Daily Texan Video: The Way You Move Your Body, Cohen New Works Festival, March 25 - 29, 2013

Video interviewing participants in The Way You Move Your Body and director Lucy Kerr by Charlie Pearce and Sam Ortega for the Daily Texan, March 26:




Remaining performances: 3/27 6:30pm, 3/28 6:30pm (Brockett Theatre)

Daily Texan Feature: UT's Undergraduate Production of 'Some Girls' by Neil Labute, November 14 - 18

 
'Some Girl(s)' play to educate students about the world of acting

By Jasmin Carina Castanon November 14, 2012

(photo: Chelsea Purghan for the Daily Texan)

Jeremy Lee Cudd, a theatre and dance lecturer, claims to have been a bad actor at the beginning of his career. But he is now using the undergraduate acting project production of “Some Girl(s)” to teach undergraduate students how to avoid his mistakes.
“Some Girl(s)” tells the story of recently engaged Guy, who decides to travel the country to meet with his former girlfriends in an attempt to make amends before he begins his new life. While Hollywood romantic-comedies shy away from the messy aspects of love, “Some Girl(s)” tackles it head-on.

Cudd received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University in English literature with a minor in theatre. Cudd played drums/percussion for several musical theater productions, which is how he became interested in acting.

“There was something about the environment and the actors, their sort of weirdness,” Cudd said. “I really fell in love with it.”

Cudd felt like he hit a ceiling in his development as an actor, which is when he decided to pursue his master’s degree in acting at Penn State. Cudd said that he truly began to understand the basic elements of theater through graduate school.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be an actor until my last year of grad school,” Cudd said. “I started to branch out after that.”

Through “Some Girl(s),” Cudd aims to create a fundamental experience for his actors to grow and discover their own acting process.

Read more at the Daily Texan . . .  

Read more about Some Girls at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . 

Daily Texan: Undergrads Prepare Piece on Body Image for Cohen New Arts Festival

Reimagining body image, beauty through art

By Jasmin Carina Castanon

November 6 , 2012

Through the Cohen New Works Festival, presented by the UT University Co-op, students are given the opportunity to use theater as an agent for social change. Theatre studies junior Sarah Marcum and theatre and dance junior Paige Brown are taking advantage of this opportunity by collaborating on a project that draws attention to modern-day beauty ideals and their various effects on women.

(Photo: Chelsea Purghan for the Daily Texan)

Students have the opportunity to submit their own original pieces for consideration to be showcased during the weeklong festival that happens every other spring. The committee accepts all types of “new work,” whether it is theater, dance, music, film, design or visual art. The festival’s committee-at-large, which consists of about 40 undergraduate and graduate students, is currently in the process of selecting the works that will be showcased in the festival.

“It is a process that incorporates a large number of voices to help create as diverse a festival as humanly possible,” PR/Marketing chair Isaac Gomez said.

Marcum and Brown submitted an original piece about how Western culture’s modern ideal of beauty affects the day-to-day lives of women in the United States.

Marcum said the piece was influenced by the people in her life battling with the struggles of body image and beauty.

“Sarah approached me one day about wanting to create a piece on beauty and appearance that really talked about the very real social and political ramifications of having this one idea of beauty and how it plays itself out on different types of women,” Brown said.

Read more at the Daily Texan on-line . . . .

UT MFA Grad Marlane Barnes Cast in 'Twilight Saga' Film

Published at the Daily Texan, November 18:

UT alum nabs role in new 'Twilight' movie

By Jody Serrano

UT alumna Marlane Barnes only had a vague idea of what the “Twilight Saga” was about before she went in to audition for an opportunity many would kill for: a part in “Breaking Dawn,” the fourth installment of the saga.

Officials gave her the scene and put her on tape ­— the audition took 30 seconds. Three days later, Barnes found out she got the job.

“Over 20 years to prep for that 30 seconds,” Barnes said. “I think the secret is I didn’t bother wanting the job. I didn’t think there was any chance in hell I would get it, so I did my prep watching the movie and reading up on the character and then went in and did it for me.”

