Newsletter Archives

Summer, 2002

Greetings, Friends!

As always, it is with great pleasure that I send you another Theatre Alumni Newsletter. Let's get right to the news:

ACADEMIC YEAR & FESTIVAL PLAYHOUSE 01-02: Another very busy and productive year! The Fine Arts Building renovation completed, including a reconfigured scene shop as well as a new light booth in the Dungeon Theatre, we celebrated with a season that explored "THE DRAMATIC DISGUISE WITHIN GENDER, RACE, AND COMMUNITY." We began in the Fall with Shakespeare's AS YOU LIKE IT, directed by Karen Berthel. This was an exceedingly clear and well-spoken production (so much so that one longtime faculty member. who may have seen more Festival Playhouse producti'ns than anyone on our campus, declared it the best student Shakespeare production she'd seen on our stage). In the Winter, I staged Anna Deavere Smith's TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992. This play, Smith's re-telling of Rodney King and the Los Angeles riots, was a production of which I was personally very proud - not just because of the stunning light design by Lanny Potts and the wonderful student sound and video design, but because of the diversity and commitment of the cast and the very successful series of campus and community post-play discussions we held. Just some of the groups who participated from both the campus and the Greater Kalamazoo community included the Black Student Organization, the Asian Student Association, the Kalamazoo Chapter of the NAACP, the Kalamazoo Black Arts & Cultural Center, the Kalamazoo Hispanic Heritage Society, the Kalamazoo Korean Association, and the Kalamazoo Chinese Association. In the Spring, we closed with Carlo Goldoni's Italian commedia dell'arte comic masterpiece, A SERVANT TO TWO MASTERS, directed by this year's professional guest artist directors, commedia dell'arte experts Allison Williams and Todd Espeland. The true success of this production (in addition to the usual exquisite costumes by Sas Hanson) was the amazing learning process our students enjoyed as Todd and Allison taught them everything from acrobatics to fireeating. All students in the cast took a twice a week physical skills workshop in addition to the nightly rehearsals (and received PE credit)! It was a rare and wonderful opportunity for our students.

We had the usual varied and strong Senior Performance Series. These "best and the brightest" continued the great tradition of students creating their own theatre. We began in the summer with SQUEEZE, a short film written, produced, and directed by Edward Parker for his Senior Individualized project. Other Performance and Directing SIPs included: (Fall) SMART JOKES FOR STUPID PEOPLE, stand up comedy written and performed by Adam Karell, (Winter): THREE WOMEN DIRECT THREE WOMEN - HEARTêS DESIRE by Caryl Churchill and directed by Liza Bielby, JULIE JOHNSON by Wendy Hammond and directed by Jessica Hoff, & THE MOST MASSIVE WOMAN WINS by Madeline George and directed by Ashley Jones; and (Spring): SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO by David Mamet, and directed by Edward Parker.

This past year, we further defined the mission of the Festival Playhouse Guest Artist Series. Made possible primarily through funding from the Dorothy U. Dalton Enrichment Fund, the Guest Artist Series is committed to providing culturally diverse art free to the Greater Kalamazoo Community. It. Previous performances include Oni Faida Lampley in THE DARK KALAMAZOO, Lisa Kron in 2.5-MINUTE RIDE, and ANGEL ISLAND, Chicago's only Asian American Theatre company. In the 200-1-02 season, guest artists included Ecuadorian performance artist Jose Torres Tama's $CASINOAMERICA$ (co-produced with the Plaza Arts Circle in September as part of National Hispanic month), a lecture by award winning African American playwright Ron Milner, and New Latino Visions' (Kalamazoo's new Latino theatre company) Midwestern premiere production CESAR DIED TODAY.

NEXT YEAR'S SEASON: "CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES: CARYL CHURCHILL/TONY KUSHNER/LANFORD WILSON." Celebrating our 39th season, Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College offers three contemporary dramas by three of the most respected individuals writing for the theatre today - Caryl Churchill, Tony Kushner, and Lanford Wilson. All three playwrights combine superb wit with an ear for realistic dialogue and uncompromising attitude towards social issues. Together, they make up a theatre season that highlights the art of the playwright: contemporary perspectives. We begin in the Fall with TOP GIRLS by Caryl Churchill & directed by Karen Berthel. In the Winter, former K College Theatre professor Clair Myers returns to direct A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY by Tony Kushner. In Spring, we present Lanford Wilson's, BALM IN GILEAD. Kalamazoo College alumna and recent graduate of the Northwestern University's nationally known MFA directing program, Anjalee Deshpande (K'95), returns to direct. In addition to our mainstage season, in the Dungeon Theatre, we present ENDGAME, Samuel Beckett's classic absurdist comic masterpiece and directed by guest artist Todd Espeland. And, as always, we have the Senior Performance Series and the Festival Playhouse Guest Artist Series.

