Happy Holidays to All!

 

Our graduate design students and I had a lovely fall break in D.C. where we met with JENNIFER BILBO who continues as associate costume director at The Shakespeare Theatre Company.  She showed us around the costume studio and we saw the all-male cast Romeo and Juliet.  Jenn looks great, is currently in love, and continues to thrive in the high stakes territory there.  We also met with Steven Simon, old friend from Seaside Music Theatre who showed us around Arena Stage’s costume studio.  In addition to visiting DC monuments and museums, we managed to see an Australian dance company, we saw stunning Restoration costumes by Jane Greenwood in The Way of the World, as well as A Beautiful View and Lt. of Inishmore.  We also returned with wild tales to tell about our low-budget hotel (that we embellish weekly) and managed to sing in the rain during our flat tire episode on I-85.  I felt like Gene Kelly and looked like Ginger Rogers.  (You’ll just have to imagine my actual image for yourself—I refuse to allow photos of the event on the Internet.)  I am pleased to report that McFarland has contracted my book on global mask makers.  This has been a seven year endeavor and I hope to have it out within a year… or so.  Wish me luck.

 

JOHNNY PICKETT sent a terrific catch up note earlier in the year.  He reports that he is currently a Flying Director for Flying by Foy.  He’s been with the FD on such productions as Spamalot (in Chicago, on Broadway, the national tour, Las Vegas, and Melbourne, Australia), Pirate Queen in Chicago and Wicked in Tokyo.  He’s worked on award shows such as the MTV Music Video Awards, the Billboard Awards, and many others.  He’s worked for Sigfried and Roy and Cirque du Soliel in Las Vegas as well as served as a university professor, lighting designer for Theatre West Virginia and other regional theatres.  He’s worked as an actor on stages from Florida to Alaska.  When he wrote his note, he had just returned from Korea having finished up the last leg of a Peter Pan tour.  Watch some current runs of Dancing with the Stars and you’ll see some of his flying expertise.  Johnny continues to be one of the most versatile theatre artists/practitioners we’ve ever had in our program.  It was wonderful to hear from him.

 

DAVID GRAPES returned to workshop his current Simply Simone in our newly renovated Brown Building theatre space.  The work was quite splashy, directed by JEFF WEST with set and costumes by KATIE ESTLER-HORNEY.  What a terrific opportunity for all of us to witness the development of this wonderful script and how generous of David to offer us the chance to explore it with him.  My husband Keith especially enjoyed being “vamped” by MELANIE MATTHEWS during the last rehearsal night and told Jeff it was enough to make him come back every night.

 

SARA LASSALLE and her handsome Trinidadian husband, Christian, came to visit with their two lively toddlers Eleanora and Daniel.  She reported that a costume she made for one of her celebrity-double clients won Best Costume (voted by her peers) at the Sunburst Celebrity Doubles convention.  The costume portrayed Annie Lennox from her Diva album.  She stays “pretty busy” with her daughters as well as her freelance costume business for commercials and individual clients.  She also manages to help her mother with her EBay business on the side.

 

DEB O is in Brooklyn between design gigs.  She designed a set at La Jolla Playhouse early in the year, costumes for a new play Running at Milk Can Theatre Company, costumes for Magic Theatre Company’s restoration play, The Witlings, and several other works.  She seems very happy and frenzied.

 

DAWN SHAMBURGER toured Paris, London, Bath, Brighton, Milan, and Rome as part of a costume designers’ tour.  She took several students to the Edinburgh Festival in August.  RANDY MCMULLEN and I had a lively dinner at USITT in March with her as well as JAMIE CUTHRELL, JENNIFER AND KEVIN PATRICK.  BOB THURSTON was in fine form and never ages. 

 

SARAH KELLY reports that she has been serving as a grant writer and in charge of marketing for Touring Theatre and in July became managing director.  Her daughter Isabelle is in first grade and she and Derek had another little girl in June.  She optimistically reports that she continues her work with Touring Theatre from her home!  You go girl!

 

Babies, babies, babies.  BETH PHILLIPS had a new puppy in January and by October she and husband Tom Fascaldo welcomed baby girl Kaylee.  JIMMY RAY WARD AND LAURIE POWELL just welcomed Lily Eleanor Ward into the world.  SUSAN SMITH has served as costume manager for Stages St. Louis since 2005.  She is expecting a little girl any day now. 

 

DEE ROOF has a major collection of card designs with Hallmark stores this year.

 

KASENDRA BELL has moved back to North Carolina as designer for Brevard College where KELLY GORDON is now teaching.  ERIN DOUGHTRY still loves teaching costume design at Catawba College.  She and her husband just bought a beautiful Victorian home in Salisbury.

 

ELIZABETH SPICER reports that she has decided to apply for the M.F.A. brief residency in the creative writing program at Spaulding University in Louisville where she can pick up a duel degree in screenwriting and playwriting in 18 months with only two weeks residency per semester.  In addition to her job as CEO at Paradise Acting Company, this should keep her on her toes.  She looks forward to stay with pals in Louisville for awhile each semester and is planning an upcoming holiday trip to Tuscan towns.