Barnes landed the role of Maggie, a new vampire that knows when individuals lie to her in “Breaking Dawn: Part 2,” to be released next year. She graduated from UT in 2010 with a Master of Fine Arts in acting and moved to Los Angeles after graduation to join her boyfriend at the University of Southern California. Barnes said her agents got her the audition because “Twilight” officials were looking for low-profile actors to play the new characters.

Barnes said UT helped prepare her for the movie industry by teaching her to dedicate time to work on her craft and allowed her to experience a taste of the real world.

“The opportunity to make mistakes is really important,” Barnes said. “And it should be in school, on your time, not someone else’s.”

Read full text at Daily Texan on-line . . . .

Arts Reporting: Daily Texan Profiles Rosie, staging of a musical in progress, September 16

Found at the Daily Texan on-line, September 16:

Working woman's story gets told in stage collaboration

by Elizabeth Hinojos

The working woman is as thriving as ever, and there is no forgetting the iconic figure who symbolizes the upheaval of the male-dominated workforce.

Famous poster child Rosie the Riveter is the protagonist in the musical “Rosie,” which follows the story of a working woman who led the charge. UT is lending its facilities to this potential Broadway hit. The musical is in the process of securing producers while the cast has been volunteering their time preparing for a staged reading Saturday. The reading marks the first steps of what the actual production might look like. If the musical goes forward and receives support from producers, the University will procure billing. This entails UT being listed in a playbill as the first venue where the musical was performed.

Although there will be no costumes, props or a set, the reading will show prospective investors the elements essential to the musical. The cast includes about 30 singers and dancers, including students from the Department of Theatre and Dance and two UT graduates who are part of the musical’s creative team.“Rosie” takes place on Coney Island and is a fictionalized account of how the women of World War II became empowered to work toward the war effort through a historical backdrop.

At the start of the war, there was a great need for female laborers because of the many males sent overseas for combat. This necessity was contrary to the Great Depression, when unemployment was at an all-time high and women were essential to the survival of the United States economy. In an attempt to draw these women to the workforce, the government launched an ad campaign encouraging females to work in war-related industries. Norman Rockwell created the image of “Rosie the Riveter” in 1943, and it was printed in the Saturday Evening Post. The figure was to symbolize loyalty, efficiency, patriotism and beauty, gaining great popularity which lasts to this day.UT students, faculty and a few special guests from the community each have a piece of the puzzle that is the production, said Lyn Koenning, musical director and lecturer in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Running a new musical is very collaborative and cannot be done separately.

Read more at the Daily Texan . . . .

Arts Reporting: Secrets of the Stage, UT Daily Texan

Found on-line:

Secrets of the Stage

A step onto the brightly lit stage of the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre is a step behind the scenes of the University’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

by Danielle Wallace for the Daily Texan 4 May 2011

This week, senior undergraduate and graduate students reveal the secrets of their trades at the annual Theatre Design & Technology Spring Showcase.

The UT and Austin communities will have the opportunity to peruse the portfolios of students in programs including scenic design, lighting, costume and costume technology, and scene and theatrical design. A small sea of booths, one representing each student, provide snapshots and detailed glimpses into the artistry and effort behind previous productions from November’s “Fight” to February’s “The Threepenny Opera.” Some even provide sneak peeks of set and costume design for upcoming productions — namely, “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” an early Shakespearean comedy that will premiere April 2011.

In a corner of the upper steps of the stage, costumes hang on a rack as they would in a clothing store, and painstakingly detailed masks and bright swatches of fabric are set up across the length of a table. Several framed chalkboards encourage passers by to touch the work on display, leave messages on the boards and speak to the student who crafted it all.

The student in question is Carl Booker, a theatrical design student who will graduate from the Master’s program this year. He believes in gaining an understanding of the draping and design processes through interactivity.

Read more at the Daily Texan on-line . . . .

Upcoming: Rumors, The Broccoli Project, UT

Found at the Daily Texan on-line:

Student troupe brings dark farce to SAC

By Clayton Wickham, Daily Texan Staff

“Play the hostess,” Ken Gorman tells his wife Chris as the other guests begin to arrive at a dinner party gone awry after the original host’s failed suicide attempt.

“Play the hostess?” Chris Gorman responds, giving her husband a horrified look. “There’s no food out; there’s no ice in the bucket. Where’s the help? Where’s the cheese dip? What am I supposed to do, play charades?”

