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Training
news
SPRING
2013
highlights
5 From Painter’s Eye to
Sculptor’s Hand
12 Flexibility and Trust
18 Pathways to Success
23 Achieving Greatness Through
Collaboration
31From UMKC Pupil to Broadway
Veteran
training news
Spring 2013 Edition
UMKC Theatre Publication
Writers:
Chief Writer: Robert Fletcher
Peter Bakely • Jason Bauer • Stephanie Demaree
Ben Fleer • Aaron Roose • Danielle Trebus
Cover photos:
Right: Antonio Jerron Glass (M.F.A. acting, ’14)
and Courtney Salvage (M.F.A. acting, ’14) in The
Lady from the Sea; Top, left: Kelly Gibson (M.F.A.
acting, ’12) in Dead on Her Feet with the North
Wall Theatre. Photo by Simon Annand; Center, left:
Janaé Mitchell (M.F.A. acting, ’14) in The Last Days
of Judas Iscariot. Photo by Gabe Hopkins; Bottom,
left: Kelly Gibson (M.F.A. acting, ’12), Greg Brostrom
(M.F.A. acting, ’12) and Eva Biro (M.F.A. acting, ’12)
in The Winter’s Tale. Photo by Gabe Hopkins.
Inside front cover photos:
Top: Cast of The Winter’s Tale. Photo by Gabe
Hopkins; Center: Logan Black (M.F.A. acting, ’14)
and Thomas E. Tucker (M.F.A. acting, ’14) in The
Last Days of Judas Iscariot. Photo by Gabe Hopkins;
Bottom: Grant Fletcher Prewitt (M.F.A. acting, ’12)
in UMKC Theatre and Kansas City Actors Theatre’s
co-production of Billy Bishop Goes to War.
Photo by Brian Paulette.
Project Manager: Kristi Lewczenko
Editors:
Felicia Londré • Kristi Lewczenko • Cynthia Stofiel
Designer: Deborah Schmidt
Inside back cover photos:
Top: Cast of The Farnsworth Invention. Photo by
Charles Stonewall; Middle: Logan Black (M.F.A.
acting, ’14) in The Winter’s Tale. Photo by Gabe
Hopkins; Bottom: Thomas E. Tucker (M.F.A. acting,
’14) in The Lady from the Sea. Photo by
Brian Paulette.
Back cover photos:
Top: Jessica Biernacki Jensen (M.F.A. acting, ’14)
and Michael R. Pauley (M.F.A. acting, ’14) in The
Lady from the Sea. Photo by Brian Paulette; Bottom,
left: Cast of The Lady from the Sea. Photo by Brian
Paulette; Bottom, right: Cast of UMKC Theatre and
Unicorn Theatre’s co-production of Bloody Bloody
Andrew Jackson. Photo by Cynthia Levin.
UMKC Theatre Crosses the Pond
by Robert Fletcher
I
t is the final dress rehearsal for Dead On Her Feet at the North
Wall Theatre in Oxford, England. Director Barry Kyle (Professor
of Theatre Arts), with only a handful of hours left before the
show opens for previews, throws his technical team a last minute
task. Fortunately, UMKC’s Richard L. Sprecker (’12) and Eric Scot Voecks
(’13) are on site and ready to innovate. Kyle hears a sharp “on it!” and
turns his focus back to the stage, knowing that in the hands of these two
designers, his vision will be satisfied. Meanwhile, curious heads have turned
toward the director, calmly preparing his notes.
“Where do they get that from?” asks a member of Kyle’s Oxford crew.
“Kansas City,” Kyle replies. “That’s the Culture of Yes that we
teach there.”
In 2011, Kyle directed ShootHorses at UMKC. It was a world-premiere
adaptation of novelist Horace Greeley’s 1935 novel They Shoot Horses,
Don’t They?, written by Emmy Award-winner Ron Hutchinson. The play was a
spectacular re-creation of the infamous dance marathons that were common
during the Great Depression. The UMKC Theatre production enjoyed many
accolades and rave reviews.
Some of these reviews caught the attention of the North Wall Theatre;
a small, professional theatre known for producing unique, original works.
According to Kyle, the people at the North Wall were interested in what
Horace McCoy had to say about the dance marathons, where people would
carry on for, at times, days on end to compete for a small cash prize,
sometimes dropping dead upon winning. Additionally, what better time
to focus on such an idea than against the backdrop of an American
election year!
So, Barry Kyle was brought in to direct the play. But, instead of starting
fresh, he staffed essential elements of his crew with members of the original
Costume design by Genevieve V. Beller (M.F.A. costume design, ’12) for Dead on Her
Feet with the North Wall Theatre in Oxford, England. Photo by Simon Annand.
UMKC production team. Genevieve V. Beller (’12) designed the costumes,
Sprecker re-worked his original sound design, and Voecks was in charge of
lighting and projections. Stephanie Roberts (Assistant Professor of Physical
Theatre) also joined the production to choreograph the constant flurry of
movement and dance; and Kelly Gibson (’12), having just graduated from
the M.F.A. acting program, reprised her role as the play’s heroine.
It wasn’t long, however, before the UMKC team realized
that they would be taking on more than simply transferring
a play to Oxford first, then London. The play was
completely re-imagined, re-structured, re-written, and
re-titled. Now known as Dead on Her Feet, the play is
an entity completely set apart from ShootHorses. Ron
Hutchinson, Kyle observes, has turned his adaptation
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into a completely new, original work.
With a new vision, comes a score of
changes. Beller, with the assistance of
two Oxford costuming students, started
fresh. With the original ShootHorses
templates as inspiration, the costumes
were re-designed and built with
lightning speed and efficiency. Sprecker
and Voecks were able to use a large
portion of their original work, but
added an innovative sound mix and
new video projections. Roberts quickly
Kelly Gibson (M.F.A. acting, ’12) in
Dead on Her Feet with the North Wall
adapted to the intense rehearsal
Theatre in Oxford, England.
process, developing new choreography
Photo by Simon Annand.
and stage movement to enhance the
play. Kyle was quick to point out that
UMKC’s Gibson did a wonderful job holding her own alongside a seasoned cast
of actors, her natural charisma and talent revealing new levels of depth and
tone on stage.
Even as rehearsals progressed at the North Wall in Oxford, Kyle and his
UMKC team were looking ahead to the upcoming run at the Arcola Theatre
in London. Ron Hutchinson, the playwright, would be joining the production
team, and Kyle anticipated changes to the script as the production changed
venues. The Arcola Theatre in London differs such from the North Wall, Kyle
notes, that Voecks will be challenged to adapt his projections to the space.
Nonetheless, the show must go on. Kyle had nothing but wonderful
things to say about the UMKC staff supporting the production. The way they
carry themselves, attack challenges, and act with utmost professionalism
has elevated Dead on Her Feet to an event that Bill Heine of BBC Oxford
described as “a theatrical event with fireworks which continues to sing in the
mind long after its surprise ending.” If anything, Kyle wishes he could have
strengthened his ranks with a larger UMKC staff, while, at the same time,
giving his excellent Oxford and London access to the expertise of
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UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Ron Schaeffer (Teaching Professor of Stage Management) and Chuck Hayes
(Teaching Professor of Technical Direction).
Kansas City’s “Culture of Yes” has reached an international audience.
Kyle credits the Theatre Department Chair, Tom Mardikes, with infusing UMKC
Theatre students with the quick wits and diligence to adapt to any situation.
UMKC’s theatrical presence has drawn attention and praise throughout the
United Kingdom. BBC correspondents have reported on Dead on Her Feet,
and actress Kelly Gibson will perform a piece from the play for BBC television,
which will be seen throughout the country. Students and alumni both are
casting wide nets; from their origin in Kansas City, their reach steadily crosses
the globe.
Choreographer Stephanie Roberts (Assistant Professor of Physical Theatre) created the
constant flurry of movement on stage in Dead on Her Feet with the North Wall Theatre
in Oxford, England. Photo by Simon Annand.
Michael
Schweppe:
Capturing
Sound
by Jason Bauer
M
ichael Schweppe (’79) has
become a master at capturing,
refining, and reproducing
sound for others to hear.
Moving from theatre to radio and into opera,
he has captured and designed sounds on many
stages. Three decades of trapping tunes tends to
jade music lovers, but not a sound professional
such as Michael Schweppe.
Schweppe pursued sound and theatre in
college. He earned his B.F.A. in theatre
and a minor in music from Drake
University in Des Moines, Iowa. Then he
proceeded to gain his M.A. in Theatre
from the University of Missouri-Kansas
Recording engineer, Michael Schweppe (M.F.A. sound design, ’79) recording sound
effects and interviews for the National Public Radio show “All Things Considered” in
New Orleans during the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina. Photo by Bill Deputy.
City. When asked what professors he remembers,
Schweppe responds, “Francis Cullinan, extremely
creative director who stimulated my imagination
in design and theatre history. Felicia Londré,
great theatre history teacher. I always enjoyed
her lectures and found her extensive knowledge
and recollection of detail inspiring. Dr. Mac
[Patricia McIlrath], while I never had a class with
her, I admired the ‘sheer force’ that she was.”
Schweppe also talked about stage experience.
“Working in the theatre gave me two clear
advantages; learning how to deal and collaborate
with difficult people, and it made me very
comfortable recording opera, which combines my
back stage experience with my audio expertise.”
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While working with the Missouri Repertory Theatre from 1977-79,
Schweppe had the opportunity to create the sound design for Hamlet,
directed by Ellis Rabb. This was a highlight of Schweppe’s theatre
career. He explains, “It’s really fun to work with a very creative
director.” While at the Missouri Repertory Theatre, Schweppe had
the chance to work on many productions including Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern are Dead and Julius Caesar. From Kansas City, Missouri,
Schweppe moved briefly to the Alaska Repertory Theatre as a sound
designer, and then landed in Chicago at the Goodman Theater
in 1980.
In Chicago, Schweppe collaborated with David Mamet on a
production of The Water Engine. Schweppe rented real working
microphones from the 1940s as it added to the color and authenticity
of the show. It was his work with Tennessee Williams, however, that
opened the door to radio. At the 70th birthday gala for Williams,
Schweppe made some connections that would lead him to a part-time
job working at the Chicago bureau of National Public Radio.
