So, I made a thing. A year ago I was beginning to write the grant for this project. I had seen Remote Mitte by Rimini Protokoll earlier that year in Berlin, and I was really interested in audio tours as an immersive, theatrical experiment. I wrote about re-contextualizing locales, sharing stories dismissed by ageism, engaging people with my city, and, with the help of Robert Scott Smith, I got the grant.

In December of 2017, I sent out flyers to every assisted living facility in Salt Lake, calling for storytelling volunteers. I got one reply. This tour is a collection of his stories. Along the way, equipment broke, feelings got hurt, and publishing platforms disappeared into the ether after being acquired by massive speaker companies (I’M LOOKING AT YOU BOSE). But my friends and faculty were always there to work through the hiccups, and that was pretty flipp’n awesome. Special thanks to Benjamin Young and Alexander Woods.

This tour isn’t perfect. But it’s personal, political. And it’s probably not like any other audio tour you’ll be listening to in the near future. So go out there and get to know my city.

by Emily Nash, student in the Actor Training Program

Great Ascents

By Emily Nash Available on VoiceMap Audio Tour Oct. 6-Nov. 6, 2018

Audio Tour: Great Ascents was made possible by a University of Utah Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) grant. UROP provides undergraduate students and mentors the opportunity to work together on research or creative projects. To find out more about how to apply for a UROP grant, visit: our.utah.edu/urop/

About Emily Nash She is a senior in the ATP. Currently she's the assistant director of Julius Caesar in Studio 115 at the University of Utah. She is also finishing her massage therapy certification, and lurking, "whoops I mean interning," at Pioneer Theatre Company. Favorite roles include 

Maria in Up: The Man in the Flying Chair (Studio 115), Player in Shockheaded Peter (Sackerson), and Carmen in This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing (Arizona State University). Next up you’ll see her in The Rivals in the Babcock Theatre. Lots of love to her friends and family for supporting her shenanigans.

The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe, directed by Assistant Professor Alexandra Harbold featuring Department of Theatre faculty, students, and alumni is playing at Salt Lake Acting Company October 10-November 11, 2018. These warriors are ready to take on anyone. Their minds move at warp speed, their emotions jostle for position, their bodies are fine-tuned, and their hormones are raging. It’s war out there on the girls’ soccer field. Get ready for The Wolves.

Tickets available at Salt Lake Acting Company.

Design Team:

Set Design – Erik Reichert

Costume Design – Kerstin Davis

Lighting Design – William Peterson

Sound Design – Jennifer Jackson

Prop Design – Janice Jenson

Dramaturg – Catherine Heiner

Soccer Consultant – Joe Murray

Stage Manager – Justin Ivie*

Assistant Sound Design – Kate Hunter

Assistant Stage Manager – Katelyn Limber

Cast:

Madi Cooper – #25

Louise Dapper – #14

McKenzie Steele Foster – #11

Tracie Merrill – Soccer Mom

Mary Neville – #7

Ireland Nichols – #00

Hailee Olenberger – #13

Fina Posselli – #2

Cézanne Smith – #8

Alison Jo Stroud – #46

The Department of Theatre at the University of Utah is honored to be hosting Fight Master David Boushey on October 19, 2018 for a master workshop with faculty and students from the Actor Training Program, 9:40-11:35 a.m. in the Performing Arts Building.

Master Boushey is an American stuntman, stunt coordinator, stage fight director and stunt trainer. He is the founder of International Stunt School in Seattle, WA, which is considered the foremost stunt training facility in the film industry. He is also the founder of the United Stuntmen's Association and the Society of American Fight Directors. He was inducted into the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame in 1992. Fight Master Boushey is one of fourteen First Masters in North America and the recipient of the Los Angeles Critics Award for Best Fight Choreography in 1981, 1985, and 1991.

During his career 40-year professional career as a stunt coordinator and stunt instructor throughout North America and Europe, he has Coordinated Stunts and Action for 8 Academy Award-Winning actors including Chris Cooper, Brad Dourif, William Hurt, Tommy Lee Jones, Marsha Mason, Jon Voight, Christopher Walken, and Denzel Washington. Other actors he's trained include Drew Barrymore, Barry Corbin, Anna Faris, Danny Glover, James Earl Jones, Heather Locklear, Mary Tyler Moore, Meg Ryan, Keifer Sutherland, and Elijah Wood.

Check out A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan kettering Cancer Center of New York City by Halley Feiffer at Salt Lake Acting Company now-October 21. Directed by Professor Sarah Shippobotham, starring Associate Professor Chris DuVal and alumna Cassie Stokes Wylie.

About A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan kettering Cancer Center of New York City: It’s a comic catastrophe when Karla, a crass comedian and Don, a sad super-nerd meet at the bedsides of their dying mothers. There’s nothing less funny in the world than cancer…except when it’s hilarious.

See the show audiences are calling "the funniest and most touching production SLAC has produced in years. Student, senior, and 30 & under discounts available! Call 801.363.7522 or click this link for more information. CONTENT ADVISORY: This play contains adult language and sexual content.

