Congratulations to Howard Cass on his 2020-2021 Faculty Research Fellowship Award! For this project, he will be working on "The Music Composition and Recording of an Original Large-Scale Jazz Quartet Suite."
The jazz suite will be in four movements, and will be scored for trumpet (with possible flute substitution), viola, piano, and cello. He will compose the new jazz quartet throughout the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters, and complete the recording during Spring and Summer 2021. Kudos on this exciting project, Howard!
During these times of isolation and social distance, our wonderful faculty/staff members have dedicated themselves to finding a new normal. Despite the restrictions of in-person meetings, they have adapted and adjusted to using Zoom to ensure business continues as it should. Thank you to these friendly faces - and those missing - for all of your hard work during the past weeks. We appreciate each and every one of you. We can't wait to see you in-person when it is safe once again!
Full-time lecturers meet with Kathy Stacey, including: Kathy Stacey, Amy Bearinger, Jenn Felts, Patrick Seick, Chris Meloche, Crystal Sears, Tim Ward, Nina Brennan, Megan Gore, Rocco Sulfridge, John Seibert, Matt Hanson, Katie Feltner, Margie Brooks, Deb Samuels, and Ethel Kluesner.
Weekly staff meeting with: Kathy Stacey, Ryan MacKenzie Lewis, Steven Martin, Madeleine Huggins, Melanie Bond, Pam Cardell, Lee Stille, Katie Feltner, and John Charles.
Kudos to Elena SV Flys on the recent publishing of two of her articles within the American Journal of Arts Management! The articles include: "Using Thermography to Study Audience Engagement during Theatre Performance," by Elena SV Flys, Ann Collier, and Eduardo Fernández-Carrión, and "TEACHING NOTES: Preparing Arts Management Courses to Engage in DEI Practices," by Elena SV Flys and Julie Voelker-Morris. Check out the journal and Elena's work by following the link below!
Congratulations to Wallace Bridges on his Sabbatical for the Fall 2020 semester, during which he will complete his documentary showcasing the process of directing a production of "Raisin in the Sun" at the University of Ghana in South Africa, and another production of the same show here at EMU. Wallace began this process back in January 2016, filming the entire production process of his production in Ghana and then at EMU in February 2017. The documentary, BRIDGING PERSPECTIVES, will compare/contrast the his experience with directing the two productions. He will spend this time on Sabbatical continuing to select and edit the film, as well as premiere and distribute the final product. Kudos on your hard work with this project, Wallace! We can't wait to see it when it is completed. Best of luck!
Wallace directs student Tiffany Ampene (Beneatha) in "A Raisin in the Sun" at the University of Ghana in 2016.
Wallace poses with the cast and crew of "A Raisin in the Sun" at Eastern Michigan University in 2017.
Before anyone else has seen the full announcement, we are thrilled to share EMU Theatre's exciting 2020-2021 season with you! They are posting one production per day on their social media accounts throughout this week, set to end on Sunday. Until then, each day is a surprise, so please help them keep things quiet until April 19th. For the few areas listed with "TBA," we will be sure to update you as soon as EMU Theatre says things are official. They'll also be announcing the DTFY Touring productions at a later date, which we will be sure to share with you, as well. To follow along their announcement online this week, check out @EMUTheatre on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and let them know what you're most excited for! #EMUTheatre
Our beloved Elena SV Flys has made the difficult decision to leave CMTA and return home to her family in Spain, making Winter 2020 her last semester with us. We are deeply saddened to say "see you later," but we are happy for her new adventure and the excitement that lies ahead.
On behalf of all of CMTA, we wish you the very best of luck, Elena. We appreciate you and the full dedication you gave to everything you tackled while here at EMU. Without you, many things would not be the same, but most notably, the possibility of our accessibility services through EMU Theatre. We are forever grateful to know you, and are already looking forward to the next time we see you!
Best wishes,
The CMTA Family
Due to the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided to postpone John Charles' retirement event. The "John-Voyage" event was originally scheduled for June 13, 2020. We are looking into rescheduling, and will share the new date/information as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause. We care about each and every one of you and want to keep people as safe as possible.
Congratulations to our three graduating CMTA student office employees! While we are sad to see you go, we are also ecstatic for all that you have in front of you. Best of luck in all that you set out to accomplish, and be sure to come back and visit us once in awhile. Congrats to Jackie, Jordan, and Shelby!
“In spite of real distance, we’ll always be close.” -Keaton Henson
"Time passes, people move.... Like a river's flow, it never ends... A childish mind will turn to noble ambition... Young love will become deep affection... The clear water's surface reflects growth..." -The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
"Working at CMTA has changed me for good. I can’t thank you enough, I can’t put into words how wonderful it has been, and I can’t begin say how much I will miss it. Thank you, it’s been wonderful, I will see you all very soon." -Shelby Seeley
The incredible Madeleine Huggins has devoted hours and hours over the past seven years to build and rework our EMU Theatre archives. Thanks to all of her dedication to this project, we are thrilled to begin sharing some of the amazing memories with you each week in this new feature.
To kick off this exciting new feature are some photos of Katie Strand Evans, who was the faculty Costume Designer from September 1973 to December 2003. The following production images and costume renderings are from her first and final designs with us: "Cabaret" in 1973, and "The Secret Garden" in 2003.
We are thrilled to announce that we have raised over 20% of our total goal for "The S.I.T. Campaign," which is currently raising funds to replace all of the seats in both Quirk Theatre and Sponberg Theatre! To read more and donate to this exciting campaign, follow the link below. Help us spread the word and get new seats in our beautiful theatres!