TWO VERY SPECIAL TIPS OF THE CAP: Finally, two wonderful examples of successful initiatives by current theatre arts students and recent alumni:

a. The student run improv group, Monkapult, continues to succeed in every endeavor they undertake. Originally formed by some graduates of the Improv class and now in its 8th year, Monkapult has a spectacular (and well-deserved) reputation as being the funniest and most popular theatre around. In addition to its hugely successful performances on campus (in which they always donate their proceeds to charity), the group has been performing in various off campus venues and recently completed a weekend of 25 straight hours of improv! The Theatre Arts Department is proud to sponsor Monkapult, although the group is completely student organized and run.

b. Just this past year, Allen Krause (K'01) and Liz Lowery (K'98) and other K College alums formed The Tangerine Arts Group (TAG), a Chicago based arts organization dedicated to producing new work in theatre, film, improv, music and other arts. We are very proud of this group - what better way for K theatre alums to succeed than produce their own work?! Their first major fundraiser is July 19 in Chicago. For more information, log onto www.tangerinearts.org.

THEATRE ALUMNI NEWS:

00s: Dana Ambrose (K'01) is the Service Learning Coordinator at Project YES in Boulder, Colorado and looking for interns (plus she's acting up a storm in various plays). Gretchen Beesing (K'01) and Sarah Huckabay (K'01) both make their NYC directorial debuts this summer at American Theatre of Actors festival. Liza Bielby (K'02) is the second consecutive K theatre student to receive a Fulbright to return to China to do research (last year was Jeff Lung (K'01). Can't get more prestigious than that one, folks, congratulations! Devin Brain (K'00) has been working at various theatres in Chicago including Naked Eye and Tantalus Theatre. DB is also a member of TAG. Margi Cangelosi (K'01) is an Equity Stage Manager now. Barrett Gray (K'01) is studying medical social work at UM Hospital in Ann Arbor, but still finds time to act in productions somehow. Sarah Hancock (K'01) will begin graduate school at Emerson College in the Fall, a new masters program in Community theatre techniques, based on the work of Augosto Boal. Felicity Hesed (K'00), among various other acting projects in Chicago, acted the role of Clytemnestra in the Tantalus Theatre company's production of Charles Mee's AGAMEMNON. FH is also a member of TAG. Jordan Klepper & Rocky Russo (K'01) have both been doing mucho improv work in Chicago at both Second City and Improv Olympic and are currently working on a duo piece for TAG. Cassandra Johnson (K'01) studied playwriting this past year in Chicago and has been accepted to graduate school at St. John's in New Mexico. Adam Marshall (K'01) just completed a successful first year in the MFA film program at Northwestern. Adam got to study with Tony award winning director Mary Zimmerman! AM is also working for TAG. I mistakenly forgot to include Megan Martin's (K'00) update in the last newsletter. At the time, Megan was doing lots of different things in NYC including studying Improv at the Upright Citizen's Brigade (as well as seeing a few Yankees games). I apologize for the oversight, Megan! Kristala Pouncy (K'02) will attend graduate school at Northwestern this Fall as will Justin Thomas (K'01) at University of Maryland in the MFA Design Program and Jim Wardzinski (K'02) at Ohio University in the MFA Light Design Program. Joe St. Jean (K'00) took time off from his busy tech position at the Kalamazoo Civic to play a role in radio play I directed for the Kalamazoo All Ears Radio Theatre this year. Great to work with Joe again! Jen Waldman (K'00) just recently began work as a Technical Apprentice at the Round House Theatre in DC.

