2018 THEATRE TRAINING NEWS 4 LEGACY OF GREATNESS 6 ACTING: ON SCREEN & ON STAGE 8 SEASONS OF SHAKESPEARE 2018 THEATRE TRAINING NEWS 10 UMKC CO-PRODUCTIONS 12 JOHN EZELL: A RETROSPECTIVE 14 CHARETTE: THE MASTER’S HAND SCENIC: TAKING ON THE 16 REIGNS OF DESIGN

Writers PROFESSORS STAY SHARP Amanda Davison 18 Ellen Hayek TECH: DUAL RESPONSIBILITY Dalton Pierce 26 Bethany Sulecki SOUND: FINDING UMKC Calan Welder 28 COSTUME: UMKC COSTUMES ATTRACTS Editors 30 WORLDWIDE STUDENTS Felicia Londré Calan Welder 32 NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: ACTING FOR THE PAST Project Manager 33 GRADUATE STUDENTS: SUMMER WORK Sarah M. Oliver LIGHTING: FINDING WHAT’S IMPORTANT Designer 36 Meredith Shea STAGE MANAGEMENT: KEEPING 38 OPERA ON TRACK 40 M.A.: DRAMATURG, EDUCATOR & DIRECTOR 42 ALUMNI AT WORK Fabulations Cover Photo: Chioma Anyanwu, Amy Billroth-MacLurg and photo by brian paulette Charlie Spillers in Way of the World. UMKC Theatre, 2017. photo by manon halliburton 2 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY MISSION

UMKC Theatre has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top graduate theatre training programs in the country. Graduates from UMKC Theatre are invited to the most prestigious New York and Los Angeles professional reviews and auditions to exhibit their work and secure positions with national and international performing companies. We build bridges. We assist the creative student in making the journey to becoming a creative professional. The practice of the department is to vigorously educate students in the many arts, crafts and traditions of theatre, and provide a basis for future careers in the creative industries. Our program offers intensive hands-on experience while at the same time fostering analytical and contextual skills. The practical experience of theatre-making occurs not only within the performing venues of UMKC, but also in professional theatres in Kansas City. Theatre is a passion. We seek it, we train for it and we embody it. STAGE MANAGEMENT: KEEPING OPERA ON TRACK UMKC Theatre is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA).

Jamarr D. Love, and Khalif Gillett in King Lear, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 3 THEATRE LEGACY f you want to understand how certain theatre Dr. Mac also programs became great, you need only look brought in several Iat their beginnings. For the University of guest directors. Missouri-Kansas City, the credit goes to a single She was able to LEGACY OF woman, Dr. Patricia McIlrath, referred to simply attract nationally as Dr. Mac. A Kansas City native, Dr. Mac became renowned directors, GREATNESS inspired by her father’s dying wish: to give back such as Rod to the community which had been so kind to his Alexander (Oregon family. She explored the grounds of the campus Shakespeare, and inquired about any open positions. She was Berkeley Rep), by Dalton Pierce put in charge of the local theatre department, then John Houseman (Juilliard) and William Woodman referred to as the Speech Department. There, (The Goodman). This brought even more national she began to create a type of educational theatre attention to UMKC and cemented the school as program that had not yet been seen. one of the top theatre departments in the nation. Dr. Mac observed the gap between the But the success did not end there. Directors professional and academic worlds of theatre, from across the world were brought in, and and sought a way to bring both fields together. elevated UMKC to the world theatre stage. Some There was a level of hostility before this concept, of these directors include Erik Vos (De Apel, as the two sides were considered separate Netherlands), Alexis Minotis (National Theatre worlds of theatre. of Greece), and Ying Ruocheng (Beijing People’s “The academic theatre was about process, and Art Theatre). Each of these directors left his mark the professional theatre was about product,” said Dr. on the department, and expanded their students’ Felicia Londré. minds about world stage. Dr. Mac combined the university’s theatre Dr. Mac was truly an inspirational woman. department with what would become Missouri She is remembered for her generosity as well as Repertory Theatre, today known as KC Rep, in the her professional work. When you speak with the summer of 1964. This hybrid program was the first in professors of the department, they will undoubtedly the nation, and inspired others to do the same, such tell you of the kind woman who believed in creating as the famous Yale Repertory Theatre, created in great theatre. Her level of dedication is passed on 1966. The duality of this department prepared future with each generation of theatre artists, and this professionals and enhanced the world of theatre. ensures that each graduate will bring that level of Truly, we can thank Dr. Mac for making UMKC such success to wherever they may branch out.

Dr. Patricia McIlrath an exemplary department. But her success with the While many theatre departments have their photo courtesy of umkc theatre program is not just limited to bridging the gap in legendary founders, few have accomplished as academic and professional theatre. much as Dr. Mac, and her legacy continues on even In addition to creating this organic relationship, to this day.

4 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY MFA ACTING PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT

The MFA Actor Training Program at UMKC develops and prepares extraordinary, flexible artists who will become the voices for their generation of storytellers. Through a unique combination of academic and professional experiences, the program instills in our students an evolving creative technique based in classical, contemporary and experimental pedagogies. The program is designed to challenge and inspire students to reach their fullest creative potential as actors, while cultivating the highest level of professionalism.

Cast of Anthony and Cleopatra, UMKC Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 5 ACTING

ON SCREEN AND ON STAGE: NICK GEHLFUSS AND DINA THOMAS

Nick Gehlfuss by Amanda Davison photo by jason goodrich he Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City has been ranked among the top programs Tof its kind worldwide. Actors who graduate from this program are known for their talent as well as their high-quality training, which benefits them in any medium, be it theatre, film, or television. Nick Gehlfuss (MFA Acting 2010) and Dina Thomas (MFA Acting 2011) both serve as examples of this, as they continue to create solid reputations for themselves as skilled, professional actors. Since graduating, Nick Gehlfuss, who hails from Cleveland, has been working vigorously in theatre, film, and television. He has acted in the shows Shameless and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as well as in the filmLove & Mercy. His Dr. Will Halstead has been a staple on the NBC “Chicago” franchise, which includes the shows Chicago Fire, Chicago P.D., and Chicago Med. He has a role in the upcoming filmButterfly in the Typewriter, directed by David DuBois, about the writer John Kennedy Toole. Of his time at UMKC, Gehlfuss says, “Ted Swetz, Stephanie Roberts, Dr. Jennifer Martin, and Carla Noack inspired and motivated me every day. Nick Gehlfuss photo by jason goodrich

6 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Dina Thomas & Theodore Swetz in I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard. Dina Thomas Unicorn Theatre, 2016. photo by alden ford photo by cynthia levin

They were always willing and available to dissect the work and help deepen is a rarity in a teacher.” Thomas has fond memories of her other teachers at my understanding of it. I’ll never forget the moment in class when I went from UMKC, including Carla Noack, of whom she says, “There’s nothing that Carla being afraid to fail, to expecting to fail. This informs everything I do.” won’t do for a student.” Gehlfuss’s career is on a sharp upward trajectory. Known not only for his After graduating, Thomas was cast in her off-Broadway debut,Tribes by natural talent, but for his stamina and professionalism, he offers the following Nina Raine, which was an opportunity to work with esteemed director David advice to aspiring actors, “If at the end of the day you cannot answer ‘yes’ to Cromer. She also created the role of Lisette in the world premiere of The the question, ‘Did I do everything I could today to achieve my dream?’ then you Metromaniacs by David Ives at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C. must adjust.” This past year, she performed in I’m Gonna Pray for You So Hard at Unicorn A graduate of the MFA in Acting program at UMKC who is experiencing a Theatre in Kansas City with Theodore Swetz, which was an opportunity for her different kind of success from Nick Gehlfuss is Dina Thomas, who is working to come full-circle to act with her teacher professionally on-stage. in professional theatre. Thomas, who had studied under Theodore Swetz at Dina Thomas continues to be cast in juicy roles in theatre, saying that Binghamton University, followed him to UMKC. Of this decision, Thomas when she auditions in New York, “People ask, ‘where did you train?’ And I say, remembers thinking, “I’m not done training [with Theodore Swetz]. There’s ‘UMKC.’ They say, ‘UMKC? We see really good actors from there’.” Thomas is more I can learn and more I can do.” Dina Thomas has learned a lot from Swetz proud of where she trained, adding, “There’s a pride to our work. There’s a pride over the years, adding, “His ability to see a person and recognize their potential to who we are as UMKC actors. I’m proud to maintain that standard for myself.”

