Spotlight on Illinois Theatre

This August, we welcome nine new faculty members to Illinois Theatre. A combination of new lines, restructuring of existing positions, and faculty replacements result in a total faculty of 40! Please welcome Andrea Bouck (Costume Shop Director), José Díaz-Soto (Visiting Assistant Professor of Scenic Design, not pictured), Richard Gregg (Costume Shop Rentals), Rose Kaczmarowski (Assistant Teaching Professor, Costume Design and Technology), Eric Lin(Associate Technical Director), Allison Moody (Visiting…

Dr. Robin McFarquhar, a prominent member of the University of Illinois community and a long-time leader in the department, retired July 31 after 35 years of service. He was granted emeritus status on retirement. Dr. McFarquhar distinguished himself as a teacher and mentor. He was awarded the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in…

On May 13, Illinois Theatre welcomed 25 BFAs, 5 MAs, 23 MFAs, and 1 PhD into the ranks of our alumni. The annual commencement ceremony featured a welcome address from Kirsten Pullen, celebrating her first year as head; a message from the College of Fine and Applied Arts, delivered by Associate Dean Linda Robbennolt; and…

We are starting our next 50 years of Illinois Theatre by continuing our commitment to challenge and nurture our students, offer a space for campus conversation, and explore issues within our Champaign-Urbana community. With plays classic and contemporary, plus one musical and one world premiere, we consider the interplay between power and pleasure. An American…

Associate Professor and Associate Head Tom Mitchell is spearheading efforts to mark 50 years of Illinois Theatre. Alumni and other friends of Illinois Theatre are invited to a weekend celebration of our past, present, and future. Highlighting our five decades of innovative teaching and production, as well as our efforts to diversify U.S. stages, we will…

Our smart and sassy student workers, Susan Bywaters, Esther Fishbein, Hannah Schumacher, Alexandra Smith, and Vincent Williams, are developing an expanded social media presence for Illinois Theatre. Like Illinois Theatre on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @TheatreIllinois, and find us on Instagram at illinoistheatre. We are featuring lots of behind-the-scenes information about our classes and productions, as well as…

Stage management professors Cindy Kocher and Amber Schultz took the MFA stage managers to New York City as part of their course on commercial theatre. Students toured Hudson Scenic Shop, which built sets for the Hamilton tours, and the Eric Winterling Costume Shop for a demonstration of the gorgeous breakaway costume from Frozen. Students met with Alexander Dodge…

Our faculty graced Windy City stages this fall. Associate Professor of Scenic Design Regina Garcia created the contemporary museum gallery, hospice apartment, ancient Greek temple, and 17th century artist’s studio for The Rembrandt, produced by Steppenwolf Theatre and featuring longtime company member John Mahoney. The Chicago Sun-Times called her the “unseen star of this production” and praised her…

Professor Emeritus Dr. Bernhard R. Works was Krannert Center for the Performing Arts’ first technical director and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1993. He died October 28, 2017, in Middleton, Wisconsin, surrounded by friends and family. In his long career in technical theatre, Dr. Works designed hundreds of productions in schools, colleges,…

Every production—whether in the Studio, the Armory, or the Playhouse—is special. But this fall’s production of Travesties offered a unique opportunity to connect with alums, theatre professionals, and campus initiatives. British wordsmith Tom Stoppard imagines Zurich in 1917, putting surrealist Tristan Tzara, novelist James Joyce, and revolutionary Vladimir Lenin in conversation with each other, the women they…