See what our alumni have been doing by visiting our alumni page.

Alumni: Share your news with us. Email updates and links to jlm4wv@virginia.edu.

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Faculty and Alumni Updates!

FACULTY:

Pam Black, Lecturer, Figure Drawing, was invited to teach in this summer’s Summer Design Institute for incoming graduate students at the School of Architecture. The directors of the program were Associate Professor, Maurice Cox and Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Beth Meyer. They worked as a team to build the skills the new designers would need for their future at the school. Pam was instrumental in helping them develop their visual literacy. 

John Frick, Professor, Theatre History:

Award:  The 2010 recipient of the Betty Jean Jones Award for Outstanding Teacher of American Theatre and Drama presented by the American Theatre and Drama Society.

Book: UNCLE TOM'S CABIN ON THE AMERICAN STAGE AND SCREEN, contracted for publication by Palgrave-Macmillan

Articles: "The Representation of Violence and the Violence of  Representation: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Appropriation of Race on the American Stage,"  New England Theatre Journal 21  (2010). "A New Look at an Old Play:  Re-reading Royall Tyler's The Contrast.”  Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism.  Publication Pending.

Paper:  "Creating a Model: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Moral Reform Drama.  The Association for  Theatre in Higher Education conference, Chicago, 2010.

Presentation (by invitation): Uncle Tom’s Cabin on the American Stage at Harriet Beecher Stowe at 200: Home, Nation, and Place in the 21st Century (conference), Bowdoin College, June 2010.

Moderator: American Shakespeare Center panel at upcoming Symposium – “Holding Up the Mirror: Authenticity and Adaptation in Shakespeare Today --  at Lincoln Center, April 2011.

Lee Kennedy, Associate Professor, Lighting Design, won a 2010 Barrymore Award, Philadelphia theatre's equivalent of the Tony award, for outstanding lighting design for his lighting design of The Light in the Piazza.

Caitlin McLeod (Assistant Professor, Stage Management) welcomed her third child and first son, Charles McLeod Cornay, on October 25.  Congratulations to Caitlin and her family!

Michael Rasbury, Associate Professor in Sound Design, started his 2010 summer research in North Louisiana making multi-track studio recordings for two nationally recognized blues musicians, Kenny Bill Stinson and Doug Duffey.  From there, Michael traveled to Brooklyn, New York, and with the support of an Arts and Sciences Research Grant completed a cast recording of his original musical, Max Understood.  The musical was produced at the New York Musical Theatre Festival during the fall of 2009 and these original performers were used to make the recording.  The new cast recordings are posted at http://www.michaelrasbury.com/maxunderstood.htm.  Upon returning to Charlottesville, he updated the digital audio workstation software in our sound design and technology classroom using funding provided by the Arts Council.  In October, Michael traveled to Washington, D.C. to serve as associate sound designer for Henry VIII, presented at the Folger Shakespeare Library’s theatre.  This production of Henry VIII was adapted by director Robert Richmond and featured the costumes of five-time Tony award winning costume designer, William Ivey Long.  In late October, Max Understood received a staged reading at American Conservatory Theatre (ACT) in San Francisco during their Alumni Weekend.  Michael recently traveled to the University of Mary Washington to present a lecture regarding Max Understood for “Representations of Autism,” a university seminar class taught by Dr. Chris Foss, Associate Professor in English.  Michael is still playing keyboards for a variety of local bands and has been playing keyboard for a local church.  In the coming weeks, Michael will begin preparing to provide sound design for the Obie and Drama Desk award winning Transport Group in New York for a revival of the musical Hello Again. 

ALUMNI:

Kate Brennan (Drama MFA ’08) is starring in BkSeet Theatre's production of Between the Lines, a musical inspired by Janis Ian's songs

Scottie Caldwell (Drama ’07), Matt Fletcher (Drama ’07) in Sideshow Theater's "Theories of the Sun", directed by Jonathan Green (Drama ’07). Karie Miller (Drama MFA ‘08), Matt Fletcher (Drama ’07) and Nate Whelden  (Drama ’08) in Sideshow's "Strangerland." Sideshow Theater Company invited to produce their upcoming production of Heddatron at the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater's Garage Series.

Ted Deasy (Drama MFA ’90) is the playing the lead, Richard Hannay, in the first national tour of The 39 Steps.

Sarah Drew (Drama ’02) regularly appearances on TV's Grey's Anatomy.

Jason George (Drama Minor ’94) plays Dr. Ben Warren on the TV series Grey's Anatomy as well as Max Brody on Eastwick.

Gil Gonzalez (Drama, MFA ’05) recently directed Much Ado About Nothing at Whittier College.

Chris Harcum (Drama MFA ’02) is featured as Jason Cusato in the highly lauded indie film, The Apostles of Park Slope.

J Hernandez (Drama MFA ’08) played Krogstad in a production of A Doll's House directed by Joel Grothe (Drama MFA ’08) at Lamar University in Texas. He is now in the Christmas Carol company at North Carolina Shakespeare Festival.

Faith Hurley (Drama, MFA ’05) is starring in Chicago in the Dog and Pony Theater's production of Auctioning the Ainleys.

Tina Fey (Drama ’92) won The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Allen Fitzpatrick (Drama ‘75) was hired for two Broadway shows this year.  He was cast as Mr. Simmons in Memphis: A New Musical for an 8 week run beginning mid July and as standby for Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy. 

David Koplan (Col ’93) is the executive producer of Leaves of Grass, starring Edward Norton, which was recently viewed at the Virginia Film Festival.

Alyssa Lott (Drama ’09) appeared in NYC in the Ateh Theater Company's Weekend at an English Country Estate.

Julie Lynn (Drama ’88) is spending three months in Dublin producing her upcoming film, Albert Nobbs directed by Rodrigo Garcia, starring Glenn Close, Orlando Bloom, Janet McTeer and Michael Gambon.

Maura Malloy (Drama, MFA ’05) has written a full length film script, Illuminated Life.

Ben McKenzie(Drama ’01) starred as Jim in The Glass Menagerie at LA's Mark Taper Forum.

Ntare Mwine (Drama ’89) plays Jaques Vaz on the TV series Treme.

Nate Patten (Drama ’06) was the Musical Director on the national tour of Beauty and the Beast.

Sam Rabinovitz (Drama ’10) is in the touring company of National Players.

Emily Swallow (Col ’01) is a leading actress at The Globe Theater, and played Kate in Taming of the Shrew.

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