Throughout the summer months, the outdoor stages of Illinois Shakespeare Festival have been filled with energetic performances, presented in repertory by a talented group of artists. During the 2024 season, UT faculty and former faculty have directed and designed new renditions of classic tales, UT alumni have reunited to act opposite one another and UT students have performed alongside professional actors. We spoke with the three students, two alumni and two faculty members about the meaningful collaborations that have brought a little bit of UT Theatre and Dance all the way to Bloomington, Illinois.
Corey Allen – Assistant Professor
Director of Macbeth
“Though only a facet of my creative practice, directing this production of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy has been a thrilling, at times challenging creative process. As the helmer of one of three shows that perform in rep, I’ve worked to mount an innovative production of the play that could be realized on a tight schedule with shared resources. My design team, comprised of new and long-time collaborators, worked long and hard to render a unique staging of this classic play. Despite time constraints, it’s been a great joy to work with Nanette Acosta who designed our costumes. From our earliest conceptual conversations last fall to this week’s opening, our creative partnership has deepened. Her design really shines and I look forward to future collaboration!
“The biggest joy of this project for me as assistant professor of acting has been getting to direct current and former actors from our B.F.A. and B.A. programs. Five Longhorns are gracing the stage as members of the acting and intern companies. Witnessing these young professionals step into their careers and deliver delightful performances has affirmed my belief in the strength of our training at UT.”
Kira Small – B.A. in Theatre and Dance Student
Member of the intern acting company, portraying “Lucy Steele” (and understudying “Elinor Dashwood” and “Fanny Dashwood”) in Sense and Sensibility; “Donalbain” and “Hecate” (and understudying “Malcolm”) in Macbeth and “Lady Macbeth” in the TYA production of Campfire Macbeth
“When Artistic Director John Stark invited me to be part of ISF’s company, I was eager to watch professional actors perform, but my real education came in the rehearsal room. Campfire Macbeth would try any idea once, inviting the acting interns to become pseudo-directors. Corey Allen’s Macbeth asked us to draw not only from the text, but from a post-apocalyptic environment complete with fog, trapdoors and a cinematic soundscape. Throughout rehearsals for Quetta Carpenter’s Sense and Sensibility, Lucy Steele went from oblivious ditz to thoughtful opportunist. All the while, I got to observe firsthand how professionals enter a room, work with their directors and have fun with one another. The best theatre isn’t just a product of passion and determination; it’s also a product of mistakes and forgotten lines and scrapped ideas. This internship has taught me how to have patience with that process and confidence in myself. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and for UT’s support in making it happen.”
Nya Garner – B.F.A. in Acting, 2022
Member of the professional acting company, portraying “Marianne Dashwood” in Sense and Sensibility, “Witch” in Macbeth and an ensemble member in Twelfth Night
“My experience working with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival has been wonderful. The festival has allowed me to apply the skills I learned in the UT acting program in a real-world setting. The cast is stacked with professionals who bring something new to the work every day and it’s the coolest thing in the world to work with Corey Allen and Quetta Carpenter (former faculty), who were my professors at UT. My training from UT has supported me throughout the entire process and I’m grateful to spend a summer doing what I love.”
Dominic Gross – B.F.A. in Acting Student
Member of the professional acting company, portraying “Sebastian” in Twelfth Night, “Willoughby” in Sense and Sensibility and “Captain/Seyton/Young Siward” in Macbeth
“Because this is my second year here (at Illinois Shakespeare Festival), this place has really become a symbol of artistic familiarity, and with the unprecedented amount of UT students and faculty, former and current, this season has been such a warm place to be for the summer. Two of the three directors I have this summer have been my professors, so to see the way they work in an educational setting and then go straight to applying many of their lessons into a professional setting has been a really great opportunity. A few of my good friends, Nya and Sophie, graduated from UT a few years ago and I never got the chance to work with them, so to act opposite them, as well as some extraordinary current students, has just been a gift that I think is very seldom seen in professional settings like this. The important figures that UT and ISF have introduced into my life have been paramount to my journey as an artist and they are both organizations that I will always hold very dear and close to my heart.”
Nanette Acosta – Assistant Professor of Practice
Costume Designer for Macbeth
“(Working on Macbeth at ISF) was a crazy whirlwind experience. I had never done an outdoor Shakespeare summer festival before, so it was a big learning experience for me. It was a crazy build schedule; Macbeth was the last show for all the shops, which just naturally means things get pushed back. We lost so much tech time due to weather, opening was truly the first (and last) time I got to see some things on stage. But it all came together quite nicely and I am really proud of this production. It was really great to collaborate with Corey, having never designed with him before. He is a really wonderful collaborator, and we worked so closely on so many elements, not just my costume design. He was so welcoming and generous through this whole process.
“It was also great to have the opportunity to work, as a designer, with so many of our current and past students which is not my role at UT. They were so much fun to collaborate with. They were open and game for really anything I asked of them. All the work we do at UT around communication, collaboration and professional standards is really evident in their work. I have always been impressed with their talents but to see them practicing such professionalism just made me so proud. Their work in the festival really is a highlight.”
Esmeralda Treviño – B.F.A. in Acting Student
Member of the acting intern company, portraying “Lady MacDuff” in Macbeth, “Charlotte Palmer/Sophia Grey” in Sense and Sensibility, and “Witch #3/Camp Counselor #3/Malcolm” in Campfire Macbeth
“I have had an amazing time working with the Illinois Shakespeare Festival! I’ve learned so much about how to use Shakespeare’s text by observing the other actors in the company. It is a strong company full of talented actors who have offered great advice, and I’ve built relationships I hope to have for a lifetime. I’ve also gotten to connect with UT B.F.A. Acting graduates Sophie Miller and Nya Garner, who have been such a great resource and have made me so excited for UTLA! Working with Quetta Carpenter and Corey Allen has been a full-circle moment since they were my Acting I and II professors and who I auditioned for when auditioning for the B.F.A. program almost three years ago. Overall, it has been an amazing time and I hope to come again in the future!”
Sophie Anne Miller – B.F.A. in Acting, 2022
Member of the professional acting company, portraying “Elinor Dashwood” in Sense and Sensibility, “Fabian” in Twelfth Night and “Witch” in Macbeth
“Spending my summer in Bloomington, Illinois at The Illinois Shakespeare Festival has been such a fulfilling experience. I was thrilled at the idea of getting to reunite with past professors and fellow students from The University of Texas at Austin, and this process exceeded all of my expectations. When a professor turns into a colleague, it is a surreal experience. Quetta Carpenter directed Sense and Sensibility and because I was lucky enough to learn from her at UT, it felt like we spoke the same language when in the rehearsal room, making the collaboration process such a delight from day one. I am so grateful to have had another opportunity to soak up all of her expertise.
“Being directed by Corey Allen for the second time (first being Sonnets For An Old Century at UT) has been a thrilling adventure. Corey taught my Voice Over and Narration class at UT, and a standout moment for Macbeth was when we found ourselves in a recording booth to “witch it up”. It was really special to be able to put all of the tools he taught me to work right in front of him.
“I feel so lucky to get to act opposite Nya Garner and Dom Gross this season at ISF. These are two actors who I always highly admired during our time together at UT, and it has been such a dream to share the stage and tell these stories with the two of them this summer. Last but certainly not least, it has been so fun getting to meet and work with the interns from UT this summer. Esmerelda Treviño and Kira Small are both very talented and I loved getting to play opposite them.”
Learn more about Illinois Shakespeare Festival’s 2024 season: illinoisshakes.com/plays/