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 7 SHAKESPEARE

SEASONS OF SHAKESPEARE

by Ellen Hayek

t is difficult to describe the excitement and fear that comes with putting on a Shakespearean play. Not only do these plays have a deep and rich history Ibehind them, but their characters are some of the most complex and real people that can be seen on stage. It is important not to forget this, and despite the fact that our culture seems to be saturated with Shakespeare, there is always an opportunity to find something new in his plays. Over the past year, the University of Missouri-Kansas City seized a wonderful opportunity to host one Shakespeare play and produce two others. Each of these plays was done with different ideas and with different styles, demonstrating Shakespeare’s versatility and importance. All of the plays represented different experiences for the students involved, whether they were actors, crew or members of the design team. In February 2017, The Acting Company performed a duo of plays: Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and an original play by Marcus Gardley titled X: Or, Betty Shabazz V. The Nation, based on the life and death of Malcolm X. X was written so the two stories paralleled each other and could be shown together. Both Caesar and Malcolm rose by means of their strength and charisma, making friends and enemies along the way. Both are ultimately killed, only to have one loyal person continue their fight. Devin Brain, associate artistic director of The Acting Company, stated, “Shakespeare doesn’t care about history. He uses it to construct a story to tell his story about their current Jimonn Cole as Malcolm X. in X / Or, Betty Shabazz V. The Nation. The Acting Company, 2017. photo by t. charles erickson

8 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY world. Today it is more digestible to tell history through a story rather than having a mirror smashed in your face. Shakespeare is contemporary but must address the audience. We are interested in new works that follow in Shakespeare’s traditions.” Not only was this an opportunity to see a professional Julius Caesar and learn about Malcolm X, a vitally important historical figure, but during a particularly turbulent election cycle it gave a good and clear message to the UMKC students. It allowed students to connect the plays to current events, without telling them which view was right or wrong. This showed the importance of Shakespeare’s text, both in the past and future. In May 2017, playwright Christopher Chen “translated” Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra into contemporary English as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play On! Commissioning Program. While based on Shakespeare’s original play, the new version had its own dialogue and its own identity. Whether this play dived into something new or not, it did show new playwrights and students the potential for making new works that are based on Shakespeare’s plays. As stated by the Acting Company’s artistic director Ian Heather Michele Lawler, Theodore Swetz and Amy Billroth-Maclurg in King Lear, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. Belknap, “What every theater artist aims for is that the audience will see their photo by brian paulette humanity, some part of their own identity or experience reflected on stage. When you see Shakespeare and a brand-new playwright, when you see human beings do two separate things, that’s when you really see your humanity.” The last Shakespeare play of the year, and the Bard’s most famous family tragedy, King Lear, was produced in conjunction with Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) under the direction of Ryan Artzberger with Theodore Swetz in the title role. The production featured UMKC Theatre faculty and graduate actors performing shoulder-to-shoulder with professionally trained Equity actors in October 2017. Swetz was eager to take on the challenge of playing one of Shakespeare’s most demanding roles with the support of fellow artists in the community. Swetz shared his experience on this show with his students both past and present. “I have always considered productions to be our ‘labs’. Students see me apply these tools I’ve taught them and both succeed and fail. It’s a joy to be on the platform with my students. If there is one thing that this year has shown me, it is why Shakespeare will never die. There is always something to learn from his plays whether it is about the world around us or the world inside. I look forward Cast of Julius Caesar. The Acting Company, 2017. to seeing what the University can continue to bring to these plays.” photo by t. charles erickson

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 9 CO-PRODUCTIONS

THE COMMENDABLE UMKC CO-PRODUCTIONS

by Ellen Hayek hen a theatre graduate student enters the work world, it Wis important for him or her to have a good résumé and knowledge from both the classroom and participating in the surrounding theatres. The more established theatres that the students work with, the better their résumés will be, and the easier it will be for them to get hired. UMKC Theatre is fortunate Eric Palmquist in The Coterie’s Hana’s Suitcase. to have two great theatres that students co-produce with; the photo by j. robert schraeder , courtesy of the coterie theatre Unicorn and the Coterie. Students who participate in these co- productions go through the process of working in professional theatre with high standards and work alongside Equity actors and stage managers. Two wonderful co-productions that happened this year were Hana’s Suitcase at the Coterie and Men on Boats at the Unicorn Theatre. Hana’s Suitcase, written by Emil Sher and based on the book by Karen Levine, tells the story of a Japanese Holocaust educator, played by Andi Meyer, and her students who receive a suitcase from Auschwitz on which is written the name Hana Brady. Curious about the suitcase and its owner, the teacher and students uncover the tragic story of a young girl taken before her time. This co-production was part of a collaborative relationship that has been instrumental for The Coterie since 1992. The Eric Palmquist, Un Joo Christopher & Andi Meyer in The Coterie’s Hana’s Suitcase. photo by j. robert schraeder , courtesy of the coterie theatre relationship between the Coterie and UMKC Theatre began as

10 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY a program offering MFA actors the chance to work alongside established theatre professionals. Today, the co-productions feature both student actors as well as MFA designers and coaches from nearly every area of UMKC Theatre. UMKC students filled the play’s crew and production staff. Mark Exline was the scenic designer, Stella Tag was the costume designer, Jesús Manuel Rivera was the sound designer, Jamie Leonard was the projections designer, Nils Emerson was the MFA technical director, Lisa Tinker was the MFA production assistant and Micah Thompson was the assistant lighting designer. All contributed to a wonderful production. In the press release for Hana’s Suitcase, the Coterie praised the students and the school: “The Coterie is proud to continue its long-standing relationship with UMKC Theatre, which benefits up-and-coming young professionals by providing practical, professional work experience, both on stage and behind the scenes.” In the first co-production of 2017,Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus, a group of men in an 1869 expedition chart the course of the Colorado River, but there is a catch. All of the roles are played by women. With Vanessa Severo playing the fearless but one-armed captain John Wesley Powell, the play gave an Cast of Men on Boats, Unicorn Theatre, 2017. opportunity for both the third and second-year MFA actresses photo by cynthia levin to be united onstage. The women were also able to act with their professor, Carla Noack, who gave a solemn – yet humorous – According to Cynthia Levin, Unicorn Theatre Artistic Director, “These students performance as Powell’s brother, Old Shady. “THEY GET The outstanding set, which displayed the Colorado territory in can come to graduate school and work, to EXPERIENCE a way that was both real and fantastical, was designed by scenic get out of the classroom, and work with THAT WILL designer Kelli Harrod. Harrod also built four boats that the different types of people. We get to know actresses needed to lift, drop and shake so they could simulate these students and they get experience IMPACT THEM riding through both rough and gentle currents. that will impact them for the rest of FOR THE The Unicorn has been doing co-productions with UMKC for their lives.” REST OF the past ten years. It started small, but over the years it has grown, These co-productions add real- THEIR LIVES.” and the Unicorn welcomes the students from UMKC, often hiring world experience to UMKC students’ –CYNTHIA LEVIN, them after graduation. The students bring young blood and new educational journeys, and the theatres UNICORN THEATRE perspectives to the theatre and the students get opportunities to benefit from the students as well. Creating ARTISTIC DIRECTOR learn from professionals and get real-world experience. relationships will last long into the future.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 11 FACULTY SPOTLIGHT JOHN EZELL A RETROSPECTIVE

by Bethany Sulecki

fter 31 years of service, renowned set designer A and beloved faculty member John Ezell recently retired from his role as the head of UMKC Theatre’s professional scenic design training program. Already a well-established professional set designer and educator, Ezell joined the department in 1986 when hired by Dr. Patricia McIlrath, who sought to raise the standing of Missouri Repertory Theatre (now Kansas City Repertory Theatre) and UMKC Theatre, to a nationally competitive status. Ezell was then appointed Hall Family Foundation Distinguished Professor of Design. Ming Cho Lee, famous scenic designer and head of scenic design at Yale, invited Ezell and his students to present their work at the National Design Portfolio Review in New York City, which in turn led the scenic design program to be recognized as a center of excellence. Prior to working with Ezell as a colleague, Dr. Felicia Londré, Curators’ Distinguished Professor and head of the MA in Theatre program, studied under Ezell while she was earning her doctorate at Professor John Ezell with scenic design students, 2016. photo by cheng tzu ching the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Although

12 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY she was not a scenic design major, she took his generate artwork suitable for their portfolios. classes to challenge herself and described those All departments benefit from the Charrette. For classes as “stimulating and inspiring.” Dr. Londré example, though the MA students are not directly was thrilled when Ezell was hired at UMKC. involved in the Charrette, they are invited to “Someone who had been my greatest teacher of observe the process and hear the keynote speaker. my entire theatre studies career to suddenly be my Mardikes describes John Ezell as a “committed colleague? It was fantastic!” she said. artist” who helped both him and Gene Friedman Ezell’s colleagues said he made students his make connections at the Great Lakes Theatre in priority. Tom Mardikes, UMKC Theatre chair Cleveland by introducing them to artistic director and professor of sound design, described Ezell as Vincent Dowling. According to Friedman, “Ezell Ezell’s scenic model for Enemy of the People. a “guide on the side, not the sage on the stage” and has never attempted to design in a single style photo by jon drtina recalled that Ezell “consistently shepherded his or with particular stage convention, but rather students with individual care, which lasts long attempted to develop the perfect emotional after graduation.” Jennifer Martin mentioned envelope for each production. In this he has how Ezell, “ever the innovator,” stressed the continued the legacy of his teacher Donald importance of his students having experiences Oenslager, and, in turn, Oenslager’s legendary outside of the scenic design classroom, even once mentor, Robert Edmond Jones.” recommending his students take a ballroom dance 77 l. work was compiled class with the MFA actors. Dr. Londré spoke of for the 2007 international United States Institute how Ezell “ignited whatever spark he saw in us for Theatre Technology (USITT) convention. The and made us learn not only the techniques, but the exhibition, “Bold Strokes and Finesse: The Scenic drive, the zeal...he just had that quality as a teacher.” Design of John Ezell,” captured the essence of Undoubtedly one of John Ezell’s biggest John Ezell’s brilliance. In 2010, The commission Ezell’s scenic design for The Three Musketeers. Repertory Theatre Saint Louis. contributions to the department was the Charrette, asked for the development of an encore photo by jon drtina a teaching model conceived after instructional performance of the exhibition for the Kansas City methods in the École de Beaux-Arts (Paris, international convention, titled “Bold Strokes and 1870s). During the Charrette experience, all other Finesse: The Sequel.” This exhibition added 25 responsibilities, like classes and production models and 25 renderings to the original catalog. schedules, are postponed for four to eight Given his own training and experience, and his days while students engage with national or dedication to the department and its students, it international luminaries of the theatre world, such is no wonder UMKC graduates are well-prepared as Willa Kim, Ralph Koltai, Deborah and Mary to take on the real world under John Ezell’s Zimmerman. The Charrette was developed to give training. Dr. Londré quotes Robert Edmond Jones, students access to seminal artists in the theatre saying that John Ezell “keeps in his soul images of while introducing them to the sophisticated and magnificence,” and we hope his spirit will continue Hall Family Foundation Distinguished Professor of glamorous world of professional design, and to to live through the department and its students. Design, John Ezell. photo by felicia londré

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 13 CHARRETTE THE MASTER’S HAND

T.J. Toribio’s scenic design for Freedom Summer. Charrette, 2017. by Dalton Pierce

ne of the greatest lessons that MFA designers at UMKC Theatre Olearn is how to create meaningful art through collaboration. Of course, they can gain this experience through university productions, but UMKC offers something more. Every spring, UMKC brings in a guest artist to lead the design students in a week-long intensive workshop. This event is referred to simply as “Charrette.” The term dates to the nineteenth century. It is an intense period devoted to design, during which students create their work until the very last moment, when their work would be picked up in a cart to be observed by the master. The design students of UMKC perform the latter and work together to create a work of art observed by a guest master. This design-intensive week was created in 1994 by Hall Family Foundation Professor John Ezell, who brought in a guest artist to serve as a Charrette master to work with the MFA design students. The 2017 charrette masters were Ricardo Khan, founder of Crossroads Theatre Company, and Mica Thomas, the executive producer of Quixotic Cirque Nouveau, an “innovative performance art collective that fuses imagination with technology, dance, projection mapping and live music T.J. Toribio’s scenic design for Freedom Summer. Charrette, 2017. to create fully-immersive, multi-sensory experiences.”