Theatre helped Schweppe to make a sound transition in his move
to Washington D.C. in 1985 to become a full-time sound recording
engineer for NPR. “My time at NPR was incredible while it lasted for
23 years, allowing me to travel to some amazing places, providing
me with many challenges and recording many of the world’s best
classical and jazz musicians.” Among the musicians and ensembles
that Schweppe recorded are Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Yo Yo Ma,
Renee Fleming, Doc Watson, Wynton Marsalis and Placido Domingo.
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UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Even among amazing talent, Schweppe keeps his cool, “I look at
recording as a collaborative effort, but I always appreciate genius and
magnificent playing. I love being transported to a higher level by a
sublime performance.”
Schweppe also has a talent for being very organized. “The key
to success is being really prepared before you go out.” He continues,
“I live my life by checklists.” His checklists are not static; they are
compounded from experiences in the field. Experiences like using a
flour sifter to sound like a water engine, or recording the Washington
National Opera at the Kennedy Center. Schweppe’s equipment
checklists have aided his efficiency throughout his career.
“Keep your ears open and pay attention to the environment
around you. Learn to play an instrument. Most engineers I know are
also musicians or have a musical background. Be nice. Nice guys, who
are competent and fun to work with, get more gigs.” More sound
advice for future sound designers from a professional, and a genuinely
nice guy, Michael Schweppe.
From Painter’s Eye to Sculptor’s Hand
by Ben Fleer
T
his fall’s opening of Mozart’s The
Magic Flute at the Chicago Opera
Theater will mark the company’s
fifth production to feature the
exceptional lighting designs of UMKC Theatre
alumnus Julian Pike (’03). Pike, the theatre’s
lighting supervisor-turned-resident designer, has
been dazzling audiences in The Windy City for
nearly a decade, and his most recent work serves
as only one of many in an increasingly impressive
design career. Success can be notoriously difficult
in the world of professional theatre, but through
a combination of innate talent, exceptional
training, and a monumental work ethic, Pike’s
designs have managed to leave a lasting
impression on the Chicago theatre scene.
Work was scarce for Pike after his graduation
from UMKC in 2003. “I’m not going to lie, those
first two years were really, really tough,” he
recalls, referring to his departure from Kansas
City. Always the optimist, though, he asserts that
“it was good to have that struggle,” and that if
there was a silver lining in the difficulty of those
days, it was to be found in the fact that they
only served to strengthen his determination to
continue his craft. He settled in Chicago, and
relentlessly sought work. Within six months, he
was back in the world of theatre.
Pike’s real break came when he was hired in
2005 as one of multiple lighting designers at The
Lighting design by Julian Pike (’03) for Medea (shown here,
Anna Stephany as Medea and chorus) with the Chicago Opera
Theater. Photo by Liz Lauren.
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Chicago Opera Theatre. Pike has also found plenty
Porchlight Theatre for their “Finn Fest”, a series
of success designing for conventional drama.
of William Finn musicals including In Trousers,
He designed for The Griffin Theatre Company’s
Falsettos, and A New Brain. Originally slated to
production of The Constant Wife in 2007, served
design only two of the shows, Pike ended up the
as principal lighting designer for The Strange
principal lighting designer of all but one, and in
Tree Group theatre company’s Shakespeare’s
the process found his work pushed to new limits.
King Phycus in 2010, and designed lights for the
When he returned to The Porchlight the following
Seanachai Theatre Company’s production of A
season for their production of Gypsy, he had
Moon for the Misbegotten in 2012.
already begun to experiment with his designs in
Despite many hardships, Pike nevertheless
new and interesting ways.
regards the experience as having been “very
As a student, Pike had a natural aptitude
toward color theory. But in Chicago, he elevated
his craft beyond self-imposed limitations. “I think
a lot of lighting designers view themselves as
painters, but I view myself more as a sculptor with
light.” And although he retains an exquisite eye
for color, it is in the power of light and shadow, in
its ability to manipulate and facilitate, that has
been the source of Pike’s inspiration. “I’m always
considering how I’m revealing or not revealing
form onstage,” he said. He must constantly remind
himself that it is light, after all, which reveals
anything and everything on the stage.
Pike’s designs have continued to find success
on the stages of both studio theatres and opera
houses throughout Chicago. Describing himself
as “a pendulum,” constantly oscillating between
renowned classics and contemporary theatre, he
served for three years on the resident lighting staff
of the Lyric Opera of Chicago
beginning in 2008, rotating
Lighting design by
the position of lead designer
Julian Pike (’03) for Medea
between himself and two
(shown here, Colin Ainsworth as Jason and chorus) with the
others before departing
Chicago Opera Theater.
in 2011. In 2011, he also
Photo by Liz Lauren.
designed Medea for the
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UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
rewarding.” After all, at
the end of the day, Julian
Pike gets to do what he loves
most for a living, and perhaps
more importantly, he brings delight and wonder
to the lives of others. “Sometimes it’s nice for
people to just enjoy themselves,” Pike observes of
theatrical audiences. And, it must also be nice to
realize you played a part in the creation of
that joy.
Students Test Their Knowledge
M.F.A. Acting
Logan Black (’14) played Eros in Antony and Cleopatra and a faerie and
court attendant in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Heart of America
Shakespeare Festival.
Jessica Biernacki Jensen (M.F.A. acting, ’14) (top left) and Janaé
Mitchell (M.F.A. acting, ’14) (top center) in Kansas City Fringe Festival’s
DADA is Dead/Long Live DADA! Photo by Nick Civitello.
Logan Black (M.F.A. acting, ’14) (right) and John Rensenhouse in
Antony and Cleopatra with the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.
Photo by Brian Collins.
Jessica Biernacki Jensen (’14) taught ages 5-14 at Heart of America
Shakespeare Festival’s Summer Camp, performed in DADA is Dead/Long Live
DADA!, and participated in a reading of The Circus in Winter at Ball State
University.
Janaé Mitchell (’14) performed in the Kansas City Fringe Festival’s DADA is
Dead/Long Live DADA!
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Vincent Wagner (’14) co-wrote, co-produced, and acted in DADA is Dead/
Long Live Dada! for the Kansas City Fringe Festival.
Jamie Dufault (’15) played Malcolm in Colonial Theatre’s Westerly
Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth.
Alisha Espinosa (’15) participated in a staged reading of Kansas City Swing
at Crossroads Theatre.
Laura Jacobs (’15) played Panacea in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to
the Forum, Jennifer in Skillet Tag, and appeared in Burlesque and Beggars: A
Carnivalesque Collaboration Between Sister Cities.
M.F.A. Costume Design
Genevieve V. Beller (’13) designed costumes for Riverside Theatre in
the Park’s production of As You Like It in Iowa City. She also designed the
costumes seen in the London production of Dead on Her Feet.
Aaron Chvatal (’13) was an assistant designer for the Ohio Light Opera,
designing and building costumes for seven operettas and musicals over the
course of nine weeks.
Lauren Gaston (’14) worked as an assistant costume shop manager on
Abigail /1702 and The Power of Duff for New York Stage and Film.
Costume design by Lauren Roark (’14) for The Real Inspector Hound
with the Kansas City Actors Theatre. Actor: Natalie Liccardello.
Photo by Brian Paulette.
Lauren Roark (’14) worked as the Assistant Costume Designer/Stitcher/
Wardrobe Supervisor at the Riverside Theatre in the Park in Iowa City, Iowa,
and was the designer for the KCAT’s “Summer of Mystery”: The Mousetrap
and The Real Inspector Hound.
M.F.A. Lighting Design
Kyle Coyer (’14), who has an additional emphasis in Technical Direction,
interned at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Devorah Kengmana (’15) worked with the Donna Micelli Dance Company’s
Concert in Boston alongside Victor En Yu Tan and fellow UMKC designers.
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UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Uldarico Sarmiento (’14) designed sets for the film adaptation of August:
Osage County. He was also the scenic charge artist for the Lyric Theatre of
Oklahoma, building Bye Bye Birdie, Sweet Charity, and Call Me Madame.
M.F.A. Scene Design
Lee Berhorst (’13) worked with Fire Design Scenic Arts’ team, renovating the
Unicorn Theatre.
Kristin Yager (’13) designed the sets for Once Upon a Mattress at the
Coterie, and was a design assistant for the Kansas City installment of Food
Network’s “Restaurant: Impossible.”
Uldarico Sarmiento (’14) was the scenic charge artist for the Lyric
Theatre of Oklahoma’s Bye Bye Birdie. Photo by Wendy Mutz.
Sarah White (’14) served as a scenic artist, props artisan, and Assistant
Technical Director for the Crane River Theatre Company in Kearney,
Nebraska, on Two Rooms, A Year With Frogs, and Into the Woods.
M.F.A. Sound Design
Scenic designer Kristen Yager (’13) for Once Upon a Mattress with the
Coterie Theatre. Photo by J. Robert Schraeder.
Alexander LaFrance (’14) was an actor and stage manager for ANT
Fest’s Hold Music and stage manager and light operator for soloNOVA’s
Convergence, in New York City.
Alex Glamyan (’14) worked as a recording and sound engineer for the
Coterie’s Once Upon a Mattress, and at the Naked Stage Theatre in Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida, as an engineer for A Turn of the Screw.
Michael Heuer (’15) was the Sound Engineer for the Goss Opera House in
Watertown, South Dakota and the Sound Designer for the Miss South Dakota
Pageant.
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Sarah Putts (’15) worked at the Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha,
Wisconsin as a street performer. She put her skills as a dancer/acrobat/
juggler to work in several performances, playing a wide range of characters.
Alexander Murphy (’13) was a production assistant for the Heart of America
Shakespeare Festival.
Amanda Wiley (’13) was a production assistant for the KC Rep’s Little Shop
of Horrors, and the stage manager for Theatre Gym’s Stavrogin’s Confession,
seen at the Kansas City Fringe Festival.
Kelsey Brennan (’14) worked for The Lost Nation Theatre in Vermont as well
as in Central Michign University’s summer theatre program.
Laura Cheyne (‘14) worked at the Texas Shakespeare Festival as a Stage
Manager for productions of Measure for Measure and The Liar.
Emily E. Duffin (’14) worked as assistant stage manager with the Opera
Theatre of St. Louis on Carmen and Cosí fan tutte. She also worked as
Production Stage Manager on La Bohème, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and
L’incoronazione di Poppea for La Musica Lirica in Italy.
Rachel A. Dyer (’14) was a production assistant for Kansas City’s Heart of
America Shakespeare Festival.
Sarah Putts (M.F.A. sound design, ’15) as a street performer for the Bristol
Renaissance Faire (Kenosha, Wisconsin). Photo by Rosanne Putts.
