University of Utah’s former Department of Theatre Chair, Gage Williams, has been invited to participate at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space (PQ).

PQ is the biggest international performance design event in the world. Only 51 USA designers were invited to showcase their work and discuss their careers. Williams’ set of Romeo and Juliet at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare will be featured at PQ, making this his third time to participate in 25 years. Williams’ set designs for Anne of Green Gables at Childsplay Theatre Co and Hamlet at Idaho Shakespeare Festival were selected by PQ in 1999 and 2003.

“The set design for Rome and Juliet is a fragment of a Renaissance building, being supported by a scaffold.” Williams explains. The city longs for recovery and some sense of stability in this production of Romeo and Juliet, and Verona is a place of danger, a war-torn city just recovering from the first World War. A single wall in a state of ruin set against the enormous beauty of Lake Tahoe juxtaposes the central themes of this play. “At times the set strives to capture the beauty of an ancient ruin in the setting sun against the greenery of the trees and blue of the lake while foreshadowing the ultimate total demise of these two families. By the end of the play, only the tomb and fragments of the wall are visible through the edgy lighting, and the beauty of the lake and trees are lost to darkness.”

Williams started teaching at U of U in 1994 and served as chair from 2009-2018. He was the resident set designer for the Idaho Shakespeare Festival (ISF) from 1995- 2008, and continues to design for ISF and for other regional theaters and opera companies including, Great Lakes Theatre, Actors of Theatre Phoenix, Childsplay Theatre Co, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Salt Lake Acting Company, Pioneer Theatre Company, and Utah Opera Company. He has designed numerous productions for the U’s Department of Theatre, including Hello, Dolly! at Kingsbury Hall, that was featured in the quarterly USITT publication TD&T this past summer.

From 1990 to 1994 he lived in LA and was a staff Art Director for Bruce Ryan Production Design. During that time, he art directed productions for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, HBO, Showtime, ESPN, Disney, VH-1, and MTV. Williams received a CableACE Award for his art direction of the Showtime film Mastergate. Since 1994 he has art directed numerous comedy specials for HBO, including productions featuring George Carlin, Bill Maher, and the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO. from 1995-2008.

Williams is currently on sabbatical from U of U for the 2018-2019 academic year. He will return to teaching at the U in Fall 2019.

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.

Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. Five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil in this critically acclaimed one-woman show.

Photo by Sadaf Syed.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theatre and Adjunct Instructor of Gender Studies, Lynn Deboeck has helped in the coordination to bring Rohina Malik, a Chicago-based playwright and solo-performer to the University of Utah campus to perform her piece, Unveiled at the Post Theatre on Friday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m and Saturday, October 20 at 1:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Unveiled, has been presented at theaters in the United States, Canada and in the summer of 2016 in South Africa. Rohina has performed the play at the 16th Street Theater, Victory Gardens Theater, Next Theater, Brava Theater, Crossroads Theater, Muslim Fest in Canada, Theater project, Baltimore, Voyage Theater Company NYC and Silk Road Rising.

Unveiled has also been presented at Princeton University, Yale University, NYU, University of Chicago, Stanford University, DePaul University, Loyola University, College of the Atlantic, Bates College, St. Mary's College, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, Oklahoma State University,  University of Wyoming,  Brigham Young University, College of New Jersey, Washington University, Fordham University, UW Osh Kosh, Concordia University, La Verne University, and many more.  Rohina has been invited to perform Unveiled at Universities, Churches,  Mosques, Synagogues and Theaters. She was awarded the Y award with the Evanston YWCA for her work to end racism.  

​ Praise for Unveiled

"Rohina Malik, the hugely talented writer-actress at the center of the Victory Gardens solo show "Unveiled," is a remarkable new theatrical voice in Chicago. In her rich, upbeat and very enjoyable 70-minute collection of five character studies of Muslim women in modern-day America, Malik gives voice to characters from whom we hear far too little in the theater."   -- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune.

