Curriculum Vitae
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Curriculum Vitae Faculty Name: Suzanne Phillips Jennings Work Address: P.O. Box 519; MS 1060 Prairie View, TX 77446 Position Title: Adjunct Instructor, Theatre Department Office Location: Hobart Taylor 2J286 Office Phone: 936-261-3339 Email Address: [email protected] Education: Degree and Area of Study Institution Name Degree Date Masters of Fine Arts University of Houston 1991 Bachelor of Arts, Theatre University of Houston 1989 Bachelor of Science, Ed. University of Houston 1973 Teaching Position Title Institution Name Position Dates Experience (Beginning and End) Faculty – Acting Curriculum High School for the Performing & 1991 - 2011 Visual Arts Associate Artistic Director Houston Shakespeare Festival 1983 - 1992 Associate Artistic Director Children’s Theatre Festival 1983 - 1992 Director/Instructor, Theatre Dept University of Houston 1989 - 1991 Director/Instructor, Theatre Dept University of St. Thomas 1988 - 1989 Drama/English Teacher Poe Fine Arts Elementary 1973 - 1978 Professional Positions: Associate Artistic Director, The Houston Shakespeare Festival, 1983-1992 Associate Artistic Director/Stage Director, The Children’s Theatre Festival, 1983-1992 Actor / Director: Strand Street Theatre, 1986 - 1993 Director (Off Broadway): King’s County Shakespeare, 1993 Othello Asst to Director, Mark Lamos: Hartford Stage, Tony-Award Winning Production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1989 Asst to the Managing Director: Alley Theatre, 1978 - 1981 Additional Trainings/Skills: Conflict Resolution, Event Organization, Fund-raising, Theatre Administration 1 Professional Biography: Suzanne Phillips Jennings, acting coach and director, holds a Master’s degree from the University of Houston, where she studied under Cecil Pickett, Sidney Berger, Edward Albee and José Quintero. Her undergraduate studies were done at the Universities of Texas and Wisconsin, Superior. Named “Most Influential Teacher in the Arts” by Presidential Scholars in the Arts, Julia Krohn and Wayne Wilson and by more than twenty Award Winners in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts competition, she is proud to have taught many successful working actors, comedians, directors, producers and film-makers. Mrs. Jennings began semi-retirement status in 2011, after 20 years as the head of the Acting Curricula at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Now at Prairie View A&M University as an Adjunct Instructor since 2011, she teaches Acting for the stage, for film and in styles. During her teaching career, she has directed and taught actors currently playing on Broadway, in commercial and independent films and television. Examples include Mireille Enos (The Killing, Gangster Squad, World War Z), Delius Doherty (Broadway: The Book of Mormon) and David Pegram (Broadway: Warhorse, Piano Lesson). Her students Dequina Moore and Jared Joseph have done several Broadway Musicals and films. Tanisha Lynn started in TV’s Young and the Restless and continues to work in a variety of venues. Successful writers include Justin Simien (Writer and Director of the movie, Dear White People), Adrienne Carter (who wrote for Tyler Perry) and Harris Wittels (Parks and Recreation and Master of None). Other successful former students have held careers with Cirque De Soleil (Wayne Wilson), television news broadcasters (Biana Golodriga with ABC news), Courtney Gilmore (Channel 2 news in Houston) and Washington correspondence, Shawna Thomas. Her students are successful writers, teachers, lawyers, politicians and parents. She has worked on over 100 productions and has many professional acting and directing credits, including Hartford Stage in Connecticut during their 1988-89 Tony award-winning season and an off-Broadway production of Othello. Her dramaturgy credits include projects at several theatres with various playwrights. She has directed winning plays for the Playwright’s Festivals at the Alley and Stages Repertory Theatre and has worked with the Children’s Theatre Festival as an Associate Producer and Director. For nine years she was Associate Artistic Director for Sidney Berger with the Houston Shakespeare Festival, and she worked in administration at the Alley Theatre for four years. At the University of Houston, successful actors she has directed include Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory). Her previous teaching posts include the Universities of Houston and St. Thomas. A co-founder of Illuminations, Theatre With the Deaf, she has incorporated signing actors into a variety of productions to make theatre accessible to deaf audiences. Along with her husband, artist Rix Jennings, she teaches independent workshops for the “Savvy Actor”, which combines On Camera Acting with basic filmmaking. Suzie has written a children’s book, illustrated by Rix, available through Amazon and iTunes. 2 .