“Nothing gives me more pleasure than helping the underdog grab the gold ring. I root for people to win. I came out of my shell late in life, blooming very late, so I understand being shy.” — Vicki Lewis
Vicki Lewis and Phil Allen. USC Photo/Gus Ruelas
FALL
Finding Their Voice:
Students Sound Off in Unique Class By Allison Engel
THINK OF VICKI LEWIS AND PHIL ALLEN AS VOICE DETECTIVES. With a state-of-the-art sound studio and their years of professional experience, they help USC School of Dramatic Arts students find voices and characters they didn’t know they possessed. They make startling discoveries. Lewis, an actor with a long list of top industry credits, uncovers hidden talents by giving rapid-fire directions to students standing in the booth.
shows (as well as having a slew of live theatre, film and TV credits), says she tries to get students to “make the biggest choice possible and go with it, even if they aren’t sure.”
“Pitch him a little more nasally and nerdy.”
The duo, who are married, teach voice classes to MFA, BFA and BA students, focusing on characters for radio and television commercials, children’s and prime-time animation, video games and films. It’s an increasingly important market for actors, but few other universities offer the instruction.
“Put a really big lisp on it.” “Give her a British accent.” “Speed the line so it’s absolutely crazy-making.” “Take the choice that’s big for you and make it 1,000 times bigger.” Lewis deliberately doesn’t give the students time to mull over her directions. “Go!” she commands, getting students to take the risk before they censor themselves.
USC Photo/Dietmar Quistorf
At her urging, shy students will try a falsetto, a Southern accent, speak like an entitled Valley girl or growl like a creepy convict. More often than not, the rest of the class — listening on headphones at their desks — erupts in delighted laughter at the vocal transformations. Allen, who’s been teaching the Voice-over Acting class with Lewis for five years in a state-of-the-art studio in the McClintock Building, has witnessed new characters bubbling up hundreds of times. Student Grace Dewson in a voice-over acting class.
“They almost never see it coming,” he says of the students asked to stretch themselves. “They say it, get the reaction and then look three feet taller in the booth.
Demo reels and digital auditions Lewis, who has voiced animated characters in Finding Nemo, Wonder Woman, Alpha and Omega, Scooby Doo, King of the Hill, Rugrats and other films and television
Dean Madeline Puzo suggested the course, and when Allen researched other schools for curriculum ideas, he came up empty. Most prospective voice-over actors pay a commercial studio to create a demo reel, he says. Students in these classes learn how to record and edit their voices, how to assemble a professional demo reel and how to submit themselves digitally for an audition. Their assignments are actual commercials and script “sides,” which they perform one by one in the booth, with instant feedback from Lewis. Allen records their efforts and posts them digitally for students to edit into their reels. Allen, an experienced sound designer for Broadway, national tours, top regional theaters and venues such as the Hollywood Bowl and Universal Studios Hollywood, also created the sound design BFA degree at the School of Dramatic Arts, a unique program offered at only a few other universities. The School’s first majors graduated in 2013. The voice-over class has been key to numerous students getting agents. One MFA student booked an assignment on the Disney film Planes during her last week of class. Finding Their Voice
CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE
A Message from the Dean Although the 2014-15 year has just begun, it has already proven to be exceptional. We welcomed a very enthusiastic freshman class and the largest number of transfers in our history this year, and we already have many exciting happenings lined up for the semester. In October, we are presenting an exploration of Medical Clowning in two special events for USC Visions & Voices: • On October 6, Can Clowns Heal? The Uses of Medical Clowning, a lecture by Dr. Atay Citron will take place to discuss the healing power of laughter and humor. Citron, a professor and drama department chair at the University of Haifa, created the Medical Clowning undergraduate and graduate programs at the Israel-based university and has seen graduates of the program go on to work at more than 25 hospitals in the country. • On October 7, we will welcome Wellington Nogueira Santos, a leader of the Brazilian organization Doutores da Alegria (Doctors of Joy), who will be screening a documentary about the organization’s work. Also in the fall, we are welcoming a group of acting students from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, one of the most prestigious performing arts university in China. They will be observing classes, meeting with faculty, participating in workshops, and visiting studios and industry professionals. Through these events and programs and many others we have planned for the year, we hope to demonstrate the collaborative and boundary-pushing artistic spirit that lives in all aspects of the School. And, as you will read in this issue of Callboard, the featured stories also embody just that — from a trio conceptualizing and producing a web series that is now featured on Hulu to an alumnus utilizing his training as a lawyer and to the discoveries our voice-over students make in our state-of-the-art sound studio. I hope you enjoy this issue, and I hope you will stay in touch with us by visiting our beautiful newly redesigned website at dramaticarts.usc.edu.
