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Student Spotlight: Dance and Theatre’s Student Reporters

The UNT Department of Dance and Theatre welcomed two new student reporters this semester to spotlight the creative work of students and faculty. As the spring semester comes to a close, we reflect on the stories and experiences captured in our articles. From delving into the artistic process of student directed plays to outlining the ways in which theater skills transfer beyond the stage, our student reporters illuminated the exciting and unique work of the department and what makes it so special. For the final article of the semester, I want to shine the spotlight on the reporters that have worked hard to uplift UNT Dance and Theatre in more ways than one. Carver Olson and Wendy Schwartz stepped into this newly created role and built the reporter team from the ground up. Both theatre majors, they offered an insider’s perspective into the inner workings of Dance and Theatre. Though more importantly, they conveyed and represented the passion and hard work of the department through their own sense of curiosity and love of the craft.

Though their pathways into theatre differ, Carver and Wendy both value theatre for its holistic training that lends itself to adaptability. Taking on the various roles of directing, acting, and stage management, Carver and Wendy are multifaceted artists. Most recently, both were involved in the department’s production of Cabaret with Carver in the acting role of Herr Schultz and Wendy as the stage manager. Their roles, along with the incredible cast and crew, contributed to the immense success of the show. Coincidentally, Cabaret is one of their favorite productions in which they’ve taken part. But what they really enjoy about our department is the opportunity to explore the different avenues that exist within theatre. Though stage managing Cabaret is one of Wendy’s proudest moments, she is also impacted by the acting classes she took from Professor Bob Hess. She appreciated the rigor of the classes and feels that she deepened her understanding and respect for actors, something she will take with her as she continues in her technical theatre roles. Carver also expressed pride in being in Cabaret since it’s one of his favorite musicals, but he is also influenced by an experience he had during his first year performing in Elephant’s Graveyard. This was the first production in which he experienced consent-based directing, which was further explored in Professor Nathan Autrey’s courses. Consent-based directing was a perspective that was transformative for Carver, especially when dealing with emotionally taxing roles.

In listening to their experiences, I could see how each role within theatre connects and impacts another, furthering their versatility and adaptability to creative challenges that naturally arise. In fact, the interconnectedness of roles and community were brought up by Wendy and Carver often; it was a sense of community that brought them to theatre, and the feeling of community that invites them to stay. Wendy says, “it’s so interesting to see people go into a show not knowing anyone and then coming out of it [as] close friends.” The community support of faculty and students drive Carver to create new work and maintain a love of learning, curiosity, and desire to experience something new. He also speaks about the communication skills of artists, which contribute to a strong community. “We’re able to communicate properly, and we have a common goal. I just feel like that’s what makes it so special.” Similarly, Wendy appreciates the mentality of “the show must go on” because everyone must work—and want to work—together to make the show successful. She says, “I like working with passionate people who love and respect the craft as much as I do.”

As the editor for the reporters, the passion is evident. There is an enthusiasm and dedication present in both Wendy and Carver, which is representative of the department as a whole. Though it’s the end of the semester, Carver and Wendy will continue their craft into the summer. Wendy recently graduated on May 10 and was offered a concessions manager position at a theatre in Austin. She hopes to return to DFW after the job concludes to continue her career in stage management. Carver will be designing for a community theater and will also direct Gidion’s Knot in the fall. This is his first directing opportunity at UNT. Both students have contributed to the vibrant and fierce community that is UNT Dance and Theatre. With roots in such a strong community, their artistry will only continue to grow.

Written by Annalise Boydston
Photos by Rebecca Ramos
Photos by Wendy Schwartz

Check out Carver and Wendy’s stories here: https://danceandtheatre.unt.edu/spotlight.html

Congratulations to all UNT Dance and Theatre graduates!

Welcome Home: Celebrating Nathan Autrey as Our New Directing Lecturer

Anatomies cast- directed by Nathan Autrey Fall 2024

Since 2021, Nathan Autrey has been serving the University of North Texas as an adjunct, director, and mentor. Nathan has been a huge part of our department, teaching several prerequisite courses for the Acting Concentration along with mentoring First Stage and Lab Series productions. Nathan has worked hard to educate, advocate for, and connect with the students in our department. We are so proud of his commitment to advancing the artistry of our students.