Dr. Brian Manternach presented for the Alabama Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) at the University of North Alabama on Saturday, September, 22, 2018. The 2018 Fall Workshop included two masterclasses and a lecture on musical theatre singing all led by Dr. Manternach.

Founded in 1944, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Inc. (NATS) is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world with nearly 7,000 members in the United States, Canada, and nearly 30 other countries. Internationally, NATS is represented in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, with the number of countries growing every year.

Dr. Manternach's article "Eyes on the Horizon" was also featured in NATS's Fall 2018 newsletter InterNos. Read his piece below

The Department of Theatre is proud to present "Mornings with Masters" a series of workshops led by our Theatre faculty for University of Utah Youth Theatre students.

The YTU summer camps are one of the most affordable quality theatre camps in the country. Students rotate to a variety of theatre classes including dance, drama, and voice taught by qualified instructors, including current U of U Theatre students and alumni. All students perform in a showcase at the end of the last week, featuring a variety of songs, dances, and drama.

This summer, students in the teen sessions will have the opportunity to join a workshop led by Department of Theatre faculty in various areas. The goal of these workshops is for the students to meet theatre professionals and expand their knowledge about theatre careers and opportunities.  The Youth Theatre program at the University of Utah is dedicated to empowering youth to skillfully participate in the performing arts as a vehicle to explore their creativity, engage in their community, and think critically about the world.

For over thirty years, YTU has been providing high quality out-of-school time theatre arts programs for young people along the Wasatch Front. 

Professor Chris DuVal is hosting a Quarterstaff SAFD Skills Test Workshop at the University of Utah July 23-30, 2018.

This workshop will include training and testing in Quarterstaff, one of the primary weapon disciplines offered by the SAFD and DAI. Over 30 contact hours with the weapon will be offered, in addition to opportunities to study other weapon styles (TBD).

Reserve your space by contacting Professor Chris DuVal at .

Dates: July 23 - July 30 Cost: $450 Instructor: DC Wright

About D.C. Wright

D.C. Wright has been teaching, performing, and directing staged violence since 1994. D.C. became a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat with the Society of American Fight Directors in 1998 and was recognized as a Full Instructor by Dueling Arts International the same year.

D.C. is very active in teaching at national, regional, and local stage combat workshops all over the country with the SAFD and DAI. He currently coordinates the Central Illinois Stage Combat Workshop, and is the coordinator in charge of the Associate Instructor Program for the Winter Wonderland Workshop, the largest stage combat workshop in the country. D.C. has been teaching every year at the DAI Stage Combat Teacher Training Workshop, which has been hosted at his school for the last six years.

D.C. is also busy as a Fight Director around the country, having directed the violence for Syracuse Stage’s production of The Three Musketeers and Noises Off. He has directed violence for Arkansas Rep’s productions of Spamalot, Peter and the Starcatcher, Wait Until Dark, The Complete Works of Williams Shakespeare: Abridged, Treasure Island, Death of a Salesman, To Kill a Mockingbird, Henry V, Hamlet, both Les Miserables, Moonlight and Magnolias, Of Mice and Men, and Romeo and Juliet. He has directed fights for Peter and the Starcatcher, One Man, Two Guv’nors and Hamlet at Theatre Squared in Fayetteville. Romeo and Juliet, Winters Tale, Titus Andronicus, Taming of the Shrew, The Complete Works of Shakespeare: Abridged, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, Henry VIII and others for the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, as well as the Off-Broadway production of The Blowin of Baile Gall.

D.C. has worked on several commercials and film projects, most notably…And They Fight, a 23-hour six volume stage combat instructional series produced by Dueling Arts International covering all major weapon styles, in which D.C. is a primary demonstrator.

D.C. Wright is recognized as a Certified Teacher of Stage Combat and a Theatrical Firearms Safety Instructor by the Society of American Fight Directors, and as a Master Instructor by Dueling Arts International., D.C. teaches Movement and Stage Combat at Western Illinois University.

Professor William “Bill” Parkinson has been teaching Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation and Movement at the University of Utah since 1974. This summer, he will be retiring after teaching over 10,000 students during his career at the University of Utah.

Bill graduated from the University of Utah Department of Philosophy in 1972. He was initiated into the Ananda Marga International Yoga Society in 1970, receiving the title Yogi Viirishwara in 1974. He implemented Utah’s first accredited college courses in Tai Chi and Yoga at Westminster College from 1972 to 1974. He began teaching Tai Chi for the University of Utah Modern Dance Department in 1974. He has taught Tai Chi and Yoga for the Exercise and Sports Science Department since 1979, and for the Department of Theatre since 1987.

Bill is listed as an Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher of the highest level (5,000+ hours of teaching experience) with the nationally accredited Yoga Alliance. He is a Tai Chi Chuan Master who is authorized to administer teacher-training and certification in both Tai Chi and Yoga. He has sponsored World Tai Chi Day at the University of Utah since 2002. This free event invites people of all ages and physical conditions to learn and practice different Chinese forms of exercise. He has been recognized by Governors Mike Leavitt, John Huntsman and Gary Herbert for his leadership of World Tai Chi Day (WTCD). WTCD has been declared a state holiday.