USC School of Dramatic Arts Board of Councilors Richard Weinberg (Chair) Michele Dedeaux Engemann (Founding Chair) Patrick J. Adams David Anderle Lisa Barkett Todd Black Tim Curry Tate Donovan Michael Felix Greg Foster Michael Gilligan Robert Greenblatt Susan A. Grode Donna Isaacson Mark Kogan Gary Lask Sheila Lipinsky Martin Massman Jimmy Miller Madeline Puzo Thomas Schumacher James D. Stern Andy Tennant Allison Thomas Rik Toulon
And come back to USC and see one of our productions. I am sure they will make you proud! ■
Madeline Puzo
The Website Has a New Look The USC School of Dramatic Arts is excited to announce the launch of our newly designed website, located at the same address at dramaticarts.usc.edu. Our new site displays an even more dynamic experience for prospective and current students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni that is exciting, sleek and, above all, functional. Among its new features includes a responsive design that also adapts to mobile and tablet device usage, easier navigation and a compelling home page. Please check the website often as we will be updating it regularly with breaking news, exciting events and announcements, and more. Also, if you experience any problems using the new website or if you have any suggestions, contact us at webmaster@sda.usc.edu. ■
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Photos courtesy of Complete Works
Family Affair
Complete Works Series Showcases Trojan Talent
Joe Sofranko (BFA ’09), Lili Fuller (BA ’09) and Adam North (BA ’09) may have created their web series Complete Works after the three former classmates at the School of Dramatic Arts had left the Halls of Troy for that ominous beast known as “the Real World.” But without the help of the School, its faculty and several alumni, there would be no Complete Works. The five-part series premiered on Hulu in the spring to coincide with William Shakespeare’s 450th birthday. From a Trojan perspective, the real celebration took place in mid-September when the co-creators hosted a screening of the full series on campus and acknowledged a roomful of SDA supporters who helped make the two-and-a-half-year, $45,000 endeavor possible. The bulk of the cast and crew members were classmates, faculty or alumni. Composers and editors were students in different departments at USC. Day players, grips, set decorators, interns and volunteers all lent a hand, many working free of charge or at a fraction of what they might have earned on a larger budget project. When the outdoor amphitheater that served as a principal location in the series was being constructed, former SDA Dean Robert R. Scales was one of the builders.
wait for something to happen. Go put up a show. Go make a movie. I think that mentally helped us after graduation.” Sofranko agrees, harkening back to the advice of fellow classmate (and 2014 SDA commencement speaker) Troian Bellisario (BFA ’09). Bellisario’s wisdom came after Complete Works was complete, but it very much applied to the creation of the series. “She talked a lot about creating your own work and how that is the best thing you can do when you’re out of school, especially when you don’t know what to do next,” says Sofranko. “…We felt like, you know, let’s dig our teeth into something.”
From producing to hair and make-up assistance to composing, about 90 Trojans participated in the creation of Complete Works.
Perhaps even greater than all the physical, emotional and financial assistance provided by their classmates and colleagues was the belief — fostered at USC — that these kinds of ambitious endeavors were worth attempting.
Complete Works follows the comedic and occasionally cutthroat exploits of six young men and women who are vying to win a collegiate Shakespeare competition. Sofranko (the series co-writer and co-director with North) stars as Hal, a naïve Midwesterner whose ambitions grow the deeper into the competition he gets. Fuller (executive producer) plays Pauline, another contestant and Hal’s sometimes conscience.