90s: Congratulations to Kassia Barney (K'95) who completed her SIP this year - a research project on dance in America. Kassia is also very proud of her family: husband Robert, and her 18 month old daughter Satinka Lilith. Lynda Berge (K'91) continues to act in Baltimore and DC, among them playing Callie in a production of STOP KISS at the Axis Theatre in Baltimore. Heard from Tom Bourguignon (K'97) this year. Still writing, still living in Queens, still a big Yankee fan! Megan Carney (K'92) received a prestigious TCG observership as announced in American Theatre magazine a few months back to visit different youth theatres across the country. Megan is now the Artistic Director at About Face in Chicago and just produced the fourth installment of the nationally acclaimed INSIDE/OUT. I saw a lot of Kristen Chesak's (K'94) light and sound design at the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre this year and she continues to do a super job. Saw Jeff Daly (K'95) at an alumni function last summer (actually, it was a Tigers' game). Jeff still does comedy writing, and video production in LA (and found time to help some current students). We're happy to have Jamila Gaskins (K'98) back in Kalamazoo for awhile. We'll definitely have her meeting with our current students, Rich Hutchman (K'91) indeed did marry! He and Andrea tied the knot on 9/1/01 in Milwaukee and then honeymooned in Capri, Amalfi, and took a Greek cruise. Upon his return, Rich acted in the acclaimed PETE'S GARAGE at the Tamarind Theatre in LA. Although he's not a K alum, some of you may remember Ray Inkel our fantastic Staff Technical Director here at K from 1988-1993. After receiving his MFA in Technical Direction from Yale, he did a stint as Production Manager at PCPA Theaterfest in California. Ray is now Production Manager at the world renowned Utah Shakespeare Festival (and still helping current K students). Nikki McIlroy (K'98) works in marketing a Best Case Solutions in Chicago. NM tells me that her theatre tastes run decidedly more to the experimental these days. Jeff Patterson (K'97) keeps acting in tons of plays in both NYC, including TAVARICH, and regionally, HALLOWED GROUND at Portland Stage in Maine. Jasmine Presson (K' 99) recently co-directed THE DESTINY OF MIMI at WOW Cafþ in NYC. John Schmitt (K'99) just completed another season as a company member at API Theatre in Kalamazoo. We suspect John is in Greece at the Classic Greek Theatre program this summer! Betsy Spess (K'97) will be attending graduate school in Columbia this Fall.

80s: In case anyone doesn't know, Matt Goulish's wildly successful experimental Chicago based company, GOAT ISLAND, has received accolades wherever they go. A recent piece, THE SEA AND POISON, received a great write up in the Village Voice last year. Hope to get GOAT ISLAND back on our campus in the future. Thom Kardel (K'88) is Head of the Language Dept at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire. He's also done everything for their theatre program from TD to Associate Director! Great to hear from you, Thom! It's always a pleasure to see one of my dearest friends, Laura Livingstone-McNelis (K'89) as I did just recently. Laura is the proud mother of Mary Lee and Vincent, but she and her husband still come see every K play!

70s: Paul Guenette (K'74) continues to work in international economic development. He's recently worked in Serbia, China, and Georgia (whose capital is Tbiliisi). Paul says he's still on foreign Study! Despite this, he still finds time to do Theatre - like directing THE FANTASTIKS and acting in CINDERELLA in Senegal and a Broadway musical review in Nairobi, Kenya! That's really wonderful, Paul - we're so glad you got in touch! Heard from Vinnie Liff (K'73) this year. He told me he feels great and hopes to take time off from running Johnson-Liff casting in NYC to visit K sometime in the near future. You name the date, Vinnie! Barb (Uhlig) Ostroth (K'74) checks in with apologies that she hasn't been able to make it to any of the reunions. With four children (her eldest is at U/M), an 18 year career as a realtor with Coldwell Banker, and just being elected to the Teaneck, NJ Board of Education for the third time, she leads a pretty busy and full life!(But Barbara also told me she does keep in touch with small K Theatre group from the70s - it was a very special time in her life.)

That's it! PLEASE send your notes to me either in hard copy or via email (otherwise I don't know what you're up to)! As always, we want to share the good things that are happening to us, because we consider you folks, who have given so much to this program, to have had a strong hand in making it the success it continues to be for our students. You are always welcome back here as artists, and as people.

Yours,

Ed Menta, Ph.D.

Professor & Director of Theatre Arts

Email: menta@kzoo.edu

Please notify us of address changes, especially email!