In the Broccoli Project production of the play Rumors, the Gormans arrive at the wedding anniversary dinner for Deputy Mayor of New York Charley Brock to discover that his wife Myra is missing, and Charley has shot himself in the earlobe in a suicide attempt. Ken, Charley’s lawyer and friend, enlists Chris in a cover-up attempt that eventually draws in all eight guests in a tumult of lies, confusion and miscommunication. It doesn’t take long for all the characters to completely lose control in this bourgeoisie farce.

Rumors by Neil Simon, will show at the Black Box Theatre, a new theater space in the Student Activity Center. The play is produced by Alex Reynolds, a Plan II and business honors senior, and Laura Wright, a Plan II and biology sophomore, and is directed by Jenny Kutner, Plan II junior, and Katherine Kloc, a Plan II and advertising junior. The play coincides with the Plan II Honors program’s 75th anniversary weekend.

Read more at the Daily Texan on-line. . . .

The Broccoli Project presents Rumors at the new Student Activities Center (click for map), second floor

March 25 & 26 at 7 p.m.

Upcoming: Blanton Exhibition - Robert Wilson, Stage Director and Designer, December 4 - March 13

Found at the Daily Texan on-line, December 1:

Perspectives: Robert Wilson in Four Acts

The Blanton Musem of Art, Dec. 4th – March 13
Tickets free to members, UT ID holders, and children under 12.

Admission $9 for adults, $7 for seniors, $5 for youth ages 13-25.

Stage director shows work in four acts

Robert Wilson’s vast range of expertise to be shown in theater-style exhibition

By Katie Stroh, Daily Texan Staff

The Blanton Museum of Art will host avant-garde artist Robert Wilson’s prints, stage design plans and a documentary video starting Dec. 4.

Renowned stage director Robert Wilson’s work spans countless media; a UT alumnus and Texas native, he has worked as a director, set designer, playwright, choreographer, sculptor and sound and lighting engineer. Starting Dec. 4, the Blanton Museum of Art will open “Perspectives: Robert Wilson in Four Acts,” an exhibit which will demonstrate the breadth of Wilson’s expertise. [ . . .]

The exhibit is divided into four “acts,” reflecting the theatrical nature of Wilson’s work. Two suites of prints (Acts I and II), stage design plans (Act III) and documentary video (Act IV) will showcase Wilson’s revolutionary vision for Euripides’ Greek tragedy “Alcestis” and the Italian opera it inspired.

Robert Wilson’s career is both expansive and influential. Mostly well-known for his collaboration with composer Philip Glass on the acclaimed opera “Einstein on the Beach,” the two artists pushed the boundaries of a rigorously traditional theatrical form. For example, the show is five hours long without intermission, and audience members are encouraged to walk in and out of the theater at will.

Read full text by Katie Stroh at the Daily Texan on-line . . . .

Upcoming: Miscast, musical scenes by Phoenix Theatre, UT, September 18

Found on-line at the Daily Texan, September 16:

UT Broadway revue recasts gender roles

Event Preview - Miscast

By Sarah Pressley, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Thursday, September 16, 2010

Girls will be boys and boys will be girls this Saturday as Phoenix Theatre Company, a group of UT theatre and dance students, perform “Miscast,” a montage of scenes from Broadway plays that challenges typecasting and traditional gender roles.

“Miscast” is an annual event in New York City performed to raise money for Broadway productions. This summer a group of theatre students decided to follow suit and finally find a way to play the roles they could normally only dream of.

“We were all sitting around joking about how we would never be cast in certain roles,” said Kelli Schultz, a theatre and dance senior and an actress in the show. “It’s about performing in shows we would never get to. The shows would never work if we performed them as ladies and men. It’s about getting together and doing a show with material we like.”

The students chose and began rehearsing individual scenes over the summer, but have come together to help each other direct and perfect the show, which features 11 different pieces by nine students. Together they have also written an original opening and closing for the show.

Performance: Saturday, September 18 at Winship Drama building Room 2.180, free admission

Read more of the feature by Sarah Pressley at the Daily Texan online. . . .