Nathan attended UNT in 2004 when the program offered a BFA in Acting. The program has changed extensively since he graduated, switching to a BA degree program. BFA programs are valued for their intensive focus on acting techniques and structured degree plans with the intent of producing technically superior performers fit to work in the industry. However, a potential downside to BFA programs lies in their regimented nature as there is very little room for branching out or learning skills outside the acting concentration. BA programs are more customizable, letting students choose their degree plan and giving them the choice to emphasize in a specialization or choose to study theatre in a broader sense. BA students have unique marketability because they have more avenues and more skills to demonstrate. Many students at UNT are given the opportunity to design, direct, and act, which is something that might be discouraged or impossible in a BFA program.

During Nathan’s time as a BFA Acting Major at UNT, he broke the mold and tried his hand at directing in his undergraduate education. “I really had to advocate for myself to take directing... The expectation was that I was just an actor.” Nathan encourages the philosophy that every theatre artist is working towards a broader understanding of their craft; he feels that he learned more and improved as a performer when he branched out to other fields of theatre such as directing.

Nathan moved on to get his MFA in Directing from the Actors Studio School of Drama at Pace University and is certified as an intimacy coordinator and fight choreographer. After graduate school, he worked in New York City with several Off-Broadway theatres as well as the Actors Studio. He is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union and the Society for American Fight Directors. This is on top of his already versatile list of skills, including artistic direction and producing.

Along with his Mean Green graduate status and his diverse professional experiences, Nathan has a consent-based directing philosophy that is a testament to his experiences as a professional in a changing profession. He believes that it takes the right person to strengthen a group of people so that they can feel comfortable and empowered to create. His goal in a production is not a perfect product but an environment where each actor can authentically communicate with the audience and each other. He believes a good director is someone who can put aside their ego and recognize when someone else has ideas in the room that can make a production better. These ideas also go into his teaching style. Nathan strives to create environments where artists, whether they’re a student or a professional actor, have a voice with which they can advocate for themselves.

Nathan is as excited as we are that he’s taking over the Directing Lecturer position. Nathan was a student of Marjorie’s during his time at UNT, and though they have very different directing styles, Nathan calls it a full-circle moment for himself. He says he had his realization that he was a director because of Marjorie Hayes, and he learned his fundamentals and beginning aesthetics in her classroom. He’s ecstatic about teaching in the same classroom where he found his passion. “I’m going to be in that room, the same room where I was so many years ago in that same spot, and I hope I can recognize in others, ‘hey, you’re a director.’” He feels empowered to take the program and hone it to train young directors in current industry standards and is excited to build on the foundation that Marjorie has created.

Going forward, Nathan urges students to take agency of their work and focus their passion on their craft. He believes that every theatre major should get involved—whether it's by auditioning or working behind the scenes—so that our relationships help our community flourish. If we, as students, use our voices to advocate for our needs, we will create a culture in which we take pride. “It’s yours too. And the future of it, the mark of it, is contingent on you—the student body—wanting everyone to be strong.”

Congratulations, Nathan! We are over the moon to welcome you home to UNT. We can’t wait for you to continue influencing our campus culture and spreading your passion for artistry and excellence in the Dance and Theatre department.

Written by Carver Olson

Faculty Promotion: Spotlighting Sarah Rutan, Full-Time Acting Professor

Congratulations to Sarah Rutan on her promotion to a full-time lecturer position! Having worked at UNT since 2017, Sarah has taught just about all the “base level” acting classes there are, including Voice, Movement, Acting Styles & Periods, and Shakespeare. We are very proud of Sarah and look to highlight her previous work as a performer and teacher.

For Sarah, theatre has always been a part of her life. Growing up in Idaho, she first discovered her passion for performance through Idaho Theatre for Youth. During a weekend afternoon, the students would become immersed in a story that their parents could then experience when the students were picked up. “I didn’t think much about it, even though I really loved storytelling and make believe and the whole thing. I was always very keen to do that—to play dress-up, to do all those things.”

