It’s not too late to see the department’s production of INTIMATE APPAREL by Lynn Nottage! Read a preview from Style Weekly here. Get tickets here. We are incredibly proud of this team! And we were lucky to bring back some alumni for this one! Lighting Design by AUSTIN HARBER (BFA ’21), Wig Design by CAROLAN CORCORAN (BFA ’21), Props Master BEN BURKE (BFA ’14), Dialect Coaching by ERICA HUGHES (MFA ’15), and JONEL JONES (BFA ’21) as George. Performances through Sunday 2/27.
How exciting for all of us. Look at what’s happening all over the country!!
ON BROADWAY:
TYLER FAUNTLEROY – BFA ‘17 in the world premiere of Tambo and Bones with W. Tré Davis at Playwrights Horizon. (Tyler is on the right as Bones!) Read the NY Times review here. Shows run through this weekend.
JOSHUA BOONE – BFA ’10 just finished the run of Skeleton Crew on Broadway at Manhattan Theatre Club with Phylicia Rashad. Written by Dominique Morisseau and directed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Here’s a piece from the Hollywood Reporter.
MAX ERLICH – BFA ’15 in Aladdin on Broadway
KIM EXUM – BFA ’10 is Nabulungi in The Book of Mormon on Broadway
ON THE WEST COAST:
Production Designer MICHAEL PERRY – BFA ’82 has three new movies opening; I Want You Back for Amazon, Texas Chain Saw for Netflix, and later this year BOO!! for Netflix.
D. TRACY SMITH – MFA ‘95 has been working hard on the series Gaslit for STARZ as one of the episode set designers. Gaslit is the story of Martha Mitchell and the Watergate Scandal staring Julia Roberts.
AMY CURLEY GENTRY – BFA ’95 will be staring in CAKE for the Snohomish County Theatre in Kenmore, WA. in March. Finally up after two years of waiting.
AROUND VIRGINIA:
TEVIN DAVIS – BFA ’21 is in the American Shakespeare Company’s production of Romeo and Juliet as Prince, Peter, u/s Romeo. Opens this weekend, break legs Tevin!
MARK COSTELLO – BFA ’73 is directing Greater Tuna for Swift Creek Mill Theatre in March.
RAJA BENZ – MFA ’21 is directing Stonewallin’ at Richmond Triangle Players with set design by FRANK FOSTER MFA ’93, plus more alums on the team TREVOR LAWSON – BFA ’21, CAROLAN CORCORAN – BFA ’21, HANNAH ALLISON – BFA ’21, KATE GIVEN – MFA ’21, LOUISE CASINI HOLLIS – MFA ’13, and TIM MOEHRING! Shows through March 5th.
LUCINDA MCDERMOTT PIRO – BFA ’83 will be performing O’Keefe at Ferrum College on March 11,12,13. The revised script is also available at Playscripts, Inc. for solo performances
Our own writer/editor of this newsletter, JERRY WILLIAMS (BFA ’71), can’t sit still, even in retirement. He’s launched a weekly podcast covering film/TV/streaming with a Virginia connection. Coming up soon is a chat with Michael Perry (see his listing in this Call Board above). He’s always looking for good stories, so if any alum have suggestions about upcoming projects, please contact him (tvjerry@gmail.com). Listen to Sifter Podcast here.
SHANNON HARRINGTON – BFA ’93 – was voted the Best Agent of the Year in Staunton, Va. Shannon is with the Blue Ridge Fine Properties. Shannon thought it was silly but we think it’s great.
ON THE EAST COAST
VANESSA LEUCK – MFA ’07 has just designed costumes for Senior Living for Portland Stage in Maine, a play about seniors in a retirement community and what to do with the time we have left and updating the designs Wonderland the musical for later this year.
J.J. JOHNSON – BFA ‘97 will be performing a solo commissioned show for 1st Stage in McLean, Va. It’s a script that he has written titled Conundrum. Look for it in the area.
CARRIE TONGARM – BFA ’01 – has hit the ground running in her new elected position as Council Person for the Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania city. She is working hard to bring an off-leash dog park to the borough. Hopefully one of the city parks will be available.
DAVE LEME – BFA ’10 has accepted a new position with Apple to work with their Government Sales Team on State and Local Government with innovative technology. He is leaving 2U after seven years in a position he has loved. Onwards!!
IN THE MIDWEST:
LISSA GRAHAM-SCHNEIDER – MFA ’93 announces that her Monologue Sweetpea and Me has been selected for performance at The Rockford New Words Festival. Hers is one of 10 submissions selected from 200 and will be performed in front of a live audience and broadcast nationally as a part of Words on Woman.
Compiled by Liz Hopper (professor emeritus) and Jerry Williams (BFA ’71) for the February 2022 Theatre Alumni newsletter