14 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY 2017 Charrette master Mica Thomas mentoring T.J. Toribio’s scenic design for Freedom Summer. Charrette, 2017. MFA students, Zoe Still and Gretchen Halle. photo by sarah m. oliver

The Kansas City-based group has created several fantastical works, When asked what brought him to UMKC, Khan noted that it was one and their projects often feature a blend of light, music, dance, and of the top ten schools in the nation, and said “Ambition was something “expressive emotions.” The collaborative art group’s work has been that was exciting to me. I want to be part of a team of people – especially seen around the country, from music festivals to featured events. The the faculty there – who says, ‘We want to be among the best.’ And so, designers who worked with Thomas gained valuable insight into the when I was told that, when they were asking me to join, I thought, wow, growing technology of today’s theatre scene. yeah, I want to be part of people like that – who want to be among the In addition to learning from an artistic media master, the 2017 best.” Khan’s work has always been deeply moving, and his involvement Charrette participants were also idea generators for Khan’s newest with UMKC Theatre is a constant reminder of the air of success that collaborative piece, Letters from Freedom Summer. The play is a surrounds the school. companion piece to Khan’s 2015 play Freedom Riders, which was set The Charrette week has become a well-known event for the design in 1961, and told the story of college students of differing races coming students of UMKC Theatre. The students work closely with the master, together and riding buses together to the South in order to protest and their work grows as a result of the collaboration. This collaboration segregated seating. Letters from Freedom Summer is set in 1964 and gives each of the students involved a project to add to their portfolio, one features groups of college students organizing in the South to get black which can aid in their search for a career in the theatre. In addition, the Americans to vote. Khan stated, “What’s fascinating about the project is that project’s connection to Quixotic serves to push their careers even further. I want people to see that there have been times when we have come together The MFA design students at UMKC relish the opportunity to work closely across racial lines as young people to make a difference in the world.” with brilliant masters, and their work reflects this training.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 15 SCENIC DESIGN

TAKING ON

Installation of Professor Friedman’s design work for THE REINS Shakespeare; Setting The Stage, including models, painters’ elevations and properties OF DESIGN

by Bethany Sulecki Missouri-Kansas City for decades. Friedman notes that a program that has been sucessful as MKC Theatre’s professional scene long as UMKC’s clearly has a proven formula for Udesign training program is under the instruction and success, and so only needs small, new leadership of associate professor Gene periodic adjustments in areas like play selection Friedman. Friedman notes this change is for design projects and computer-assisted, more of a transition, rather than a radical re- 3-dimensional rendering. conception. He views it as “taking on the reigns Friedman is a noted scenic designer, of design” from recently retired Hall Family especially for Shakespearean plays and the Professor John Ezell. American musical. Friedman has served for Friedman has co-taught the scenic design 22 years as the resident scenic designer at The classes for the past five years alongside Ezell, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. In and was a regular guest instructor in the scenic Kansas City, he has also designed for Kansas design classes before then. John and Gene’s City Repertory Theatre and Paul Mesner Puppet artistic collaboration dates back 38 years, Company. Nationally, he has worked at the Great as does their respect for one another, their Lakes Theater Festival in Cleveland, The Noble unique aesthetics and worldviews, and their Fool in Chicago, Arizona Theatre Company in deep love of design. Their love of education has Phoenix, The Second City of Chicago, Repertory Associate Professor of Scenic Deisgn, Gene Friedman invigorated classrooms at the University of Theatre of St. Louis, Stages - St. Louis, Juilliard

16 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY School’s educational outreach program, and the Cincinnati Ballet. Friedman has worked with master artists such as “The Father of the American Musical” George Abbott; Ying Ruocheng, a then-Living National Treasure of the People’s Republic of China; Ricardo Khan, founding artistic director of the Tony Award- winning Crossroads Theatre Company, and has worked closely with noted African-American playwright Adrienne Kennedy, as well as innumerable other master directors, designers, choreographers, and technical directors. He will draw upon these experiences during his time as head of the scenic design program. His long collaborative history with Ezell does not mean he is merely continuing with the teaching model that has been so successful for decades at UMKC. Friedman has adjusted the curriculum, unifying the three years of design classes into a single working group, creating an environment where senior peers serve as role models of professionalism, artistry, and instruction—and where the newer students add to the vital and dynamic exchange of ideas. He has also incorporated “new classic plays,” (such Professor Friedman’s scenic model for Twelfth Night, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2017. as Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar and Red by John photo by sarah m. oliver Logan) into the course of study. With Friedman’s zeal and drive, and his impressive résumé, the future of the scenic design program is in good hands. Friedman said that “the focus remains on fine art training “THE FOCUS REMAINS ON FINE ART TRAINING AND and producing artists for the professional PRODUCING ARTISTS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL THEATRE theatre and other entertainment industries. AND OTHER ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES.” The emphasis on classic texts, formal training –GENE FRIEDMAN and innovative design will continue, as will our vision of excellence.”

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 17 FACULTY

PROFESSORS STAY SHARP

Lindsay W. Davis Project for UMKC Theatre. She is currently on the Young Between the Lines at KC Rep Theatre, 2017. Costume design by Lindsay W. Davis. Professor of Workers Committee of the Actors’ Equity Association, photo by cory weaver Costume Design and is a founder and board member of Opera 180. Lindsay W. Davis has just completed designing the Gene Emerson Friedman costumes for Between the Associate Professor of Scenic Design Lines at the KC Rep Theatre. This original musical is Gene Friedman served as Broadway-bound for the resident scenic designer for 2018 – 2019 season, directed his 22nd year at the Heart by Tony winner Jeff Calhoun. Currently, Professor of America Shakespeare Davis is preparing for a revival of Kiss Me Kate at the Bay Festival, where he designed Street Theatre in Sag Harbor, New York. Bay Street’s Hamlet. Friedman was costume shop is on a wharf and surrounded by million honored by the Folger dollar yachts. Tough life. Professor Davis is also assistant Library’s United States costume designer to two current students: Emily Stovall tour of Shakespeare’s First Folio, and the Kansas City for Casa Valentina and Stella Tag for A Christmas Carol at Library in the exhibition Shakespeare; Setting the Stage. the KC Rep Theatre. The exhibition included 28 of Friedman’s scenic designs for Shakespeare’s plays from the last 20 years. At the Sadie DeSantis request of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Friedman Assistant Teaching presented a walking tour of the museum’s Classical, Professor of Stage Medieval, and Renaissance collections, explaining Management and how art, history, and literature inspired the Bard in the Production Manager composition of his plays. Friedman’s fine art work was for UMKC Theatre presented at Unity Gallery on Kansas City’s prestigious Sadie DeSantis most Country Club Plaza in the exhibition Stages of Conversion; recently stage managed The Santero Shrines of G. E. Friedman. His designs Eugene Onegin at the Lyric from this collection have been described as “a dynamic Stages of Conversion Shrine Wotanaz Opera of Kansas City and multi-cultural, cross-disciplinary, collision of theater and by G. E. Friedman. directed The Playwright worldwide spiritual traditions.”

18 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Ricardo Khan In summer 2017 she gave nine evenings of ShowTalks Directing/New Project for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival’s Hamlet, Development and in September she was a visiting scholar, lecturing Ricardo Kahn directed on “Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare,” for the productionsof his play, 12th annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Fly, which heco-wrote Theater Festival. She completed work on a revised, with Trey Ellis. Fly was expanded edition of The Historical Dictionary of performed at the Pasadena American Theatre: Modernism with co-editor James Playhouse in Calif., New Fisher and on a volume in Methuen’s forthcoming Victory Theatre in New Great Directors series, which gave her the pleasure of York City, and Crossroads working on Jean-Louis Barrault. Also for Methuen, in New Jersey. Khan directed productions of his UMKC her Modern American Drama: Playwriting in the Robert Karma Robinson, Michael Pauley, Sean commissioned play, Satchel Paige and the Kansas 1940s, will finally come out in January 2018 as part Patrick Hopkins and Jordan Bellow in Fly. photo by matthew holler City Swing!, at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and of their Decades of Modern American Drama series Cincinnati Playhouse. In October 2016, Khan was the (after the series got delayed by their 1960s volume!). director/producer of the opening night ceremonies of Most importantly, Dr Londré advised six M.A. theses the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African in 2017-18. American History and Culture on the National Mall in Washington D.C., featuring numerous national and Gregory Mackender international stars. In October 2017 he directed and Assistant Teaching produced the Museum’s first-anniversary ceremonies Professor of Sound Design starring Sweet Honey in the Rock. Gregory Mackender Felicia Hardison Londré composed new works for Curators’ Distinguished Shakespeare productions Professor of Theatre in 2017. A Heart of Felicia Hardison Londré America Shakespeare completed several projects Festival production in 2017, notably a lecture of The Tempest in March of 2017 featured music on 3 March for Brown composed on new instruments created specifically Symposium XXXVIII: for the production; it played at the Polsky Theatre in Theatre & Revolution, at Overland Park, Kansas. In addition, original music Southwestern University was composed for a June 2017 production of Hamlet in Georgetown, Texas. Culminating two years of (also Heart of America Shakespeare Festival), which research, her lecture titled “Revolution Begins in the drew record crowds in Southmoreland Park, Kansas Heart and Mind: Theatre’s Role in the Fall of the Wall,” City, and was recently awarded Best Play by Pitch traced the impact of theatre from 1979 to 1989 in Magazine’s Best of Kansas City 2017. This year marks Greg Mackender playing instrument created for Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Greg’s twenty-fifth year with the company as resident production of The Tempest for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, 2017. Romania, to end Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe. composer, completing 31 productions since 1993. photo courtesy of greg mackender

