toll BENEFACTORS
Dr. Terri Albert Thomas Cunningham Anawalt Yvonne M. Bogdanovich Mike Bryant & Jennifer Thibault Suzanne Elizabeth Durrell & Ian Scott McIsaac Dr. David Emmes & Ms. Paula Tomei Terry & Debbie Hammer Keith & Joyce Imai L. Michael & Karen Kelly Chris & Jennifer Miller David & Pamela Patch —In Honor of Kimberly A. Patch Mike & Kristin Poe Courtney & Jackie Silberberg James & Elizabeth Solomon
Michael Charles Solomon Anthony Sparks, Ph.D. & Professor Anita Dashiell-Sparks Beverly Suzuki & Adrian Lopez James J. & Laurie Hom Wen CHAMPIONS
Mohammed & Elizabeth Anis —In Honor of Serena Anis William & Margaret Brown Kimberly Clark-Bailey Joe & Kate Cannova Laurence Cohen —In Honor of Jack Rowe Claudia & Michael Gallo Amy Glenn & Daniel Schuster Collie & Charles Hutter Mark McNabb Pamela M. Monroe Martha F. Oti Elizabeth Querbes Philip & Christina Ronstadt Nancy & Daniel Shore Stephanie Shroyer & Steven Decker Alan Towbin Kelly & Annette Ward Deborah Ann Woll FRIENDS
Harry Abrams John J. Adams Edgar A. Gonzalez Aguilar Darcy Albanese Peter A. Albanese Jr. & Lillian D. Vogel-Albanese Helen & Larry Albright Mona S. Al-Haddad & Marc Sellier Serena A. Anis Anonymous Dee Atkinson Susan Balaban John Ballowe Daralee S. Barbera Christian & Elisabeth Barcellos Sarah Anne Bedo Mark Bevan Michael & Janet Beyries Lauren & Mark Booth Dr. Julie R. Brannan
Christina L. Bryan — In Memory of Paul Backer Julie Budwine Jeffrey & Suzanne Buhai Andrew R. Caddes Michael Cantor Autumn Chiklis Barbara Corday & Roger Lowenstein Lisa & Martin De La Torre Kristen Descombes Harold & Maedell Dixon Casey Ryan Dolkas Douglas S. Dupuy Kirstin Quade Eggers —In Honor of The BFA Acting Class of 2001 Linda E. Ewing Christopher Fager & Corie Brown Lori Ray Fisher & Eric Fisher Melanie Flanagan Johnny & Marie Gillespie Maryellen Gleason Andrew J. Goodman & Carolyn M. Ramsay Matthew Goodman Stephanie & Scott Goodman Zachary Yale Grant Lorri S. Grubaugh & John Barber Richard & Susan Gurman Joanna C. Haffner Roxanne Hart & Philip Casnoff Raymond & Helen Hartung Rhonda & Bervin Hatton Bernd & Cathy Hauschildt Kyle T. Heffner David Aaron Hernandez Charles Hess Mark & Glenda Hilliard Aris Hovsepian Dana Drew Irwin Joanna Humphrey Isaac W. Jay Jeremy Scott Jones Gretchen Kanne
Darlene Kaplan & Stephen Zuckerman Mitchell T. Kaplan Barnet Kramer Kellman Dylan C. Kenin Carlyle King Rabbi Susan E. Laemmle & John Antignas James R. Lane & Jill Reusch Lane Patrick & Elisabeth Ledwell Dr. Dong-Joon Lee & Kaaren McConaughy Lee Mary Lewis L. Liberatore Jennifer Light Mitchell & Karen Light Kimberly M. Linares Stephen M. Lowe Robert & Jennifer Maguire Mark F. Malan Richard F. Martin Marzipan Entertainment, Inc. Nicholas J. Masi, Jr. Bryce C. McBratnie John V. McCarthy Steven McMains Diane & Anthony Medina Michael & Antonia Melon Jasmine Marie Mencias Tyler Miclean David & Jennifer Mitchell —In Honor of Matthew Mitchell Catherine & Michael Moffett Orlando C. Montes Michael J. Moore James & Kathleen Muske Leslie Hiler Osborne Nilgun Ozlu-Tunceli Jeffrey Parker Audrey & William Partridge Timothy James Pauer Kelly Adair Paul Steven Peterman & Susan Duffy Peterman Nancy L. Pierandozzi Lurie Preston Poston Craig Questa
