SPRING 2016
EVOKE CHANGE Summit engages dialogue about diversity and inclusion in dramatic arts B Y A N I T A D A SH I EL L - SP A RKS
For in-depth stories about these events, visit dramaticarts.usc.edu/ news Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging.
THE USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS
organized a four-day-long summit in the fall devoted to dialogue around issues of race, gender, culture and identity — not only in our School, but throughout our field. The Diversity Summit served as an enriching, creative and critical catalyst to spark informed conversations among our faculty, staff and students about these complex issues. Throughout the summit’s programming, which included breakout sessions, performances, presentations, panels, interactive workshops and a culmination forum, all stakeholders in SDA were encouraged and challenged to be conscious, authentic and active participants with mutual respect and sensitivity to the different perspectives and experiences represented in the room. A “safe and inclusive” space was fostered and sustained by Interim Dean David Bridel, our guest facilitator, noted playwright and diversity and inclusion advocate and consultant Jacqueline E. Lawton, and alumni, artists, professors and scholars. (continued on page 8) 3
A Message from the Dean A S I LOOK BACK on
Board of Councilors Michele Dedeaux Engemann Founding Chair Michael Felix Chair Patrick J. Adams Lisa Barkett Todd Black Steve Braverman David Bridel Tate Donovan Greg Foster Brad Fuller Michael Gilligan Robert Greenblatt Donna Isaacson Gary Lask James D. Stern Rik Toulon Parent Ambassadors Steve & Abbey Braverman Suzanne Bruce, MD & Malcolm Waddell Elizabeth & Thomas Dammeyer Scott & Deborah DeVries Anne Helgen & Michael Gilligan Ernest & Raphael Morgan Lauren & David Rush
my first six months as interim dean of the School of Dramatic Arts, I am struck by the extraordinary pace of change in the School and the palpable sense of energy in the corridors and classrooms. Our Diversity and Inclusion Summit in November set the tone for vital conversations about equity and inclusion on our stages and in our curricula; Spotlight@ SDA events, including a recent mixer with the School of Cinematic Arts and interview with Oscar-nominee Bryan Cranston, reflect the School’s desire for high-profile collaborations and artist engagement; masterclasses in Acting for Video Games and Performance Capture highlight our curiosity about, and commitment to, contemporary technology and its applications in the dramatic arts. And the energy will continue throughout this semester: coming soon, we are working with Center Theatre Group and LA Stage Alliance on a professional development fair for our students; making plans for a day of exploration devoted to new media and performance; and anticipating the launch of new partnerships that will further connect our work to the
entertainment industry. Look out also for a major announcement about our alumni programming in the coming months. It’s exciting stuff, and we are thrilled to be pursuing so many promising opportunities. Meanwhile, our remarkable faculty — fulltime and adjunct alike — continue their outstanding record of scholarship, teaching and practice within the university, nationally, and abroad, while our staff devote their considerable talents to the maintenance and development of our programs and the student experience. And the students themselves continue to astound us with their abilities, their acuity and their ambitions. Ours is a truly dynamic community. Take a look at Dr. Sharon Carnicke’s journal of her experience directing Chekhov in Norway, or our profile of MFA Acting alum McKinley Belcher III, to witness the kind of extraordinary people that teach and study in the School of Dramatic Arts. It has been, and remains, a great privilege to serve the School at this time. Please, enjoy this issue of Callboard — and stay in touch. ■
Dramatic Arts Welcomes Full-time Faculty, Louise Peacock LOUISE PEACOCK is an Assistant Professor
in Theatre Practice specializing in Comedic Acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. Peacock has taught clown alongside leading Brazilian clown, Angela De Castro, and she is a collaborator and adviser to Contemporary Clown Projects in London. Peacock is an experienced facilitator and deviser of clown theatre performance. Her other great love is teaching commedia dell’arte and creating original pieces of commedia dell’arte performance. She is also an experienced director of comic theatre with recent productions including Carlo Goldoni’s A Servant of Two Masters and Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit. Peacock also enjoys teaching courses which embrace all elements of comic performance from contemporary stage plays to silent film comedy. She is an internationally known researcher in the closely related areas of clown and commedia dell’arte. Her first book, Serious Play: Modern 2
