Recent University of Utah Theatre graduate, Mark Macey, will premiere his play Shooter at the Great Salt Fringe Festival, August 3-12, 2018.

Shooter had it's first staged reading on April 23, 2018 as part of the New Plays Workshop class taught by Department of Theatre Professors Tim Slover and Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell. During the New Plays Workshop class taught every spring semester, plays are developed through discussion and exploratory workshops over the course of the semester. The development process culminates with student-run staged readings where members may serve variously as actors, directors, dramaturgs,stage managers or producers depending upon area of interest and the requirements of each play.

Shooter tells the unusual story of a man and his gun. Macey says he began writing the play after recognizing similarities between the perpetrators of mass shootings in the United States, himself, and men in general.

Shooter is rated R for violence, strong language, and nudity. Tickets for the Great Salt Fringe Festival are available at: www.greatsaltlakefringe.org/tickets

Pictures from Shooter rehearsal for the Great Salt Fringe Festival 2018

Tell us about yourself.
Hi! My name is Kelsey June Jensen and I am from Salt Lake City, Utah. In May of 2018, I graduated with a BFA from the Actor Training Program. Currently, I am residing in the Hollywood Hills with an internship at the renowned Groundlings Theatre and School. My internship mainly consists of ticket sales, customer service, and making sure the theatre is running efficiently overall. In exchange for my work in their box office, I am being rewarded with free classes, which is such an incredible honor to study and train alongside some of the best comedians of our time. Being in Los Angeles has been amazing thus far and feels like exactly where I need to be. There is so much opportunity out here! In my free time, I am constantly auditioning/submitting for different projects in Los Angeles and have been fortunate to work on some already! It’s been incredible so far.

How did your experience in the U’s Department of Theatre help you as a professional?
I would not be the woman I am today without the ATP's discipline. I am far more hardworking, diligent, persistent, and passionate than I was freshman year of college... And I truly owe that all to the ATP. This is a cutthroat industry and if I hadn't had this rigorous education to whip me into shape, I don't know if I would be pursuing my dreams in Los Angeles right now. It gave me the confidence, training, and motivation I needed to become the artist I aspire to be. Any audition room I walk into, one of my professors pops in my head to say, "be confident and breathe." Seriously. Every. Single. Audition. But I wouldn't trade it for the world.

What is your favorite Utah memory?
I miss the sunsets. I also miss the grid system. A LOT. But I think one of my best memories happened during my senior project. There was a moment after an awkward stage kiss occurred and the audience completely lost it. They were laughing hysterically for quite some time and it took my partner and I every inch of our being's not to break character and join in with them. It was the absolute best feeling in the world. I felt like I had worked so hard for the past 4 years just to reach that one small moment of pure exhilaration... It was one of the most rewarding and amazing experiences of my life.

What advice do you have for current students?
I remember thinking as a freshman, "Am I really cut out for this?" It turns out, I abso lutely was and so are YOU! You are much smarter and stronger than you think. Push yourself, listen to your professors, and know that it's all going to be worth it! Seriously. It may not seem like it now, but you are going to miss the late nights, early mornings, over-caffeination, and insane schedule. Cherish every moment you have.  

Share your story! Are you an alum with a story to share? We want to hear about it! Email

For this episode of MAGNIFYING we spoke with Communications and Marketing Coordinator for the Department of Theatre, Josiane Dubois. Our creative community here at the College of Fine Arts is diverse and wide spread. With the goal of gaining a deeper knowledge and awareness of the people within our community, we bring you MAGNIFYING, a series dedicated to showcasing the talent of our students, faculty, and staff.

Tell us about yourself: Name, where you are from, what you do and how you got into in your field of work.
My name is Josiane Dubois. I was born in Lima, Peru, and moved to Salt Lake at the age of 9. I’m the Communications and Marketing Coordinator for the Department of Theatre. I started working in the Department when I was studying Strategic Communication as an undergrad. This summer I’m finishing a Master’s degree in Health Promotion and Education at the U. Through my research in nutritional label literacy, I’m redesigning Front-of-Package Symbols (FOPs) to make nutrition information quicker and easier to notice, understand, and use in low-health-literacy populations. In the future, I hope to work with health programs that utilize art to promote wellness.