“When we were at USC, there was so much great student theatre, so much excitement and energy and we were putting stuff up all the time,” says Fuller, who started the Boom Kat Theatre while on campus. “We learned you can do that. You don’t have to
In 2004, as a high school junior, Sofranko won the National Shakespeare Competition (NSC) that served as the inspiration for the Complete Works contest. He met Fuller the following year when the two were both in the YoungArts festival in Miami. Shortly
Fall 2014
By Evan Henerson
thereafter, they met North at USC. Between their work in department and student-initiated projects, all three were hugely active during their four years at SDA — mounting up to seven shows per semester with all the attendant rehearsals and prep time. “It was the life,” says Fuller, who still choreographs regularly for the School. “But then after graduation, we were creatively frustrated. Theatre in L.A. is not as supported as film and television. People don’t go to plays as much as we would love them to. Theatre takes a lot of work and there’s not a lot of financial gain.” There is a certain…er…dramatic irony that the producers chose a stage-themed project to turn into a feature length film. Harkening back to Sofranko’s experience at the NSC, the Complete Works team set out to explore — in a comic way — whether art can flourish in a competitive environment. What started out as an idea for a quick hit short film developed and the script expanded. The creators launched an Indiegogo campaign and shot the project over 20 days in the summer of 2012. Several networks passed on the project before Complete Works landed at what had been their desired destination all along: Hulu. This meant that the episodes had to be recut into five 25-minute segments. The creators hope it has a life with high school and college theatre programs. Regardless, the project stays on the web in perpetuity, a monument to their achievement. “All three of them are extremely focused, and the fact they got this together on their own, put their noses into it and kept it there is amazing to me,” says an admiring Michael Keenan, an SDA faculty member who taught all three and played one of the competition judges. “It was marvelous to see them branch out.” ■
dramaticarts usc.edu 3
In Memoriam
Alumna Diana Gibson Leaves Impression on Theatre Even as a young USC student, Diana Gibson (BFA ’67 & MFA ’72) was making an impact on the Los Angeles stage and beyond. A dual major in drama and painting, and recipient of the prestigious Cole Porter Award, Gibson — to say the least — was a highly active artist. The producer, writer, director, actress and longtime subscriptions director in the Los Angeles area passed away on July 17. She was 69.
Diana Gibson
Born in Iowa, Gibson ventured to Los Angeles to study at USC for her degrees. As a member of and performer in the USC-
USA Festival Theatre Company, she wrote and directed folk-rock musicals, The Word and Words and Pictures — each toured internationally. The Word, based on the Old Testament, went on to perform at the Cochrane Theatre in London and Edinburgh Festival Fringe; while Words and Pictures toured nine American Houses in Germany, the Cambridge Arts Theatre in England and the Edinburgh Fringe. The alumna also wrote a rock musical adaptation of the Cinderella story, which was directed by Jack Bender (’71) at USC, and performed at the Los Angeles Performing Arts Festival and Baby Steps.
For her several decades in the theatre, Gibson made a lasting impression. She served at the Cast Theatre in Hollywood in various capacities, starting as a literary manager in 1984 to artistic director at the end of her stint in 1999. In her 10-year tenure as artistic director, she oversaw the world premieres of Avenue A and Melody Jones — both of which won Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards — and 10 acclaimed world premieres by playwright Justin Tanner. Gibson spent the last 15 years of her theatre career as the subscriptions director at the Fountain in Hollywood. ■
Donor Marquee 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. VISIONARY CIRCLE
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 SEASON SPONSORS
The Ahmanson Foundation Steve & Abbey Braverman Eric T. Kalkhurst & Nora K. Hui Craig & Jennifer Zobelein EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Richard & Lori Berke Michael & Debbie Felix Brian & Dianne Morton Sally & Howard Oxley in honor of Dean Madeline Puzo Therese Rosenblatt & Marshall Sonenshine Richard & Diane Weinberg PRODUCERS
Anonymous Barnett Charitable Foundation MaryLou Boone In memory of John R. Bukowiec Tate Donovan Roger & Michele Dedeaux Engemann Mark J. & Elizabeth L. Kogan Philanthropic Fund 4
Gary & Karen Lask Sheila & Jeff Lipinsky Ernest & Raphael Morgan Susie & Alex Pilmer David & Lauren Rush Jim & Leslie Visnic DIRECTORS