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 19 Carla Noack Swim Club, Million Dollar Quartet, and Driving Miss Associate Professor Daisy at the New Theatre Restaurant. It was a joy of Acting to design costumes for the rolling world premier Carla Noack relished of How to Use a Knife at the Unicorn Theatre, as another year of life in the she worked alongside her chef husband who taught “Stretch Zone” with her the actors knife skills so they could professionally students and colleagues prepare food and cook onstage. Oliver was a guest at UMKC. In addition to lecturer at the Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, teaching the MFA acting giving a workshop in Shibori Dyeing for Children and progression and directing a lecture, The Traditions of Dyeing and Embellishing the first-year MFA actors and design students Kimono. One of the more interesting tasks this in a production of Julius Caesar, she played Kim summer was sculpting and casting the mermaid tails in the Unicorn Theatre’s rolling world premier for Between the Lines at the KC Rep Theatre. In the of Will Snider’s How to Use a Knife, directed by spring she will be designing costumes for the KC Rep Carla Noack in The Realistic Joneses Sidonie Garrett; Old Shady in the Unicorn Theatre’s production of Sex With Strangers. at Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette Kansas City premier of Men on Boats, directed by Missy Koonce; and Jennifer in Kansas City Actors Stephanie Roberts Theatre’s production of The Realistic Joneses, Associate Professor directed by John Rensenhouse. Over the summer, of Acting she was one of seven artists from around the country Stephanie Roberts to devise a theatre piece titled “ART: Audacious Raw continued her research Theater,” in Lanesboro, Minn., directed by Catherine into the actor/creator Glynn. Carla was also invited back to New York City this summer through this summer to participate in the third annual Actors a week-long devising Center’s “National Alliance of Acting Teachers” intensive at the North National Congress. American Laboratory for the Performing Arts in Muncie, Indiana. She Sarah M. Oliver also created and performed Write to Me for the Assistant Teaching Kansas City Fringe Festival. This original, audience Professor of Costume participatory piece was inspired by 200 saved Technology letters and won a “Best of the Fest” award. This fall, Sarah M. Oliver had a Stephanie is directing the undergraduate production full season of costume of Dog Sees God and will be an artist-in-residence designing and making. at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art as part of She designed costumes Charlotte Street Foundation’s “Every Street is for And Then There Were Charlotte Street” program. None and My Old Lady And Then There Were None at Kansas City Actors at Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. Costume design by Sarah M. Oliver. photo by brian paulette Theatre and The Dixie

20 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Stephanie Roberts in Write To Me. photo by manon halliburton

Shane Rowse Assistant Teaching Professor of Lighting Technology Shane Rowse found opportunities to design lighting for several Not About Heroes, Acansa Festival in Little Rock AK, 2017. exciting productions this Lighting design by Shane Rowse. photo by shane rowse year. In April he designed the Coterie Theatre’s Elephant & Piggie: We Are In A Play, a musical Acansa Festival in Little Rock, Ark., designing lights Scott Stackhouse directed by Shanara Gabrielle. He followed with The while collaborating with graduate student Shannon Assistant Teaching Realistic Joneses for Kansas City Actors Theatre Barondeau on projection design. In the process of Professor of Lighting Technology (KCAT) under the direction of John Rensenhouse. doing these shows he was privileged to work with Late summer saw him with KCAT again, designing a number of UMKC faculty, graduates, and current Scott Stackhouse teaches lights and projections for Agatha Christie’s And Then students. His upcoming projects include lighting In vocal production, text, There Were None, also directed by Rensenhouse. the Rompus Room for Owen Cox Dance Company, and dialects for the He most recently helped Metropolitan Ensemble Sea Marks for KCAT, and Informed Consent for the Professional Actor Theatre take a production of Not About Heroes to the Unicorn Theatre. Training program and

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 21 acting for the undergraduate program at UMKC. He recently served as voice coach on Kansas City area productions of We Shall Not Be Moved at The Coterie Theatre, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Unicorn Theatre. In the summer of 2016, Scott presented his ongoing work in a presentation titled “Antonin Artaud and the Obligation of a Scene” at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference in Las Vegas, Nev. The work merges Artaud’s theory that “to break through language in order to touch life is to create or recreate the theatre” and the principles of Kristin Linklater and others to find a deeper truth Robert Karma Robinson and cast in Satchel Paige and in the human voice while acting. Scott is always the Kansas City Swing! Cincinnati Playhouse. photo by mikki schnaffer. thankful for his students and colleagues at UMKC who put up with him and his wild notions. Playhouse. This play Heather Michele Lawler and Charlie Spillers. Theodore Swetz originally commissioned photo by scott stackhouse The Patricia McIlrath by UMKC Theatre, had Endowed Chair its 2013 world premiere in Theater Arts, Acting on our Spencer Theatre. Theodore Swetz began The director and the his summer by pairing entire design team were up with Dina Thomas either UMKC faculty or (MFA Acting 2011) in UMKC alumni: Ricardo the Unicorn Theatre Khan, director; John production of I’m Gonna Ezell, scenery; and Tom Mardikes, sound; or UMKC Pray for You so Hard. The alumni, Lauren T. Roark, costumes; and Rocco remainder of the summer was spent preparing for DiSanti, projections. In New York City, Tan had also the role of the mad king in the Kansas City Actors designed the lights for A Dream of Red Pavilions for Theatre and UMKC Theatre co-production of King the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre at the Clurman Lear, which was produced October 2017. Theatre on Theatre Row. Last fall, Tan went to Norfolk Va. to design the world premiere of a new Victor En Yu Tan musical, I Sing the Rising Sea for the Virginia Stage Professor of Lighting Design Company and to New Brunswick N.J. to design Victor En Yu Tan designed the lights for the Single Black Female for Crossroads Theatre. This professional co-production premiere of Satchel spring, he will design Vietgone for the Unicorn Paige and the Kansas City Swing!, between the Theatre and Handel’s Alcina for Florida State Opera. Theodore Swetz in I’m Gonna Pray For You So Hard, Unicorn Theatre, 2017. Repertory Theatre St. Louis and the Cincinnati Tan always brings lighting students with him when photo by cynthia levin he designs.

22 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Mark Robbins and Theodore Swetz in King Lear, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 23 Charlie Spillers, Jamarr D. Love, Ken Sandberg, and Frederick Rivera in Way of the World. UMKC Theatre, 2017. photo by manon halliburton

24 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Cast of King Lear, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 25 THIS IS ONLY THEIR FIRST YEAR TECHNICAL DIRECTION IN THE PROGRAM, BUT THEY ARE ALREADY INVOLVED IN HANDS- ON EXPERIENCE WORKING IN THE SHOP ALONGSIDE AREA DUAL PROFESSIONALS. RESPONSIBILITY

by Bethany Sulecki University of Central Arkansas. He decided to pursue a career in graduate studies in technical he UMKC Theatre technical direction direction as a way to further advance his career, program is in a unique position this year knowing an MFA in technical direction will provide Tas Hunter Andrews and Zach Kuhl are the him with more job opportunities and career options. only first-year technical direction students in the When looking into schools, he discovered UMKC department. With the other technical direction at the recommendation of his mentor from his students out on residency (Nils Emerson, scenery undergraduate studies, Phil Brulotte, who is an director at Utah Shakespeare Festival; Andrew alumni of the MFA technical direction program. Steele, senior technical director at Arizona State Andrews did not follow the same path as Kuhl, University), the first-year students take advantage as there are infinite ways to choosing a career in of their one-on-one time with their instructors technical direction. Originally from Council Bluffs, as they help tailor the curriculum to their specific Iowa, Andrews attended Northwest Missouri needs. State, where he majored in business management, Kuhl earned his Bachelor of Science in technical but switched to major in theatre with a technical direction from the University of West Florida, theatre emphasis. During his high school drama a place he calls home, though a place he has not days, he participated in work on stage and off, stayed. After graduating, he built an impressive including technical direction, though he never résumé working across the country as a carpenter thought about pursuing that path as a career option. at the Janiec Opera Company, production manager That is, not until he went to college and worked at the Arkansas Shakespeare Festival and as the backstage in his undergraduate theatre department, full-time master carpenter and part-time rigger and saw a career in technical direction was possible. at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre in 2015 and To gain more experience after changing majors, MFA technical direction students Hunter Andrews and Zach Kuhl working on Spencer Stage. 2016, respectively. In addition to these gigs, he Andrews worked as a carpenter at McLeod’s photo by mark exline also taught two technical theatre classes at the Summer Playhouse at Southern Illinois University,

