Congratulations to Blair Russell (BFA ’12) as part of the producing team for Slave Play on Broadway. Slave Play has been nominated for 12 Tony Awards, including Best Play. Go Blair!!
Mary Hodges (BFA ’94) reports that she was the AD for Slave Play, and she is very proud that they are nominated for 12 Tony Awards. She is also the current Co-President of the League of Professional Theatre Women. Yeah!!!
Chris Leary (BFA ‘10) is on the Saturday Night Live wardrobe team that created Maya Rudolph’s outfit for a performance the night after the election announcement. Until Kamala Harris stepped on stage the crew did not know what they would have to create—they had 85 minutes to recreate the look. Congratulations to the whole costume staff! Read More.
Stefan Sittig (MFA ‘97) and KB Saine (MFA ’02) both have current podcasts. Stefan’s is American Theatre Artists online including talks with Linda Lavin and Beth Leavel and KB is hosting the Black Theatre History podcast.
Justin Scribner (BFA ’02) was part of the innovative team who put together this theatre film hybrid of “A Christmas Carol”, where actor Jefferson Mays plays ALL the characters. Live Capture/Premiere is November 28th, and the stream will be available by video on demand until January 3rd. Watch the trailer and buy tickets here.
Katrinah Carol Lewis (BFA ’03), Jerold Solomon (BFA ’01), and pianist Anthony Smith (musical director for many VCU mainstages) are joining RPAA for a Holiday Legends Livestream! Tuesday, December 1st at 7:30pm, these three will perform an evening of songs celebrating hope, love, and dreams for our world! See the Facebook event here.
After earning a Master of Arts in Theology and four years of study in Lay Ministry, Peggy Byers (BFA ’84) has been commissioned a Lay Ecclesial Minister in the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. Congratulations Peggy.
Jason Butler Harner (BFA ’91) just finished filming a short film called Falling, Rising Monster in New York. Produced by Boycott Entertainment the team is predominately female and Non-Binary. The company hopes to have BIPOC in all departments of film-making.
Michelle Lee (BFA ‘95) has gone back to school and earned her license for 2nd degree Barber from the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology in the state of California. This compliments her work as a Freelance Makeup Artist. Anybody needs a great makeup artist or haircut – Call Michelle.
Jenny McConnell Fredericks’s (BFA ‘97) co-Artistic Director of Rorschach Theatre in DC has a season long immersive experience that sends participants on urban adventures to discover an unfolding story. Click onto the Rorschach Theatre site for more information.
One of Brittany Diliberto’s (BFA ‘07) wedding photographs is the winning image in International Wedding Photographs of the Year competition in the category of Dance Floor/ Reception. And as she says, “Yes, It’s the one with the drag queen.”
Thomas Dale High School theatre students won 8 awards at the 2020 Virginia Theatre Conference. Teacher Taylor Huffman Bernard (BFA TED ’07) collaborated with The Conciliation Project to create a piece of virtual theatre. Fellow alums Debbie Crabbe (BFA ’12) and Jasmine Eileen Coles (BFA ’10) were their facilitators.
Katie O’Reilly (BFA ‘03) developed and planned the digital auditions for VTA Conference 2020 so that Seniors could still audition for their chosen colleges.
Michelle Carter (BFA ’93) was in CBS’s SWAT on November 11, 2020.
Isabel Rubio (BFA ‘79) is one of the original members of Equity through Design (EtD) Mentorships Design Panel which is hosting zoom interviews with New York Designers. Saturday November 14, 2020 will be with Paul Tazewell, the costume designer of Hamilton, and his crew.
Rachana Garg (BFA ‘97) is on a National Team at Pfizer, Inc. helping colleagues to become more comfortable in ideating and building their ideas through Theatre Games she learned in acting classes, now virtually.
Come on, people! We know there’s stuff going on out there!
An award?
A new job?
A casting?
A new baby?
Retirement?
Share your news with fellow alumni. Email Jerry Williams (jerry@tvjerry.com) or Liz Hopper (elizhopper12@gmail.com).
Compiled by Liz Hopper (Emeritus Faculty) and Jerry Williams (BFA ’71) for the November 2020 Theatre Alumni Newsletter