Anonymous David Anderle Randolph & Ellen Beatty Todd Black & Ruth Graham Black Suzanne Bruce, MD & Malcolm Waddell Gregory & Marci Foster Marvin & Cookie Friedman Anne Helgen & Michael Gilligan Susan A. Grode Tom & Noelle Hicks Donna Isaacson Alexander & Megan LoCasale Jimmy & Cheryl Miller Oscar & Mary Pallares Teri & Byron Pollitt Aileen & James Reilly Robert R. Scales in memory of Suzanne Grossmann Scales David & Rebecca Scaramucci Thomas Schumacher James D. Stern Allison Thomas & Gary Ross Rik Toulon Nancy & Peter Tuz J.W. Woodruff and Ethel I. Woodruff Foundation
PATRONS
Patrick J. Adams Anonymous The Emanuel Bachmann Foundation Angela & Amir Bozorgmir Barbara Cotler Gail & Jim Ellis in honor of Madeline Puzo Paula Holt Elizabeth C. Noble Teri & Gary Paul Eddie & Julia Pinchasi Meredith & Drew Rowley Ruth Tuomala & Ernest Cravalho ANGELS
Mohammed & Elizabeth Anis Susan & David Berck John & Leslie Burns Sara Bancroft-Clair & Pierson Clair Linda Chester & Kenneth Rind in honor of Howard & Sally Oxley Caroline Jin Choi Adrienne H. Cohen The Del Conte Family Debra & Gary Fields in honor of Lauren Fields Richard Frankosky & Elaine Eliopoulos Laurie & William Garrett Ashley & Shelley Grant in honor of Zachary Grant Molly & David Helfet Jeffrey P. McKee Foundation David & Debra Jensen James & Margaret Kelly
The Bridges Larson Foundation John & Laura Langford Steve & Cynthia Lynch Marguerite E. Maclntyre Scott S. Mullet & Jenelle Anne Marsh Gordon & DeEtte Mountford Robert & Debbie Myman Sylvia Neil in honor of Richard Weinberg & Diane Stilwell Andrew J. & Irene Robinson Robert & Mary Ellen Rowan Cyndy & John Scotti Rick & Jeanne Silverman Nancy Sinatra, Sr. in honor of my niece Dean Puzo Carol and Grover Wilson Linda Yu DONATIONS IN KIND
Jean A. Black Els Collins Jeffrey de Caen Rosemary Gabledon Mark Malan Judith Parker Tamara Ruppart & Kevin Zvargulis We have taken care to list names and gift designations accurately. If you believe there has been an error or omission, please contact Development Assistant Kathy Morgan at 213.821.4262 or kdmorgan@usc. edu. Thank you for your support.
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.
GLOBAL IMPR I N T
Professors Share Work Internationally THE SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS faculty members continue to make an impact with the breadth of their work nationally and internationally. Here are some of our professors’ recent and exciting projects that have made a global mark: Associate Professor of Theatre Practice and Director of MA in Applied Theatre of Arts Brent Blair — who was in Kolkata, India, with our MA in Applied Theatre Arts students for their foreign externship in the summer — recently presented at conferences and led workshops in Iran, South Africa, Mozambique and the Ukraine. Additionally, he worked with the Global Leadership Fellows of the World Economic Forum in the fifth annual intensive arts training workshop in New York and will be presenting in the pan-African Theatre of the Oppressed conference in Senegal, Africa, this fall. Associate Professor and Director of Critical Studies Meiling Cheng presented at the Performance Studies international (PSi) conference in Shanghai this summer. Professor Velina Hasu Houston’s musical, Cinnamon Girl, participated in the Peking University Musical Theatre Festival in Beijing. The Director of Dramatic Writing and Associate Dean of Faculty Recognition & Development also recently returned from Hiroshima, Japan, where she was researching for a new play and screenplay under the auspices of an Aurora Foundation Fellowship. Associate Professor of Theatre Practice David Bridel taught a master class at the Beijing Film Academy last spring. Bridel, Associate Dean of Global Initiatives and Director of MFA in Acting, as well as Dean Madeline Puzo attended a conference with the Shanghai Theatre Academy, where they began to discuss in depth the nature of possible future collaborations. Bridel also organized the Medical Clowning events this fall, inviting three visitors from Israel for the Visions and Voices: The Arts and Humanities Initiative. Professor Sharon M. Carnicke traveled to Norway twice this year — first, to teach a 10-day intensive for actors at the National Academy of Arts and next, to work with two leading directors from the National Theatre in Oslo. In addition to the aforementioned creative collaboration, the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs regularly works with the National Institute for Dramatic Arts in Australia, and has been meeting with the current class of MFA directing students via Skype. Also, her book, Stanislavsky in Focus, is currently being translated into Chinese. ■
Fall 2014
Showcase Presents on the East Coast FOR THE FIRST TIME, the USC School of Dramatic Arts expanded its annual Acting Showcase to include New York last spring. The East Coast presence, in addition to our recurring Los Angeles event, was a success in which approximately 250 casting directors, agents, managers and directors were in attendance. To share about his experience as one of the showcased artists, recent MFA Acting graduate Corey Walter Johnson recollects his time in New York and performing in the inaugural event.