26 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY and had the opportunity to serve as technical director for various productions at his alma mater. As he considered MFA programs, he noticed that UMKC graduates are successful in their field, and upon his visit, found UMKC to be an acclaimed, reputable program. As the only technical design students on site in the graduate program, the two first-year students are able to tailor their classes to meet their specific needs. Andrews, who aspires to teach technical theatre at the collegiate level, is embracing the process of assisting the redevelopment of the curriculum, as this will be helpful to his future THE TWO goal as an educator, where he may need to create a FIRST-YEAR curriculum someday. STUDENTS Kuhl and Andrews mentioned that they feel they ARE ABLE TO are treated as both colleagues and students, putting the theory they learn in the classroom to practice in TAILOR THEIR the productions they work on. This ties into Kuhl’s CLASSES TO goal “to work at a LORT A or B theatre. A place MEET THEIR where the stakes are a little bigger, the budgets a little loftier, and a group of carpenters that can make SPECIFIC anything happen.” NEEDS. This is only their first year in the program, but they are already involved in hands-on experience working in the shop alongside area professionals. Having recently finishedBetween the Lines with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, they are gearing up for Go. Please. Go. at UMKC and The Secret of Courage at The Coterie Theatre. With all the responsibility that comes with being technical directing students, Kuhl and Andrews still find time outside their busy work schedules to experience their favorite parts of Kansas City: the barbeque, the nightlife, and the people. Nils Emerson, scenic director for the Utah Shakespeare Festival. photo by cristy meiners

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 27 SOUND DESIGN

WHAT CAUGHT THE EYE: FINDING UMKC

by Calan Welder

MKC Theatre’s professional training program attracts amazing young artists from all over the country, but what is it that makes Uit such a magnet for talent? Stephen Jarvis (MFA Sound Design 2020), one of three incoming sound design students this year, landed at the Stephen Jarvis working in sound design studio. University of Missouri-Kansas City after searching for a program with the photo by stephen jarvis right balance of hands-on training and professional experience. “I wanted to find a place that allowed me to develop my skills and help build a professional character,” Jarvis recalled. “Sound design is such a new field that I was worried about finding a professional program in a NAME: STEPHEN JARVIS graduate setting.” FOCUS AREA: Jarvis discovered UMKC Theatre’s sound program online and within SOUND DESIGN a few days of reaching out to Tom Mardikes (UMKC Professor of Sound UNDERGRADUATE Design), he was on his way to Kansas City for a campus tour. He expected SCHOOL: the usual woes of scouting: the tension, the conference room decorum, a BRIGHAM YOUNG brief interview by a member of a boardroom committee. Instead, Jarvis was UNIVERSITY – IDAHO cheerfully greeted by Greg Mackender (Assistant Teaching Professor of HOMETOWN: Sound Design), whose warmth and candor were a pleasant surprise. MARYSVILLE, WA As he toured the department and its facilities, Jarvis noted the BIGGEST INSPIRATION: breadth of skills students pick up during their graduate careers, working JOHN WILLIAMS alongside professors and other artists in Kansas City’s growing network of professional theatres.

Stephen Jarvis.

28 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY “I WANTED TO FIND A PLACE THAT ALLOWED ME TO DEVELOP MY SKILLS AND HELP BUILD A PROFESSIONAL CHARACTER.”

–STEPHEN JARVIS

“The equipment and training that I saw made me consider the opportunities I would have. The students were very knowledgeable, and these were first -year students. They made me realize that I too could achieve some long-awaited dreams,” said Jarvis. When professors take on the role of colleague in productions around town, student designers have the advantage of learning on-site, hands-on and in real time from their mentors. Such apprenticeships are common with Kansas City theatres through UMKC Theatre. “It was abundantly clear to me that these professors are just as excited about us as we are about them,” said Jarvis. After some discussion (and not-so-subtle hints from his wife), Jarvis joined the UMKC Theatre sound program in the fall of 2017 and has since been guided by what he calls the “first-class attitudes of the professors,” and by their attentiveness to their students’ professional lives in other areas. Professors like Mackender and Mardikes invest themselves in their students’ extracurricular interests to help designers discover their niche, using their time in production to help students get the most out of their projects. Jarvis says that professional working relationship was what tipped the scale. “I saw a real community between the students and teachers that I had not seen before. Before the trip was over, I knew where my heart lay. I knew that I could be crafted in such a way that I might be a credit to those whom I will work with in the theatre. No other school could give me that kind of confidence and optimism,” said Jarvis. Sound Professor Greg Mackender mentoring sound design student, Stephen Jarvis. photo by calan welder

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 29 COSTUME DESIGN

UMKC COSTUMES ATTRACTS WORLDWIDE STUDENTS

by Ellen Hayek

tella Tag’s journey, like that of most MFA students, was not a straight Sline. She started in South Korea, and found her way in the University of Missouri-Kansas City Theatre costume department. It was a twisted road full of bumps and hurdles; but it seems that she is happy with the result and has been rewarded with success. Stella first came to the United States in 2010 with her father during his sabbatical. She enrolled at Ohio State University, where she planned to study athletic training; however, she soon realized that it was not the right path for her. After transferring to Boise State University, she recognized the love of drawing and painting she had since she was seven. While taking a theater class, she designed costumes for a production of The Tempest and realized that she wanted to spend her life working in the theater. Stella pursued a bachelor’s degree in Theatre and was mentored by associate professor Darrin J. Pufall. She continued her education in America, even after her family had returned to Korea. During her senior year, Stella began looking at graduate programs. Professor Pufall suggested she should talk to Lindsay W. Davis at UMKC Theatre. Agreeing, she visited UMKC and happened to attend Judgement Day, when all the current graduate students were displaying their portfolios. Seeing the spectacular designs and beautiful artwork, she thought, “This is what I want to do.” Costume sketch by Stella Tag for Macbeth

30 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY The cast of the world premiere musical Between the Lines, The KC Rep, 2017. Costume sketch by Stella Tag for Lieutenant Kije photo courtesy of kc rep

After coming to UMKC, Stella began her tutelage under Lindsay W. Davis have your mentors for three years. When you graduate, you need to trust and Sarah Oliver. When asked what her mentors brought to her education that you won’t need them anymore. I already feel like I never look over my she stated, “I am learning so much from them every day. They see a problem shoulders after making a decision, because I know I made the best call.” two steps ahead of me that I may not see at first.” Stella admitted that her greatest challenge during her studies has not Stella was asked by Professor Davis to be his costume design assistant been the classes or the workload. It is the distance from her family. She says, on the new Broadway bound musical Between the Lines. When recalling the “I go to see them during the summer, but while I am in school I am by myself. process she said, “It was a difficult but rewarding situation for an assistant. There are so many things that I want or need to discuss with them, like The director was not in the same town as we were, so we needed to build an housing and finance, I have had to figure out alone.” entire separate costume Bible for him. We had several long design meetings Stella’s family is very proud of her and comes to see her whenever they for which a lot of prep was needed. Most of the work took place during the can. She is enjoying where she is in her life. She loves being in the United States summer, which was the first summer I had stayed in the U.S. rather than in general, and being in Kansas City in particular. Stella still has one more year to going home to Korea. One of the most memorable parts of the experience was go, but has definite ideas of where she would like to take her career. going to New York with Lindsay and Sarah to shop for fabrics. Lindsay knows “I would love to work in New York or Chicago because I love both cities. One’s the New York sources very well. He took me to the garment district where location is very important. No matter where you work there will be talent.” there were a variety of imported fabrics from all over of the world.” Stella Tag has made an incredible journey not just to the United States but With all she has learned and experienced with the costume department, to UMKC as well. There is no doubt that her strength and perseverance will Stella understands that her time at UMKC will not last forever. “You only lead her to a successful future.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 31 NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ACTING FOR THE PAST

by Dalton Pierce

n times of war, Americans have used theatre as a way to “THE educate their fellow citizens of the human stories behind Attendees of The National WWI Memorial Centennial Event. EMOTIONAL Ithe devastation. These works could either vilify or promote AND the war, but theatre always contained a human element. In April Gillett felt nervous, having been given only two days to rehearse. CULTURAL 2017, the United States World War I Centennial Commission But when the day came, the sun shone bright on a gorgeous day held an event to mark the United States entry into World War TURMOIL and Gillett and the others brought the people of the time to life. I. The Centennial Commission was created by the Obama THAT MARKS Marianne McKenzie also played several different Administration in 2013 to mark the 100-year anniversary of “the WORLD characters, most notably Byron Farwell, a historian. For Great War.” This event was hosted by The National World War her, preparing for these roles required a slightly different WAR I IS SO I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City and featured approach. “These performances are not unlike a play,” said INTENSE THAT a variety of speakers, such as Helen Patton (granddaughter McKenzie, “but they do require a more formal self.” When THEATRE IS of General George S. Patton) and Congressman Emmanuel asked why the organizers chose theatre as a way to mark THE BEST ART Cleaver II. the event, McKenzie stated, “I believe they did a theatrical FORM TO In addition to these distinguished guests, a group of actors performance because the emotional and cultural turmoil BRING THAT was selected to play a variety of characters from the era, that marks World War I is so intense that theatre is the best FORWARD including Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller. These actors art form to bring that forward to our own time.” The MFA TO OUR OWN were chosen from the MFA acting department at UMKC and actors were chosen to commemorate the event because they TIME.” represented their school on a national scale. Two UMKC actors represented a degree of reliability and skill, two traits which who participated were Khalif Gillett and Marianne McKenzie, are key to successful careers in theatre. –MARIANNE both second-year students. The actors of UMKC Theatre used their talents to tell the McKENZIE Gillett played a variety of characters, from the activist James stories of the Great War, and the thoughts of the period. World Weldon Johnson to the pilot Eugene Bullard. Despite being less War I is remembered as a senseless conflict, and the impact it well-known than other figures of the period, these people had a made on the world still has a profound impact even today. This profound impact on the culture of the era. “I got to learn so many is why events like these are so important. It should come as no stories,” said Gillett, “about men and women from WWI that are surprise then that theatre would be the best way to communicate sometimes overlooked because they’re not put into the spotlight these stories. Theatre will always have an important place in war- as often as the other historical figures we’ve come to know.” related art, and the legends it tells will be kept for generations.

