School of Communications and Theater

 

Dear Theater Alumni and Friends,

Greetings from your friends at the Department of Theater, School of Communications and Theater, Temple University! We wanted to take a moment to update you on some of the extraordinary accomplishments of our students and faculty over the last several months, including festival appearances, performances and academic initiatives.

In mid-January, 30 students and eight faculty and staff traveled to Indiana University of Pennsylvania for the weeklong Region II Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, competing with major theater programs across six Mid-Atlantic states and Washington, D.C. in acting, directing, design/tech and production areas. The results were astonishing.

Acting
Craig Bazan and his scene partner, Amanda Holston, won the Region II Irene Ryan Acting competition, which comes with an invitation to compete at the national finals in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center this April. Craig also received the National Association of Partners of Theater Award for Classical Acting. Three Irene Ryan teams made it to the semifinals, and two teams made it to the finals. Temple was extraordinarily well represented in this competition where each school sends its best actors.

Directing
Danielle Pinnock -- who was one of only eight students in the region selected to compete in this area -- was awarded second place and was named first alternate at the national finals.

Design/Technical Theater
Several students were chosen as finalists in their respective fields. For lighting design, Joe Glodek (Dreaming of Diamonds) and Jessica Wallace (Shot!); and for costumes, Rita Squitiere (Sweet Charity).

Adding to the excitement, our original production of Shot! -- a docudrama focusing on North Philadelphia written by Associate Professor Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon with documentary footage from Eugene Martin and directed by Professor Douglas C. Wager -- was invited to be one of nine full productions to be performed at the regional festival. The national selection team was impressed enough to announce that Shot! is being considered for presentation at the national competition in Washington, D.C.

All of these wonderful accomplishments come on the heels of the launch of our 2009-2010 academic and performance calendar. We were so pleased to introduce the Theater Education concentration for undergraduates, allowing deserving and interested students the opportunity to train as arts educators. Our faculty list continues to impress as we add yet another nationally recognized theater artist: Ed Sobel, dramaturge of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning August: Osage County. Ed joins us full-time after a decade at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. And most of all, our students -- who often work part-time while rehearsing, studying and working toward their degrees -- continue to inspire us with their hard work, dedication, and overall enthusiasm for this world we all love so much: the theater.

We hope that you will visit us, whether in person at a performance or via our web site to see what new and exciting things are happening here.

We appreciate your support.

Sincerely,
Roberta Sloan, PhD, Professor
Chair and Executive Producer
Temple University Theater Department
Temple Theaters Production Seasons

P.S. We also would like to invite our theater alumni and friends to join us on Thursday, March 25 for a 7:30 PM performance of RENT, followed by a reception. Discounted tickets are available at $10 per person. To RSVP and to purchase tickets, please contact Scott Braun at 215-204-1334 or sbraun@temple.edu.

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