After his retirement, Bill will continue to teach his craft at a local Yoga and Tai Chi studio in Salt Lake City.

Please join us for a midday celebration to honor Bill for his decades of service and accomplishments at the University of Utah on June 20, at 12:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Building.

The Department of Theatre is pleased to announce that Harris Smith will be serving as the next chair of our department beginning July 1, 2018.

Smith is joining us from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he served as an Associate Professor in Acting and Movement, the Director for the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film, and as the former Head of the Professional Actor Training Program.  

His research and creative work focus on psycho-physical character development for the actor and choreographing violence for stage and film. He is a Certified Teacher of stage combat through the Society of American Fight Directors and a member of Actors Equity and SAG (Screen Actor’s Guild). He has worked as an actor and fight director at a number of regional theatres including Utah Shakespeare Festival, ACT in Seattle, St. Louis Black Repertory, Sacramento Theatre Company and Illinois Shakespeare Festival. He received the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival for Fight Choreography. His film and television credits include; Runaway Train Singles, Past Midnight, Amazing Grace & Chuck, Seven Hours to Judgment, Chips the War Dog, Lookin’ Good and Pandora’s Clock.  Recently, he served as the stunt coordinator and fight director for the short film, The Healing of Harmon (2018). He has been invited to present the lecture, “Characters in Conflict,” this summer at Sichuan University as part of the 2018 University Immersion Program in Chengdu, China.

"I’m enthusiastic about joining the Department of Theatre at the University of Utah. As an alum of the PAC 12, I’m excited to return to this excellent conference. I look forward to building upon the excellence of the department and commitment of the faculty towards their students.  It is my hope to deepen our relationships with communities in the Greater Salt Lake area and the state of Utah, as we continue to grow our national and international impact." In welcoming Harris Smith to his new position, the Department also thanks Gage Williams for his service and commitment to the Department of Theatre throughout his term as Chair.

Gage Williams has been a highly valued member of the Department of Theatre for 24 years, serving as Department Chair the last 10 years. His expertise in stage design and film and TV production design have given him many experiences at the U, and at numerous professional companies, including the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Great Lakes Theatre Festival, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare.

Williams first discovered a love of theatre by chance his sophomore year at Arizona State University, when he signed up for a non-majors acting class in order to keep his athletic eligibility. He immediately found a deep love for theatre and gave up playing football shortly thereafter. “My early goal was to be a film actor, and I assumed acting was the path to take,” Williams said. “I did love the few roles I played on stage, acting class, and rehearsals. But deep down I knew I was not that good, and I was not progressing as an actor.” After three years of acting courses, he took a required course in set design, which felt like a natural fit for him. He then switched his major and finished his BFA in Theatre Design and Production at ASU, and then earned his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Southern Methodist University, where he was mentored by the famed Broadway musical design team of Bill and Jean Eckart.

During his time at ASU, Williams got a job as a technical intern at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, where he was eventually promoted to Resident Assistant Set Designer. He assisted world renowned designers such as Ralph Funicello, sitting in on meetings with Jack O’Brien, and even assisting on a set for the world premiere of Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women. He then moved to LA and worked as a TV Art Director for the production designer Bruce Ryan. During that time he art-directed the MTV Music Awards, the Soul Train weekly show, and countless shows for MTV, ABC, CBS, and NBC, and won a CableACE award for his art direction of the Showtime special “Mastergate.”

Williams has been a member of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology since 1997. This year at their annual conference, his set design was selected to be featured in the summer edition of the Theatre Design & Technology magazine. This is the third time since 1998 that he has been selected for publication. This year was the seventh consecutive year that he was able to travel with a group of theatre design and stage management students to the conference. He says, “It’s a wonderful five-day event, every year, with workshops, distinguished guest speakers, and an opportunity to celebrate design production and management for the performing arts.”

At the conclusion of this school year, Williams will be stepping down as Department Chair and will take a year-long sabbatical. What he has loved most as Department Chair is empowering faculty and staff to provide students with transformative learning and on-stage opportunities: “I have always looked for ways to protect faculty and staff from too much busy work that keeps them from teaching, researching, and serving. Those three areas are where faculty can have the most impact on students and the institution as a whole.” During his sabbatical he plans to use some time to re-examine his teaching strategies, spend time traveling, seeing theatre and film, and reflect on the next chapter in his professional life.

To any aspiring artist, he provides these words of advice: “Do the math! Don’t graduate without understanding healthcare, retirement investing, how to get a mortgage, and how to do a personal balanced budget. You need to know what a personal budget looks like at $20,000 a year or less, at $30,000 or less, etc. Remember, it takes a ten-year commitment to become an artist. When you start the clock is your choice. At the end of the ten years, evaluate and learn to need less during the next ten years, so you can put the majority of your time into your personal development as an artist. Don’t saddle yourself with debt for things that are not necessities. Being a starving artist is a real thing. Embrace it!”

By Adam Griffiths, CFA