Since Sharon Ott joined the VCUarts Department of Theatre in 2017, she has held several titles: Associate Professor, Department Chair, and Artistic Director. Her time at VCU has been notable for her on-going commitment to directing our students in our Mainstages (The Importance of Being Earnest, Men On Boats, The Wolves) and supporting their emerging professional careers by casting them in external productions at Virginia Repertory Theatre and The Firehouse Theatre.
You can read Sharon’s reflection on her time at VCU below.
“I will miss my colleagues on the faculty and in the administration and the wonderful students at VCU, but I leave with a great sense of accomplishment. I was Chair during an eventful time at VCU. We jumped immediately into a re-accreditation with NAST (National Association of Schools of Theatre) and SCHEV (the Virginia state accrediting agency), and by my second year as Chair we had also added minors in both Theatre and Musical Theatre, as well as the School of the Arts’ first interdisciplinary Minor in Sound Design. Working with then Head of Musical Theatre, Kikau Alvaro, after several years of hard work, we also saw the accreditation of our BFA in Musical Theatre (which graduated its first students this year)! I was thrilled to be able to help Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates attain full Professorship as well as assist Karen Kopryanski towards her successful tenure review. One thing I’m really proud of was bringing my former Savannah College of Art and Design colleague, Elizabeth Byland, to VCU. EB has been such a wonderful addition to our faculty and Improv is now firmly rooted in our curriculum, and the Improv teams that EB oversees offer our students fabulous opportunities to perform. Also, as Artistic Director, I introduced local directors Chelsea Burke, James Ricks, and Katrina Carole Lewis to our students, with each of those artists creating beautiful productions for our mainstage seasons. Finally, this newsletter is a testament to the work of Liz Hopper and Jerry Williams. We knew we had some work to do to reach our large alum group, and starting this newsletter with Liz and Jerry, and then watching them develop it over the years into such a powerful means of communicating and connecting with all of you has also been a real joy.
I’ll be the Director of the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Houston, as well as the Executive Director of the Houston Shakespeare Festival. UH offers MFA degrees in Acting, Scenic, Costume and Lighting Design as well as Technical Direction, and I hope to see many VCU alums in future years pursuing their MFA degrees in my new home.”
The Department wishes Sharon the best on this new professional adventure at the University of Houston.