32 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY CURRENT STUDENTS

GRADUATE STUDENTS:

SUMMER WORK

Dames at Sea, IU Summer Theatre, 2017. photo courtesy of kate hershberger

MFA STAGE MANAGEMENT MFA SCENIC DESIGN

Kate Hershberger (MFA Stage Mark Exline (MFA Scenic Design 2018) Management 2019) Mark spent the summer designing in both Kansas City Over the summer, Kate worked at the IU Summer and Creede, Colo. He began the Summer designing Theatre in Bloomington Ind. as the stage manager for Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them for Tradewind Indiana University’s production of Dames at Sea. Arts. He then travelled to Creede to design the Creede Repertory Theatre Kids’ Show I, Mac(kers) and co- Alayna Powell (MFA Stage Management 2018 ) design the Young Audience Outreach Tour’s “Albert Over the summer, Alayna Powell served as the Porter: Boy Explorer” before returning home for production manager on Lawrence Opera Theatre’s And Then There Were None with Kansas City Actors production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Theatre, which broke company ticket sales records and received rave reviews. Lisa Tinker (MFA Stage Management 2018 ) Working this summer at Central City Opera, Lisa Selena Gonzalez-Lopez was a stage management intern. She was one of (MFA Scenic Design 2020 ) fourteen out of over 300 applicants chosen to serve This summer Selena worked at the Colorado the Opera by ushering, performing administrative Renaissance Festival as a jousting cheerleader and tasks, and stage managing. She was the assistant stage administrative assistant in their main office. Lisa Tinker working as stage management manager for The Burning Fiery Furnace, Cabildo, intern for Central City Opera. and Gallantry. At the end of the summer, Lisa was Kelli Harrod (MFA Scenic Design 2019) photo by brendan mcnamara awarded the Young Professional Scholarship from the Kelli assisted renowned designer Tobin Ost on International Association of Venue Managers, which the world premier of Between the Lines, a musical Tristan James (MFA Scenic Design 2018 ) gave her the opportunity to attend the national venue adaptation of the Jodi Picoult novel by the same Tristan created the scenic designs for The managers conference in Nashville, Tenn. title, by assisting in creating the model and taking on Forestburgh Playhouse’s productions of Newsies and other duties. She was also a painter with the Heart of Bye Bye Birdie, and was the scenic charge artist for America Shakespeare Festival. the Heart of America Shakespeare festival.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 33 And Then There Were None, Kansas City Actors Theatre, 2017. Katherine Davis worked as Costume Draper for Music Man, Scenic design by Mark Exline. Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, 2017. photo by brian paulette photo by paul waldron

Christian Tayler (MFA Scenic Design 2019) Maria Nieto (MFA Costume Design 2020) MFA LIGHTING DESIGN At the Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, Christian worked Maria worked this summer at the Santa Fe Opera as a as a paint charge and designed scenery for the Festival’s stitcher apprentice. She assisted in creating costumes Bryce Foster (MFA Lighting & Scenic Design 2019 ) This summer Bryce worked as the master electrician production of Taming of the Shrew. for all productions during their summer season as an and assistant lighting designer for Northern Sky Theater, apprentice on their menswear/tailoring team. This was a company in Wisconsin that stages family musicals in Rafael Toribio (MFA Scenic Design 2019) her second summer on their creative team. Rafael worked in Kansas City over the summer as a the heart of Peninsula State Park. At the outdoor theatre, carpenter at Studio Dan Meiners. He also designed Emily Stovall (MFA Costume Design 2020) he scaled telephone poles to hang lights while living in a scenery and was the technical director for ¡Víva La This summer, Emily designed costumes for a peaceful town on the edge of Lake Michigan. Cáusa! at El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista, production of Constellations, which toured to Calif. and taught theatre and art for fifth grade children of Midwestern State University and the University MA THEATRE HISTORY migrant field workers at CSU Monterey Bay. Rafael was of South Alabama. Calan Welder (MA Theatre History 2018) also the paint charge and designed scenery for We Shall Calan had a busy summer at Timber Lake Playhouse in Stella Yesul (MFA Costume Design 2019) Not Be Moved at The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City. Mount Carroll, Ill., where he worked as the Props Master Stella recently assisted Lindsay W. Davis on Kansas in their resident company. He designed and built props City Repertory Theatre’s Between the Lines by fabric MFA COSTUME DESIGN for a series of musicals and straight plays, such as Little shopping in New York, working in the costume shop, Shop of Horrors, Scapino!, Rogers & Hammerstein’s Katherine Davis (MFA Costume Design 2019) building the scale mail for the show’s mermaids and Carousel, and Eugene O’Neill’s Ah, Wilderness! He also For Music Man at Utah Festival Opera and Musical other characters. Theatre in Logan, Katherine worked as a cutter-draper. worked on the company’s youth productions, Grease and Cinderella After the Ball.

34 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY MFA ACTING

Heather Michele Lawler (MFA Acting 2018) In June, Heather received her Equity Card in Macbeth at Riverside Theatre in Iowa City for the roles of Witch 1, Ross, Young Siward and Fleance. In this small ensemble of nine actors she performed alongside two UMKC Theatre Alums: Patrick Du Laney (2009) as Macbeth and Saren Nofs Snyder (2002) as Lady Macbeth. In July she played Marianne Dashwood in Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility with C&P Productions, also with Patrick Du Laney. In August she revisited the role of Ivey Compton in a staged reading of the new musical Story of the Century which won Best of Venue at the Levin Stage in KC Fringe 2016.

Duncan McIntyre (MFA Acting 2018) Over the summer, Duncan took on several roles for the acting company of Great River Shakespeare Festival’s fourteenth season. He played Hastings and Ratcliffe in Richard III, a Jailer and Musician in Comedy of Errors, and was understudy to Louis Heather Michele Lawler as Witch 1 in Macbeth at Riverside Theatre. de Rougemont (played by the great Chris Mixon) in photo by benjamin stuben farrar Shipwrecked! An Entertainment.

Marianne McKenzie (MFA Acting 2019) Second-year student Mary Anne recently directed Rick Homuth’s Neighborhood Goons in the Kansas City Fringe festival with Crumblecake Productions. UMKC students Jay Love, Amy Billroth Maclurg, and Megan Sells were all involved, performing in the piece presented at Musical Theatre Heritage.

Duncan McIntyre in Richard III at Newsies, The Forestburgh Playhouse, 2017. Scenic Great River Shakespeare Festival, 2017. design by Tristan James. photo by dan norman photo by jonathan charles fox

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 35 LIGHTING DESIGN

FINDING WHAT’S IMPORTANT

Lighting design by Victor En Yu Tan for A Young Lady from Rwanda. KC Repertory Theatre, 2005. photo by don ipock by Calan Welder

YOUR HOMEWORK IS TO WATCH THE SUN RISE.

s a bonus to his curriculum, Victor En Yu Tan (professor of lighting A design) focuses in on the personal skills he has developed while working in the industry. He says the age-old advice encouraging us to talk to everyone in the room can only go so far. Tan suggests being present is only the first step in developing a relationship, and to make the dialogue a success theatre artists should continuously ask themselves what’s important: to themselves, to other artists, and to the world. The world has a way of sliding us opportunities with hidden gems of inspiration. When the sun totally eclipsed over Kansas City on 21 August this year, Tan urged his students to make every effort to experience the effect it had on the horizon. He recalls the lighting effect of the eclipse as “360 degrees of sunrise,” an effect designers may choose to pull from to mimic the emotional quality of a darkening world. This was not the first time Tan would take inspiration from natural phenomena. In a 1999 production of Flyin’ West at the Pasadena Playhouse, Lighting design by Victor En Yu Tan for Liliom. KC Repertory Theatre, 2004. photo by don ipock he mimicked the chilling green skies of an incipient tornado for effect and to

36 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY great success. Tan was able to identify for himself the importance of these life experiences and apply them to his work, but the idea can be applied to everyday goings-on as well. Designers who dissect smaller life experiences have a leg up on those who coast. It’s a skill that requires professionals to be aware in their everyday lives, a skill we can cultivate through a broad education and near-constant exposure to the fine arts. Staying up to date on famous visual artworks, famous classics, and pop culture can give designers a jumping-off point for discussion with their directors. Tan hopes to instill these values in his students, explaining that clarity is key in communication, and it’s usually more effective to reference a specific work of art by a well-known painter than to spend a production meeting trying to explain what “Roscolux 32” means to a collaborator. The same applies to a script’s emotional overtones. What’s contained in the script is a Lighting design by Victor En Yu Tan for Flyin’ West. Pasadena Playhouse. skeleton. Bare bones. Time of day and weather photo by craig schwartz only prime the canvas for a lighting designer’s greater vision. Identifying what the production team considers to be most important within example where this skill has proven its usefulness. empowering audiences to point fingers at the the script forges a bond of trust a designer can Doerries employs Greek classics to give veterans a world through the play. use as a springboard and gives the director the conduit to talk about their own grievances within Opening ourselves to life experiences and chance to be specific in their expectations for the ranks. finding ways to have a discussion through the simple things. Once those technicalities are What makes the project so successful is that themes and motifs is at the heart of the theatre. covered, the designer is free to fulfill his or her the vets are able to talk about our world through Harnessing hidden gems of Truth in art, and in true artistic potential. the play by grabbing on to what’s most important our lives, gives us a way to speak to one another in The ability to talk about the world through in the classics. The same is true for satirical common terms with the added bonus of specificity. art has proven invaluable in major projects and farces that get through the censors in countries Read. Write. Visit a museum. It’s amazing how far abstract aspirations. Tan uses Brian Doerries’s with strict content laws. They say something the twinkle of a star will go when we pick out what veteran’s health project Theater of War as a prime serious to hammer home bold statements, it is we love about the shimmer.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 37 STAGE MANAGEMENT KEEPING OPERA ON TRACK

by Calan Welder

Sadie DeSantis, Olivia West, Karl Anderson and Ashley L. Kok. pera waits for no one. Unlike stage drama, its musical timing keeps photo by tracy davis-singh Oit running nonstop from curtain to curtain, ready or not. The luxury of adlibbing and pausing to “fix” a scene is one the show can’t afford. And with all its moving parts, there’s little room for deviation. This makes opera an exceptional task for stage managers, and one that brings out the best of their skills. Sadie DeSantis (assistant teaching professor of stage management and production manager for UMKC Theatre), who managed Eugene Onegin at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City this year, says that one of the biggest differences opera has with drama presents one of the biggest challenges: cast size. “Even in musical theatre, you’re dealing with a cast of maybe 25,” she says. “Right now my chorus for Eugene Onegin is 36 people. And that’s just the chorus, that’s not including principals.” Keeping track of 40+ people’s-worth of props and costumes (and people) has its own set of challenges for management, and for the stage hands they oversee backstage. Since operas are musically timed, they run like clockwork, or at least they need to. It may seem odd that a performer needs to be cued, but singers who perform the same role across a dozen different venues might enter without a production-specific prop, or worse, miss their entrance Kathereine Gehrlein and Shannon Barondeau in tech for Way of the World. UMKC Theatre, 2017. photo by tracy davis-singh entirely. With over 40 performers backstage, and many of them with