What has surprised you the most in your life?
The need to go back to my roots. The older I get, the more interested I am in Latin American writers, poets, musicians, and other artists. As a child, I dreaded listening to the music my grandparents played at family parties, but now those are the same songs I play to feel connected to my family abroad and to my memories of Peru. I never thought that I would play “La Flor de la Canela” by Chabuca Granda on my Spotify at work, or that I would be humming “En Barranquilla Me Quedo” while walking my dog.
For a long time, I neglected reading or listening to music in Spanish because I wanted to assimilate into the neighborhood where I grew up. I’m really thankful that during my time at University I was encouraged to embrace the different cultures I had lived in. TV series like “Jane the Virgin,” “Mozart in the Jungle,” and “One Day at a Time” similarly portray my experience of growing up around multi-generational Latinx people who speak Spanish, English, and other languages interchangeably. I love working in a community of storytellers who create bridges through art.

What do you wish you had known/been told?
I wish I had learned earlier the power of speaking for myself. In a Conflict and Resolution class during my undergrad, I learned about using “I” statements. Ever since, I feel as if I have been able to communicate more effectively with others.

Originally Published by: The Finer Points

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

The New Plays Workshop class taught by Professors Tim Slover and Sydney Cheek-O’Donnell invites you to three nights of free staged readings of new and bold plays. The plays written and performed by members of the Department of Theatre community will run April 23-25, at 6:00 p.m in PAB 115. Admission to the play readings is free and post-performance discussions will happen each night following the play readings. Light refreshments with be served.

Shooter by Mark Macey (Theatre Studies) April 23

The Value by Nicholas Dunn (Adjunct Faculty, ATP alumnus) April 24

Mapplethorpe by Mary Stringham (Art History Major & Theatre Minor) April 25 *Plays contain adult language and themes

About New Plays Workshop class: As a class, the plays are developed through discussion and exploratory workshops over the course of the semester. The development process culminates with student-run staged readings where members may serve variously as actors, directors, dramaturgs, stage managers or producers depending upon area of interest and the requirements of each play.

PERFORMING ARTS BUILDING PARKING:Parking is available in the visitor’s lot to the south of the Performing Arts Building, in the Marriott Library lot. Monday-Friday payment for parking is now required until 10:00 p.m.Please make sure to pay at the kiosks in the parking lot. The closest parking kiosk to Performing Arts Building is located outside the University of Utah Credit Union.

Support local artists and a fantastic organization this Friday, April 20 by attending “Natural Shocks” at 7:30 p.m. in the Babcock Theatre.

Directed by Department of Theatre Instructor Mark Fossen and starring Professor Sarah Shippobotham, this theatre activism piece against gun violence is a one night event produced by Pussycat Productions.

Modeled after her Inauguration Day project when she made her play The Taming available to theaters for royalty-free readings on January 20, 2017, Lauren Gunderson and her team of producers have coordinated an ambitious national campaign of theater activism against gun violence with royalty-free readings of her new play Natural Shocks taking place across the country April 19-23, 2018.

That timing is intentional: April 20 is the 19th anniversary of Columbine and the day of the National School Walkout, organized by the students activists in Parkland, Florida. Professional theaters, universities, high schools, and community groups are pairing their readings with town halls, audience talkbacks, and fundraisers for nonprofits like Everytown For Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action.

Learn more about the nation-wide campaign, here: https://www.naturalshocks.org

The Department of Theatre is lending our Babcock Theatre to Pussycat Productions for this event. Donations for Everytown for Gun Safety will be taken at the door in lieu of tickets.

RSVP at the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1491709104291935??ti=ia

Congratulations to Martin C. Alcocer, our 2018 Department of Theatre Outstanding Student!

Martin was born in Mexico City and grew up in Salt Lake City. He is a dedicated and compassionate leader in the department who is graduating with a BFA in Stage Management.

During his time in the Department, Martin has served as stage manager for many productions in our department and in local theaters. Most recently he served as stage manager for Steel Pier in the Marriott Center for Dance and assistant stage manager for Newsies! at Pioneer Theatre Company.

Martin also has a passion for lighting design and has done the lighting design for Love’s Labour’s Lost (Studio 115), How Long Can You Stand… (Sackerson and Flying Bobcat), and Our Country’s Good (Babcock Theatre). He was the assistant lighting designer for HIR, Streetlight Woodpecker, and Harbur Gate at Salt Lake Acting Company.

The Department of Theatre faculty nominated Martin because of his commitment to the department, his fellow students, and the theatre community. He has taken leadership several years in a row by organizing and mentoring other students to go to the USITT (United States Institute for Theatre Technology). He describes his work as "high quality work that is achieved and demonstrated through collaboration, strong communication, and the understanding that we are all human." He is a recipient of the Elizabeth Warner Scholarship, the Salt Lake Acting Company Scholarship, and Fine Arts Advisory Board Scholarship.