M.F.A. Stage Management
Maegan Burnell (’13) worked on productions of The Presidents!, The Drowsy
Chaperone, Saving Red, and Is He Dead? at Creede Repertory Theatre.
Ivan Dario Cano (‘13) was a stage manager for the Broadway Theatre Project
in Tampa, Florida.
Blair S. Coppola (’13) was an assistant stage manager for My Fair Lady, Tosca
at the Utah Festival of Opera and Musical Theatre in Logan, Utah.
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M.F.A. Technical Direction
Matt Carter (’14) was the Stage Crew Chief at The Santa Fe Opera where
he supervised the technical efforts of five opera productions performed in
repertory.
Jason Rasinowich (’14) was the Technical Director at the Otterbein Summer
Theatre in Westerville, Ohio.
Patricia Goebel (’15) worked as a carpenter at the Nebraska Shakespeare
Festival.
M.A.
Pete Bakely (’13) had his play, Skillet Tag, presented in the KC Fringe
Festival, and appeared as Marcus Lycus in A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Forum at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre.
Stephanie Demaree (’14) played Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood with
Marble Stage Community Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri.
Pete Bakely (M.A., ’13) (center) with fellow cast members in
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with the
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. Photo by Bob Paisley.
Thomas Canfield (’13) was the dramaturg for Antony and Cleopatra and A
Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. He
also wrote two articles for KC Stage magazine.
Tracy Tierstriep (’13) supervised Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
movement workshops at the Barstow School where she also choreographed
Romeo and Juliet. She was also a guest teacher for the Kansas City Ballet’s
Summer Intensive and choreographed routines for Everyday Rapture.
Stephanie Demaree (M.A. ’14) (right) as Drood in
The Mystery of Edwin Drood with the Marble Stage
Community Theatre (St. Louis). Photo by Brittany Henry.
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Flexibility and Trust:
A Stage Manager Creates Her Own Theatre Family
by Stephanie Demaree
R
enee Caldwell (’12), has found ways
to create family throughout her
theatre experiences at University
of Missouri-Kansas City and beyond.
While obtaining her M.S. in Theatre from
Texas A&M University-Commerce, she shifted from
an Acting and Directing focus to Stage Management
and “never looked back.” When she decided to go
for an M.F.A., she was accepted to four schools but
chose UMKC because she “…realized it was one of
the best programs in the nation. These professors
know what they are doing.” Once she arrived,
Renee discovered another great reason: “the
people who attend this University. I thoroughly
enjoyed how open and supportive the other stage
managers were. They became a small family.”
During her training at UMKC, Renee worked
with a variety of directors and took away many
valuable lessons. “The two most important things
I learned from this program were flexibility and
trust…I need to change how I stage manage with
every director, every show, and every theatre
company.” She also mentions “the ability to
separate personal feelings from the business
aspect of theatre. As a stage manager, you cannot
get emotional.” One of the most memorable shows
she stage-managed during the program was The
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Comedy of Asses, in which she enjoyed seeing
Theodore Swetz (Head of Acting) and Stephanie
Roberts (Assistant Professor of Physical Theatre)
work together. “They are a brilliant team. Ted
really took me under his wing. He helped me feel
more secure in who I was as a stage manager and
I will always remember his guidance during that
show.” Looking back, she states, “It was an honor
and a pleasure to work with all of the directors
and casts that were a part of my time at UMKC.”
Renee also had several opportunities to work
at the Unicorn Theatre during her first year of
training. “This was my first introduction to Equity
Theatre. I learned so much and tried to soak up
Renee Caldwell (M.F.A. stage management, ’12), preparing to call a show, feels “at home”
in her stage management booth surrounded by her “theatre family.” Photo by Robin Harvey.
all of the knowledge that I could…to learn, listen,
and take something away from each process.” She
enjoyed her time there so much that when she
was not assigned to any Unicorn productions in her
final year, she took matters into her own hands and
sent her resume to the producing artistic director,
Cynthia Levin. “I realized that the Unicorn is like a
family…I told Cynthia that if she had work for me
next season, I would stay. I showed her loyalty and I
guess it stuck with her. When they needed an Equity
Stage Manager she asked me.”
Renee graduated in August and this past summer
she worked on the Kansas City Fringe Festival. “I
learned to trust my abilities even more during that
process. I also learned I can program a light board,
and designed my first show.” At the Unicorn, she
gained her first Equity experience as stage manager
of The Motherf**ker with the Hat. “...it was an
amazing learning experience…Cynthia and the
Unicorn gave me an incredible opportunity and I look
forward to paying it back.”
In addition to her studies, Renee also credits her
success to valuable experiences in the work force.
“I have worked in management for at least a decade
now. Not only in theatre, but in journalism, Fortune
500 companies, retail, and academia. I was a medic
in the Army. All of the careers have one thing in
common. They all reward professionalism and
respect.” She also recognizes the help and support
she’s had on her way to becoming a professional
stage manager from her family and friends in the
program. “Eric Scot Voecks (M.F.A. Lighting Design,
’12) and Kristin Yager (M.F.A. Scenic Design, ’12)…
became my family while I was here…I was looking for
a theatre family and I most definitely found one.”
Set against
the backdrop of
jazz and baseball,
Kansas City Swing
tells the story of
the Kansas City of
1947 as a microcosm of the changes taking place across the
country in the years following WWII. Having
endured massive changes already due to that
war, the US was on the verge of further changes... Integration was about to sweep across
the country, affecting both jazz and baseball.
Jackie Robinson had recently been recruited
to play ball with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Jazz flourished and grew in the famous
18th and Vine jazz district. In fact, the Kansas
City jazz style was mimicked across the country. From Kansas City, came the beginnings of
Charlie Parker’s alto sax and the Count Basie
Orchestra, along with others, all fueled by the
creativity of the many clubs at 18th and Vine.
Kansas City Swing examines the greats of
the Negro leagues. “In order to understand
Negro League baseball, you must understand
[it within] the context of American history,”
said Khan, director and playwright of the production as well as UMKC Theatre’s Professor of
Theatre Arts. “This play is about the
moment America is [set] to integrate.
Something is coming. Something is about to
change.” Impressively, Dr. Raymond Doswell,
curator of the Negro League Museum, has
joined the production.
Also lending his jazz expertise is Bobby
Watson, well-known KC jazz musician and the
production’s composer.
UMKC Theatre faculty and students round
out the design team, including John Ezell
(Scenic Designer), Victor En Yu Tan (Lighting
Designer), Tom Mardikes (Sound Designer),
and Lauren Roark (Costume Designer).
Khan (director of Quindaro and Train to
2010) co-authored the play with Trey Ellis.
Their past collaboration included Fly, a highly
successful and popular production concerning
the Tuskegee Airmen. In describing the significance of Kansas City Swing to Kansas City,
Khan explains, “This story is about a special
chapter in Kansas City history that incorporates jazz and Negro League baseball.”
Kansas City Swing runs April 19-28,
2013 in the Helen F. Spencer
Theatre, Olson PAC.
For tickets, contact
the Central Ticket Office at
816-235-6222 or visit www.
umkctheatre.org for more
information.
apply online 13
Professors Stay Sharp
Erika Bailey (Assistant Professor of Voice and
Dialect) served as the voice and dialect coach
for the Coterie Theatre’s production of James
and the Giant Peach and for their Off-Broadway premiere of Lucky Duck.
She also returned for a fifth season to coach Kansas City Rep’s A Christmas
Carol. Bailey has continued her research into rhetoric and the embodying of
heightened text through workshops and presentations at Southern Methodist University’s M.F.A. Acting program and the Voice and Speech Trainer’s
Association national conference. At UMKC, she performed in The Last Days
of Judas Iscariot and served as vocal coach on that show, The Winter’s Tale,
Cymbeline, and Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea.
Chaz Bell (Teaching Assistant Professor of
Technical Theatre) was the UMKC Conservatory
Opera technical director for Le Nozze di Figaro
and La Tragédie de Carmen. He also served as
the technical director for the Heart of America
Shakespeare Festival’s productions of Antony
and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Gene Emerson Friedman (Associate Professor
of Scene Design) created the installation design
for the National Design Portfolio Review, one of
America’s premier venues for showcasing the
work of America’s finest emerging theatrical
14 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
designers, providing them a celebratory entrée into the industry. Gene designed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Antony and Cleopatra for the Heart
of America Shakespeare Festival and A Christmas Carol for the Kansas City
Repertory Theatre.
Scenic designer Gene Emerson
Friedman’s scenic design and
rendering for the Heart of
America Shakespeare Festival’s
2012 summer productions of
Antony and Cleopatra. Image
provided by Friedman.
He is currently developing designs for the world
premiere of Kansas City
Swing for the Crossroads
Theatre Company, New
Brunswick, New Jersey. Gene also served as a technical consultant for next
to normal at the Arizona Theatre Company and San Jose Repertory Theatre.
Stages of Conversion: the Santero Shrines of Gene Emerson Friedman premiered at the Mattie Rhodes Gallery and was showcased at The Nelson Atkins
Museum of Art in Kansas City in January. Gene also curated Bold Strokes And
2006
John Ezell (Hall Family Foundation Professor of
Scene Design) created designs for next to normal
at the Arizona Theatre Company, a joint production with the San Jose Theatre Company, as well
as the premier productions of Sherlock Holmes
and the Adventure of the Suicide Club and Ten Chimneys for the Arizona
Theater Company; David Mamet’s Race at the Saint Louis Repertory Theater;
A Christmas Carol for the Kansas City Repertory Theatre and the Cincinnati
Ballet’s new, multi-million dollar production of The Nutcracker. He is currently developing designs for the Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis’ production of The Foreigner and the world premiere of Kansas City Swing for the
Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Bold Strokes
And Finesse: The Stage Designs of John Ezell, an historic retrospective of his
precedent-setting theatrical work, is currently featured at the University of
Wyoming’s Centennial Complex Art Museum in Laramie and several models of
designs for the Arizona Theatre
Company are being shown at the
Miniature Museum of Tucson’s
exhibition No Small Parts.