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Clown Performance, is used for teaching in universities across the United States and in the UK. It is also widely cited in a range of books, chapters and articles on clowning. Her second book, Slapstick and Comic Performance, is a ground-breaking study of the ways in which comic pain and comic violence entertain us. In addition, Peacock has published a range of chapters and articles focusing on clown theatre, commedia dell’arte and stand-up comedy. She is currently co-editing and contributing to a new collection entitled Popular Performance: An Introduction, which is due for publication this year. This will be followed by a special edition of the journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, which will explore the ways in which practitioners of popular performance are trained. She is an Associate Researcher of the Centre for Comedy Studies Research based at Brunel University in London and she has given papers at conferences across Europe and in the USA and Canada. ■
—David Bridel
COURSE GLIMPSE
Stand Up Comedy This school year, the USC School of Dramatic Arts introduced a new stand up comedy course that serves as a lab-style environment for students to conceive, write and create their own routines through jokes, bits, sets and more, while teaching students the “rules” that facilitate a healthy stand up dynamic. The Intro to Stand Up Comedy course facilitates students in discovering their voice as comedians and encourages them to access their imagination to shape a stage presence and unique point of view.
FRONTLINES OF ACTING
McKinley Belcher III
WHEN HE CONSIDERED changing
his focus from law to acting, McKinley Belcher III turned to the example of a performer he greatly admired: Denzel Washington, who had transitioned from drama school to a successful career in stage, TV and film. Belcher conducted extensive internet research and, learning that Washington was slated to direct and star in the 2007 film The Great Debaters, Belcher decided to go to the source. He created a resume consisting of one credit: a student production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun in which Belcher had appeared while an undergraduate. A friend helped him create a headshot, and the submission was sent off to the address of the production company that Belcher found online.
Belcher is among the principal cast of the Civil War-set PBS miniseries Mercy Street .
“I had no idea how these things worked,” Belcher recalls. “Of course the envelope was returned in the mail, but for a moment I actually believed something would come of it.” The Atlanta native and 2010 MFA Acting graduate has come a long way since that initial foray into blind auditioning. Now based in New York, Belcher has transitioned extensively between live stage and television with occasional film work as well. He is among the principal cast of the Civil War-set PBS miniseries Mercy Street, which premiered in January, and recently concluded a run of the boxing drama The Royal at Lincoln Center. There is talk of bringing the production of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window to New York in the spring. If this were to happen, Belcher, who starred opposite Kevin Bacon in the show’s world premiere at Hartford Stage, would reprise his role and make his Broadway debut.
Alumnus’ Drive Leads Him to Mercy Street B Y EV A N H EN ERSO N
“He and Kevin have fireworks together,” says Rear Window director Darko Tresnjak. “Even at a young age, McKinley has enough authority that he should be able to pick and choose between TV, film and theatre. He’s that good.”
had a particularly satisfying experience creating the 10-minute solo showcases.
“Anytime you attack something that scares you, and you come out on other side, you get that feeling of conquering something that was bigger than you,” Belcher says. “I grew so much during those two months. It made me think about art, what it is to take on someone who is not you on a whole macro and micro level, and do it well enough so that people see another person.”
Whether working opposite actors like Mercy Street’s Josh Radnor, Show Me a Hero’s Oscar Isaac or Kevin Bacon, Belcher has been gratified to discover that the dedication to the work remains paramount even after you reach a certain level of success.
