Back to main page...

Faculty News

Kate Burke, Associate Professor of Voice & Speech
This summer Kate was appointed an inaugural member of the new University Academy of Teaching, which recognizes exemplary professors who have generously and collaboratively shared their know-how with faculty and graduate teaching assistant colleagues throughout the University community, especially across Departmental and School boundaries. Kate is currently at work on preparing a staged reading of a new translation of Oscar Wilde's Salome. This is a joint effort with U.Va. Press, which will be publishing the translation. The reading will be Friday, December 2, at 7:30, in the Live Arts upstairs space. It will be followed by a post-performance discussion and a reception catered by C&O. The cast is comprised of former and current graduate students, undergraduates, actors from the Charlottesville arts community and Kate herself.

Theresa M. Davis, Associate Professor of Cross Cultural Performance
Theresa Theresa Davis recently served as a panelist at JMU as part of a conference entitled "Folk Culture: Morphing the World's Cultural Face". Theresa's topic was "I got a right to sing the blues: August Wilson - Culture as the content of Life." Theresa also is an invited guest speaker at Xavier University in New Orleans, speaking as an artist responding to The Help.

John Frick, Professor in Theatre History
John recently stepped down as Immediate Past President and Board Member of American Theatre and Drama Society. He's published three articles: "Lost! Or What to Do When Your Primary Document is MIssing", "The Representation of Violence and the Violence of Representation" and "A New Look at an Old Play: Re-reading Royall Tyler's The Contrast." He also wrote an online article for the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center entitled "The Death of Little Evan on the American Stage." He is in the process of planning a retrospective panel for the American Theatre and Drama Society, featuring past presidents in honor of the association's 25th anniversary.

Kim Brooks Mata, Interim Head and Artistic Director of Dance
Kim joined the Drama Department this school year and is already working to help build the Dance Program. The Fall Experimental Dance Concert was a great success, with nearly 500 patrons in attendance. She has also started building bridges to other areas and units across the university, having partnered with U.Va.'s Art Museum several times. She choreographed two site-specific dance works inspired by the museum's "Dancer and the Dance" exhibit, which were performed this fall as part of its Final Friday series. Also in conjunction with the Art Museum, several dance students led four separate dance/movement experiences for children and their parents as a part of the Art Museum's Family Art Jams. Kim is also teaching a Laban workshop class for an Architecture class and will be teaching a master dance class at PVCC later this semester.

Michael Rasbury, Associate Professor of Sound Design
Michael was recently appointed Director of U.Va.'s new College Arts Scholars Program, an enrichment program for some of the best and brightest young artists in the areas of Music, Drama, Studio Art, and Dance. In this role, Michael serves as an advisor-mentor to arts students and is a key force in building the program and promoting the arts on Grounds. This school year, Michael is also traveling to Bard College in New York to work with The John Cage Trust in a performance of one of Cage's works that was unfinished at his death. Having toured an interpretation of the piece internationally back in 2001 and in honor of Cage's 100th birthday, Michael and the individuals at Bard College are performing it again.

Richard Warner, Professor in Acting
Richard was selected as an inaugural member of the University Academy of Teaching. Academy members have demonstrated a long term commitment to teaching excellence as well as skill in helping other to teach. Richard will be working with Michael Rasbury as his Academy Associate this year on several interdisciplinary projects including ideas on the newly formed Arts Scholars Program.

Back to main page...