He continues to serve on the
National Council of the Sam Fox
School of Design and Architecture at Washington University in
St. Louis and he is a Fellow of
the College of the Fellows of the
American Theatre at the KenScenic designer John Ezell’s next to normal
nedy Center in Washington, D.C.
scenic model for the Arizona Theatre
Barry Kyle (Professor of Theatre Arts) has taken
UMKC Theatre to England. The 2011 production
of ShootHorses opened in England with many of
the original actors and designers involved. Barry
set up a reciprocal agreement between UK and
US Equity to allow Kelly Gibson to appear on the London stage as an American Equity actress. The new script by Ron Hutchinson is called Dead on Her
Feet which Barry directed at the North Wall Theatre in Oxford and the Arcola
Theatre in London. Traveling with the production from UMKC were Stephanie
Roberts, Richard L. Sprecker, Genevieve V. Beller and Eric Scot Voecks. While
in England, Barry made an appearance at the University of London (Queen
Mary College) in October, to contribute to their course on Elizbethan London
playhouses. Larry F. Levenson, ©
Finesse: The Stage Designs of John Ezell for the Centennial Complex Art Museum in Laramie, Wyoming, and serves as an architectural Consultant to the
Old Zuni Mission Restoration Project and as curator and archivist of the Casa
de Santo Niño, Zuni, New Mexico.
Felicia Hardison Londré (Curators’ Professor of
Theatre) became Dean of the College of Fellows
of the American Theatre in April at the
Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. She will
serve a two-year term as leader of that most
prestigious theatre organization honoring both theatre professionals and
academics. In May, she presented a paper on World War I entertainer Elsie
Janis at a theatre conference in Seville, Spain, then took a week for theatergoing and research in Paris. For Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, she
gave pre-performance ShowTalks on Antony and Cleopatra and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. At the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, she
participated in three panel sessions: chairing a “Meet the Fellows!” session,
contributing to a panel of Past Presidents of the American Theatre and Drama
Society, and presenting a paper on “American Theatre Artists on Stage and
in the Trenches during the Great War.” For the 14th annual Theatre Forum of
Company. Image provided by Ezell.
www.umkctheatre.org 15
The International Festival-Institute at Round
Top, Texas, she gave a presentation on American musical comedy. The September issue of
KC Stage ran a “Spotlight on Felicia Londré”
written by Thomas Canfield, with a cover
photo of Felicia costumed as Sarah Bernhardt
in the famous Hamlet pose. At UMKC in 2012
Felicia put together the annual Founder’s Day
celebration, served on the Humanities Reference Librarian search committee, and taught
a 3-session continuing education course on
Eugene O’Neill.
Dr. Felicia Hardison Londré’s cover photo from KC
Stage, September 2012 issue. Photo by Bob Compton.
Jennifer Martin (James C. Olson Professor) The
first year of her UMKC Olson Professorship was
filled with M.F.A. movement classes and Period
Style production coaching and choreography for
A Christmas Carol for Kansas City Rep, Pride and
Prejudice for the Swine Theatre in Baton Rouge, The Importance of Being
Earnest for the American Heartland Theatre and A Midsummer Night’s Dream
and Antony and Cleopatra for KC‘s Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. A
reduced teaching load provided the opportunity to pursue funded research
and provide training in nonverbal communication for area hospitals, medical
schools, businesses and artists’ consortiums. As it turns out, what UMKC does
in performance training applies to many areas of life beyond the footlights
and folks seem to be pretty interested in how they, too, can be more effective storytellers.
16 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Stephanie Roberts (Assistant Professor of
Physical Theatre) started the 2011-12 school year
directing the Roman classic, The Comedy of Asses
with Professor Theodore Swetz. This past summer
she returned to the Governor School for the Arts in
Lexington, Kentucky, where she taught Commedia dell’Arte and presented
her lecture/demo: Mask Magic. She also presented on Physical Dramaturgy
and The Movement Chorus at the Association of Theatre Movement Educators
conference, and the Association of Theatre in Higher Education conference,
both held in Washington D.C. In August and September, Roberts worked in the
UK, choreographing the world premier of Ron Hutchinson’s Dead on Her Feet
in Oxford and London at the North Wall and Arcola Theatres. Ron Schaeffer (Teaching Professor of Stage
Management) directed a staged reading of a Conor
McPherson play, This Lime Tree Bower, at the Irish
Center in Union Station, Kansas City this past
summer. He also directed The Farnsworth Invention for UMKC Theatre, a play by Aaron Sorkin about the beginning of radio
and television.
Scott Stackhouse (Teaching Assistant Professor of Theatre in Acting) spent his 3rd summer
in Seaside, Florida directing for the Seaside
Repertory Theatre. He directed The Emperor’s
New Clothes in Rosemary Beach, Beanie and the
Bamboozling Book Machine in Seaside, and then The 39 Steps for the indoor
theatre. The production of The 39 Steps was conceptualized using extensive
projections which was a first for that theatre. Scott spent his off hours in
Seaside presenting a workshop series in classical acting, improvisation and
voice work to the resident company.
Theodore Swetz (The Patricia McIlrath Endowed
Professor of Theatre and Head of Acting) spent
the summer at the Riverside Theatre in the Park,
Iowa City, where he serves as an artistic associate. This past season’s offerings, produced in
rotating rep, were As You Like It, which Swetz
directed, and The Merchant of Venice, in which he performed the role
of Shylock. With UMKC Theatre, he co-directed The Comedy of Asses with
Stephanie Roberts and conceived and directed the 3rd year, New York Professional Actor Showcase.
Theodore Swetz as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice
with the Riverside Theatre in the Park, Iowa City, Iowa.
Photos by Bob Goodfellow.
Victor En Yu Tan (Professor of Lighting Design)
designed The Adventures of Fishy Waters, written and performed by Guy Davis and directed by
Ricardo Khan for the Crossroads Theatre in New
Brunswick, New Jersey. He designed Frank Higgins’ Black Pearl Sings!, co-produced by the Virginia Stage in Norfolk Virginia,
Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany, New York, and the Ensemble Theatre
Company in Santa Barbara, California. For the Kansas City Repertory Theatre,
he designed The Whipping Man, directed by the Rep’s artistic director, Eric
Rosen. He also designed for the co-production between the KC Rep and UMKC
Theatre, Death of a Salesman. And finally, he designed the world premiere of
Rangoon by Mayank Keshaviah and directed by Raul Aranas for the Pan Asian
Repertory Theatre at the Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row in New York City.
This summer, he again conducted a “boot camp” for lighting students as the
Principal Lighting Designer of the Donna Miceli Dance Company in Boston.
Four UMKC students came to assist and designed about two-thirds of the
dance pieces. Lighting design by Victor En Yu Tan for The
Whipping Man with the KC Repertory Theatre.
Photo by Don Ipock.
A complete list of faculty biographies is available online at www.umkctheatre.org.
apply online 17
Pathways to Success
by Danielle Trebus
J
onathan Knipscher’s career trajectory went from a 2006
M.F.A. in Costume Design, to New York City’s Metropolitan
Opera, to designing fabulous summer opera seasons in Italy.
Initially crossing paths with Knipscher in Italy, Lauren Gaston
(’14), who was hired as Knipscher’s assistant, had a path which went from
Italy, to the Met, to UMKC—the exact reverse of Knipscher’s. Gaston is
now a second-year M.F.A. student in UMKC’s Costume Design & Technology
Program. Knipscher has always been a believer that “one path leads to
another;” and that is certainly true for these two friends and colleagues,
for their paths describe a perfect circle.
Knipscher was completing his M.F.A. in Costume Design at UMKC when
Professor Lindsay W. Davis, through professional contacts in New York
discovered an internship available at the Met. Knipscher applied, received
the internship, and his efforts were rewarded with a full-time position.
After receiving his M.F.A. degree, Jonathan took the job and within a year
was promoted to Assistant Costume Supervisor for the Men’s Chorus. While
at the opera, he worked on Don Giovanni, La Bohème and Aida. Knipscher
readily credits the invaluable mentorship of Professors Davis and Sarah M.
Oliver for the firm foundation they gave him in drawing, painting, design,
and construction. For these were the skills necessary to secure such a
prestigious position. “It was Lindsay and Sarah’s mentoring that shaped
me as an artist. They understand the professional world of costume and
18 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
what it takes to be successful.” It is easy to see how the direct
communication of ideas and techniques in an M.F.A. program, coupled with
faculty and alumni contacts, can open career doors.
It was Knipscher’s impressive work at the Met that gave him the
visibility that led to other
international opportunities.
Jonathan has now designed
four summer seasons with
La Musica Lirica, a summer
opera festival based in
Novafeltria, Italy. It was
there, during the summer of
2009, that Lauren Gaston’s
path became linked with
Jonathan’s. Gaston, a Wake
Forest B.A. grad, had been
hired by the producing
company to work as his
assistant. It was Jonathan’s
first season, Lauren’s first
Lauren Gaston (’14) and Jonathan Knipscher
internship, they hardly knew
(’06). Photo provided by Knipscher.
each other and it was just
the two of them against the season: Madame Butterfly, Falstaff, and Il
Matrimonio di Segreto. Daunting? Not for these two costume aficionados.
Their love of the work united them, as did their Texas roots. They spent
their days creating masterful costumes, their nights with good wine and
cool gelato, and soon became fast friends.
Jonathan was so impressed with Lauren’s work that he encouraged
her to move to New York and apply for the same Met internship that he
had received. With his help, she secured the internship and, utilizing the
same diligence and ethic as her friend, Jonathan, the Met offered—and she
accepted—a full-time job. For two years, Lauren worked at the Met; and
during that time, Jonathan introduced her socially to many UMKC costume
alumni who live and work in New York. Meeting these sterling alumni with
high technical and graphic skills, Lauren became interested in the UMKC
Costume Design and Technology program. She applied and was accepted.
Jonathan Knipscher is a tribute to UMKC’s legacy of successful
graduates. His strong career path is a direct result of a strong faculty,
and a contact network of eminently qualified alumni. This effect
is not restricted to a single student’s experience. Lauren Gaston
designs under the watchful eyes of her professors, and is guided by a
relationship that is more of apprentice to master than
teacher to student. At UMKC, history will continue to
repeat itself; taking in individuals who will hone their
skills to a fine edge, then make great impact in the
world of theatre arts.
Costume design by Jonathan Knipscher (’06) and Associate Costume Design
by Lauren Gaston (’14) for La Traviata with the La Musica Lirica.
Photo by Irena Welhasch-Bearg.
Republic of San Marino. Photo by Gaston.
www.umkctheatre.org 19
Who You Gonna Call?