Soon after leaving USC, Belcher began booking TV spots and he eventually relocated to New York to have greater access to live theatre. Even in his guest starring The son of a substitute teacher mother and a roles, Belcher found opportunities to take father who drives trucks, Belcher was the first on characters that ran deeper than the in his family to attend college. While studying generic “thug #3.” More recent TV roles at Belmont University in Nashville, Belcher have been substantial including a recurring nursed his love of spoken word, poetry, role in the David Simon-produced Show and speech and debate, fully expecting to Me a Hero and Mercy Street, which has go to law school after graduation. But a Belcher playing Samuel Diggs, a free man friend had a role in A Raisin in the Sun and from Philadelphia who learned medicine suggested that Belcher audition as well. The as a doctor’s apprentice, but now needs to production’s director considered Belcher tread carefully as an orderly while working for the lead role of Walter Lee Younger, in a union army hospital in Arlington, Va. but an intimidated Belcher preferred to take on George Murchison instead. “It’s amazing when you get to do something that is entertaining that also manages to be Regardless, Belcher found the experience social commentary and speak to a higher addictive. calling, all in same breath,” Belcher says.
After a brief internship at an Atlanta law firm following his graduation, Belcher knew he wanted to move in a different direction, and he harkened back to the satisfaction he felt performing in that play. He began researching graduate schools and ended up applying to New York University and USC. He was accepted into both programs, and opted for USC. Over the course of the next three years, SDA faculty, such as Andy Robinson, David Bridel and Charlotte Cornwell, helped Belcher get in touch with his body, with text and with the importance of research. He appeared in plays ranging from Alice in Wonderland to Brecht to Shakespeare and
“I hope that’s something I can carry on in my career no matter how high I go,” he says. “It’s all about rolling up your sleeves and telling the truth.” ■
McKinley Belcher III and Shirine Babb in Macbeth 1969 at the Long Wharf Theatre. Photo by Joan Marcus.
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Introducing Our Newest Parent Ambassadors T RI-ST AT E AREA
STEVE and ABBEY BRAVERMAN hail from Engelwood Cliffs, NJ. They have two children — Heather, a sophomore at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and Julia, who is a junior in high school. Heather is a singer and song writer,
Donor Marquee
and Julia is studying piano, bass and voice. Steve Braverman is co-CEO of Pathstone Federal Street, an independent, family and employee-owned integrated wealth management organization. Steve earned a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and attended the Keller Graduate School of Management MBA Finance Program. Abbey graduated from Northwestern University. Both Steve and Abbey have supported a variety of community organizations, and Abbey has
been a leader in raising awareness for families facing the challenge of food allergies through her extensive volunteer efforts with FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). Steve sits on the Board of Councilors of the School of Dramatic Arts and both Steve and Abbey have been tri-state SDA parent ambassadors since fall 2014 and on the Executive Board of USC’s Parents Leadership Circle since 2015.
THE USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS would like to recognize the generosity of the following individuals and organizations
who have supported the School with a gift of $1,000 or more over the past year towards core annual programs such as production, guest artists, 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+ and whose foresight and extraordinary commitment has helped secure our role as one of the leading dramatic arts programs in the country and laid the foundation for our continued prominence and future achievements.
V ISION ARY CIRCLE
EX ECUT I V E P RO D U C E R S
D I R EC TO R S
ANGELS
Dr. & Mrs. Peter Bing and the Anna H. Bing Living Trust George N. Burns Trust Katherine B. Loker Robert & Elizabeth Plumleigh in memory of Karen Plumleigh Cortney*
Anonymous Alexander & Megan LoCasale* Ernest & Raphael Morgan* Oscar & Mary Pallares* Richard & Diane Weinberg