During his time in the College of Fine Arts Most memorable moment: I’ve had many memorable moments and it is not easy to pick one. Out of all the things I have enjoyed during my time in the College of Fine Arts, my most memorable moments are those in which I had the opportunity to create and collaborate with my peers. There are two times in particular which took place over a period of a few weeks: one was during the Department of Theatre’s production of Hello, Dolly!, and the other was during the production of Steel Pier. Both are memorable for similar reasons. They were both fairly large productions, and because of the large scale, they were both high stress. Despite this, everyone in the room was committed to creating a great production. The experience I gained from each show was immense, and the memories created are unforgettable. Having the opportunity to work on these shows will be of the most memorable.

One thing you learned at CFA: During my time in the CFA, I learned about the power of networking, and the importance of balance. In this industry, networking is critical. The arts are often times heavily reliant on who you know. Having this knowledge early on has definitely aided me as I progressed through undergrad and started to build my network in Salt Lake and around the country. The other lesson I have learned is the need for balance. Even though I love what I do and am fortunate enough to be able to work doing what I love, I learned that only working was not healthy. You have to be able to step back and do something else, like spend time with family or friends, or have a hobby that is not related to work. Having learned this has greatly improved my stress levels, and I also feel like it has helped me better my craft.

What Inspires Martin A main component from where I find my inspiration is through the reactions that I, along with everyone else I work with on a project, are able to evoke from an audience. With theatre, or any other type of performance art where I have been fortunate enough to work, I have been able to see and hear the impact that we, as artists, have on people’s lives. Whether we take them away from their worries and stress through a production, or we are able to spark a conversation and debate, what I, and everyone in the arts is able to do, has an impact. Knowing that I have a part of this is what inspires me.

Accomplishments While I was in the College of Fine Arts, I have had many fantastic opportunities. Within the Department of Theatre, I have worked, in some capacity, on nearly all of the productions whether it was as an electrician, light board programmer, or last-minute help. I also assistant stage managed and stage managed eight productions. I have been able to work at professional theatre companies, such as Salt Lake Acting Company and Pioneer Theatre Company, where I started in more entry level positions, like light board operator, and worked my way up to assistant stage manager on larger productions, such as The Count of Monte Cristo at PTC, or Saturday’s Voyeur at SLAC, where I even spent some time in the role of Stage Manager. I have also interned with Utah Opera on their production of Moby Dick. In addition to stage managing I have also assistant lighting designed at SLAC on Streetlight Woodpecker, Harbur Gate, and HIR. For the department, I designed lights for Love’s Labour’s Lost and Our Country’s Good. I currently work for Salt Lake County Center for the Arts as an On-Call Technical Director where I work at their various spaces, such as the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Capitol Theatre, and the new Eccles Theatre. In this position I ensure that their policies are followed, provide technical help, and verify that everything is done safely. Through this I have been able to interact with local art makers as well as with Broadway tours like, Something Rotten, An American in Paris, and Hamilton. Nationally, I have been a part of groups within the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT), which is the largest organization for theatre, entertainment, and performing arts professionals involved in the areas of design, production and technology. I was a part of the Gateway program, which aims to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in the industry as both a mentee and a peer mentor, and I was also a part of the Stage Management Mentorship Program. In the Stage Management Mentorship Program, I, along with twelve other students or young professionals from around the country and Mexico, was paired with a mentor who gave me the opportunity talk to and network with other stage managers who have worked on touring musical productions and opera, as well as with the Walt Disney Company, Cirque du Soleil, and on events like the Super Bowl. I was also assigned to stage manage the Keynote Address that opened the annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, FL this past March. I have also served as president of the University of Utah’s chapter of Young Designers and Technicians, a club which secures funding, and organizes the trip to send students to the USITT conference. conference. Through this club, we have sent between eight to fifteen students, each year to attend the conference.

"And Here We Are..."

A story of our years in the MTP

The Musical Theatre graduating class presents “And Here We Are…” The showcase is both a reflection and capstone for our graduating seniors of the Musical Theatre Program and will feature their wide-ranging and phenomenal talents. The seniors have created a show that shares the story of their lives over the past four years–including the hard work, friendships, and lots and lots of dancing! Come and see the Class of 2018 in their very last University show! The production runsApril 20-22 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee on April 22 at 2:00 p.m. in Studio 115. FREE tickets with RSVP at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/and-here-we-are-tickets-44810717061

Musical numbers in And Here We Are... include: “If You Knew My Story” - Bright Star “For Forever” - Dear Evan Hansen (Part 1) “Someone in the Crowd” - La La Land “Soft Place to Land” - Waitress “Everything I Know” - In The Heights “Cell Block Tango” - Chicago “I Don’t Need a Roof” - Big Fish “And Here We Are…” by Lloyd Livengood, Zach Marquez, Makayla Cussen, and Bailey Cummings