Following a national search, Professor Kirsten Pullen became Head of the Department of Theatre on August 16. Dr. Pullen joins us from Texas A&M University where she was a professor of Performance Studies. She had served as Director of Graduate Studies for Texas A&M’s M.A. in Performance Studies from its inception in 2010. From 2012…
Illinois Theatre alumnus Nick Offerman (B.F.A. 1993), known for his role of Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation, visited campus in March to see Iago’s Plot and to attend a Japan House fundraising event. Offerman spent his Sunday morning regaling an intimate gathering of Theatre students about his experiences at Illinois and beyond. In May, Offerman returned as the main speaker…
On April 1, the Champaign-Urbana Schools Foundation hosted a gala to celebrate the accomplishments of their alumni. Illinois Theatre’s Lisa Gaye Dixon was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award. In a News-Gazettearticle featuring Professor Dixon, the acting teacher spoke about her journey as a teacher and artist. Beyond the teaching of subject matter itself, she noted the…
Iago’s Plot, adapted and directed by Shozo Sato, played to a remarkable response at Krannert Center from March 30 to April 9. Reviews called it “visually stunning, tragic, and haunting,” and noted that “Sato reveals new truth in this classic tale of family dysfunction.” Jessica Kadish, current M.F.A. student in acting, described the process as…
Students and faculty from the Department of Theatre performed as part of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival in St. Louis Stories, adapted from unpublished short stories by Tennessee Williams. Included in the group were B.F.A. students Sara Freedland, Hannah Schumacher, and Yvon Streacker, Ph.D. student Kyle Thomas, and faculty members Tom Mitchell and JW…
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Donald Margulies and Tony Award-winning Swanlund Professor, Daniel Sullivan discussed their long history of collaborating on plays from off-Broadway to Broadway and beyond. The conversation on April 1, 2016 at the Knight Auditorium in the Spurlock Museum was filled with laughter, stories, advice, and a charge to pursue your passion in theatre….
Illinois Theatre is moving up in the rankings! College Factual, a nationwide ranking service, has ranked Theatre at Illinois as the #2 undergraduate program in the category of Drama and Theatre Arts. This is a step ahead of our #3 ranking from the recent past. As a part of this ranking, College Factual takes into…
Illinois Theatre hosted a conversation between MFA alumna, Sandra Marquez and Professor Lisa Gaye Dixon on September 14, 2016 at the Knight Auditorium in the Spurlock Museum. Marquez is an actor, director and educator, as well as a longtime ensemble member of Teatro Vista, the Midwest’s only Equity Latino theater company. She was recently inducted…
Alumni Tyrone Phillips (BFA 2012) and Nathan Alan Davis (BFA 2005) kicked off our season with a splash. Our production of Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea caught the attention of members from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, students, faculty, and community members. We offered two very well-attended talkbacks for patrons with Tyrone Phillips, Professor Peter…
Illinois Theatre MFA alumnus, Brandon J. Dirden engaged in a conversation with Rob Weinert-Kendt, the Editor-in-Chief of American Theatre on November 6, 2015 at the Knight Auditorium in the Spurlock Museum. Dirden is an award-winning American actor, best known for portraying Martin Luther King, Jr. in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of All The Way….