Though Sarah enjoyed theatre, it was not the path she expected to take as she thought she would become a ballerina instead. Taking dance in school, it wasn’t until she tore both of her hamstrings in her freshman year of high school that she would then discover her love of theatre. “I ended up on crutches. I would get out of class early, go and get my lunch, and then I would crutch myself over to this little space I found where people would leave me alone.” Unknowingly, Sarah had discovered the theatre green room. Though she feared she would be kicked out by the theater teacher who often passed through, she was instead offered a role as Lady Montague and the Apothecary in Romeo and Juliet. “I did the play, and by that summer I was going to a theatre camp. By the fall, I was playing Anne Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, and the rest is sort of history.”

Though dance was no longer at the forefront of Sarah’s career, she believes that having dance skills made her more marketable in her early career. When working on Romeo and Juliet at an Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Sarah was given a dance captain role because of her background in dance despite only being in the ensemble. During one of her first costume fittings, the designer asked if she had any experience in dance given the way she moved in her dress. She replied that she was once a ballerina and had also taught ballroom dance in college. In rehearsal the following day, Sarah was approached by the director and asked if she would create some choreography to which she agreed. This led Sarah to become Dance Captain for almost every other show she has been in. She says, “My movement background has really done something that’s helped me as an actor, in more ways than I could’ve thought.”

Alongside performance, teaching has also been a big part of Sarah’s life. With the rest of her family working as teachers and principals in her small hometown, it was only fit that Sarah would go down a similar path. After working in Los Angeles teaching at a Shakespeare festival, Sarah was asked by another teacher if she would consider applying to work at UCLA to teach Shakespeare. Unfortunately, Sarah couldn’t apply because she didn’t have her master’s degree. Encouraged to pursue a master’s, Sarah applied to the University Resident Theatre Association (URTA) and received an offer from SMU for a full ride with teaching opportunities. After graduating with an MFA in 2017, she found herself in a show with UNT adjunct Bob Hess who recommended her to apply as an adjunct for UNT. She agreed, and the rest is history.

While both are technically faculty, adjuncts and full-time professors are on different contracts. Adjuncts are on semester-by-semester contracts while full-time faculty have longer contracts that generally offer more stability. They also get to be a part of the faculty meetings. Sarah explains, “I’m already having meetings about what classes can help facilitate students through a pipeline. What are the skillsets we need to make sure they learn in fundamentals to be successful as they move through [the program]? How can their first day here create one of the greatest theatrical educational experiences possible?”

With her now full-time status, Sarah hopes she can pitch some new upper-level classes as well as build on current classes. Though it would be further down the road, one class she would love to offer is a dance class for actors. “I think there needs to be a partner dance class. I think we need to teach people to move in tandem, whether it’s old school waltz or tango or just contact improv.” She says that dance classes can offer a space to explore the give and take of weight as well as discussions of consent that are necessary to move together with someone else. Sarah feels that her work as a dancer has really helped impact her work as an actor and thinks that other performance students could benefit from something similar.

Though Sarah has taught many different types of performance classes, her teaching method can be boiled down into three “pillars”: empathy, curiosity, and technique. “If you can get those three things, then the world is your oyster. But all of that requires an actor to show up and be willing to have done their homework and be willing to see what else happens.” Sarah strives for her students to make discoveries in class and to not get bogged down in whether a certain choice was right or wrong. Every actor has their own method and ideas to bring to the table, which she discovered in her years of Shakespeare work. “If there was a right way and a wrong way to do it, and if there was a certain way it had to be done, why are we still performing the plays 450 years later? The new people are the new thing. It’s not that I want to see Hamlet, it’s that I want to see your Hamlet.” Bringing yourself and any fears, insecurities, and curiosity is all Sarah wants from her students. She asks them to have the curiosity and empathy for the characters and the story and use their technique to build the structure of the work.

Along with her students, Sarah finds herself continuously learning new things through her work as a performer. In a profession that calls for all sorts of skills, she never backs down from learning something new. “I got to do a film where I played a woman who was a cake maker, so guess who learned how to decorate a cake?” In another role, she was asked if she knew how to dive into a pool. Despite not knowing, she said she could; she consequently spent two months before the start of filming teaching herself how to dive. The challenge of learning new skills is a vital aspect that keeps Sarah inspired and passionate about her work. “To me, death is me figuring out my job and then having to do the same thing for the rest of my life.”

