2017-18 HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ACADEMIC YEAR IN THEATRE & DANCE

Not to brag, but. . . Individual jobs onstage & backstage in 1,837 Theatre & Dance productions in 2017-18 In 2017-18, we gave 90 individual 797 onstage roles for performers and 1,040 backstage jobs for designers, stage managers, and technicians. performances of 32 different productions to an audience of over 10,500 people including:

6 MainStage Productions in 2017-18 These Shining Lives, Mother Courage and Her Children (pictured below), WinterDance: 'Tis the Season,

New Works Festival 2018, 9 to 5 the Musical, and Building a set for 9 to 5 the Musical Dyeing tutus red in the costume shop Dance Company auditions Evening of Dance (pictured below) 6 Dance Concerts in 2017-18 7 Countries Theatre & Dance students traveled the WinterDance: 'Tis the Season, Holidays on the Hill 11 Grants globe to research, study, perform, (colloboration with Music Dept.), Last Chance to Dance (Fall), The Dance Project 2018, Evening of Dance, and 35+ Venues and present their work. Last Chance to Dance (Spring) G rants funded student travel to Israel, India, Canada, England, Taiwan, and Spain to study, research and perform. The Department also hosted a trip to London and New York in January 2018. Students attended professional events like the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions, the Tennessee Dance Festival, and the Joyce Ballet Festival. Students also studied and apprenticed at places like the the Joffrey Ballet, Rhythm World Summer Dance, Giordano Dance, Inaside Dance, Stephen Foster, Serenbe Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Pacific Coast Performing Arts, Charleston Stage Company, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Disney, and more. 10+ Guest Artist Visits, including: Pilobolus Dance, Broadway/film/TV actors Becky Ann Baker (alum) and Dylan Baker, choreographers Jon Lehrer, Caitlin Abraham, Laura Valentine, and Robert McKee, just to name a few.

Western Kentucky University 12 Full-Time Faculty is one of only 36 institutions in Our professors are actively involved with our community, as well as working regionally, nationally and internationally. This year, faculty traveled to study, perform, and present at organizations such the U.S. nationally accredited in as the National Ballet of Cuba, the Accademia Dell'Arte, in Arezzo, Italy, the Dance Science and Somatics Educators Conference, and the Music Theatre Educators Alliance. Dr. Amelia Rollings was all all four arts areas: awarded the 2018 Van L. Lawrence Award by the Voice Foundation and the National Association for Teachers of Singing. This is their most prestigious award for voice teachers who conduct research on Art & Design, Dance, Music, the singing voice. and Theatre. Hundreds of Alumni!

(C) Jeff Smith Theatre & Dance department alumna and award-winning actress, Becky Ann Baker is being inducted into 2018 WKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Her credits include the The Best Little Whorehouse in the Texas (Broadway), Assassins (Broadway), All My Sons (Broadway), Good People (Broadway), A Simple Pan (film), Freaks and Geeks (TV), and Girls (HBO). What are some of our other alumni doing? Adam Perry is performing in Frozen on Broadway, Emily Althaus is filming Salvage for ABC, Dare Norman travels between New York and China arranging cultural exchanges, Chandler Smith is Associate Producer at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center, Brittany Copeland is Scene Shop Supervisor at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Meg Hoshor is a professional model in NYC and dances with Ballets with a Twist, and Nathan Fister is joining the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular! We could keep going, but there's not enough room to list what all of our alums have done this past year alone!