Todd Black & Ruth Graham Black John & Leslie Burns Jerome & Jacqueline Day Tate Donovan Ken & Kim Farinksy Gregory & Marci Foster Laurie & William Garrett George & Dyan Getz Anne Helgen & Michael Gilligan Pat & Cindy Haden from The Rose Hills Foundation Jimmy & Cheryl Miller Christine Marie Ofiesh Steven & Sylvia Ré Aileen & James Reilly Robert R. Scales in memory of Suzanne Grossmann Scales Thomas Schumacher Rik Toulon
Jonathan & Adrienne Anderle Anonymous Joan Beber Yvonne M. Bogdanovich Sara Bancroft-Clair & Pierson Clair The Casa Luca Foundation, Inc. Cleared by Ashley, Inc. Dr. J. Perren Cobb & Mrs. Cynthia Cobb Alan Friedman & Laura Lee Susan A. Grode Melvin & Doris Hughes David & Debra Jensen The Bridges Larson Foundation Mike & Stacy Lederer David & Debra Little Marguerite E. Maclntyre Holly & Andrew McCloskey Brian & Linnell McRee Douglas & Elissa Mellinger Cathy Moretti Sandra Moss Scott S. Mullet & Jenelle Anne Marsh-Mullet Robert & Debbie Myman Dr. Willa Olsen Mark Paluch Joseph & Catherine Phoenix Andrew J. & Irene Robinson Tim & Vicki Rutter John & Cyndy Scotti Rick & Jeanne Silverman Nancy Sinatra, Sr. in honor of my niece Madeline Puzo Abe & Annika Somer Jeff & Cathie Thermond Ruth Tuomala & Ernest Cravalho Gloria A. Vogt-Nilsen Carol & Grover Wilson
S EASON SP ON SORS
Albert & Bessie Warner Fund Steve & Abbey Braverman* Barnett Charitable Foundation* Richard & Lori Berke* Elizabeth & Thomas Dammeyer Scott & Deborah DeVries* Michael & Debbie Felix* Kathryn & John Gilbertson Michael P. Huseby Family* Eric T. Kalkhurst & Nora K. Hui* Seth & Vicki Kogan* Joshua & Siobhan Korman Philanthropic Fund* Michael & Melissa Meyers* Brian & Dianne Morton* Steve & Jerri Nagelberg* Sally & Howard Oxley in honor of Madeline Puzo* Susie & Alex Pilmer* Teri & Byron Pollitt* Lauren & David Rush* Suzanne Bruce, MD & Malcolm Waddell* Craig & Jennifer Zobelein
P RO DUCERS
Anonymous Randolph & Ellen Beatty The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Gail & Jim Ellis in honor of Madeline Puzo Roger & Michele Dedeaux Engemann Brad & Ally Fuller Mark J. & Elizabeth L. Kogan Philanthropic Fund Gary & Karen Lask Sheila & Jeff Lipinsky Moss Foundation Jim & Leslie Visnic Marc & Meryl Winnikoff
PAT RO NS
Patrick J. Adams The Emanuel Bachmann Foundation Barbara Cotler George & Barbara Farinsky in honor of Meg Farinsky James & Margaret Kelly Eddie & Julia Pinchasi Carole Shammas & Darryl Holter Meredith Rowley Anne Tally J.W. Woodruff and Ethel I. Woodruff Foundation Linda Yu
*REPRESENTS MULTI-YEAR PLEDGE
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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Q&A WITH THE NEW AMBASSADORS SAN DIEGO
TOM and BETH DAMMEYER live in San Diego, CA., having recently relocated from Chicago. They have two children — Samantha, a sophomore currently pursuing a BFA in Acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, and Mathew, who is a sophomore in high school. Tom is the Founder and President of CAC LLC. CAC was founded in 2000 and is a private company offering capital investment and management advisory services based in San Diego. CAC is dedicated to partnering with experienced and committed entrepreneurs in businesses with clear growth prospects in large market opportunities. Tom received a BS in Accounting from USC where he also played on the Men’s Tennis team. He has a MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business with concentrations in finance and international business. Beth is a dental hygienist with a degree from Loyola University School of Dentistry in Chicago. In addition to private practice, she has served as adjunct clinical faculty at the USC dental school and Kennedy King City College of Chicago. Both Tom and Beth have served on numerous charitable organizations supporting inner city youth development and education in Chicago. SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
SCOTT and DEB DEVRIES live in Lafayette, CA. They have three children — Madison, a sophomore at SDA, Kaitlin (10th grade) and Ryan (8th grade). Scott was born in New York, obtained his BA from the College of William and Mary and his JD from Hastings College of the Law. He is a partner at the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he specializes in insurance recovery on behalf of the firm’s corporate clients. Deb was born in San Diego and obtained her BFA from Loyola Marymount. While there, she spent a year studying theatre in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Deb currently works as a style consultant for Etcetera–New York. ■
What has been your best experience of being an SDA parent so far?
What are you most looking forward to as Parent Ambassadors?