Sarah is thrilled to continue her work at UNT under a new full-time contract and to work with both returning and incoming students who take her classes. Through her experience, Sarah advises her students to bring themselves. “Who you are, how you are, what you are… We just ask if you have passion for this to bring it with you. Try not to be your own ‘no’, be your own ‘yes.’ You chose this for a reason, so let us help you find where you want to go with that.” We are thrilled for Sarah and can’t wait to see what new ideas she brings in the coming years!

Written by Wendy Schwartz

Being the Candle in the Dark: A Spotlight on Our Student Ambassadors

For incoming freshmen, college might be scary and new, especially for those traveling long distances or coming from out of state. Luckily, our Dance and Theatre department has great Student Ambassadors to be a friendly face and a guiding light for the newcomers. Brianna Lesley and Trevar Howell are among the Student Ambassadors for the Dance and Theatre departments, respectively, and are passionate about welcoming and guiding the new freshmen into the department.

Brianna Lesley, Student Ambassador for the Dance Department, is a senior graduating this May and has assisted with many events within the department, including the coordination of Texas Dance Improvisation Festival and compilation of potential adjudicators for the American College Dance Association, which UNT will be hosting next spring. Trevar Howell, Student Ambassador for Theatre, is a junior and has been in some of the mainstage shows in the department, including William Hare in Anatomies and George Donner in The Donner Party. Both have been involved with UNT’s Fall and Spring Preview, an open house for the university that welcomes prospective freshmen and transfers. In addition, the ambassadors table other recruitment events for their departments. “Overall, [our] main mission is to connect with prospective students and to be that candle in the dark,” says Brianna.

The selection process for Student Ambassador can differ between what each department needs. Where Brianna applied for the position and was interviewed by the dance faculty advisors, Trevar was recommended and offered the position by the theatre advisor. While the selection process for each of the Ambassadors was different, Bri and Trevar have very similar passions for their work as both are driven to be a welcoming, guiding hand for the newcomers. “I get a lot of satisfaction [in making people happy] and doing the things that I can to make people feel welcome and happy,” says Trevar. “I feel like if I can let it bleed out into the rest of campus, it will really help us all.”

With communication being an important aspect of the work, both ambassadors find this to be a helpful skill that they apply to their own careers and life, especially considering that both are working in fine arts. For Bri, they find the communication aspect to be helpful in advocating for the dance department as a whole. “When we do these previews, we get a lot of people who are like, ‘I’m a business major’ or ‘I’m in STEM, why would I ever dance?’” Bri expresses. In responding to these comments, Brianna finds that being an ambassador can help advocate for the department. “We so often have to validate why we are in a space…so having the communication of why I deserve to be in this space and why our programs need to continue to be funded- I’ll definitely take that into my career and future,” they add.

These eager and spirited ambassadors strive to help the incoming freshmen make connections and learn more about the departments while also being an approachable and enthusiastic new friend. Having been a freshman in college at some point, both have their own nuggets of wisdom to share with the incoming class. Brianna’s advice is to breathe and find a way to ground yourself in the moment. “When I was a freshman, I definitely felt like a fish out of water. I had no idea what I was doing, and that is so normal too. It’s okay to not know what the hell is going on,” says Bri. By taking pictures of nature and living in the moment, Brianna finds these moments of groundedness. Similarly, with living in the moment, Trevar highly suggests getting out and involved on and off campus. As “basic and boring” as it is, there are many things to do around campus and new people to meet. “Don’t hollow up in your dorm like I did for my first semester. Realize that campus is bigger than your dorm… When you feel like the walls start closing in, go watch the sunset on top of the Highland Street Parking Garage. Go do something!” Trevar expresses.

The strong passion for the department and the willingness to be that driving connection for the incoming students is just what this university looks for in a Student Ambassador. For those with interest in the position, they should be open-minded and willing to take on the work. “It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, and it also is not going to be as overwhelming or as much work as it may sound like. If you’re really passionate about your program, and you really care about seeing it grow and continue, then that is all you need to be an ambassador,” comments Brianna.