A Glimpse of New York I was on the 14th floor of the Times Square office building I worked in 10 years prior. Life tends to loop in on itself every now and then, doesn’t it? I sat waiting in an office that wasn’t much bigger than the elevator I rode in. After about 25 minutes of quiet sitting, she buzzed in — the agent I was there to meet with after our N.Y. showcase. She invited me into the back area of the office where I sat, waiting in a valley surrounded by mountains of paper, piles of Broadway playbills and headshots spanning back to the early ’80s. I was in the belly of New York City. She finally returned with a half-eaten cheese sandwich on a bagel. When the actual meeting finally commenced, I was reminded of that old brand of New York City craziness that somehow still manages to be a legitimately functioning and soulful worker. “I love it when my clients do Shakespeare. It helps keep them sharp,” she said in her Long Island accent. It’s a comment I haven’t heard as much meeting with agents in Los Angeles. She asked me questions about playwrights and theatres I want to work at,
By Corey Walter Johnson
and demonstrated that although she may not respect my time, she respects my training. Meeting with a variety of industry professionals is part of the Showcase experience. For three performances at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the MFA and BFA/BA Class of 2014 performed an array of scenes and monologues for audiences of New York casting directors, agents, managers and directors. Under the guidance of professors David Warshofsky, Stephanie Shroyer and Michael Keenan, we chose material from plays, movies and original works that showcased our range and commercial viability. Not only did we showcase ourselves, but we showcased the USC School of Dramatic Arts. As more and more alumni are making the journey eastward to grace the concrete jungle with their artistry, it is exciting that USC is among the training programs to be featuring talent in New York. I’m so grateful and proud to have been a part of this step in sharing our work in a city where theatre and bagels thrive. ■
Corey Walter Johnson
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Training for the Courtroom
Lawyer Alumni Utilizes Dramatic Arts Degree By Lynne Heffley A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL lawyer in the Dallas area, Stephen D. Wilson (MFA ’89) is a partner at international law firm Locke Lord with a practice that includes intellectual property and anti-trust law. This may not have been the path that Wilson envisioned as a graduate student at the USC School of Dramatic Arts, but the skills that he acquired there have not only proven transferable, but deeply relevant to his legal career. And not just in regard to “being able to stand in front of a group of people and make yourself heard, direct the focus…and make it dynamic and interesting,” Wilson says. “Those are all things you learn on stage. The more Stephen fundamental skill is understanding D. Wilson people and their problems and approaching those empathetically, sympathetically.” As “a service brat” who lived all over the U.S. and Europe while growing up, Wilson found his interest in theatre first kindled as a third-grader in Rome when a classmate “got cold feet” on the eve of a production of Little Red Riding Hood and Wilson stepped into the role. He came to USC’s MFA program on a full scholarship after his graduation from the University of Virginia with a double major in theatre and English literature. Five years after earning his theatre degree, he reconsidered his career options and opted for law school, inspired by another childhood interest: His grandfather’s experiences as a trial lawyer and judge in West Virginia. “I had read his books as a child — he selfpublished books about his legal practice — so I had some idea about this profession. I also thought the skill set would be transferable.”
