Renée Surprenant Fitzgerald
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Ren ée Surprenant Fitzgerald Set Designer, Scenic Artist & Educator ReneeSFitzgerald.com Curriculum Vitae [email protected] EDUCATION Michigan State University M.F.A. Production Design, East Lansing, MI – May 2013 Theatre in London Study Abroad Program – July 2011 University of Rhode Island B.F.A. Theatre Design and Technology, Summa Cum Laude, Kingston, RI – December 2009 Cobalt Studios, Specialty Professional Seminars The Studio Style, Instructor: Wendy Waszut-Barrett – April 2018 Faux Bois, Instructor: Nels Christianson – May 2018 Painting Translucent Backdrops, Instructor: Rachel Keebler – December 2015 APPOINTMENTS Lecturer of Set Design Brown University Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies, Providence, RI, 2017 - Present Visiting Assistant Professor of Scenic Design & Technical Director Hillsdale College Department of Theatre and Dance, Hillsdale, MI, 2014 - 2017 Scenic Designer & Technical Internship Coordinator La Musica Lirica, Novafeltria, Italy – 2013 - Present Theater Technical Supervisor Michigan State University Residential College of Arts & Humanities, East Lansing, MI, 2013 - 2014 Set Designer & Technical Director East Lansing High School Drama Club, East Lansing, MI, 2013-2014 Graduate Teaching Assistant Michigan State University Department of Theatre, East Lansing, MI, 2010 - 2013 UNIVERSITY SERVICE Brown University Senior Slot Faculty Committee Served as Design Mentor and faculty liaison to students the Senior Slot production process. Collaborated with other production faculty and staff members to review and revise the Senior Slot production process. Sock & Buskin Board Represented the Faculty and Production Staff in the TAPS Department’s student-run producing board and play selection committee for the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020 seasons. (University Service, continued) Michigan State University Play Selection Committee Represented the graduate students in MSU’s Department of Theatre play selection committee for the 2012-2013 season. Graduate Affairs Committee, 2011-2012 Graduate Affairs Committee, 2010-2011 Represented the graduate student body as liaison at MSU Department of Theatre faculty meetings. University of Rhode Island President of the URI Student Theatre Guild, 2009-2010 Vice President of the URI Student Theatre Guild, 2008-2009 Play Selection Committee, 2009 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS The Lansing State Journal’s Thespie Award: Best Set Design The Three Penny Opera, Lansing Community College, directed by Connie Curran-Oesterle, 2016 Happy Holy Days, Michigan State University, directed by Rob Roznowski, 2011 National Opera Association Opera Production Competition Winner, Division IV Set Design: The Magic Flute, Michigan State University Opera Theatre, 2014 Michigan State University The Varg-Sullivan Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts, 2013 Gretel Geist Rutledge Annual Student Award for Excellence in Scene Design, 2012 Stanley and Selma Hollander Fellowship for Graduate Study, 2011 University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island Academic Excellence Award Theatre Department recipient, 2010 University of Rhode Island Theatre Merit Scholarship, 2007, 2008, 2009 Thomas A. Pezzulo Scholarship, 2007 Dean's List 2006-2009 COURSES TAUGHT Brown University, Providence, RI Visiting Lecturer of Set Design, Fall 2017 – Present Director/ Designer Collaboration (TAPS 1281A) Co-Course Instructor; Taught undergraduate students of theatrical directing and design collaboration and procedural techniques for working on a production team to come up with original concepts and de- signs for theoretical productions. (Courses Taught, continued) Introduction to Theatrical Design (TAPS 1280G) Course Instructor; Taught introductory level undergraduate students the basic principles of theatrical design aesthetics, techniques, and history. Special focus on the process of creating and communi- cating scenic, costume, and lighting designs, as well as basic drawing, drafting, rendering, and model building techniques for scenery. Introduction to Set Design (TAPS 1280F) Course Instructor; Taught intermediate level undergraduate scenic design students advanced principles of scenic design and aesthetics, with a focus on technical hand drafting, rendering, research, and model building techniques. Advanced Set Design (TAPS 1300S) Course Instructor; Taught advanced level undergraduate scenic design students advanced principles of scenic design and construction, with an emphasis on historical and contemporary styles and applica- tions. Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI Visiting Assistant Professor of Set Design & Technical Director, Fall 2014 – Spring 2017 Introduction to Theatre Design Course Instructor; Taught introductory level undergraduate students the basic principles of theatrical design aesthetics, techniques, and history. Special focus on the process of creating and communi- cating scenic, costume, and lighting designs, as well as basic drawing, drafting, rendering, and model building techniques for scenery. Design I (Set Design) Course Instructor; Taught intermediate level undergraduate scenic design students advanced principles of scenic design and aesthetics, with a focus on technical drafting (via hand and Vectorworks) and model building techniques. Design II (Set Design) Course Instructor; Taught advanced level undergraduate scenic design students advanced principles of scenic design and aesthetics, with a focus on producing a realized design for one of the theater depart- ment’s productions. Scenic Painting Course Instructor; Taught introductory level students the basic techniques of scenic painting for the theater. Theatre Production Course Instructor; Coordinated and supervised the staff in the scenery, costumes, and lighting shops, and backstage run crews for Department productions. Introduction to Theatre Technology Course Instructor; Taught introductory level undergraduate students the process of producing scenic designs, including scene shop safety, set building and painting techniques. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI Graduate Teaching Assistant, August 2010- Present Intro to Scene Design Teaching Assistant; Aided the instruction of undergraduate scenic design students in the principles of scenic design and aesthetics, and basic drawing, drafting, rendering, and model building techniques. (Courses Taught, continued) Freshman Showcase Design Advisor; Taught incoming undergraduates techniques for becoming a successful student in the MSU Department of Theatre, and guided the scenic, lighting, costume, and sound design process for their showcase performance. Introduction to Technical Theatre Classroom Instructor; Taught introductory level students the process of producing scenic designs, including scene shop safety, set building and painting techniques Script Analysis (Online Course) Moderator and Content Creator; Taught students the critical skills of theatrical script analysis using Blackboard’s ANGEL program Plays as Film (Online Course) Moderator and Content Creator; Taught students to evaluate the film adaptations of scripts that originated as plays using Blackboard’s ANGEL program Creative Dramatics (Online Course) Moderator; Taught students to formulate and create lesson plans for classes that teach theatre to children using Blackboard’s ANGEL program Theater & Society in the West (Integrated Online Course) Teaching Assistant; Wrote and presented lectures, assisted with grading, and created assessments for class of over three hundred undergraduate students Special Topics in Technical Theatre Classroom Instructor; Taught intermediate level students about scene shop safety, set building and painting techniques University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, 2006-2010 Introduction to Theater Classroom Instructor; Taught introductory level students the basic principles of scenic, properties, lighting, and sound design and technology, and then led them in the design and production process of their own one- act show National Seminars and Presentations United States Institute of Theater Technology (USITT) National Conference, St. Louis, MO, 2017 Wearing Many Hats as a Technical Director Hosted a discussion panel, in which professional Technical Directors from across academic world talked techniques for managing time and staff, and considered how to balance different responsibilities. Michigan Educational Theatre Association, East Lansing, MI, 2011 ‘Scratching’ for Design Ideas Taught students exercises for finding artistic inspiration from Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit. Introduction to Scenic Painting Taught students basic techniques for rendering brick and field stone ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT in THEATRICAL DESIGN AND PRODUCTION SET DESIGNS Brown University Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies, Providence, RI Dry Swallow, directed by Misha Chowdhury, 2019 Kemps, directed by Josiah Davis, 2019 The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise, directed by Kym Moore, 2019 Hedda Gabler, directed by Spencer Golub, 2019 Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea, directed by Kate Bergstrom, 2018 Next to Normal, directed by Addie Gorlin, 2018 Lives of the Great Poisoners, directed by Richard Waterhouse, 2017 Dreamlandia, directed by Sarah dAngelo, 2017 Providence College, Providence RI Something Rotten! directed by Jimmy Calitri, 2019 The Lord of the Flies, directed by Patrick Saunders and John Garrity, 2019 University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI A Brief History of the Earth and Everything in It, directed by Rachel Walshe, 2019 A Little Night