Arts Reporting: Daily Texan Profiles 'I Heart Mom' Productions

Found at the Daily Texan on-line:

Student-run troupe wins ‘hearts’

By Olivia Watson, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Wednesday, September 15, 2010

With a successful first production under its belt, I Heart M.O.M. is a student-run theatre company ready to create more opportunities for students as the fall semester begins.

I Heart M.O.M. has been on the UT scene since November 2009. Created by theatre and dance undergraduates junior Jon Cook, senior Michael Howell, senior Tim Stafford and UT theatre and dance alumna Michelle Flanagan, the company is using a fresh idea to reach larger audiences.

The four coproducers collaborate by writing scripts, building sets, casting actors and directing for the shows they produce. Though works are created and sometimes performed at UT, I Heart M.O.M. is not a registered UT organization.

“We didn’t want it to just be another school theatre company, we wanted it to carry over to the outside world,” Cook said.

Flanagan added about creating the company, “We were all developing our own pieces independently and in talking about what we wanted to do in the future, we decided it would be cool if our close knit friends could make a name together.” Though, the acronym “M.O.M.” is a secret between the creators.

“It was a place where we could all put our own work and a place we could develop from,” Howell said.

With the encouragement of Denise Martel, producing director for the Department of Theatre and Dance, and others, the company was able to become a reality.

[Next production: Witness Protection and Sweet Chariots, UT Lab Theatre, December 2-4]

Read more of Olivia Watson's profile at the Daily Texan online. . . .

Arts Reporting: Sarah Pressley Interviews kt shorb about Una Corda, Daily Texan, September 10

Found on-line at the Daily Texan:

One-woman play explores the rituals of cancer

Loss of relatives, friends because of cancer inspires woman to create play

By Sarah Pressley, Daily Texan Staff
Published: Friday, September 10, 2010

kt shorb portrays a woman who must deal with knowing a terminally ill loved one in “Una Corda” at The Blue Theatre on Thursday.

According to the American Cancer Society, one in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. K.T. Shorb, a local writer and performer, has known three such women.

This weekend, Shorb will debut her new one-woman play, “Una Corda,” which centers on the feelings she dealt with while watching her mother and two of her close friends as they battled cancer and ultimately succumbed to the disease.

Shorb actually considers “Una Corda” to be a ritual because it focuses on the daily repetitive trials of dealing with loved ones that have cancer.

Read more at Daily Texan on-line. . . .

Upcoming: The Man with the Dancing Eyes, Lab Theatre, University of Texas, September 2 - 4

Found at the Daily Texan on-line:

Dahl’s book re-imagined by students as stage play

(Lab Theatre, Thursday at 8 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)

By Sarah Pressley, Daily Texan Staff

Published: Thursday, September 2, 2010

Mute characters will manipulate the world around a young woman as she falls in and out of love in “The Man With the Dancing Eyes.” She discovers love, heartbreak and, eventually, a happy ending in a beloved children’s book brought to life in a virtual new world.

“The Man With the Dancing Eyes,” a play based on a book of the same name by Sophie Dahl, depicts a modern-day fairy tale as told by a group of UT students from the Department of Theatre and Dance.

“[The show] follows Pierre, a young woman from an elite and eclectic breeding,” director Courtney Sale said. “Pierre falls in love, has her heart broken and sets off to make a new life for herself in New York.”

The play was adapted by the students from Dahl’s illustrated picture book. They originally planned to put on a different play but ended up changing their minds when they found out another group would be performing the same show a few weeks later. “The Man With the Dancing Eyes” was an old favorite of the set designer and one of the actors, so the group decided to adapt this story for the stage instead.

Read more at the Daily Texan on-line . . . .

Reviews from Elsewhere: Santaland Diaries at Zach Theatre, reviewed by Katherine Kloc of Daily Texan

Katherine Kloc of the Daily Texan writes a balanced, perceptive and informative review of the opening at the Zach Theatre of the newest edition of David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries, now entering its twelfth year.

The accompanying photo of Meredith McCall is by Kirk R. Tuck.

An excerpt:

"[Meredith] McCall’s vocals are impressive, and she has a strong stage presence, but the highlight of the first half is Randolph’s performance of 'Six to Eight Black Men.' It is another work by Sedaris that tells the story of Holland’s version of Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, his crew of six to eight black men and their interesting antics during the holiday season. It is the only piece that seems truly compatible with The Santaland Diaries.