Bravermans: One of our top SDA experiences to date has been attending the 2015 Trojan Family Weekend activities and to see the amazing community that is SDA and USC. From the Bing Theatre gathering to the pre-football Associates parties and parents dinner, we enjoyed meeting new families and seeing old friends reconnect after many years.
Bravermans: We look forward to expanding the SDA parent network and to helping the School continue to build its east coast presence through more high-visible events and activities. There are so many wonderful alumni to be celebrating and lots of enthusiastic parents eager to engage with USC and SDA. We look forward to harnessing that energy to help the School realize its exciting future.
Dammeyers: One of our best experiences so far has been the opportunity to meet other parents and alumni, who are also closely connected to the School and share a passion for SDA and USC. From events such as Trojan Family Weekend and football tailgate parties, we have felt truly welcomed by the SDA and USC community and have enjoyed connecting with so many members of the Trojan Family. DeVries: Our best SDA experiences to date have been the Trojan Family Weekend and seeing Maddie in her first USC production. During Trojan Family Weekend, we particularly appreciated the opportunity to participate in a small working group with Interim Dean David Bridel and others, in which we were briefed on the current SDA initiatives and had a meaningful opportunity to provide input regarding the future direction.
Dammeyers: We look forward to building the SDA parent and alumni community in the San Diego Area through events and outreach. We hope to provide support of the School’s future programs and activities, and to connect with SDA alumni that can provide guidance and mentoring for both our daughter and us, as parents supporting her artistic journey. Devries: As we move on, we look forward to additional opportunities to connect with other SDA parents, continue to provide input for the advancement of the college and its efforts toward developing a closer relationship with the School of Cinematic Arts, and, of course, seeing Maddie develop and hone her intellectual and artistic skills.
FACULTY IN FOCUS
My Norwegian Vanya B Y SH ARON MARIE CARNICKE
THE NORWEGIAN NATIONAL ACADEMY OF ARTS invited me to direct a production of any
Anton Chekhov play I wanted, using Active Analysis — a rehearsal technique developed by Stanislavsky, but little known outside Russia. How could I resist! First, I love Chekhov. “The pens scratch, the cricket chirps. It is warm and cozy,” says Dr. Astrov in Uncle Vanya. It is as if he and Chekhov (a doctor by training) are prescribing a simple cure for all our frustrations and petty squabbles: stop for a moment, listen, and take pleasure
in the ordinary music of everyday life. In fact, Uncle Vanya is the most musical of all Chekhov’s plays. It builds a crescendo of rhythms and sounds until it ends with an audible exhalation of breath as Vanya’s niece, Sonya, comforts him with “We’ll rest!” My choice of play was made! I boarded the plane, already imagining the cast as a percussive orchestra, performing both story and music. After seven weeks of rehearsals, the actors brought my imagination to life. Each act began with a rhythmic sound poem, composed of
ticking clocks, laughter, a book being dropped, fingers tapping on a table, the absent-minded humming of a lullaby… In the last act, the clicking sound of Vanya’s abacus and a rising wind underscored Sonya’s final exhalation. Rehearsing through Active Analysis vividly illuminated the hidden corners of the characters’ emotional lives. Stanislavsky had laid down the principles of this improvisatory technique while he was under house arrest for theatrical ideas that were banned by the Soviet (continued on page 7) 3
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Award-winning Spotlight@SDA Artist Tony Shalhoub Kicks Off First Official SDA-SCA Mixer
H A R D T O BE L I EV E, BUT TR UE.
Spotlight@ SDA is a series of events sponsored by the School of Dramatic Arts to bring industry figures from stage and screen to campus for interviews, master classes and other interactions.