 

PATTI WORDEN THORP is back in North Carolina.  Her husband, Holden Thorp, just assumed the chancellor position at Chapel Hill.  This past summer she visited our newly renovated Aycock Auditorium and toured the old Department hallways, leaving a sweet note on my door.  We look forward to having her see one of our upcoming productions now that she is so close by.  SARA THIGPEN and MELANIE ASHLEY directed and produced Nudists in Love with the 2008 Fringe Festival in NYC.  TODD WALTERS reports that he is living in Myrtle Beach and designing Halloween festivities for Disney and hopes to work on an upcoming international theme park project for Universal Studios. 

 

TOM NEVELS is in graduate school for Theatre Education at Emerson College while also working side gigs as a barista, curriculum writer, and professional makeup artist.  

 

KEITH HARRIS announced the release of his movie, Lost Stallions: The Journey Home, which can be rented or bought online from major retailers.  PAUL HARTIS spent the year working on different projects. He just recently finished working at the end of July on an ABC Pilot for a TV series called "Cupid" starring “that hot Bobby Cannavale from Will & Grace. Will's ex-BF cop. Just a super nice straight married guy, with a young son.”  He also worked on a slasher film for six weeks.  “More of a thriller than a slasher.  Three weeks of it, not thrilling, was in the woods of Connecticut at night.  3pm-8am every day/night…ugh!”  Also he wardrobed College Road Trip and a Jonathan Demme film called Dancing with Shiva.  He said he kept 8 of the lanterns in the background and made a fun display in his apartment last New Year’s Eve.  Paul reports that in August he found a cute little house to buy across from the Ethan Allen Hotel…in Connecticut?  He headed back to the Henson Workshop in September to build puppets on a stage version of Emmet Otters Jug Band Christmas at the Goodspeed Opera House.  He hopes it goes to Broadway for next year’s holiday season.  Last time we talked, he was crafting new Polar Bear heads for a television commercial.  His undergraduate sidekick, ALEX STANLEY, has resided mostly in Greensboro since graduating and now is marketing consultant for a new in-home party company called Private Quarters which sells high quality linens and accessories for the bed and bath.  She’s very excited about it.  You all check it out on the Internet.

 

TRACY FLOYD has worked in the Steppenwolf costume shop this year and currently is in Canada with the Moscow Ballet’s Nutcracker tour.  KATHY CLARK participated in a clowning workshop with Paul Wildbaum who studied with Carlo Mazzone-Clementi.  She still feels drawn to physical theatre and is thinking about taking workshops at Dell’Arte International next year.  She continues to make beautiful masks—including Dakinia masks for a series of recent sacred dance performances.  GESHE METZ had a wonderful write up a few months ago by Leslie Mizel regarding her costume design work for Dr. Jekle and Mr. Hyde at Raleigh Little Theatre.  She has an entrepreneurial shop that sells "green" wearing apparel and recycled clothing designed by her.  She has served as the educational director at Winston Salem Little Theatre for many years where she has also performed and designed costumes for countless shows. NICK BARBERIO continues to exhibit his photography.  He is currently artist-in-residence for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Beth Israel Medical Center in Princeton.  SUSAN SASSMANN still does “hat attacks” at the Cancer Center and at some senior facilities.  They make hats with the “Divas of Dementia” using hat bases, pearls, feathers, do- dads and glue guns and they love it. Then they do photographs and a tour around the grounds to show off the fab hats. She organized a very successful Summer Solstice 2008 performance event in Greensboro this year.

 

Our current design students had some impressive awards at the ACTF and SETC regionals.  MATTHEW EMERSON received a Barbizon honorable mention for his Sweeney Todd set design, while CLAIRE GARRARD received second place for her Sweeney Todd lighting design.  ERIKA GRAYSON won the SETC design/technical crafts award for her inventive puppet for Barnum’s Bird, and GARRARD won second place in the David Weiss costume design award for As You Like It.  JULIE DEVORE won the national ACTF fellowship award for stage management.  JULIA GIBSON received both a UNCG student excellence award and membership into Golden Chain for her efforts in Theatre Education and scholarship.

 

KATE WELSH reports that she’s had a terrific time as costume shop manager for Auburn University and was headed to Austin, Texas with her boyfriend for theatre work and/or graduate work there.  WENDY MILLER turned 50 and her daughter Kelly is living with her while attending college in Florida.  She loves her job.  ASHLEY NEWBY worked at Seaside Music Theatre in the costume shop for White Christmas last November with AMOREENA KISSEL, and then worked with DAVID HOLLEY and TRENT PCENICI on Mikado.  Trent interned in the costume shop at Triad Stage last year where KELSEY HUNT still serves as resident costume designer. 