38 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY breaks for the better half of an hour between scenes, it’s easy to lose track of time. That’s where Stage Management comes in, giving singers warnings during the show on all three floors of the venue backstage, including the orchestra. As DeSantis’s stage management intern, UMKC Theatre student Olivia West (stage management 2018) runs the area backstage near the dressing rooms and is responsible for making sure performers respond to their call. Once the singers are in the wings, she and UMKC Theatre alumnus Karl Anderson (stage management 2017) check their props and costume pieces, then send them into the light. And all of this is going on as they check safety for moving scenery and triple-check props and costumes, with the orchestra steaming steadily along. Opera is an experience all its own with its high stakes and fast- paced run, but DeSantis says that a stage manager’s skills are widely transferrable from drama to opera. One perk she points out is the ability to read music. Although not necessarily an indicator of a good opera manager, it’s an invaluable skill that makes following along in a score much easier, especially if the opera is in a foreign language. The skills involved in tracking moving parts and running rehearsals, however, are the same at their core for opera as they are in drama, albeit on a grander scale that can sometimes be intimidating. Still, there’s nothing to stop a manager from crossing over to opera. Some never come back. West and Anderson both began their careers in stage management with drama before working in opera as part of DeSantis’s curriculum. West began working with DeSantis as a freshman in 2014 and has assisted her on several productions since. While on the Lyric’s crew, she has the opportunity to work on a professional production with the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Union workers and forge relationships with working professionals. The crossover between drama and opera gives stage managers a broad range of experiences they can apply across disciplines. Some find their niche in opera, while others stay on with live theater. In any event, the breadth of experiences managers get while working with industry professionals strengthens their skills and gives them the chance to Karl Anderson working the cue lights. explore relationships with local Union branches. photo courtesy of karl anderson

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 39 MASTER OF ARTS

DRAMATURG, EDUCATOR & DIRECTOR

WHITNEY JURY FINDS SUCCESS

by Amanda Davison

he Master of Arts in Theatre program at the University of Missouri- TKansas City merges the scholarly and the creative aspects of theatre into one exceptionally well-rounded educational experience. Perfect for students who seek a program of study that is both flexible and intellectually rich, this program offers a choose-your-own-adventure approach to a master’s degree in theatre. Whitney Jury, who earned her M.A. in the spring of 2017, exemplifies the high caliber of students who are graduating from the program and proving its reputation. A native of Liberal, KS, Jury received her undergraduate degree from William Jewell College, where she studied speech and theatre education. Her choice to attend UMKC was inspired by the reputation of the head of the M.A. program, Dr. Felicia Londré. “I was lucky to have chosen a program run by Dr. Londré, who continues to inspire me to reach my higher educational goals in theatre,” said Jury. Since enrolling, Jury has served as the dramaturg for several local productions, the most recent being Kansas City Actors Theatre’s A Lie of the Mind. She credits the M.A. program with giving her the tools to help her establish relationships with other local artists, saying, “Prior to attending Whitney Jury photo by justin klaas UMKC, I had not networked at all with theatre artists in Kansas City.”

40 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY “I AM GLAD THAT UMKC Connor Woodson, Alex Ritchie, and Rachel Garrett Bland in Alex Ritchie and Rachel Garrett Bland in Melancholy Play. Melancholy Play. UMKC University Theatre Association, 2017. UMKC University Theatre Association, 2017. THEATRE photo by justin klaas photo by justin klaas GAVE ME THE During her time in the program, Jury took classes on theatre aesthetically gorgeous. Her vision led us to create something OPPORTUNITY history, text analysis and dramaturgy. She was even able to truly special.” Jury’s thorough understanding of Sarah Ruhl – AND THE study playwriting under esteemed American playwright contributed to her ability to create a memorable theatrical GUMPTION – Frank Higgins, author of plays such as Black Pearl Sings! and experience for all involved. TO REACH OUT The Sweet By ‘n’ By. These classes, which enabled her to grow While Jury was in the MA program she honed other skills, AND CREATE both academically and creatively, culminated in her graduate including her ability to teach. She was granted a graduate THEATRE.” thesis, “The Ruhls of Relationships: Connecting with Others teaching assistantship which allowed her to mentor and through Theatrical Ambiguity.” Of her thesis Jury said, instruct her students while gaining valuable teaching –WHITNEY JURY “When a person watches a show, it is important that she is not experience. This knowledge has been crucial in her current told what to think. Rather, she is encouraged to think deeper endeavors, which include serving as the acting director with about a specific subject or she is encouraged to determine Stars Unlimited Dance in Liberty, Missouri, alongside teaching her own ending to a story. Ruhl masters this with her highly at The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City. ambiguous endings and her capricious characters. I am Jury has big plans for the future. She intends to continue enthralled by her ability to write such inclusive plays.” directing, and plans to eventually open a space where she can Shortly after graduating, Jury directed Ruhl’s Melancholy direct children’s theatre and continue to share her passion. Play for the UMKC University Theatre Association. The Reflecting on the past two years, she said, “I am glad that production was a huge success. Dalton Pierce (MA 2017) UMKC Theatre gave me the opportunity – and the gumption stage managed the production. He said of the experience, – to reach out and create theatre.” Whitney Jury’s Master of “Whitney was dedicated to her idea, and led the team to Arts in Theatre degree is the key to opening up a world of future fulfill her ambition. The production was funny, moving, and opportunities in the theatre.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 41 ALUMNI ALUMNI AT WORK

SOUND DESIGN

Kristian Ball (MFA Sound Design 2007) is the sound designer and composer for Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop at the Delaware Repertory Theatre. Ball also co-authored a chapter in a new publication titled “Reframing Immersive Theatre: The Politics and Pragmatics of Participatory Performance.”

Daniel Warneke (MFA Sound Design 2012) is the Audio Engineer at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas.

LIGHTING DESIGN

Nina Gooch (MFA Lighting Design 1992) is currently the production manager and resident lighting designer for Atlanta’s Capitol City Opera. Nina also designs for Out of Box Theatre and works as a free-lance theatre electrician.

Richard L. Sprecker (MFA Lighting Design and Sound Design 2012) is currently the assistant professor of lighting and sound at the University of Oklahoma. He has designed multiple shows for the Weathervane Playhouse and the Oklahoma University School of Drama.

COSTUME DESIGN

Genevieve V. Beller (MFA Costume Design and Technology 2013) In addition to a thriving freelance career in NYC, Genevieve has traveled extensively to design costumes for theatres nation-wide, including the Gulfshore Play House world premier of Do This directed by Tony-nominee Sheryl Kaller and starring Carmen Cusack. She recently Costume Design by Lauren T. Roark for As You Like It. Utah Shakespeare Festival, 2017. joined United Scenic Artists 829 as a costume designer and is currently assisting Tony- photo by karl hugh

42 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY winner Jane Greenwood in The Parisian Woman on Broadway starring Uma Thurman. Edwin Brown III (MFA Acting 2016) recently Renee Garcia (MFA Costume Design and Technology 2010) is the visiting assistant had the pleasure of professor of costume design at Oklahoma State University. Her costume designs for playing Venus (a.k.a. As You Like It were displayed at the USITT-USA National Exhibit at the 2015 Prague Face), the rising star Quadrennial and won both the USITT Ezekiel Board Choice Winner and Ezekiel Award drag daughter, in a vogue of Outstanding Achievement. Wig Out! by Moonlight Academy Award winner Kelly Kasper Hawkinson (MFA Costume Design 2009) is currently the tailor on the Tarell Alvin McCraney. courtroom drama Bull by CBS. She was also a tailor on 20th Century Fox’s The Greatest The updated show Showman starring Hugh Jackman. at Studio Theatre in Lauren Roark (MFA Costume Design and Technology 2014) currently serves as Washington D.C. this the costume shop manager and resident costume designer at Beloit College. She most summer was a hit with an recently designed As You Like It at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. outstanding scenic design by Jason Sherwood. He ACTING also had the opportunity to lead a New York Kevin Paul Hofeditz (MFA Acting 1982) has been a professor of theatre and workshop directed by Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Southern Methodist University in Taye Diggs. Dallas since 1998. MASTER OF ARTS Diane Ragsdale (MFA Acting 1991) recently joined the College of Performing Arts at the New School as a professor of arts management and entrepreneurship. David Ruis Fisher (MA She is also serving as the program director for the MA in Arts Management and 2016) is currently in his Entrepreneurship. second year as a Ph.D. student in the Department ​Rick Wasserman in Talley’s Folley at Stewart Skelton (MFA Acting 1988) has been acting on television in shows of Theatre at the University Creede Repertory Theatre, 2017. such as Aquarius, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, Hand of God, Snowfall, photo by john gary brown of Kansas where he also Dear White People, American Crime, Black-ish, This Is Us, American Crime Story, serves as co-chair of the Graduate Theatre Social Committee and co-chair of and several episodes of the NBC comedy Great News. the Graduate Theatre 10-Minute Play Festival. This spring, he will dramaturg Daniel Robert Sullivan (MFA Acting 2006) recently completed his long run as the KU Theatre production of Topher Payne’s Perfect Arrangement and will star Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys last year, with more than 1000 performances in the in Jonathan Tolin’s Buyer and Cellar for Topeka’s very own Ad Astra Theatre role. He then joined the national tour of Motown the Musical. Ensemble fall 2018.