For the full story and to read more about Shalhoub’s advice and visit, dramaticarts.usc.edu/ spotlight@sda
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Despite their shared interests, there had never been an official mixer between students at the USC School for Dramatic Arts and the USC School for Cinematic Arts. That omission was remedied the first evening of this semester when Interim Dean David Bridel welcomed students from both schools to a Spotlight@SDA program at the Bing Theatre featuring actor Tony Shalhoub who, appropriately, moves easily between stage and screen. Bridel started by giving a shout out to his collaborators on the event, the three School of Cinematic Arts professors who run Comedy@SCA: Jack Epps, David Isaacs and Barnet Kellman. Kellman, a triple threat director himself in television, film and stage, interviewed Shalhoub before the large, engaged audience. Afterwards, the stage was filled with food, drink, sofas — and students from the two disciplines mixing it up. Spotlight@SDA is a series of events sponsored by the School of Dramatic Arts to bring industry figures from stage and screen to campus for interviews, master classes and other interactions. In addition to Shalhoub, in the first three weeks of this semester, the School has welcomed playwright, actor and director Dakin Matthews, actor Bryan Cranston and writer and show creator Vince Gilligan. Shalhoub has received Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe Awards for his inimitable portrayal of detective Adrian Monk in Monk, has been memorable in films ranging from Barton Fink to Galaxy Quest to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and has had a long Broadway and off-Broadway career, with two recent Tony nominations. “Tony moves seamlessly between theatre, film and television,” said Kellman in his introduction. “He’s an actor, writer, director and producer on the filmed side. This is the guy we all want to be talking to. This is the guy we all want to be.” The two became friends when Shalhoub married actress Brooke Adams, whom Kellman directed in a film. Adams was in the audience
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B Y A L L I SO N ENG EL
Jan. 11, as was Dramatic Arts Professor of Theatre Practice Andrei Belgrader, who was Shalhoub’s mentor and professor when both were at the Yale School of Drama. Shalhoub told the students that “some of the most difficult, maddening, frustrating, exhilarating and inspirational jobs I’ve had were experiences I had in the theatre working with Andrei. He would draw out things we didn’t think we were capable of. Once we were able to trust him and trust ourselves, amazing and unforgettable things happened. It was terrifying, really terrifying. I remember how it was all about taking those kinds of risks. Those are the kinds of things I would encourage you to look for, to strive for.” Another piece of advice Shalhoub passed on was that life in the entertainment industry is always one of ups and downs. “It always was a rollercoaster and it will always be a rollercoaster,” he said. Kellman objected mildly. “I’ve known Tony a long time and as far as Tony’s concerned, it’s always his last job and he’s never going to work again. He’s probably one of the most working guys in town.” Shalhoub demurred. “It’s not true I haven’t stopped working. Even short periods of not working feel like an eternity, because you never know when the next thing is going to be. Very few actors know three months, six months, a year in advance when they are going to be working.” Shalhoub said it has served him well to work in film, TV and stage, and noted that more and more people in the industry now move from one to another. “You move through the three and discover that television is a writer’s medium. Film is a director’s medium. But in theatre, he said, “the director can do whatever he tries to do, the writer has established what his vision is, but the exact delivery point is between the actor and the audience. It is changing day to day, moment to moment, and that can be a really wonderful thing. It is really where the actor has the most control. And isn’t that why we are all doing this?” ■
Alumni Marquee Claire Adams (BA ’15) starred as Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at Cabrillo Music Theatre, which also featured current SDA student Tyler Miclean. Patrick J. Adams (BFA ’04) stars as Tim in The Last Match at The Old Globe. Leigh-Allyn Baker (BFA ’94) is the voice of Queen Coralie for Jake and the Never Land Pirates. Troian Bellisario (BFA ’09) stars as Mallory in The Last Match at The Old Globe.