"The success of The Santaland Diaries rests in the cast’s ability to interact with the audience, which is aided by Zach Scott’s characteristically intimate stages. The stage itself is circular and surrounded on all sides by rows of seats, allowing Randolph and McCall to make use of its entirety and to mingle with the audience during the show. Due to this setup, members of the audience are unwittingly integrated into the development of the show while still remaining in their seats.

“The Santaland Diaries provides an appreciated counterbalance to the warm, feel-good classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story with Crumpet’s stark humor."

Read more at Daily Texan on-line. . . .

Reviews from Elsewhere: Spooky Shakespeare, Austin Shakespeare, October 30

From the feature by Layne Lynch, with photo by Derek Stout and quotes from Christina Gutierrez of UT, dramaturg to the production:

"The venue’s location, The Curtain Theater on Coldwater Canyon, is much like a hidden treasure chest. The stage, a replica of the original Curtain Theatre used in Elizabethan times, is worth marveling at — it is a stage similar to one Shakespeare would have used.

". . . . the play isn’t a collaboration of all of the characters into one large, chaotic production. In fact, each scene is central to the play it originally appeared in, and every scene differs from the one before. Even though they seem unrelated to each other, they share an eerie nature and are, at times, emotionally haunting."

Click photo to view full size (3 MB)

Click for full text at the Daily Texan Online.

Click for Dan Viotto's comments on October 28 dress rehearsal, published by Austin.com: "Standouts from the dress rehearsal were Justin Scalise, as previously mentioned, in his dual role as Hamlet and the ghost of his father, Alejandro McDonald-Villareal as Puck from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a hilarious portrayal of Falstaff by Casey Weed, although, much of the audience response it seems came from what appeared to be his family members."

Interview: UT playwright Francis Cowhig on Keene & Yale Awards, Daily Texan, July 29

Francis Ya-Chu Cowhig talks to the Daily Texan Anderson Rodriguez about the $50,000 Keene prize from the Michener Center for her play Lidless and about another work in progress:

Cowhig: I am always working and thinking about multiple projects. I write best when I am able to go hard and deep into one project for a few months, then put it away for a couple months while I work on something else, and then go back to the first project with fresh eyes. This is how it has been with “LIDLESS.” For the past three weeks, I have been developing a different play, “410[GONE]” at PlayPenn in Philadelphia.

[“410[GONE]” was produced at UT last fall], and just today, I flew from Philadelphia to Houston, where I am at the Alley Theatre working on “LIDLESS” as a part of their New Plays Initiative.

Daily Texan: What was it like for “LIDLESS” to be such a success so soon after you finished your Michener Center fellowship? Is it daunting to set the bar so high early on?

Cowhig: The script of “LIDLESS” has had success in competitions. This does not mean it is a successful play. Plays are written for audiences, not for literary committees. The success of the play will be determined by the audiences that view it once it has the opportunity for professional productions.

Read full interview at Daily Texan Online. . . .

Upcoming: Alice in Wonderland directed by Alyssa Postasznik at UT's Flawn Academic Center, opening April 9

Emily Macrander made a visit two days ago to the rehearsals of Alice in Wonderland, opening tonight, April 9, at UT's Flawn Academic Center basement auditorium.

Alyssa Potasznik is directing the Foot in the Door liberal arts honors theatre group for her final project at UT. An excerpt from Macrander's piece:

Potasznik went into this production knowing it was an ambitious effort.

“This is the first show I’ve directed,” she said. “We’re taking on the biggest cast this company has had and the most technical work.”

Overall, the acting in Potasznik’s production surpassed my expectations. It showed the enthusiasm that I often see overlooked in professional productions. I can truly say that every actor on stage and every technician appeared to be having a good time, not just going through the motions. That’s saying a lot when it’s nearing midnight on the second-to-last rehearsal before the opening.

“I don’t care if it’s good or bad,” said Eric Camarillo, the play’s assistant director. “I’m having a blast, and I think everyone else is.”

(photo by Elizabeth Moskowitz for the Daily Texan)

Click to read the full article in the Daily Texan Online of April 9