Annette M. Ricchiazzi & Marc T. Blain Andy & Irene Robinson Melissa & David Rothblum James Patrick Ryan Sara Savage & Peter Kaczkowski Steve & Candy Schainker —In Honor of John William Helmuth John & Jennifer Shepphird Lee Isaac Sherman Ashley K. Singh Patrick Skelton Michael J. Skloff Jeffrey & Catharine Soros Norman Stephens & Tracy Fairhurst Margaret and Robert Stratford Ryan Styles Caroline Whitney Summers Charles L. Swick & Linda M. Reilly-Swick Daniel Szatkowski Natsuki Takano Kate Thomas Sarah Timberman & Edward Redlich John & Evelyn Tipre —In Memory of James Durbin Jr. Michael Torres Eric Trules Peter & Nancy Tuz Eleanor E. Vade Bon Coeur Kevin M. Wibberley Wilson Fitzgerald Trust John & Carol Wooton Elizabeth Wright Ross M. Wyngaarden Alexia Zagorsky David W. Zucker IN KIND GIFTS
Els Collins & Jimmie Greene
WE HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER BECOMING A MEMBER.
For more information about giving to the School of Dramatic Arts, please contact Sara Fousekis at 213 821 4047 or fousekis@usc.edu.
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SDA 2018/19 Season of Plays
For more information, visit
dramaticarts.usc.edu/on-stage
Kentucky
By Leah Nanako Winkler Directed by Tim Dang McClintock Theatre | September 27-30, 2018
Street Scene
By Elmer Rice Directed by Robert Bailey Bing Theatre | October 11-14, 2018
BFA Senior Acting Repertory
Scene Dock Theatre | October 11-21, 2018
Bus Stop
By William Inge Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos
When You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder? By Mark Medoff Directed by Nathan Singh Margaret Atwood’s
The Penelopiad
Directed by Lisa James McClintock Theatre | October 25-28, 2018
Happy End
Music by Kurt Weill | Lyrics by Bertolt Brecht Comedy with music, in three acts. Original German book by Elisabeth Hauptmann (“Dorothy Lane”) English adaptation of book and lyrics by Michael Feingold Directed by Stephanie Shroyer Bing Theatre | November 1-4, 2018
#USCSDA
MFA Acting YEAR The Carrie Hamilton Theatre at The Pasadena Playhouse November 8-17, 2018 Detroit ’67
By Dominique Morisseau Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
The Receptionist
By Adam Bock Directed by Andi Chapman
The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window By Lorraine Hansberry Directed by Nancy Cheryll Davis McClintock Theatre | November 15-18, 2018
MFA Acting YEAR Repertory
Scene Dock Theatre | February 1-March 3, 2019
Children of the Sun
By Maxim Gorky In a new version by Andrew Upton Directed by Kate Burton
Gnit
By Will Eno Directed by Andrei Belgrader
Swimmers
By Rachel Bonds Directed by David Warshofsky
The Two Gentlemen of Verona By William Shakespeare Directed by Drew Barr Bing Theatre | February 21-24, 2019
Holy Ghosts
By Romulus Linney Directed by Jay Lee McClintock Theatre | February 28-March 3, 2019
The Busybody
By Susanna Centlivre Directed by Louise Peacock Scene Dock Theatre | March 28-31, 2019
Sunday in the Park with George Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by James Lapine Directed by Kelly Ward Bing Theatre | March 28-April 7, 2019
Rough Magic
By Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Directed by John DeMita Scene Dock Theatre | April 18-21, 2019
BFA Sophomore Show
McClintock Theatre | April 18-21, 2019
New Works Festivals YEAR New Play Readings Presented in association with Playwrights’ Arena | April 2019
YEAR Playwrights Workshop Presented in association with Latino Theatre Company Massman Theatre | Apr 5-14, 2019
YEAR Play Project Presented in association with The Pasadena Playhouse | May 17 & 18, 2019 Eurydice. Photo by Craig Schwartz.