So it turned out. False advertising is one area of his practice that Wilson views in some ways through the lens of his theatre training. “Just understanding things that make an impact: color and rhythm and innuendo. I don’t think you have to have had a drama degree to see that,” he says, “but it certainly doesn’t hurt to have been immersed in that world.” When it comes to the deeper understanding of human interaction that is “applicable to any career,” Wilson credits USC Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Stanislavsky expert Professor Sharon M. Carnicke, and former theatre faculty member Steven Book (author of Book on Acting, Improvisation Technique for the Professional Actor in Film, Theater & Television) as major influences. Carnicke, for whom Wilson was a teaching assistant, had just embarked then on what would become her ground-breaking work, now in its second edition: Stanislavsky in Focus: An Acting Master for the 21st Century. “‘Getting outside yourself’ was Sharon’s understanding of Stanislavsky,” Wilson says, “and it was Steven’s approach to improvisation.” Rather than viewing acting as “this sort of inward looking craft, it was about imagining the character and getting completely outside of yourself as much as possible,” he says. “It was about understanding ‘the other’ in every way that you could.” Carnicke, who stays in touch with many of her former students, remembers Wilson’s curiosity about “the intellectual underpinnings” of theatre as an art and
in its practice, and his interest in understanding “the quality of human interaction,” she says. “Steve has often told me that the idea of getting to know that other person from a kind of imaginative internal place is invaluable to arguing a case on behalf of that person,” she says. “If you can see the world from the other guy’s perspective, be that the protagonist or the antagonist, then you understand how the interaction works.” “That’s always been my approach,” Wilson says. “It’s also a kind of logic that I like to think of as analogic, as in analogy. If you think about it, to some degree, all of our thinking is analogical. That’s what you’re doing on the stage — explaining to the audience that ‘this is what it’s like to be a king whose wife died,’ or whatever” — and that is useful for understanding problems and for communicating ideas to others, “whether it be your immediate co-workers, an executive committee in some manufacturing business…or a jury at trial.” The emphasis in recent years on the value of mathematics and science has come at a cost, says Wilson, whose life also includes pro bono work and volunteer time with Habitat for Humanity. “I don’t disagree with that line of thinking, but I think it grossly undervalues the liberal arts. And I think people often don’t think of a drama degree as being a serious academic pursuit, and it is. It’s not just applicable to other endeavors. It can be applicable to how you live your life.” ■
THE USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS WANTS TO SHARE YOUR MEMORIES on our social media outlets! Commemorate your experience at the School by sending us your old photos for our Throwback Thursday (#tbt) posts on Facebook and Twitter. Email us your photo, along with a description of the image and whom we should credit, to communications@sda.usc.edu. We look forward to sharing your submission online! ADD US ON:
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Alumni Marquee Chris Alberghini (’85) is one of the executive producers for the MTV show Awkward.
Charlotte Gulezian (MFA ’13) was featured in Aaron Posner’s Stupid Fucking Bird at The Theatre @ Boston Court.
Ricky Moreno (BFA ’14) spent his summer at Santa Cruz Shakespeare and will be interning in stage management at Juilliard.
Karolina Sivas (BA ’10) stars as Vivienne ‘Vivie’ Taylor in the web series Broken at Love.
Erin Anderson (BFA ’04) is currently filming Insidious: Chapter 3, set to release in 2015.
Brendan Hedges (BFA ’05) is currently writing the feature-length documentary Remember the Sultana for Executive Producers Jim Michaels (Supernatural) and actor Sean Astin.
Senta Moses (BA ’95) is Principal Penelope on MTV’s Faking It.
Warren Skeels (BFA ’98) plays Steven Hedges in the film The Heroes of Arvine Place.
