Over the summer months, UT Theatre and Dance artists have been seen at conferences across the country and the world, honing their craft through intensives and fellowships, working with young artists to cultivate the next generation of performers and presenting new theatre in Texas and beyond. Find out about some of the incredible ways our artists have shared their talents beyond the Winship Drama Building in our final roundup of summer projects for 2024.
A number of UT Theatre and Dance artists attended and presented at the American Alliance for Theatre and Education Conference in Chicago this past July. Presenters included Roxanne Schroeder-Arce (faculty), Mateo Hernandez (M.F.A. candidate), Ishu (M.F.A. candidate), Martin Rodriguez (B.F.A. 2015), Gabrielle Lewis (M.F.A. 2024), Renita James (M.F.A. 2024), Dr. John Newman (M.F.A. 1999), Lara Dossett (faculty), Walker Zupan (M.F.A. candidate), Emily Freeman (M.F.A. 2013), Claire Derriennic (M.F.A. candidate), Joshua Rashon Streeter (M.F.A. 2016), Lily Odekirk (M.F.A. candidate), Michael Ávila (faculty) and Tamara Goldbogen (M.F.A. 2000). Additionally, M.F.A. candidates Lily Odekirk and Deen Rawlins-Harris were recognized during the annual award ceremony, receiving the Don and Elizabeth Doyle Fellowship Award and the Winifred Ward Award, respectively.
David Arevalo (faculty) just completed his 12th summer working in the costume shop for Santa Fe Opera’s 2024 season. Arevalo and his team built costumes for all five season productions, including costume pieces for principal roles in La Traviata, The Righteous and The Elixir of Love.
Gesel Mason (faculty) received a 2024-2025 Teaching Innovation Grant, which provides support to faculty members seeking to develop new teaching methods and tools for the upcoming school year. Mason’s winning proposal is titled “Developing Social Justice as Embodied Practice Emphasizing Body.” She was among 10 fellow faculty members from across the University selected for this year’s grant.
Demian Chavez Galvan (B.A. in Theatre and Dance student) and their theatre company Teatro Sin Fronteras presented Soldadera, a mariachi musical for young audiences here in Austin earlier this summer. Their collaborators for the production, presented at Ground Floor Theatre, included director Valeria Najera Zavala (B.F.A. 2024), audio engineer Elias Merlo (B.A. 2023) technical director and co-producer Samantha Brown (Theatre Education student) and performers Angela Mata (B.A. in Theatre and Dance student) and Andrea Nuñez (B.A. 2022). Chavez Galvan later brought the production to El Paso with fellow Teatro Sin Fronteras members Samantha Brown and Milo Darlington. Read more about their performances throughout Texas in our recent news article.
Faculty, students and alumni from our Performance as Public Practice program presented at the Dance Studies Association Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Presenters included Rosemary Candelario (faculty), Shannon Woods (Ph.D. candidate), Michael J. Love (M.F.A. 2020), Molly Roy (Ph.D. 2023), Rebecca Fitton (M.A. 2023), Jessica Peña-Torres (Ph.D. candidate), Paul Bonin-Rodriguez (faculty), Alejandra Martorell (Ph.D. candidate) and Clare Croft (Ph.D. 2010). Additionally, Candelario spoke at the conference as the incoming President of the Dance Studies Association and Croft presented the mid-career award to the 2024 recipient.
Ishu (M.F.A. candidate) spent his summer in New Hampshire at New London Barn Playhouse, where he served as the Director of Junior Interns. Additionally, as a member of the education team, he directed their musical production of Tuck Everlasting, performed by young theatre artists. “It brings me great joy to engage with young minds in the realm of education,” Ishu shared when reflecting on his time at the New London Barn Playhouse.
Megan Alrutz (faculty), Renita James (M.F.A. 2024), Claire Derriennic (M.F.A. candidate), Sarah Jean Elliott (M.F.A. 2024) and Xinyue Zhang (M.F.A. 2024) took Fishing for Stars, their play for young audiences, to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There, they spent a week in development with D.C. based designers and actors. Fishing for Stars was originally performed as part of The Cohen New Works Festival in spring 2023.
Alison Vasquez (faculty) served as the Summer Voice Program Stage Director for the Classical Music Institute 210 Festival and a faculty member for the OPERA San Antonio-Classical Music Institute Young Artist Program. Vasquez directed various components of the festival, including the Explore Opera For Kids! children’s tour (co-presented by OPERA San Antonio and the San Antonio Public Library); ¡Cantemos Zarzuela!, a showcase for the young artist program at the Mexican Cultural Institute; Opera on the Border at the San Augustín Cathedral in Laredo, Texas and the 210 Festival Finale at the Tobin Center in San Antonio. During the festival, Vasquez also led masterclasses in acting, voice and movement.
Khristián Méndez Aguirre (Ph.D. candidate) and Demian Chavez Galvan (B.A. in Theatre and Dance student) were among 18 artists from around the world selected for this year’s Candela Playwrights Summer Fellowship. This program provides support for musical theatre writers of Latin American and Caribbean heritage. “True to its name, Candela has lit a fire inside me to continue making work while taking pride in my unique perspective as an immigrant, as a Latino, and as a theatre artist,” shared Méndez Aguirre. Chavez Galvan noted that, “Candela has been an incredible opportunity to connect with the larger dramatist community and hear from our artistic forebears… those who blazed a trail for musical theatre writers of marginalized backgrounds.”
Faculty, students and alumni attended and presented at the annual Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Presenters included Clare Croft (Ph.D. 2010), Roxanne Schroeder-Arce (faculty), Alison Vasquez (faculty), Emily Green (Ph.D. candidate), I.B. Hopkins (M.F.A. 2020), Ishu (M.F.A. candidate), Jenny Lavery (M.F.A. 2024), Mateo Hernandez (M.F.A. candidate), Enzo Vasquez Toral (faculty), Kristin Leahey (Ph.D. 2012) and Dean Ramón Rivera-Servera (Ph.D. 2003).
Josafath Reynoso (faculty) served as the scenic designer for Much Ado About Nothing at American Players Theatre. Reynoso designed a beautiful set for the outdoor stage at the Hill Theatre. Performances of Much Ado About Nothing will run through September 29, 2024.
After completing the Summer Shakespeare Intensive at Shakespeare and Company, Mia Hsiung Nguyen (B.F.A. in Acting student) finished out the summer at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She attended the Chekhov Intensive, spending five weeks in New York City studying modern realism through Anton Chekhov’s work.
Earlier this summer, Phillip Owen (faculty) served as the sound designer for Western Skies by Darden Smith. In Western Skies, Smith explored the beauty and vastness of the American West through photos, music and stories. The performance took place in May at Texas Performing Arts’ McCullough Theatre.
Got a summer project you’d like to share? Let us know!
Written by Sydney Pattillo.