H
ave you ever seen one of those high school Peter Pan
production videos on YouTube that shows Peter not so
much “flying” as falling? Have you ever wondered who
that school should have called to avoid said calamity? They
certainly could have called University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate Dan
Eslinger (’00). Eslinger has been a professional in the world of theatre and
entertainment doing things that most people would think of as “special
effects” ever since he graduated from UMKC with an M.F.A. in Theatre
Technology in 2000. His career path demonstrates that a graduate degree in
technical theatre can open many doors, not always necessarily in a theatre.
Eslinger’s journey into theatre, as is often the case, was rather
circuitous. He was a math major in undergraduate studies. He took an
elective course in stagecraft and “got hooked.” He began working in the
scene shop and tried to learn as much as he could about theatre. His thirst
for knowledge and desire to improve and expand his theatrical skills led him
to UMKC, which offered him several unique opportunities that helped shape
his career. There were specialized classes in rigging and automation, in which
he took the initiative to “really delve into the subject.” There was also the
close proximity to the Missouri Repertory Theatre. Eslinger says that he
“…learned a lot of skills from the hands-on work with the Rep Theatre and
their equipment at our disposal. The coursework made the introductions and
started me on the path. It sparked the interest and paved the way for my
exploration.” That exploration led him to win the prestigious Golden Hammer
award from USITT in 2002.
Eslinger used his specialized skills and connections with the Missouri Rep
to get a job as their Assistant Technical Director and automation specialist
immediately following grad school. (Coincidentally, that position is currently
filled by Tom Gault, who is also a UMKC alumnus.) Subsequently, Dan went to
20 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
by Aaron Roose
work for the Seattle Repertory Theatre as their ATD, again with an emphasis
on automation. When asked about specifics from these jobs, Eslinger replied,
“I got into everything from computer-controlled projection to pneumatics,
hydraulics, and electric motors.”
After six years, Eslinger’s career moved away from theatre and into
what he called the “bigger arena of entertainment.” His specialization in
automation landed him a job with Fisher Technical Services in Las Vegas.
Fisher describes itself as “a leading supplier of mechanical automation and
control equipment to the theatrical, themed attraction, motion picture,
and touring production markets.” Eslinger’s playground just expanded
exponentially. His job at Fisher was as “controls designer” and he “designed
control cabinets for large shows.” In other words, he was designing and
implementing what most people would call the “brain” for incredibly
complex technical productions. Highlights from his time at Fisher include
Cirque du Soleil’s show Zed in Tokyo, The House of Falling Water in Macau,
China and a huge water show called The World of Color in Disney’s California
Adventure Park. Eslinger described his year of work on The World of Color as
one of the biggest achievements of his career. (Search: The World of Color,
Disney on YouTube where you can see Eslinger’s work in action.)
Eslinger’s latest career move finds him as the Head of Automation at
ZFX. If you have ever witnessed anyone flying in a professional theatrical
production, odds are it was created, installed, or possibly even operated
by ZFX. Eslinger may work for a flying company but he is still designing
and building new automation equipment to help meet the ever-increasing
demand for spectacle in entertainment. Eslinger certainly exemplifies the
advice he offers to current TD students: “Reach high, push yourself, take
your opportunities to the next level, and learn from the best.” Follow this
advice and one day you might be the guy keeping Peter Pan in the sky.
Gaining a Sense of Self
T
wo graduates of UMKC’s M.F.A.
Acting program, Nick Gehlfuss
(’10) and Dina Thomas (’11)
have both found reason to ask themselves one
question as they pursue professional acting
careers post-graduation: “Who better than me?”
According to Dina, a large portion of her graduate
training focused on self—how YOU are uniquely
different from all the others in your field. “I
didn’t quite understand how essential it was to
by Stephanie Demaree
have a strong sense of self until I moved to NYC
and starting auditioning regularly. It’s about
celebrating who you are and what you bring to
the work.” Nick points out that “acting is a lonely
profession…so you better love it, or you won’t
grow…You have to be the best, because if you
aren’t, someone else will beat you to it.”
Dina was drawn to the UMKC training program
after studying under Theodore Swetz (Head of
Acting) as an undergrad. “I found myself not only
becoming a better actor under his tutelage, but
also a better person…I felt myself changing from
an actor to an artist.” Nick came to the program
after phone conversations with three faculty
members: Swetz, Joe Price (prior Associate
Acting Professor), and the late Gary Holcombe
(Styles Acting). “They spoke about the work with
such conviction—I was inspired.”
When asked about the value of their
experiences at UMKC, Dina and Nick have a lot
to say. “…taking 3 years to dedicate time to
yourself in such a rigorous professional training
The cast (left to right) Susannah Flood, Dina Thomas
(M.F.A. acting, ’12), Lee Roy Rogers, Jeff Still, Will
Brill and Russell Harvard in Tribes at Barrow Street
Theatre. Photo by Gregory Costanzo.
apply online 21
program was a privilege; to give
yourself the opportunity to grow,
to change, to learn about who you
are, is the greatest gift actors can
give themselves,” declares Dina. “I
learned so much from all my teachers
at UMKC and I always feel them right
beside me in every audition room,
rehearsal or performance.”
Both have fond memories of
a favorite role at UMKC as well:
“Killer Joe in Killer Joe,” says Nick.
“I learned there were no personal
consequences. I learned how to let
the darker side of imagination reign.
I learned how to throw myself into
the ugly. I became a professional
actor with that experience.” For
Dina, the favorite role was Hermia in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “I loved
her fire, her passion and her energy.
I felt a real connection to that role.
It was also coupled with a wonderful
cast of some of my best friends in
the program so it was an incredibly
joyous creation.”
Since graduation, Nick and Dina
have both been successful in finding
professional work. For Dina, valuable
experience was gained as a reader
in casting director Pat McCorkle’s
office. “Being a reader, watching
auditions, and getting a better
understanding of what happens in the
room have led me to the successful
auditions I have had.” In September,
Dina took over the role of Ruth in the
off-Broadway hit, Tribes, directed
by David Cromer. “It’s a fabulous
play, and how often do we get the
opportunity to say we’re working on
a fabulous play?”
Nick learned to expect the
unexpected during one of his first
jobs after graduation, playing
Sergeant Joe Cory in the Lifetime
television series, Army Wives. “I
showed up the first day…and was
told I was shooting my death scene…I
had no idea that was in the cards for
me. As make-up proceeded to put
a bullet wound on my forehead, I
had to smile.” Earlier this year, Nick
played Lysander in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream alongside Christina
Ricci and Bebe Neuwirth. He also
recently finished the play Drive-In
Dreams by James McClure, filmed a
Volkswagen commercial in Barcelona,
and was a guest star for CBS’s Person
of Interest. Adding it all up, “my
training at UMKC has delivered me to
being a working professional.”
Nick Gehlfuss (M.F.A. acting, ’10) and Christina Ricci in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream with Classic Stage Company. Photo by Joan Marcus.
22 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Achieving Greatness
Through Collaboration:
UMKC Theatre’s Remarkable
Relationship with
Kansas City’s Professional
Theatre Companies
M.F.A. scene designer, Matthew Mott; M.F.A. lighting designer, Matthew
Mitra; M.F.A. properties designer, Thomas Garcia; M.F.A. technical
director, Kyle Coyer; and M.A. dramaturg, Robert Fletcher. Ron
Schaeffer (Teaching Professor of Stage Management) served as the
Production Manager for the UMKC staff.
Fletcher expressed the positive aspects of taking part in this
experience. “Working with Cynthia [Levin] and the creative team was
wonderful. I love history and I love theatre. I was able to combine two
by Peter Bakely and Robert Fletcher
W
hile many M.A. and M.F.A. theatre programs throughout
the country spend their time in lecture and theory, UMKC
Theatre is committed to actively preparing its students
for a professional career through intensive training
and experience. To that end, UMKC Theatre has put in place a program
that matches students with professional companies in Kansas City where
they work and develop their skills in real-world conditions. UMKC students
joined the creative teams at the well-known, nationally-recognized Unicorn
Theatre, Coterie Theatre and Kansas City Repertory Theatre for four shows in
their 2012-2013 seasons.
The first of these productions, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, was an
edgy rock-and-roll musical by Alex Timbers and Michael Friedman which
ran October 10th through November 4th at the Unicorn Theatre. This coproduction utilized the talents of M.F.A. costume designer, Aaron Chvatal;
Design team and run crew for Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.
Photo provided by Unicorn Theatre.
www.umkctheatre.org 23
great passions and offer them up to a fantastic team of actors and designers.
Being present during the rehearsal process was refreshing, and having the
freedom to look something up at a moment’s notice; to answer quick, onthe-spot queries, really opened up the desire to pursue further ‘research and
development’ projects.”
The Unicorn Theatre is one of the most active collaborators with UMKC
Theatre, trading resources with the University and giving many students
their first professional credits. According to Department Chair Tom Mardikes,
the first official UMKC/Unicorn co-production was Martin McDonagh’s The
Lieutenant of Inishmore in the fall of 2007. Since then, the Unicorn not only
taps the potential of UMKC’s technical theatre students, but also employs
M.F.A. actors in its productions, such as Anna Safar (M.F.A. acting ‘10), who
Helen Gonzalez (M.F.A. acting, ’10), Nick Gehlfuss (M.F.A. acting, ’10),
Tim Davis (M.F.A. acting, ’11), Rachel A. Hirshorn (M.F.A. acting, ’10), Bennett
Ferguson (M.F.A. acting, ’10) and Tyler Horn (M.F.A. acting, ’10) in UMKC Theatre
and Coterie Theatre’s co-production of Spooky Dog! Photo courtesy Coterie Theatre.
played the lead in the world premiere of Lia Romeo’s play Green Whales
in 2010.
The Coterie Theatre is also a consistent collaborator with UMKC Theatre,
and was described by TIME Magazine as “one of the top five theaters serving
families and young audiences in the United States.”
Artistic director Jeff Church, who often works with UMKC actors
and designers, is committed to furthering the development of theatre
professionals in Kansas City. He teaches Text Analysis to graduate students at
UMKC, and has a unique, hands-on-approach to the written text. “Because I
teach the M.F.A. actors in their first year,” he remarks, “I am able to program
the play that features them in the third year based on my experience with
them, reading plays aloud in Text Analysis class. I get a real sense of their
developing strengths. I also get to know many other students from the
department in my class and that makes for an ease of communication and
rapport with the students. The challenge, though, is when it comes time for
the M.F.A. students to step up to the plate with a design, they need to set
aside being a ‘student’ and take on all the responsibilities of a professional.
I’m now their collaborator, not
their professor at that point.”