Broadway production of Steve, directed by Cynthia Nixon. Ben Giroux (BA ’07) released a rap video called “Little Dude Anthem.” Margaret Ivey (BA ’11) played Ann in People’s Light’s production of All My Sons, which featured an African American cast. She will return to People’s Light this spring as Lady Anne in Richard III. She is also a proud new member of AEA. Shannon Lucio (BA ’02) is seen as Patrica Lea in the remake mini series Roots. Peter Vack (BFA ’09) is Alex in the Kevin Mambo (BFA ’95) performed offAmazon series Mozart in the Jungle. Broadway in Classic Beck Bennett (BFA ’07) is seen Stage Company’s Mother Courage in Zoolander 2. He will also be and Her Children. featured in the animated film A. W. Marshall (MFA ’00) saw his Sing. collection of short stories, Simple Nichole Bloom (BA ’11) plays Pleasures (ELJ Publications, NY) Cheyenne in NBC’s Superstore. and his play, Pan (Mead/Hill, NY), published in 2015. Roland Buck III (BFA ’14) plays a recurring role on NBC’s Chicago Terri McMahon (BFA ’86) is Med. directing A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare Santa Meghan Corea (BFA ’06) is Cruz. assistant costume designer for Netflix’s Daredevil. James Morosini (BA ’14) performs Katrina Coulourides (BFA ’05) is a as Ralph Berger in Awake and Sing at the Odyssey Theatre. designer at Thinkwell Group. Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx (BA ’11) Veronika Dash (BA ’10) attended most recently directed a public the Cannes Film Festival for reading of the Sanskrit drama her role in the film Youth, Shakuntala by Kalidasa at A directed by Oscar winner Paolo Sorrentino. She can also be seen Noise Within, in collaboration opposite David Strumholtz in the with East West Players, to explore expanding the classical new indie comedy Ghost Team, cannon and present readings of as well as in a Honda selfie classic, non-western plays. He commercial and was recently cast in The Vagina Monologues at also directed a public reading of SDA alumna Madhuri Shekar’s the New School in NYC. new play, Monkey Love, at Cynthia DeCure (BA ’88) was Playwrights’ Arena and a public appointed as diversity chair for reading of Louisa Hill’s new play, the Voice and Speech Trainers Frances and the Argonauts, at Association. She also vocal Skylight Theatre Company. coached the SDA’s production Austin Nimnicht (BFA ’14) is an of Marisol by José Rivera. She is actor and theatrical designer for on faculty at CalArts School of the Leviathan Project for the Theater. World Building Media Lab at the Frank Ferrante (BA ’85) starred in his one-man show, An Evening USC School of Cinematic Arts. Vanessa J. Noon (BFA ’96) was with Groucho, at The Pasadena production manager for the 88th Playhouse. Carl Flanigan (MFA ’96) has joined Academy Awards. Kathryn Poppen (BFA ’08) was Maximum Entertainment as their new managing director and an assistant costume designer at The Pasadena Playhouse for the general manager. world premiere musical Break Francisco Pryor Garat (MFA Through. ’13) played Esteban in the off-
3 My Norwegian Vanya (continued from page 5)
Jeremy Pivnick (BA ’01) is lighting designer for Colony Collapse at The Theatre @ Boston Court. Pete Ploszek (MFA ‘12) is the voice of Leonardo for the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows and performed as Zeb in The Wedding Party. Tomm Polos (BFA ’10) is the current digital spokesman for AT&T. He portrays Owen in the “Owen on the Move” campaign to promote the myAT&T app. Madison Rhoades (BA ’13) opened her business, Cross Roads Escape Games, in Anaheim. Izzy Schloss (BFA ’14) is an actor and theatrical designer for the Leviathan Project for the World Building Media Lab at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Sarah Schuessler (BA ’07) was the costumer for Love the Coopers and key costumer for Mighty Med. Nathan Singh (BA ’10) is directing In the Blood at DePaul University. Jamie Snow (BA ‘07) is casting director for Nick’s Game Shakers. Karan Soni (BA ’11) plays Martin in Blunt Talk, starring Patrick Stewart. Anthony Sparks (BFA ’94, PhD ’12) is currently a writer and supervising producer for the upcoming 2016 television drama Queen Sugar, which is created and directed by groundbreaking Selma-director Ava Duvernay and executive produced by Duvernay and Oprah Winfrey for the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Madigan Stehly (BFA ’14) is a lighting designer at Full Flood, Inc. His recent works include Grease: Live on Fox and assistant lighting design for the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards and 57th Grammy Awards. Danny Strong (BA ’95) is directing Rebel in the Rye, a script he adapted based on Kenneth Slawenski’s JD Salinger: A Life. Kevin Spacey has been set to star with Nicholas Hoult in the drama. Donald Webber Jr. (BFA ’08) was featured in NBC’s musical broadcast of The Wiz LIVE!