Rick Wasserman (MFA Acting 1998) is currently playing Otto in The Diary Alyson Germinder (MA 2015) was the associate producer and dramaturg for of Anne Frank at Cleveland Playhouse. He has recently appeared at the Creede Heart of America Shakespeare Festival’s 25th anniversary season. She continued Repertory Theatre in Colorado as Matt in Talley’s Folly and as Elyot and Victor in her work as literary manager and dramaturg at Unicorn Theatre, where she Private Lives. oversees the In-Progress New Play Reading Series.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 43 Edwin Brown III and Melissa Victor in Wig Out! at the Collin Vorbeck and cast in Hamlet at the Heart of America Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City. photo by teresa wood photo courtesy of heart of america shakespeare festival

Collin Vorbeck (MA 2016) spent last summer with the Heart of America Shakespeare Michael O’Nele (MFA Technical Direction and Sound Design 1998) is the Festival in Kansas City, playing Guildenstern in Hamlet and teaching Camp Shakespeare. technical director at the University of Memphis. His teaching specialties include A second-year Ph.D. student at Texas Tech, he will dramaturg The Nether and direct a technical direction, scenic technology, and specialized course work such as staged reading of Hir this spring. structural design, automation & mechanization, digital fabrication, technical management and rigging. Melonnie Walker (MA 2016) presented at the August Wilson Society’s conference on the power of African rituals in the plays of August Wilson. She has also served as Christopher Stepanek (MFA Technical Direction 2016) started a new position as dramaturg for the staged reading In Transition and the stage production of Eclipsed at the master technician with Second Stage Theatre in New York City. Previously, he was Unicorn Theatre, as well as for Fences at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. the technical director at The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

has been the technical director for TECHNICAL DIRECTION Thomas Taylor (MFA Technical Direction 2001) several different venues, ranging from Lexington Children’s Theatre in Kentucky to the Matt Francis (MFA Technical Direction 2012) is the technical director for University of South Florida, to Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach and more. He is currently Goodspeed Musicals. Recent productions include Rags, Darling Grenadine, Oklahoma!, entering his 11th season at the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Florida, and his fourth Deathless, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. Matt is also a professional improv comic with season as technical director and facilities manager there. Sea Tea Touring Company in Hartford, CT. Emilie Weilbacher-Mcmullan (MFA Technical Direction 2011) is currently Brad Kanouse (MFA Technical Direction 2007) is currently the technical director the associate technical director at the Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis, the assistant for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, where he opened his first show,Eugene Onegin. Since technical director for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the draftsperson for the Saint graduating, Brad has worked with the Houston Grand Opera, Kansas City Repertory Louis Municipal Opera Theatre. Theatre, and Stages Repertory Theatre, among others.

44 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY Scenic Design by Jeff Ridenour forHansel and Gretel, Afton Earp was stage manager for Chainsaw: The Musical UMKC Conservatory, 2017. with Kokopelli Theatre Company. photo by jeff ridenour photo by paul andrews

SCENIC DESIGN STAGE MANAGEMENT

David Hawkinson (MFA Scenic Design 2010) has been working as a scenic Sara Beatty (MFA Stage Management 2007) is the theatre operations manager artist in the film and television industry for several years. Recently, he has been at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts. Through the International Alliance of working as the camera scenic for CBS’s courtroom drama Bull. Venue Managers, Sara earned her Certified Venue Professional (CVP) certification, in addition to presenting at three conferences in 2017. Alexander LaFrance (MFA Scenic Design, 2015) is the art director at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Maegan Burnell (MFA Stage Management 2013) is the stage manager for the Black Box Repertory Company at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Jeff Ridenour (MFA Scenic Design, 2014) is based in NYC, and since In the last four years, she has staged managed roughly 30 performances and events graduating, has formed a strong creative partnership with director Fenlon in the Denver area. Lamb, designing and collaborating on 12 productions in opera at UMKC and professional companies across the country. He designed La Traviata and Tosca, Emily Duffin (MFA Stage Management 2014) was the assistant stage manager for the Finger Lakes Opera and designed a unique and experimental production for Palm Beach Opera, Utah Opera, Aspen Music Festival, and Pittsburgh Opera. out of paper for Elvis Costello’s The Juliet Letters at the Lyric Opera of Kansas She will be working for Pittsburgh Opera and returning to Utah Opera to assistant City. Currently, he is designing Hansel und Gretel with Lamb and Thomas for stage manage the regional premiere of Moby Dick by Jake Heggie. UMKC Conservatory’s fall season and is thrilled to design his first Off-Broadway production and the U.S. premiere of Isobel Mahon’s Party Face at the Manhattan Afton Earp (MFA Stage Management 2017) is currently an Equity stage Theatre Club in January of 2018. manager working in Kansas City. She was recently the assistant stage manager for Priscilla: Queen of the Desert at Unicorn Theatre and for Grease at Starlight Theatre. Currently, she is stage managing Chainsaw: The Musical with Kokopelli

Theatre Company.

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 45 2017 – 2018 SCHOLARS

The Hall Family Foundation Fellows Jeanne McIlrath Finter Honorable Karen McCarthy Morgan-Oppenstein The Michelle Bushman Memorial Scholarship Scholarship for Theatre Acting Award Scholarship Chioma Anyanwu in Costume Kelli Harrod Heather Michele Lawler Shannon Barondeau Chelsea Kinser, MFA Acting Katherine Davis Jamarr D. Love Noah Bartlet Jeannette Nichols Scholarship Jason Francescon, Duncan McIntyre Amy Billroth-MacLurg Patricia A. McIlrath Selena Gonzalez-Lopez MFA Acting Ken Sandberg Mark Exline Scholarship SCS Scholarship Stern Fellowship: Costume Selena Gonzalez-Lopez Ken Sandberg William & Fay Sollner Calan Welder Katherine Davis Kelli Harrod Scholarship Jeanne McIlrath Finter Emily Ho Gretel Sigmund Scholarship Stephen Jarvis Stern Fellowship: Sound Acting Award Tristan James in Theatre Stephen Jarvis Megan Sells Douglas Enderle Honorary Stephen Jarvis Brandy Giordano Scholarship in Theatre Design Ashley Kok The Darker Face of the Earth The Mary Ellen Fowler Emily Stovall Zacheriah Kuhl Benefit Scholarship Award Fund Heather Michele Lawler Hector Quintero Caroline Allander The New Theatre Guild Jamarr D. Love Three Sisters Benefit Brandy Giordano Scholarships 2017 – 2018 KC Rep and UMKC Theatre Wallace McCanless Scholarship Emily Stovall work in partnership to Duncan McIntyre The New Theatre Guild Alayna Powell prepare talented young Marianne McKenzie Richard J. Stern Foundation Richard Carothers and Dennis artists for a future in theatre. Brian Moore Noises Off Benefit Scholarship Scholarship for Theatre D. Hennessy Scholarship Financial assistance from Hector Quintero T.J. Toribio Arts – Costume Khalif Gillett, MFA Acting generous donors is essential Megan Sells LA Clevenson Freddy Acevedo, MFA Acting Francis J. Cullinan & Baker to sustain UMKC’s acclaimed Matthew Schorr Stella Tag Yetunde Felix-Ukwu, S. Smith, Jr. Scholarship theatre training programs. Charlie Spillers MFA Acting Hunter Andrews Linda H. and Thomas H. Christian Taylor If you are interested in Talbott Scholarship for The Virginia Kelley T.J. Toribio Ingram Family contributing or establishing Performing Arts Scholarship Scholarship Fund a scholarship, please contact Paula Fritz Ellen Hayek, MA Bill Baker, Jr. Scholarship Freddy Acevedo Jason Elliott at elliottjas@ Lisa Tinker Jay Templeton The Julia Boutross umkc.edu or 816.235.5776. Lee & Nadine Marts Scholarship Baker Thomas Scholarship Scholarship Maddie Rowe, BA in Theatre Maria Nieto Sandra Lopez

46 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI–KANSAS CITY PROGRAMS

Master of Fine Arts: Theatre Design and Technology: Technology Acting and Directing Stage Management Theodore Swetz Sadie DeSantis 816.235.5207 816.235.2783 [email protected] [email protected] Technical Direction Design and Technology: Design Chuck Hayes Costume 816.235.2772 Lindsay W. Davis [email protected] 816.235.6023 [email protected] Master of Arts: Theatre Cast of Hana’s Suitcase. The Coterie Theatre, 2017. Lighting photo by j. robert schraeder, courtsey of the Coterie theatre Victor En Yu Tan Dr. Felicia Hardison Londré 816.213.8826 (cell) 816.235.2781 or 816.235.2767 [email protected] [email protected] Scenic Gene Friedman 816.674.7333 [email protected] APPLY ONLINE AT Sound Greg Mackender umkc.edu/apply 913.206.2511 [email protected]

Back Cover Photo: Megan Sells in Antony Cast of Men on Boats, Unicorn Theatre, 2017. and Cleopatra. UMKC Theatre, 2017. photo courtesy of unicorn theatre photo by brian paulette

UMKCTHEATRE.ORG 47 University of Missouri–Kansas City 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City MO 64110 2018 THEATRE TRAINING NEWS umkctheatre.org