Written by Wendy Schwartz

Theatre Skills Outside of the Theatre Field: Graduate Coaching and Careers

Getting your theatre degree seems like a risk. Arts degrees are heavily devalued because they’re deemed unhirable and secondary fields of education. In contrast to the negative opinions of theatre degrees, many corporations and businesses find people trained in theatre to be extremely desirable because of our transferable skills in communication, task management, leadership, and public speaking. Theatre graduates often veer into diverse careers paths because of the adaptability of theatre training.

I spoke with UNT Theatre professor, Marjorie Hayes, about applications of theatre skills outside of the theatre world. She has prepped students for graduate programs, including using theatre training in audition preparation to help students ace their interviews. Most recently, Marjorie coached UNT alumna Grecia Monroy on verbal communication skills, who went on to receive a $40,000 Rotary Global Grant to get her master’s at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She will be hosted in London by the Rotary Club of Radlett.

Marjorie coached Grecia as a part of her work on the Rhodes-Marshall Scholarship committee. The Rhode-Marshall Scholarship is a national honor, and the Rotary Global Grant is an international award. Using the theatre skills that Marjorie taught, Grecia was able to receive extraordinary opportunities for her graduate education. But why does theatre training assist in gaining career and educational opportunities?

When corporate and educational leadership examine candidates, they first look for proper communication. As theatre professionals, we are taught audition etiquette such as making eye contact with the person you’re speaking to, presenting yourself professionally and confidently, and communicating ideas succinctly. These skills apply directly to interviews and presentations in any field of work, but many in fields like engineering, information technology, and more are not taught to proficiently communicate. This makes students who can articulate and connect on an interpersonal level stand out in applications.

Fear of public speaking is very real— but it is possible to overcome. Harnessing the fight or flight instinct is the key to success. To this, Marjorie says, “You have to learn the skill of how to focus your adrenaline. Whether you're applying for a major job in a banking organization or you're doing an audition, you still have to not run away when you need to stand and deliver.” An interview is a conversation, and a presentation is a chance to share information. Interviewers and panel members want you to be right for the opportunity, and they want to like you! They are hoping for your success and going in with a fear of rejection instead of hope for the future is a disservice to the work you’ve done. A mentality shift can be one of the most important keys to success.

Marjorie finds that mindfulness can be one of the strongest ways to improve your confidence. She believes strongly in meditation’s ability to center your mind and body as a part of preparation for interviews or auditions. Trusting in the skills you’ve curated and being able to connect with the people in the room who want you to succeed is the most powerful thing you can do to advocate for your future.

Theatre skills are transferable, diverse, and valuable in many work fields. The core teachings of a theatre degree, such as creativity, communication, time management, and leadership are applicable in any field. The next time someone tells you your theatre degree might not mean anything in your future, remember the value you hold as a creative and communicator in a world that needs new ideas and openness to other perspectives.

Written by Carver Olson

Into the Thick of It: Spotlighting Lisa Devine's Work

The UNT Dance and Theatre Department hosts a variety of talented artists, and it’s not just the students. Our wonderful faculty and adjunct professors hold many years of experience from all parts of the industry, both in and outside of the DFW area. Most recently, Main Stage Irving ran their production of Into the Breeches, written by George Brant and directed by the university’s own adjunct professor, Lisa Devine.

Lisa has taught at UNT for the past five years, teaching many of the dramatic literature classes, such as Social Change, Theatre and the Holocaust, and History of Broadway, as well as classes like Play Analysis, Playwriting, and Directing. In addition to teaching, Lisa directed The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson at UNT in Spring 2023 and will return as director for the upcoming production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

From the start, Lisa always knew that she wanted to be a director. She started her path in high school where she directed her first play. From there, she went to Sam Houston State University where she got the rare chance of directing a show as an undergraduate. She says, “I knew as a freshman that I was working towards one of their coveted directing slots because you got to direct with the faculty as your designers. It was as much a part of the production as any other.” Her experience led her to pursue graduate school for directing at the University of Oklahoma. From there, she went on to direct shows all over the country and eventually found her way to UNT.