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.
tyrant Stalin. Since learning Active Analysis in Moscow, I have put it at the center of my own work. I introduce it in my classes at SDA; I adapted it to cinematic performance capture through a National Science Foundation grant at USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering; and I have taught master classes and intensives on it in France, Finland, Puerto Rico, Australia, Italy and Norway. Yet, rarely have I had the opportunity to use it for a full production as I did in Norway. Moreover, my cast were actors to whom I had previously taught the basics. As the actors and I actively analyzed Chekhov’s text through improvisations, the interpersonal dynamics at the heart of each scene became clear and every line, necessary. For example, Astrov’s leave-taking at the end of the play usually marks the end of Sonya’s hope for a relationship with him. After his obsessive infatuation with her stepmother, such an interpretation seems to make logical sense. But one of Astrov’s last lines to Sonya contradicts this presumed finality. “If you need me,” he says, “call me and I will come.” Doesn’t this question open the door to renewed hope? When Leo Magnus de la Nuez (playing Astrov) and Maria Austgulen (as Sonya) improvised a prior scene in which Sonya helps Astrov get a stolen bottle of morphine back from her suicidal uncle, Leo suddenly saw Maria’s kindness toward Vanya as exactly what Astrov most craves. At this moment, he sees Sonya anew and falls in love. Later, when he invites her to call upon him, he genuinely means it. Leo and Maria also confided to me that, since making this discovery, they always imagined Astrov stealing a kiss from Sonya as he climbed into his carriage. The stunningly beautiful and emotionally moving production of Onkel Vanja premiered in Oslo on October 20. As I watched spectators laugh, cry, and laugh again, I imagined that my Norwegian Vanya would have pleased Dr. Chekhov, too. ■ Sharon Marie Carnicke is Professor of Dramatic Arts and Slavic Languages and Literatures. Her many publications include Stanislavsky in Focus, Reframing Screen Performance, Chekhov: 4 Plays and 3 Jokes, and Checking out Chekhov.
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3 Evoke
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This “safe and inclusive” space was also cultivated by participants to strategize action steps for our School. Through the important work of the weekend, the School committed itself to the following: ● An undergraduate literary committee comprised of faculty, staff and students (that will work to assist in the play selection for our season of plays); ● an Inclusion and Equity Committee including faculty, staff, students and alumni (dedicated to the continued work the event started); ● strong collaboration with the Provost’s Office and the Office of Student Affairs to use SDA performances and workshops to help address issues of campus climate throughout the University; ● a masterclass led by Tony-nominated actress Michelle Shay, which was held mid-January on the work of August Wilson; ● and ongoing educational workshops and the creation of a database with resources on diversity and inclusion for students, faculty and staff.
As alumni, parents, donors and friends of our School, we look to you for assistance, for guidance and support. Together, we, the SDA family, will create a stronger school, a stronger university, and even be instrumental in creating a stronger discipline. ■ Anita Dashiell-Sparks is an Associate Professor of Theatre Practice at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, who coordinated the Diversity and Inclusion Summit in her capacity as the School’s Diversity Liaison. Dashiell-Sparks is also founder of Building Bridges Community Outreach, has performed on stage from regional theatres to Broadway, and has directed productions throughout the country, such as The Pasadena Playhouse and Black Theatre Festival. This spring, she is directing Kia Corthon’s Breath, Boom for the School of Dramatic Arts.
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As we effectively implement the above‐ mentioned initiatives, our School will serve as a model and standard-bearer for theatre training programs nationally and internationally.
When this summit was in its planning stages, few people foresaw the events, protests, rallies, resignations and calls to action about racist and discriminatory practices and pedagogy on innumerable college campuses across the country. The timing of our Diversity Summit was propitious indeed and further affirmed the immediate and urgent need for this type of work and for this type of active engagement and dialogue. As was often stated during the summit, we, as artists, are well suited to heed the call and lead in offering a critical and creative space through the fusion of performance and dramatic and critical literature, to address these issues, not only within our School, but within the larger campus climate of the university.