Church remembers the
beginning of the collaboration
with UMKC. “I started the idea
of UMKC/Coterie co-productions
in 1991 with Red Badge of
Courage. Interestingly, Carla
Noack (Assistant Professor of
Acting), now a UMKC Theatre
faculty member, was in that
production as an M.F.A. student.
Since then, we have done a
production nearly every year
for the last 20 years.” The
collaborations include an
extensive list—such as Oliver
jan 22TickeTs:
www.coterietheatre.org
feb 21
Twist, The Hobbit, The Dark
816 • 474 • 6552
2013
Side of the Moon, Across
in Lois Lowry’s story, during World War ii, the
johansen family faces soldiers, interrogations,
fierce dogs and the loss of loved ones to help
their neighbors, the Rosens, escape across
the ocean to sweden and safety.
appReciaTed by ages 10 ThRough aduLT
The Coterie Theatre is located on level 1 of the Crown Center shops
The Coterie Theatre is funded in part by:
24 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
share the
unexpected
the Plains, Whale, A Village Fable: In the Suicide Mountains (moved to the Kennedy
Center), Of Mice and Men, The Wrestling Season (moved to the Kennedy Center), Arthur
Miller’s Playing for Time, Zorro, After Juliet, Holes, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, In
Spite of Thunder: The Macbeth Project, Spooky Dog!, Our Town, The Greek Mythology
Olympiaganza, and The Wrestling Season (2012). The co-production for the current
season is Lois Lowry’s World War II story of the occupation, Number The Stars.
In the beginning, the Coterie Theatre co-productions were a way for the third-year
M.F.A. students to get their first professional acting jobs. Soon, scenic designers were
brought into the mix; then all aspects of design and dramaturgy. It’s a relationship
valuable to both UMKC Theatre and the Coterie. “There are some plays we simply
wouldn’t tackle if it weren’t for the co-production arrangement,” says Church, referring
to After Juliet and The Macbeth Project. “Because the department has a classical
emphasis on acting, we are able to do plays with elevated language or unusual demands
because of Ted Swetz’s (Acting Performance) and Erika Bailey’s (Voice and Dialect)
training.”
In addition to the opportunity of working in co-productions with these professional
theatres, UMKC students also have another outstanding venue “right in their own
backyard.” Sharing a performance
space with the Kansas City Repertory
Theatre places students in a prime
position to participate in Rep
productions. This year’s co-production
of Death of a Salesman runs January
18-February 10, 2013. Artistic Director,
Eric Rosen, has provided UMKC
students with a number of challenges
over the past seasons, living up to
the history of his predecessors, as
well as the Rep’s founder, Dr. Patricia
McIlrath. This particular collaboration
is a fitting tribute to beloved Dr.
Mac and her vision in founding the
Missouri Repertory Theatre—one of
collaboration and support among
Kansas City’s theatre artists. The
Missouri Repertory Theatre, now the
KC Rep, continues to support that
vision. And indeed, it is difficult to find a graduate theatre student who has not been a
part of a Kansas City Rep production.
M.F.A. Acting Program
Mission Statement
gram in Acting is
The UMKC M.F.A. pro
y experience that
a rigorous conservator
ining for the young
provides advanced tra
er the course of
professional actor. Ov
m challenges acthree years, the progra
ried skills necessary
tors to develop the va
Fundamental to the
to achieve success.
e to a diverse set of
training is an exposur
from contemporary
performance methods
work to Shakespeare,
to epic, from devised
new plays commisfrom the Greeks to
by us. This unique
sioned and premiered
als who will bring
program seeks individu
s, consciences and
their full hearts, mind
covery of personartistic souls to the dis
ring acting techal, foundational and da
and internationniques. Our nationally
y is committed to
ally recognized facult
individual talents
partnering with such
ng them to their
with the goal of guidi
tial.
fullest creative poten
apply online 25
Alumni in the Spotlight
M.F.A. Acting
Shawn Douglass (’90) appeared in Marivaux’s
Changes of the Heart and directed Lee Blessing’s
Chesapeake at the Remy Bumppo Theatre
Company in Chicago.
Hollis McCarthy (’90) made her critically
acclaimed off-Broadway debut at 59E59 Theatres
as Bloomsbury painter Vanessa Bell, in the NY
premiere of Eternal Equinox. McCarthy was also
in a recent episode of Kevin Spacey’s new series,
House of Cards.
George Mount (’94) was named Artistic Director
of Seattle Shakespeare Company, directed As You
Like It, and appeared as Malvolio in SSC’s Wooden
O: Twelfth Night.
Clark Carmichael (’95) played Alcippe in The Liar
and Fred in A Christmas Carol at Shakespeare
Theatre of New Jersey. Carmichael also appeared
in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s The Freedom of
the City.
26 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Nick Toren (’99) will tour with LA Theatre Works’
Pride and Prejudice as Mr. Darcy. Recent work has
included a world premiere at the South Coast Rep
in Costa Mesa.
Shad Ramsey (’03) played Rochefort at Cincinnati
Playhouse in the Park’s The Three Musketeers.
Clark Carmichael (M.F.A. acting, ’95) and
Jane Pfitch in The Liar with Shakespeare Theatre
of New Jersey. Photo by Gerry Goodstein.
Hollis McCarthy (M.F.A. acting, ’90) and Michael
Gabriel Goodfriend in Eternal Equinox with 59E59.
Photo by Grove Theater Center/Eric Johanson.
Kelly McAndrew (’98) appeared in Ronan Noone’s
Brendan at the First Irish Festival, NYC as well as
Margie in Good People at the Pittsburgh Public
Theater. McAndrew also appeared in the NBC’s hit
series Smash.
Paolo Andino (’97) performed in Pieces at the
New York Fringe Festival, in Pink & Green,
screened at the Cannes Film Festival, and is
remounting The Santaland Diaries at Noah Wyle’s
Blank Theatre in LA.
Mateusz Lewczenko (’06) played Butch
Honeywell/St. Peter in
UMKC’s The Last Days
of Judas Iscariot. He
also acted in several
local commercials
and participated
in a staged reading
with Martin Tanner
productions.
Mateusz Lewczenko (M.F.A. acting, ’06)
as Butch Honeywell in UMKC’s The Last Days
of Judas Iscariot. Photo by Gabe Hopkins.
Julane Havens (’09) is an Artistic Associate for
Walden Theatre and Savage Rose Classical
Theatre Company. She played the role of Shelly
in the Louisville premiere of Sam Shepard’s
Buried Child.
Daniel Robert Sullivan
(’06) has spent the
past few months
promoting his
inspirational
theatre memoir: Places,
Please! (Becoming
a Jersey Boy). It is
published by Iguana
Books and is available
everywhere.
Theatre memoir by Daniel Robert Sullivan
(M.F.A. acting, ’06) Places, Please! (Becoming
a Jersey Boy). Copyright 2012, Iguana Books.
David Jones (’07) appeared in the Mint Theater’s
production of Love Goes to Press, workshopped
Star Quality with Bebe Neuwirth at Lincoln Center
and performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at
The Shakespeare Theatre in D.C.
Toccara Cash (’08) played Kersten in Strindberg’s
Playing With Fire, a collaborative production
between the New School for Drama, August
Strindberg Repertory Theatre, and the Negro
Ensemble Company.
Patrick Du Laney (’08) acted at Creede Repertory
Theatre, playing Aldolpho in The Drowsy
Chaperone and Dutchy in Is He Dead? He also
directed Endgame at Kirkwood Community College
and played Wayne this past winter in Inspecting
Carol at the Unicorn Theatre, Kansas City.
Kathryn Bartholomew Fehr (M.F.A. acting, ’08)
along with Rob Glidden, Joshua Katzker, and
Suzanne Miller in Salt of the Earth with Ka-Tet
Theatre. Photo by Kaleigh Lockhart.
Kathryn Bartholomew Fehr (’08) played Patsy in
Side Man and May Parker in Salt of the Earth. She
is the current Artistic Producer of Ka-Tet Theatre
and a company member of Oracle Productions.
Julane Havens (M.F.A. acting, ’09) and Andy Pyle in
Buried Child with Bunbury Theatre Company, Louisville,
Kentucky. Photo by Lily Bartenstein.
Nick Gehlfuss (’10) starred as Lysander in Classic
Stage Company’s production of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream.
Rachel A. Hirshorn (’10) created and produced
“Submit 10 Baltimore,” a creative, collaborative
event launched this year in the Station North Arts
and Entertainment District of Baltimore City.
Ryland (Mark) Thomas (’11) worked with
Barrington Stage Company’s 10x10 Festival of New
Plays. He played Orlando in As You Like It and
worked on The Merchant of Venice for Riverside
Theatre in the Park.
www.umkctheatre.org 27
Whitney Locher (’05) designed costumes for the
Prospect Theatre Company’s production of Nymph
Errant at the Clurman Theatre on Broadway.
Nina Gooch (‘92) designed lighting for Puccini’s
Il Trittico for Capitol City Opera. She is the
Production Manager for Capitol City Opera and
Synchronicity Theatre, both in Atlanta, Georgia.
Amy Urbina (’11) is currently on the web-series,
Funny Days, played Celia in As You Like It for
the Independent Shakespeare Company, and is a
member of the Company of Angels.
Rufus Burns (’12) signed his Equity contract to
play Ralphie in The Motherf**ker With the Hat at
the Unicorn Theatre.
M.F.A. Costume Design
Douglas Enderle (’81) works for Disney as a
Senior Costume Designer. His work was featured
at Disney’s Aulani and Disney California Adventure
Park. He is also an Emmy winner and two-time
nominee.
Jana Henry Funderburk (’99) is the Associate
Head of Design & Production at Millikin University.
She designed costumes for A Midsummer Night’s
Dream, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee, and Cinderella.
Costume rendering from Nymph Errant by
costume designer Whitney Locher (’05).
Image provided by Locher.
Renee Garcia (’10) is a Visiting Assistant
Professor in Costume Design at Ohio University.
Garcia was a resident Costume Designer at the
University of Southern Maine. She has designed
for Riverside Theater Shakespeare Festival, Open
Waters Theatre, portOPERA, the Unicorn Theatre
and the Coterie Theatre. Lighting design by Nina Gooch (’92) for Suor Angelica
with Capitol City Opera, Atlanta, Georgia.
Photo provided by Gooch.
Pam Wagner Knutson (’97) is currently teaching
Advanced Lighting and Sound Design at Avila
University. She is also the Lighting Designer for
Harvest Productions.