Mason Barker (BA ’08) is project manager at MPA Lighting and a freelance lighting designer at Mason T Barker Lighting Design. Joan Beber (MFA ’00) saw the offBroadway premiere of her show Ethel Sings at Theatre Row’s Beckett Theatre in New York City this past June. ST Bende (BA ’00) just released her fourth book Tro as part of the Elsker Saga. Liv Boughn (BFA ’96) was most recently in the film Cesar Chavez, starring Michael Peña, America Ferrera and Rosario Dawson. Rachel Brenna (BFA ’96) produced the feature film It Had To Be You, starring Cristin Milioti and executive produced by Chris Columbus. Jason Zev Cohen (BFA ’03) is an assistant art director on the CBS show The Mentalist. Meghan Corea (BFA ’06) was an assistant costume designer for NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and for the upcoming movie Carol. Cynthia DeCure (BA ’88) recently completed her certification in KnightThompson Speechwork (Speech and Dialects) and she presented at the Voice and Speech Trainers Association Conference in London at the Central School of Speech and Drama. In September, she was on stage at South Coast Repertory’s The Long Road Today and joined the speech/dialects faculty at Cal Arts. Tate Donovan (BFA ’85) recently won an Emmy for the non-fiction short Arthur and Johnnie. Chastity Dotson (BFA ’04) was seen as Dr. Alexis Johnson in the TNT show Murder in the First. Rebecca Esquivel (BFA ’13) recently completed an internship at Goodspeed and stage managed for the NYC Fringe Festival. David Fickas (BFA ’96) can be seen as Glen in the new ABC comedy Black-ish. Alan Friedenthal (BA ’77 & MA ’80) is the managing director of the Southern California Jewish Repertory Theatre.
Fall 2014
Donald Jolly (MFA ’08) will see his newest play Riot/Rebellion performed at the Watts Village Theater Company in Los Angeles. Dylan Kenin (BA ’99) was most recently seen in the films A Million Ways to Die in the West and Love & Mercy. Mayank Keshaviah (MFA ’08) writes the theatre column @ Public Spectacle for LA Weekly. Kim LaFontaine (MFA ’81) is a professor, chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and producer of the Maverick Theatre Company at the University of Texas at Arlington. Edgar Landa (BA ’95) recently created fights/violence for the world premiere of Reunion at South Coast Rep, as well as created violence for world premiere of Unorganized Crime, starring Chazz Palminteri, at The Elephant Theatre, and staged fights and violence for world premiere of El Henry, written by Herbert Siguenza at San Diego Rep in association with La Jolla Playhouse. He also directed the SDA first-year MFA actors’ The Odyssey Project. Rachael Lawrence (BA ’99) is a vocal coach in Los Angeles and New York for clients, including the casts of Glee and Grey’s Anatomy. Anniya Louis (’13) was recently certified as a facilitator for AIM4THEHEART’s artist workshops, which she is starting in Florida. She is also training for the 2016 Olympics. Winnie Y. Lok (BFA ’01) is the production stage manager for the Broadway show My Mañana Comes at The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre. Peter Mitchell (BA ’14) has joined the National Tour of Book of Mormon as Elder Mckinley. Deidre Moore (BA ’03) produced and released the album “Holy Water” with her Celtic/folk band, Whiskey Sunday. A founding member of the band, she plays electric harp and tours throughout Southern California, including the Get Shamrocked Festival in September.
Reynaldo Pachecco (MFA ’09) was in Beginners with Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor. Brittany Perham-MacWhorter (BFA ’08) is the art director for the NBC show The Voice. Kathryn Poppen (BFA ’08) is an assistant costume designer at Center Theatre Group in L.A. Brooke Marie Procida (BFA ’95) is the co-creator of Pretty Girl Productions, and the owner and creator of Procida Creative International. Adam Ray (BFA ’05) is touring the country doing stand-up comedy through March 2015. Catherine Ricafort (BS ’09) can be seen on Broadway in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Kevin Riggin (BFA ’12) can be seen as Rory in the NBC show Days of Our Lives. Jon Rudnitsky (BFA ’12) was featured in Washingtonian magazine online for his comedy spoof of the Netflix series House of Cards. Taylor Ruge (BFA ’12) is a production assistant for the Santa Fe Opera. Shaheed Sabrin (BA ’11) is an English language fellow for the U.S. Department of State and the Founder and CEO of Yasmin’s Pastry Delights. He can be seen as a club patron in Tainted Rose. Sarah Schuessler (BA ’07) was a costume assistant/set costumer for the HBO show The Newsroom. Pia Shah (MFA ’13) was cast as Reba in Dry Land for the Ojai Playwrights Conference. Kevin Sheridan (BA ’05) was recently featured in the CW Network’s Hart of Dixie and TNT’s Perception. John Siciliano (MFA ’01) can next be seen as Sammy in the Indie horror film The Chair. Ashley K. Singh (BFA ’08) was the production assistant for the Broadway production of Bullets Over Broadway at the St. James Theater.