 

JENNIFER BAKER came back to do set design for our spring opera, La Vida Breva as well as scene painting for the February opera, Mikado.  She’s been based at the Barter Theatre in Virginia this year working in the costume shop as a first hand, pattern maker, and designer.  She also had an art exhibit of her work that lasted during October and November at a photography gallery in Abingdon.  She had about 22 paintings that she created this year.  How did the woman have time??? She just turned 29 but feels old.  My dear, I can relate.  I’m only 28 and it’s already hit me between the eyes as well. 

 

JAMIE CUTHRELL is so in love with Carmelita.  I must admit, every time I read about Carmelita, I smile—because he’s so enamored with her—and she’s beautiful.  He sent a terrific photo of Dario Fo’s Elizabeth; almost accidentally a woman produced by Stillwater Theatre with STEVEN ROTEN as director, DEB O as set designer, and Jamie as costume designer.  He reports that it was one of the top ten in Raleigh for 2007!  He also served as a faculty member with Meredeth’s studies abroad program to Tuscany and Lugano, teaching art history/period styles and photography.  The lovely Carmelita came to visit for ten days and he sent a photo of them together against a Neapolitan Bay (south of Tuscany) backdrop for verification.  They are love birds for sure. He accepted a position with The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey as technical director and designer where he will be “just minutes away” from Carmelita’s office in Princeton. 

 

MATT FULLER and his fair lady, Amber, were hitched in early fall.  RANDY MCMULLEN joined the festivities (the wedding of the century high on a mountain outside Gatlinburg).  They both continue to work at Newberry with “lots of work and lots of rewards.” 

 

KIM CUNY “completed” (way surpassed?) her capstone after graduation at the McGirt Horton Library where she distributed the children’s reading kits (developed and created by Kim with impressive grant funding which she acquired).  The numerous kits are to be distributed and used as development tools for groups of day-care providers.  She continues to lead UNCG’s Speaking across the Curriculum program as well as teach in the Communication Studies Department here.  Her generous husband, SCOTT RICHARDSON, designed sophisticated lighting for our master suite renovation last summer.  He has a swank new office and his lighting design business is flourishing. 

 

PRINCE JOSEPH TOMOONH-GARLODEYH GBABA, SR, sent a delightful letter, expressing warm memories of his time at UNCG in the early ‘80’s.  I feel compelled to copy quite a bit of it here, since it is so rich with exotic tales.  He reports that he “returned to his homeland (Liberia) after graduation in 1983 and got married to his current wife (Ariminta) in the same year. They now have five children, four of whom are in college and the last child is in senior high school.   After graduating from UNCG he lived in Liberia for fourteen years and served in many capacities: lecturer of English and Drama at Cuttington University College (CUC) in central Liberia from 1985-1988; Principal of the ZWedru Multilateral High School (1988-89), and adjunct lecturer at the University of Liberia before the outbreak of the Liberian civil war in 1989. During this tumultous period in his nation's history, he served briefly as Acting Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism of Liberia, and then as a local consultant to UNICEF for five years (1992-97), providing public awareness radio and live theatre performances geared toward quelling the hostilities among warring factions in the country and asking warlords to stop using Liberian youth as child soldiers. He fled Liberia in 1997 because of threats and sought political asylum here in the US where his wife and five children joined him the following year after they were granted derivative asylum. They presently live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and he is now a permanent resident. He hopes to live in North Carolina someday when he retires.  He resumed education at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, where he earned a Master of Science in Education (emphasis on elementary and special education) in 2003 and is currently preparing to defend his dissertation for the Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership during the spring of 2008.

 

A final, somber note:  as this complicated year comes to an end, full of mixed blessings such as newly renovated campus buildings (Brown and Aycock) combined with significant state budget cuts, we acknowledge the loss of several important members of our UNCG theatre community--all of them especially wonderful friends and artists.  HALL PARISH, who with his long-time partner STEPHEN GEE started the Broach Theatre twenty years ago, died of cancer complications in September.  MEL HURWITZ, retired professor from the Clothing and Textiles division and a loyal Angel for decades with our theatre program, had a fatal heart attack in October.  Former ’89 guest costume designer and text book author ROSEMARY INGHAM suffered a massive sub-arachnoid hemorrhage while working at the Great Rivers Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota in July.  She was only 72.  (She and ALAN COOK were some of the initial founders of Hartford Stage Company and we were fortunate to have her Cosi Fan Tutte costumes grace our stage and have used her textbooks for years.)  JOHN FRANKLIN who was one of my first costume design students at UNCG died in North Carolina after a year’s struggle with cancer.  He had a very successful career teaching at University of Montevallo.  ROBIN FARQUHAR, long-time executive and artistic director of Flat Rock Playhouse died in early November.  They are all greatly missed and fondly remembered. 

 

May you savor your upcoming holidays and know that all of us here love hearing from each of you.  Come visit soon—or drop an email—or call.  Love, Deb