Before joining the Department of Theatre and Dance, Rusty Cloyes worked as a stage manager and associate production manager at venues across the country. Now, Cloyes continues to work with theatres locally and nationally, but much of his time is dedicated to being an Associate Professor of Practice, Director of Production and head of the stage management emphasis here at UT Austin, where he has mentored and encouraged the next generation of stage and production managers for the past several years. We spoke with Cloyes and a few of his students about his theatrical background, his favorite part of teaching and the valuable advice he’s shared with his students.
Academic Programs
Sound Design Project: Recreating THE WAR OF THE WORLDS
Last spring, students in the College of Fine Arts taking Theatre and Dance faculty member Phillip Owen’s Sound Design course sat behind computer screens, microphones and electronic instruments, ready to showcase their final project – a recreation of Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds. Over the 30 minutes that followed, their audience would hear bright piano tunes, ominous music, operatic performances and haunting sound effects paired with dialogue from Welles’ 1938 radio play. We spoke with Phillip Owen and a handful of students from across the college about their experiences working on this project and what it taught them about the art of sound design.
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David Treatman and Dr. Paul Bonin-Rodriguez Demystify the World of Producing
Every Monday during the fall semester, film, theatre and audio producer David Treatman (Puffs) hopped on a plane from New York City to Austin and then boarded a return flight the next morning. His purpose behind making these trips? To co-teach a Department of Theatre and Dance course with Dr. Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, entitled “The Business of Self-Marketing.” Both Bonin-Rodriguez and Treatman are well versed in entertainment production and the tenacity needed to advocate for new works. After co-producing on a project together, Bonin-Rodriguez knew that Treatman would be an excellent educator for our UT students, and plans to co-teach a course in the fall of 2023 began taking shape. We spoke with Treatman and Bonin-Rodriguez about their professional work, what led them to co-teaching this fall and their experiences working with undergraduate students.
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