Michael Solomon (BFA ’88) is the associate vice president of programming for The Music Center in Los Angeles. Melissa Strom (BFA ’01) plays Roberta Gold in the upcoming film Western Religion. Rebecca Suzuki (BFA ’12) is a project coordinator at Thinkwell Group. Andy Tennant (BA ’77) is the director of the upcoming film Wild Oats, starring Jessica Lange, Demi Moore and Shirley MacLaine. TJ Thyne (BA ’97) begins his ninth season as Dr. Jack Hodgins in the FOX series Bones. Alistair Tober (BA ’02) can be seen as Cole in the short Black & Blue, and was cast as Frank Sinatra in the movie Bogie and Bacall, which will be released in 2016. Jessica Torok (MFA ’03) was the key costume shopper for the FX series Anger Management. Mageina Tovah (BA ’99) can be seen as Mrs. R in the upcoming movie Holy Land, written by James Franco. Ariel Joseph Towne (BA ’95) is starring in the award-winning web series Friends in Therapy. Melissa Trupp (BFA ’10) is a stage manager for the Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream cruise ship. Michael Uppendahl (BFA ’98) recently directed episodes of the Showtime series Ray Donovan. Sabina Zuniga Varela (MFA ’11) was recently in the show Water by the Spoonful at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, Calif. Daniele Watts (BA ’07) can be seen as Laura Jackson in the FX series Partners. Donald Webber Jr. (BFA ’08) was in the Tupac Shakur-inspired musical Holler If Ya Hear Me on Broadway this past summer. Are you an alum of the School? Tell us what you’ve been up to! Email your news to Stacey Wang Rizzo at staceykw@usc.edu.
dramaticarts usc.edu 7
David Bridel Leads MFA Acting Program SINCE ITS INCEPTION, the new Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the USC School of Dramatic Arts has received wide acclaim under the leadership of professor Andrew J. Robinson. Recently, when Robinson decided to step down from administration to devote more time to his stage David Bridel and screen career (he’ll continue to teach at USC Dramatic Arts), the school turned to David Bridel, an associate professor of theatre practice and associate dean of global initiatives, to head the MFA program. Dean Madeline Puzo described Bridel as “a wonderful colleague. He is a graceful, generous and strong artistic leader, and I am confident our MFA in Acting program will thrive under his watch. Since joining our faculty, I have been impressed with the wisdom, clarity and gentle firmness of his teaching, as well as his artistry as a director and performer in his work outside of the school.” Bridel, whose appointment began this semester, said he is “honored to assume the directorship of a program founded on the vision and leadership” of Robinson.
Finding Their Voice
Tim Heidorn (BA ’14) was thrilled after trying dialogue as a cartoon owl playing Sherlock Holmes. His vocal choices cracked both teachers up. “It’s something I never had any experience doing before,” Heidorn says after leaving the booth. “It’s fun, but practical. The fact that by the end of the class we’ll have a reel that could get us representation is tremendous.” There are waiting lists for the classes, which also accommodate non-majors. In one of their first classes, a business major with an engineering minor signed up because he wanted to be more comfortable talking to people. “While still at USC, he got this fantastic job and was told it was on the strength of his skill: talking to people,” Allen recalls. “That made us feel really good. Whether they’re going to be voice-over actors or not, they find a voice.” “Nothing gives me more pleasure than helping the underdog grab the gold ring,” Lewis says. “I root for people to win. I came out of my shell late in life, blooming very late, so I understand being shy.” “She’s a remarkable acting teacher,” Allen says. “Because she finds what’s unique in actors and makes them more so, we’ve never had an actor who wasn’t good at something. When you hear the progress they’re making, it is sort of dazzling.” ■
The School of Dramatic Arts wishes to acknowledge Eric Kalkhurst and Nora Hui whose generous support in honor of Eric Stanley Kalkhurst made the state-of-the-art voice-over studio possible.
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“The School of Dramatic Arts MFA in Acting is one of the most competitive programs of its kind in the United States,” Bridel said. “It is also one of the most compelling, imaginative and fertile creative laboratories that I know. Not only does the program examine, with passionate rigor, the physical, psychological and emotional principles of acting, it also provides countless opportunities for students and collaborating faculty to manifest their creativity via a dizzying array of projects.” ■
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