A "terrific show... intellectually engrossing work of theater" -- Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune

"Unveiled offers a provocative, insightful and uplifting theater experience." -- Tom Witom, Pioneer Press

"Powerful solo show... five riveting tales of Muslim women" -- Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader

“A compelling 70-minute piece rich with illuminating surprises, drawing the audience into worlds that are both unique and truly universal. It is terrifically entertaining. -- Catey Sullivan, Chicago Examiner

"Rohina's little masterpiece will further open our eyes" -- Alan Bresloff, Steadstyle Chicago

"The stories are important, to be sure, but the cumulative effect is weighty." -- Web Behrens, Chicago Free Press.

"She creates five characters on stage.....I shed a tear or two....Works like this do their bit to bring about peace and harmony and counter hate.  I wish this could visit every school, every church, every mosque, every temple in the country."  -- Moira de Swardt

"One of the most awaited performances of the 2016 National Arts Festival was Unveiled, written by internationally-acclaimed playwright and actress Rohina Malik.​... Unveiled was written in response to the 9/11 attacks in America and is one of the bravest and uplifting experiences I have ever had."-- Khinali Bagwandeen

"Unveiled is a provocative piece of theatre, rich with enlightening surprises that draw the audience into a unique but yet universal world." -- Carol Kagezi​

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.

Recent Musical Theatre Program (MTP) graduates, John Peterson and Mandy McDonell will be touring with Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella national tour, launching its 2018-19 season with three performances in Milwaukee, WI, at the Miller High Life Theatre, November 10 and 11, 2018.

John graduated from the MTP in 2018. He says, "I'm thrilled to be on tour for the first time with this magical production of Cinderella!" During his time at the U, he performed in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Hello, Dolly!, Bring It On: The Musical, Cats, Steel Pier (Johnny Adel), and The Beautiful Game (John Kelly). Regionally he appeared in Mamma Mia!, Newsies, Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof at Pioneer Theatre Company, and Mary Poppins at Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

Mandy is a San Jose, CA native who graduated from the MTP in 2017. While attending the U, she performed in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cats, and Hello, Dolly! Regionally she appeared in Fiddler on the Roof (Chava), Oliver! (Charlotte), The Rocky Horror Show, and Mamma Mia! at Pioneer Theatre Company, and Mary Poppins at Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella will be John and Mandy's 10^th show together, including a duet they performed for the Jerry Herman: The Broadway Legacy Concert with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall. Visit www.cinderellaonbroadway.com for a full list of tour dates.

Kaitlyn Mayse to Step Back Into the Glass Slippers to Lead CINDERELLA Tour

by BWW News Desk Sep. 27, 2018

Casting has been announced for the 2018-19 national tour of Cinderella launching in November.

Kaitlyn Mayse steps into the glass slippers in the title role of Ella, and Lukas James Miller plays the role of Prince Topher, Cinderella’s dashing love interest.

The touring cast also features Zina Ellis as Marie, the Fairy Godmother; Sarah Smith as Madame, Ella’s stepmother; Carlos Morales as Lord Pinkleton; Natalie Girard as Gabrielle and Joanna Johnson as Charlotte, Ella’s stepsisters; Nic Casaula as Jean-Michel; and Christopher Swan as Sebastian.

Rounding out the ensemble are Leyla Ali, Beth Anderson, Emily Applebaum, John Barsoian, Kyle Caress, Maxwell Carmel, Tyler Eisenreich, Marissa Levesque, Gage Martin, Mandy McDonell, Erica Messonnier, Schuyler Midgett, Victoria Newhuis, John Peterson, Gray Randolph and Kaylene Snarsky.

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA launches its 2018-19 season with three performances in Milwaukee, WI, at the Miller High Life Theatre, November 10 and 11, 2018. Other markets on this year’s tour include Ames, IA; Fort Worth, TX, San Jose, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; Philadelphia, PA; among others. Please visit https://www.cinderellaonbroadway.com/ for a full list of tour dates.

With its fresh new take on the beloved tale of a young woman who is transformed from a chambermaid into a princess, this hilarious and romantic Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA combines the story’s classic elements – glass slippers, pumpkin, and a beautiful ball along with some surprising twists. More than just a pretty face with the right shoe size, this Cinderella is a contemporary figure living in a fairy-tale setting. She is a spirited young woman with savvy and soul who doesn’t let her rags or her gowns trip her up in her quest for kindness, compassion and forgiveness. She longs to escape the drudgery of her work at home and instead work to make the world a better place. She not only fights for her own dreams, but forces the prince to open his eyes to the world around him and realize his dreams too.

Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, a new book by Douglas Carter Beane and original book by Oscar Hammerstein II. Originally directed by Mark Brokaw and choreographed by Josh Rhodes, the tour is directed by Gina Rattan and choreographed by Lee Wilkins. Music adaptation and arrangements are by David Chase and music supervision is by Greg Anthony Rassen. Orchestrations are by Bill Elliott and are adapted from the original Broadway orchestrations by Danny Troob.

One of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s most popular titles, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLAwas written for television — debuting in 1957 starring Julie Andrews. In 2013, the show made its long-overdue Broadway debut. Along with CINDERELLA, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein‘s legendary musicals include OKLAHOMA!, Carousel, The King and I, South Pacificand The Sound of Music.

Mr. Beane’s book for Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA blends masterfully with the musical’s cherished score with songs including “In My Own Little Corner,” “Impossible/It’s Possible,” “Ten Minutes Ago” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”

The creative team includes scenic design by Tony Award nominee Anna Louizos, costume design by six-time Tony Award-winner William Ivey Long, lighting design byTony Award-winnerKenneth Posner and sound design by Tony Award nominee Nevin Steinberg.

The Rodgers + Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA tour is produced by Work Light Productions.CINDERELLA was produced on Broadway by Robyn Goodman, Jill Furman, Stephen Kocis, Edward Walson, Venetian Glass Productions, The Araca Group, Luigi Caiola & Rose Caiola, Roy Furman, Walt Grossman, Peter May/Sanford Robertson, Glass Slipper Productions LLC/Eric Schmidt, Ted Liebowitz/James Spry, Blanket Fort Productions and in association with Center Theatre Group.

For more information please visit https://www.cinderellaonbroadway.com/

ATP Almni, Kalika Rose and Andy Ricci are in the cast of Wait Until Dark at the Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City.

Check out the article below from the Chicago Tribune.

Kalika Rose, plays Suzy, a blind woman confronted by Mark Westcott, center, and Patrick Regner as her tormenters, in the stage thriller “Wait Until Dark” at Dunes Summer Theatre Aug. 17-Sept. 2 in Michigan City. (Dunes Summer Theatre)

Director Leigh Selting is a stage sage about the differences between producing a thriller and a murder mystery for theater audiences.

“So many people categorize these two genres as being the same and they are not,” said Selting, who is guiding a cast of five for the Aug. 17-Sept. 2 new run of “Wait Until Dark” at Dunes Summer Theatre in Michigan City.

“A stage thriller, such as ‘Wait Until Dark,’ is more of a suspense melodrama with the audiences wondering what will happen next, in contrast to wondering who is behind a crime such as in a mystery thread. For a thriller, it’s usually the case that the audience knows who the antagonist is and so then, it becomes a matter of what will the final outcome be for all.”

Written by Frederick Knott, it’s Andy Ricci and Kalika Rose, talents familiar to Dunes Theatre audiences, as the leads in “Wait Until Dark,” playing husband and wife Sam and Susan, a couple living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s. Susan is blind, but knows her way around the apartment to live independently, while her husband is away for business travels.

The play’s thriller twist and turns begin after Susan discovers that a doll, gifted to her after Sam’s most recent trip, has secretly been stuffed with a valuable bag of drugs, unbeknownst to her husband. When three murderous thugs attempt to reclaim the contraband from Susan, a nightmarish scenario unfolds during the two-hour stage story.

The play premiered on Broadway in 1966 starring Lee Remick as Susy Hendrix, James Congdon as Sam and Robert Duvall as Harry Roat Jr., the tormenting ringleader of the relentless thugs. The following year, the story was brought to movie screens in 1967 by Warner Bros. and backed by a score by Henry Mancini and starring Audrey Hepburn as Susan, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Sam and Alan Arkin as Roat.

“I’ve previously directed a number of stage mysteries, but not many thrillers,” Selting said.

“And I wasn’t very familiar with this title. In fact, I’d never even seen the film. This is a play that gets very intense as the scenes unfold.”

In addition to the challenges of working with the cast to fine-tune performances during the two and half week rehearsal span, Selting said the set construction was also a “tricky process for details.”