M.F.A. Lighting Design
Joseph Clapper (’88) is the Assistant Stage
Manager/Lighting Director for the St. Louis
Symphony.
28 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Lighting designer Pam Wagner Knutson (’97) along with
Bridget Brown designed lighting for the Lyric Opera Ball
at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts,
Kansas City. Photo provided by Knutson.
Steve Dubay (’99) became an Assistant Lighting
Director at CNN. He continues as Production
Electrician for the Atlanta Opera.
Rocco DiSanti (’08) co-designed lights for
the Broadway premier of David Auburn’s The
Columnist.
M.F.A. Scenic Design
Todd Potter (’93) was the Associate Set Designer
for Catch Me if You Can on Broadway and is
currently working on the national tour. He is
currently in his tenth year of teaching at NYU.
Charles Corcoran (’01) co-designed The Night
Watcher (Center Theatre Group). He also
designed Don Giovanni (Juilliard) and Cosí fan
tutte (Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard). Corcoran
is currently designing Fidelio (Santa Fe Opera)
scheduled for Summer of 2014.
Liz (Freeman) Freese (’05) teaches scenic design
at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville,
Texas. She designed sets and costumes for the
world premiere of New Arrivals for Houston Grand
Opera Company.
Nicholas Shaw (’08) is currently designing
Common Hatred at the Ruckus Theater in
Chicago, where Nick works regularly. He also
designed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling
Bee at Eastern Illinois University where he is a
tenure-track Assistant Professor of Scene Design.
Evan Hill (’10) is a freelance designer in the
NYC area having worked with several theatres
including Centenary Stage Company, 4th Wall
Theatre, and Boomerang Theatre. He recently
returned as Resident Scenic Designer to the
New London Barn Playhouse. Hill is currently a
Visiting Assistant Professor of Scene Design at
SUNY Fredonia.
Pan Leung (’10) was recently the scenic artist at
the American Repertory Theatre and charge artist
at the Yale Repertory Theatre. Leung worked at
Carnegie Mellon University as a program assistant
in the Entertainment Technology Center. She is
also working on a number of independent projects
as a graphic and user interface designer.
Jason Coale (’08) recently designed The Hairy
Ape with Upstream Theatre; Little Women,
the Musical and Ravenscroft with Okoboji
Summer Theatre; Hairspray with the New
Theatre; and The Motherf**ker With the Hat
at the Unicorn Theatre.
Megan C. Gross (’11) most recently started an
event design company called Sterling & Pearl
Events. She also works full-time coordinating
events and designing for the award-winning
Gettysburg Hotel, right in the heart of historic
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Jordan Janota (’11) is currently a freelance
scenic designer in NYC. Last year, Janota designed
Pump Boys and Dinettes (The New Theatre
Restaurant), The Outsiders (Coterie Theatre) and
A Christmas Carol (Centenary Stage Company)
among others. He is an Adjunct Professor
of Rendering at State University of New
York-Fredonia.
Kerith Parashak (’12) worked this past summer
as the Master Scenic Artist at Music Theatre of
Wichita. She assisted Jack Magaw on 42nd Street
at the Theatre at the Center and was properties
master on the premiere of American Storm with
Theatre Seven.
M.F.A. Sound Design
Donna Miller (’02) is the Production Manager
at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
as well as the resident Sound Designer for the
American Heartland Theatre. She recently joined
the faculty at KCKCC as an adjunct.
John Story (’03) designed a production of Driving
Miss Daisy that was produced by Central Standard
Theatre. It ran for a week here in Kansas City
before moving to the UK Fringe Festival in
Bedford. That same production then went to the
Fringe Festival in Adelaide, Australia, in January
and February of 2012.
Kristian Derek Ball (’07) is currently the Audio
Supervisor for the Zoellner Arts Center at
Lehigh University and teaching Sound Design
and Technology in the Department of Theatre at
Lehigh University. He was the sound designer for
Oleanna (Lehigh University) and 44 Plays for 44
Presidents (Muhlenberg College).
Due to space restrictions, we reserve the right to edit content as needed. apply online 29
Scott Cox (’06) is the director of the Lansing
(Kansas) Correctional Facility’s Shakespeare
in Prison program and also head of theatre at
Benedictine College.
Joseph Concha (’12) is currently in San Francisco
on a contract position as an Assistant Audio Artist
(Dialogue Editor) with Visceral Games for their
upcoming release, Dead Space 3.
Andy Pierce (’07) is the Education Coordinator at
Starlight Theatre. He was also featured in their
promotional video for Elton John’s Aida.
M.F.A. Technical Directing
Bill Shinoski (’93) is the Technical Director for
the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.
Bradley Branam (’09) accepted a job at the
University of Oregon as an Assistant Professor of
Technical Direction and Media Design.
Lara Maerz (’09) was the Stage Manager for
Dallas Theatre Center’s production of Next Fall.
Jim Keith (’11) is the Technical Director of the
Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Renee Caldwell (’12) is the Equity Production
Stage Manager for the Unicorn.
M.F.A. Stage Management
Laura Laudig Smith (’89) is the current stage
manager for Way Off Broadway in Fairfield, Iowa
and is developing Orphan Farm with Emmy Awardwinning director Patricia Birch.
Jennifer Collins Hard (’04) is the Production
Director for The Omaha Theater Company and
also served as Production Stage Manager for
Opera Omaha and The Omaha Symphony.
Byron Abens (’06) worked on the national tours
of Theatreworks’ Skippyjon Jones and Duck for
President. He is currently in pre-production for
Theatreworks next musical, Bedbugs.
30 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
M.A.
Lori Lee Triplett (’88) is the Artistic Director
for LLT Productions. Her radio drama, Voices of
Christmas, was heard on over 1,200 stations.
She directed A Christmas Carol, Annie, and
her original musical, The Gospel According to
Broadway.
David Coley (’08) is an instructor at Lousiana
State University, where he recently received his
doctorate. He also directed Copenhagen and
Speed-the-Plow.
B.A.
Troy Hauschild (’97) is a Reality Producer and
Videographer in Los Angeles, California. He
recently worked on The Pitch; Billboard Music
Awards; the comedy pilot, Merkin Penal; and
reality pilot, Fashion Underground.
Anna Wheeler Gentry (’99) was awarded a 2012
American Music Research Center grant for work
on George Lynn’s performance collaborations
with Leopold Stokowski. Oxford University Press
will publish her book on early 20th-century
songwriters for stage and film.
Troy Hauschild (B.A., ’97) at the Billboard Music
Awards. Photo provided by Hauschild.
From UMKC Pupil to Broadway Veteran:
Star Scenic Designer
Offers Guidance to
Aspiring Theatre Artists
by Ben Fleer
T
wo decades after his departure from the University of MissouriKansas City, acclaimed Broadway scenic designer Todd Potter
(‘93) treasures his graduate experience. “I think of UMKC
all the time; the education I got there was beautiful.” While
taking a short break from his current project preparing the successful
Broadway musical Catch Me If You Can (2011)—on which Potter serves as the
production’s Associate Scenic Designer—for its upcoming national tour, the
UMKC alumnus took a few moments to offer some advice to up-and-coming
designers entering the world of professional theatre.
If there is anyone worthy of offering guidance on how to achieve
success designing on the professional stage, it’s Todd Potter. His recent
work on Catch Me if You Can is hardly his only major design credit. As an
Associate Scenic Designer, Potter and designer Anna Louizos collaborated on
the blockbuster Broadway musical, In the Heights (2008), which earned a
Tony nomination for Best Scenic Design. This nomination echoed the critical
acclaim the pair previously received for Avenue Q (2003) and Golda’s Balcony
(2003). In addition to his credits with Louizos, Potter has also received
wide-spread praise for his work as Associate Scenic Designer for the Marquis
Theatre’s production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (2008), the Cort
Theatre’s production of Barefoot in the Park (2006), the Virginia Theatre’s
production of Little Women (2005), and the Belasco Theatre’s production of
Enchanted April (2003).
But Potter does not limit his work to the performing arts. Whether it
is by designing massive arena spaces like the Target Center in Minneapolis
or through practicing his craft in upscale New York restaurants such as the
legendary Russian Tea Room, he constantly seeks to bridge the gap between
the theatrical and non-theatrical world. “Theatre will always be there,”
he advises designers-in-training, adding that he “can’t overestimate the
importance of bridging the gap to other design work.” Not only does working
outside the theatre offer aspiring designers additional financial support,
www.umkctheatre.org 31
but it also provides them with an additional forum
to showcase their work and to establish connections
with others in the field. As Potter’s successful working
relationship with Louizos and numerous other highlyregarded designers attests, such connections can
make a tremendous impact on any artist’s professional
career.
In addition to pushing aspiring scenic designers to
explore new outlets for their work, Potter, who also
teaches scenic design at NYU’s Tisch School of Drama,
strongly suggests that they continue to keep up with
the latest technologies being utilized in the field. “We
all know how to draw and paint and make models,”
he says, emphasizing the need to “learn Vectorworks,
learn AutoCAD, learn Photoshop.” In his lessons to his
own students, he urges them to “keep drawing, but get
a good handle on how to use a computer, because it
will keep you employed.”
Yet, this single most important piece of advice
Potter has to offer is also his most simple: “Talent
gets you in the door,” reminds Potter, “but it’s your
personality that keeps you there.” He has realized that
his attitude toward his collaborators has been essential
to his success. He stresses that the first thing anyone
involved in the theatre should do when embarking on
their professional career is to make connections with
other people. He refers to the body of designers that
he works with as “a family.” He firmly argues that the
primary incentive of all theatre practitioners “should
be helping each other.” Finally, he never allows himself
to forget the crucial role that his own educators played
in making him the designer that he is today. “I’ll never
forget what they taught me,” remarks Potter with
sincere affection towards his former instructors at
UMKC. “It’s something that I try to pass on to each of
my own students.” 32 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Todd Potter (M.F.A. scenic design, ’93) served as associate scenic designer
for the national tour of Catch Me If You Can. Photo by Todd Potter.
