Fall 2009 Drama News

News From The Chair
by Tom Bloom, Chair, Associate Professor, Scenic Design

I went up to New York on October 3 to see Assistant Professor Michael Rasbury's Max Understood that was produced as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.  What made the evening even more eventful was that many recent and past graduates of UVa Drama were there in attendance...

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Max Understood and Michael Rasbury head to the New York Musical Theatre Festival

Max Understood, a new musical by Michael Rasbury, Assistant Professor of Sound Design, has been selected to be presented at the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival – billed as "the Sundance festival of new musicals.” Rasbury conceived of Max Understood...

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Mother of Invention
by Richard Warner, Professor, Head of Acting

How’s that old Plato quotation go?  “Necessity is the mother of invention.”…something like that?  Well, that time-tested Platonic musing came into play this past spring semester for 23 fourth-year Drama Wahoos. Seems to me that you Drama alums out there can conjure up some pretty specific memories ...

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Choreographing for Dance and Theatre
by Jenny Mays, Fiscal and Arts Administration Specialist

In late August, Rose Pasquarello Beauchamp, lecturer and Head of Dance, traveled to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to create, collaborate and explore.  Rose and a group of choreographers worked together with theatre directors to produce original and inventive dance theater pieces...

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Students Learn the Art of Public Speaking

Glossophobia – the dread of public speaking – is often cited as a top fear of Americans. This summer, students in a public speaking course are overcoming that fear and learning how to communicate effectively. Instructor Daria Okugawa, a graduate student in the drama department, has structured the class with the students’ goals and disciplines in mind.…

(Read more at U.Va. Today)

Students Problem-Solve, Create and Collaborate in Drama Class

Transforming a 2-D image into a 3-D production that retains the image’s original message can be difficult, but the 13 students in a summer drama class on "Theatre Art: Image to Form" are up to the task. Drama professor Gweneth West challenges them to collaborate and think creatively to best communicate their ideas in class…

(Read more at U.Va. Today)

U.Va. Drama's 2009-2010Season

The University of Virginia Department of Drama is taking a look at identity from many angles in a 2009-2010 season that spans both centuries and genres. The season kicks off on September 24 with Larry Shue’s uproarious comedy The Foreigner.  The season will also include: The timeless classic dramas from Chekhov and Molière in The Seagull and the Imaginary Invalid...

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