“Because the story is set in the 1960s, many people might think that this doesn’t qualify as a period piece, making it easy for set design elements because it’s thought of as being a modern setting,” Selting said.

“But modern and contemporary are not the right words to describe the time period. It’s more than 50 years ago, and there so much that has changed in decor and device. The furniture and the furnishings have to reflect the time. I call this decade ‘mid-century contemporary.’ It means you have to be concerned with how a door bell chime sounds and make sure you know where to get your hands on a rotary dial phone for our recreation of this apartment.”

Derek Ryan Brummet of Chicago, playing the role of Roat, is making his debut at Dunes Summer Theatre.

An instructor at Chicago’s famed Second City and also a veteran cast member of Chicago’s long-running Irish comedy “Flanagan’s Wake” at Chicago Theater Works, Brummet is originally from Lowell, Ind.

“I wanted to be part of this production for a couple reasons,” Brummet said.

“I did the open audition in Chicago for ‘Wait Until Dark’ because I wanted the summer stage experience of working at Dunes Summer Theatre since it has this great half-century of history for doing all of these wonderful show performances. I was also inspired to do a different kind of role that would be a new experience for me. I’m not usually cast as the bad guy. My character Roat is quite nefarious.”

Brummet describes Roat as a “rich and complicated character with a very specific agenda.”

“There’s so much intrigue and unexpected moments in ‘Wait Until Dark’ to keep audiences drawn to the dynamics between these characters. A good thriller is something unmatched.”

‘Wait Until Dark’When: 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 17-Sept. 2Where: Dunes Summer Theatre, 288 Shady Oak Drive, Michigan CityCost: $18 for adults and $15 for studentsInformation: 219-879-7509; www.dunesartsfoundation.org Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.

Original article from the Chicago Tribune

On Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 11A – 2P, the arts at the University of Utah are taking over the Marriott Library Plaza. We’re talking live performances on a massive stage, interactive art, free food, free T-shirts, free swag, and all the info you could ever want on the different ways to experience the arts on campus.

Hold on, you know about Arts Pass, right? It’s the one-of-a-kind program that makes it so you can use your UCard to get free or deeply discounted tickets to literally hundreds of arts experiences on campus each year. So you can attend dance performances, concerts, plays, exhibitions, film screenings, and more on the super cheap — and it even includes special student access to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, UtahPresents and Pioneer Theatre Company.

Why? Because more and more research is showing the positive impacts of the arts on education. The findings are significant: exposure to the arts is linked with better critical thinking skills, greater social tolerance, a greater likelihood of seeking out art and culture in the future and better workforce opportunities. (Maybe that’s why we issue tens of thousands of tickets to students every year.)

But, back to the Bash: First things first, pick up a passport from any of the booths, visit other booths to collect stamps, and when your passport is full, visit the Info booth to redeem it for a super soft mint green Arts Pass t-shirt that you can take to get your choice of design screen printed on it right in front of your eyes. Then you’ll grab some food and catch a couple acts on stage.

We’re so excited to have all five academic units in the College of Fine Arts there to let you know what non-major classes you can take to spice up your class load, how to major in the arts, and give you the scoop-diddy-whoop about what experiences they’re providing throughout the year for all U students, faculty, and staff.

Plus, we’ll have all three professional arts organizations (UMFA, UtahPresents and Pioneer Theatre Company) there along with our friends from ArtsForce, Arts Teaching, the Marriott Library’s Creative & Innovation Services, ASUU, Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, and the Union Programming Council.

And we’re stoked to welcome to the main stage:

• A proper bash kick-off from the U’s new Associate Vice President for the Arts and Dean of the College of Fine Arts, John Scheib
• The Department of Theatre’s musical theatre program will perform numbers from their season opener “CHESS” directed and choreographed by Denny Berry
• Ballet grad student James Wallace will take the stage for a stunning performance
• The School of Music’s Percussion Ensemble will host a not-to-be-missed drum circle
• And the modern dance freshman class will do its famous improv jam on the plaza (fan favorite every year!)

Not to mention, we have a couple surprises up our sleeves…

So, come. Experience. And start thinking differently.

Original post from The Finer Points Blog