Hennessy
and
Carrothers:
Entertaining
a Community
by Jason Bauer
Kansas City has a trend of producing
successful and innovative theatre companies. It is
no surprise that UMKC has a history of producing
successful theatre artists. Before UMKC Theatre
got authorization from Missouri’s Coordinating
Board for Higher Education to offer the M.F.A.
degree in Theatre, it was widely said that the
M.A. in Theatre from UMKC provided training for
Dennis Hennessy (center) and Richard Carrothers (right) were recognized this year when they each
received an Honorary Ph.D. from UMKC awarded by Provost Gail Hackett. Photo by Janet Rogers.
professional theatre as solid as that of M.F.A.
degrees elsewhere. Once the M.F.A. was in
place, Dr. Felicia Londré decided to revise the
M.A. degree to offer academic preparation for
doctoral studies, and it has indeed worked as an
express lane for those exceptional individuals who
flourish in rigorous theatre history scholarship and
dramaturgy. But before that, UMKC had a major
theatre powerhouse, Dr. Patricia McIlrath. Dr.
Mac made an enormous impact on the Kansas City
apply online 33
theatre scene, and her legacy lives on in the
New Theatre Restaurant and co-owners Dennis
Hennessy and Richard Carrothers.
The New Theatre Restaurant, located
in Overland Park, Kansas, is a huge success
story, and Dennis Hennessy and Richard
Carrothers are those exceptional theatre
artists who flourished beyond the halls of
academia. With a mixture of five-star cuisine
and world-class theatre entertainment, New
Theatre Restaurant has risen among the ranks
of great American theatres and Kansas City
area theatres. Hennessy and Carrothers have
helped to bring big-name television stars to
this unique theatre restaurant experience.
With such actors topping the bill as Don Knotts,
Barbara Eden, and Marion Ross, to name just
a few, New Theatre Restaurant, under the
artistic direction of Hennessy and Carrothers
has gained national acclaim. Twenty seasons
since its inception and still thriving, New
Theatre Restaurant is certainly a theatre force
of positive motion that Kansas City praises.
So what makes this dinner theatre so
successful? A policy of honesty, family-friendly
entertainment, and great food are just a few
factors that have made this establishment
flourish. A strong audience voice is also very
important to success, and Kansas Citians are
glad to offer their collective voices to help
keep fresh entertainment in the venue. The
food is made from the freshest ingredients by
gourmet chefs and then placed on a buffet
34 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
that online bloggers have described as five-star
quality food. The icing on the cake for this
gourmet buffet is that they donate the leftover food to local homeless shelters including
Harvesters. This act shows that Hennessy and
Carrothers are not just proficient at producing
powerful performances, but they are also
stand-up individuals. This inherent goodness
can also be seen in the way they treat their
staff. The New Theatre Restaurant has made
sure to keep overall cost down to insure
higher wages in order to retain high quality
employees.
Hennessy and Carrothers started with a
modest dinner theatre called Tiffany’s Attic.
In 1991 they opened New Theatre Restaurant,
which boasts 609 seats, 25,000 season tickets,
and a yearly attendance of 246,000 audience
members. There is not a bad seat in the house,
a top of the line sound and lighting system,
and a revolving stage. The numbers alone are
the strongest testament that the management
is on top of the game. New Theatre Restaurant
employs 250 staff members. The staff is
treated very well with 401k plan, and an
innovative system of paid leave time. This
innovative system allows employees to give
their accumulated paid time off to fellow
employees in need. Hennessy and Carrothers
have created a work environment that cannot
and has not failed. Customer satisfaction and
staff satisfaction are the goals, and this model
has grown New Theatre Restaurant into a
goliath.
As if all this wasn’t impressive enough,
there is even more great information about
Hennessy and Carrothers. They are both
active in community programs, and they use
their success to pay it forward in the theatre
community of Kansas City. Their service to
Kansas City and the arts community was
recognized this year when each was awarded
an Honorary Ph.D. from UMKC. All the amazing
accomplishments of Hennessy and Carrothers
are an example of the legacy that UMKC strives
to create. It is certain: Dr. McIlrath would be
proud of these two professionals.
Alumni Direct
Waking Marshall Walker is a short film about a father in mourning,
trapped between worlds: the past, the present, this life and the next,
the daughter Charlotte he leaves behind and a mysterious stranger.
Driven by unshakable premonitions, Charlotte and the stranger risk
everything to save her father and return him to the moment before
everything important started to disappear. It explores the relationship
between father and daughter, love and memory, second chances, and
ultimately wonders how we truly know when and where we belong.
Sarah Drew from Grey’s Anatomy stars as Charlotte, playing opposite
Richard Warner of Spielberg’s Lincoln and head of the acting program
at the University of Virginia.
Giorgio Litt (M.F.A. acting, ’06) has assembled
a team of incredibly talented and well-established
professionals from Los Angeles and New York to tell
a story that has already created a buzz in LA of
further development into a network series.
“I’ll somewhat admit that the concept of
Waking Marshall Walker was born out of a convergence of three deaths, my Uncle Marshall; a friend
and mentor, Gary Holcombe; and a good friend’s
mother,” says Litt. “But it was the [last death] that
had the greatest hold on me when my friend called
me from the interior of her estranged mother’s
empty home just after her passing. What if it’s
never too late? Even at the last moment, what if
there’s always a second chance?”
Litt quickly developed the idea of the intermediate realm of the afterlife, a space through which
we cross before we reach the afterlife. He sent the
script to Drew and their mentor from the University
of Virginia, Warner, and they both immediately
committed to the project. Within a few weeks, Litt
happened upon Chappell Vineyard in Mariposa, California, which serendipitously was an eerie reflection
of the house and vineyard of his imagination.
The film shoot took place this past fall in
Mariposa, on the highly acclaimed Arri Alexa camera, whose sensor is one of the few big enough to
capture both the grandeur and majesty of Chappell Vineyard and the detail and subtlety of broken hearts and new beginnings. The short film has
since been submitted to several film festivals and
hopefully, like Marshall and his daughter Charlotte,
will have a life of possibilities beyond our wildest
imaginations.
Giorgio Litt
(M.F.A. acting, ’06)
http://www.indiegogo.com/wakingmarshall
www.umkctheatre.org 35
Theatre Scholarship
Recipients 2012-2013
Bill Baker, Jr. Scholarship
Logan Black
Baker Thomas Scholarship
Lauren Gaston
Jeanne McIlrath Finter Memorial
Scholarship in Costume
Lauren Yeager
The Mary Ellen Fowler Award Fund
Kate Mott • Tyler Wilson • Lauren Yeager
Patricia A. McIlrath Scholarship
Michael R. Pauley
Patricia Crowe Morgan Acting Internship
Jessica Biernacki Jensen • Janaé Mitchell
Michael R. Pauley • Courtney Salvage
The Darker Face of the Earth Benefit Scholarship
Aaron Chvatal • Heather Crocker
Three Sisters Benefit Scholarship
Uldarico Sarimento
Noises Off Benefit Scholarship
Jeff Ridenour
School of Graduate Studies M.F.A. Fellowships
Lighting — Devorah Kengmana
College of Arts and Sciences Administered Awards
Francis J. Cullinan & Baker S.
Smith, Jr. Scholarship
Robert Fletcher
Stanley H. Durwood Theatre Fellowships
Matt Carter • Bret Engle Michael Heuer • Laura Jacobs
Kate Mott • Matthew Mott Alexander LaFrance • Nick
Papamihalakis Adam Raine • Kristin Yager • Nihan Yesil
36 UMKC: Missouri’s Campus for the Arts
Ingram Family Scholarship Fund
Bradley Turner
The Kelly Award in Theatre
Evelyn Brock
Lee & Nadine Marts Scholarship
Marianne McKenzie
Honorable Karen McCarthy Scholarship
for Theatre
Alexander Murphy
Jeannette Nichols Scholarship
Courtney Salvage
SCS Scholarship
Toussaint Hunt
Gretel Sigmund Scholarship in Theatre
Frank Oakley, III
William & Fay Sollner Scholarship
Jessica Biernacki Jensen
Carol Pfander Scholarship in Theatre
Emily Phillips
Douglas Enderle Honorary Scholarship
in Theatre Design
Lauren Roark
Fourth row, left to right: White, Demirkol, Glamyan, Beller. Third row, left
to right: Wagner, Knobbe, Roark, Phillips, Oakley, Murphy, Yesil, Yager, Raine,
Papamihalakis. Second row, left to right: Lafrance, M. Mott, Jacobs, Heuer, Engle,
Carter, Fletcher, Ridenour, Sarmiento, Kengmana. First row, left to right: Crocker,
Chvatal, Salvage, Mitchell, Jensen, Pauley, Wilson, K. Mott, Gaston, Black. Not
pictured: Yeager, Turner, Brock, McKenzie, Hunt, Voecks, Roose.
The New Theatre Guild Richard Carrothers
and Dennis D. Hennessy Scholarship
Janaé Mitchell, M.F.A. Acting
The Virginia Kelley Scholarship
Aaron Roose, M.A. — Theatre History
The Julia Boutross Scholarship
Grace Knobbe, B.A. Theatre Performance
The Michelle Bushman Scholarship
Vincent Wagner, M.F.A. Acting
Richard J. Stern Foundation Scholarship
for Theatre Arts — Costume
Genevieve V. Beller
Stern Fellowship (Costume)
Lauren Gaston
Privately awarded scholarships:
The New Theatre Guild Scholarships
The New Theatre Guild
Dr. Patricia McIlrath Scholarship
Eric Scot Voecks, M.F.A. Design-Lighting
Stern Fellowship (Sound)
Alex Glamyan
Anonymous
Ece Demirkol • Bret Engle
Alexander LaFrance • Sarah White
Master of Fine Arts - Theatre
Acting and Directing: Acting
Theodore Swetz
816-235-5207
[email protected]
Design and Technology: Design
Costume
Lindsay W. Davis
816-569-2864 (Costume Shop)
816-569-2865 (Office)
[email protected]
Lighting
Victor En Yu Tan
816-235-2767 or 816-213-8826
[email protected]
Scenic
John EzellGene Friedman
816-235-2773
816-235-2773
[email protected]
[email protected]
Sound
Greg Mackender
[email protected] Design and Technology: Technology
Stage Management
Technical Direction
Ron Schaeffer
Chuck Hayes
816-235-2783
816-235-2772
[email protected]
[email protected]
Master of Arts - Theatre
Dr. Felicia Hardison Londré
816-235-2781
[email protected]
programs
Bachelor of Arts - Theatre
Cindy Stofiel (Academic Advisor)
816-235-6683
[email protected]
Scott Stackhouse (Undergraduate Advisor)
816-235-2771
[email protected]
APPLY ONLINE!
www.umkctheatre.org
Relay Missouri at 1-800-735-2966 (TT) or 1-800-735-2466 (VOICE).
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SPRING
2013
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