In early September, we continued the annual tradition of Impulse 24/7, when students come together to write, direct, rehearse, and perform original scenes—all in a 24-hour period. This year brought about the largest participation yet, with nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate theatre students working to create eight original scenes, which were performed in the packed…
A dozen lighting students visited a technical rehearsal for the hit musical Hamilton at the PrivateBank Theatre in Chicago. This visit included a tour of the set, observation of the tech process—with headsets for each student so they could listen to conversations taking place—and a discussion with Tony Award-winning lighting designer Howell Binkley. Professor Robert…
Alumna Bri Sudia (MFA 2012) has taken Chicago by storm in Mary Zimmerman’s new production of Wonderful Town at the Goodman Theatre. Chicago Tribune theatre critic Chris Jones calls casting Bri Sudia the “masterstroke of the production” and her performance both “brilliant” and “career-making.” The Tribune also featured Sudia in an article on her experience…
Morgan Holbrook – BFA in Stage Management – Just finished The Cherry Orchard starring Diane Lane and Joel Grey. Recent Broadway credits include Blackbird with Jeff Daniels and Michelle Williams; The Gin Game with James Earl Jones and Cicely Tyson; and The Audience with Helen Mirren.
Jeff Zahos works with music, sound, and movement with the body as the point of genesis. He has been in various roles as an artist in dance; musician, sound designer, composer, and dancer, in Illinois, California, and New York. His frequent collaborators have included Sara Hook, Tamin Totzke, Grant Bowen, Alana Parekh, and Johanna Meyer. …
Rick Mireles- is a 2016 graduate of the MFA Stage Management program. Originally from south Texas, Rick received his BA and MA in theatre at the University of Texas-Pan American. While at the University of Illinois he had the opportunity to work on various productions in Theatre, Dance, and Opera (now Lyric Theatre). He also…
Kevin Grab holds an MFA in Property Management and Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Class of 2013). His Prop credits include the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (Props Master, Asst. Props Master, Artisan,) Long Wharf Theater (Carpenter,) Milwaukee Repertory Theatre (Crafts Artisan.) He also has been a freelance prop builder for Tennessee Shakespeare Company, Centenary Stage…
Lamar Farr (BFA, Sound Design) graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in December of 2015. Since graduation he started his career in the Music industry, and has had the chance to tour with several different hip hop artists. Currently, he works on tour with G-Eazy as a backline technician and does other freelance…
Illinois Theatre alumnus Michael Halberstam (BFA 1986) was honored with a Special Joseph Jefferson Award at the 2016 Equity Jeff Awards ceremony on October 17. A statement released by the Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee honored Halberstam for “outstanding theatrical accomplishments and contributions to Chicagoland theatre for the past 25 years.” Founder and artistic director of…
Betsy Brandt (BFA) continues her long and successful career as a leading television actor. After completing five seasons opposite Dean Norris and Bryan Cranston on the pathbreaking AMC series Breaking Bad, Brandt worked on NBC’s The Michael J. Fox Show for a season before taking a leading role in the hit CBS comedy series Life…