With her love of telling stories and willingness to ask the tough questions, her drive for directing comes from the longing of telling the stories others might not be able to. “I was always drawn to mostly darker stories because growing up I had a really idyllic family, and I would hear about [people who were] being abused at home and knew that there were things happening in people’s houses that weren’t happening in mine,” Lisa says. “To be able to give those people a voice who can’t speak out on their own behalf, for fear or for other reasons—I felt like I was a conduit to that as a director.”

Set during World War Two, Into the Breeches is about a theatre company left in the hands of the owner’s wife, Maggie Dalton, after all the men have been shipped off to war. It is from there that she and a group of women decide to put on the first full-female production of Shakespeare’s Henry V. With MainStage Irving, directors are selected and are given the company’s production season, which they rank to determine who gets which show. Despite being a show right up Lisa’s alley, it was the only show of the season Lisa didn’t know. However, after a quick look at the script she knew that this show would be her number one pick. “World War Two, women leaders, strong women, good writing, has Shakespeare in it, and is about the theatre… Into the Breeches was my number one,” she chimed. Lisa also considered that other directors would not be as drawn to the show compared to other prominent shows in the season, like Death Trap. This gave her the perfect opportunity to be able to tell another story other people normally wouldn’t.

Given her love of telling and sharing stories, Lisa strives for her work to be accurate to the playwright's original intentions, leading her to be a text-based director. “I am an unapologetically text-based director,” she says. Through analyzing and breaking down the script, Lisa searches for how the playwright views the world and forms the story being told. “I see myself as a conduit between the playwright and the actor, in which I’m going to communicate what the playwright’s intention is.” Lisa comments, “It’s not my pulpit, it’s not my way of telling the story. I’m there to make sure that the playwright’s story is told.” This process will begin months before rehearsals, so by the time they start working in the space, the actors can begin their script work. Lisa blocks out her show quickly—usually within the first week or two—so her actors can become more focused on memorizing and understanding what the text means. “If I had not done the [script] work previously, that would be a very difficult part of the rehearsal process. [It’s] something that many directors don’t do because they don’t have time, which is why I block really fast.”

The story of Into the Breeches revolves heavily around theatre, leading Lisa to have many personal connections to the show. “There were so many theatrical experiences in it that I think were so universal from one production to the next… It’s so well written, clearly [by] somebody who’s been a part of the theatre for a very long time, who knows the small details that maybe a general audience member couldn’t pick up, but I certainly enjoyed.” Her personal ties to the show were evident as she signed her director’s note as both her and the director in the show, “from Lisa and Maggie.”

For Lisa, this show was a very giving production, feeding her with the creative and rejuvenating energy she needs for her next show. Lisa hopes that her actors and crew also feel the same way and carry with them the environment they’ve created during their run. “I hope that they took away my gratitude because they really gave to the production. They were so joyful together—really joyful—like hugging in the parking lot together joyful, which was really sweet.” For her audience, Lisa hopes that the show lingers with them and that they remember its messages. “We may tear [the show] down when we strike and sweep away all the dust. It’s gone, and we’re ready for the next one, but it still lives in the hearts.”

With over 30 years of directing experience, Lisa wishes to remind those future directors to stay flexible, remember that actors are artists, and to not get bogged down in the power of it all. “People see [directing] as a seed of power, and it’s really not. It’s a seed of service. I am the power in the room, but I am there to provide. I just become a colleague. A knowledgeable colleague but a colleague nonetheless.”

Written by Wendy Schwartz
Photos by Kris Ikejiri

Igniting Passion for Young Artists: Alumna Kristianna Hogan Freeman

For the Performing Arts, there is no one more important to communities of artists than our educators. Our educators are life-changing professionals and mentors who empower us to make meaningful changes through our work.

UNT has been a garden for these educators to blossom. One of the Alumni making great waves in the dance community of DFW is Kristianna Hogan Freeman, class of 2015.

Kristianna is a multifaceted dance choreographer, performer, teacher and administrator. She has extensive training in numerous dance styles, with anything from ballet to Afro-jazz to color guard. She started her career in dance in 1995 at Cindy’s School of Dance in Allen, Texas, where her goals of dance began to flourish.

She made waves during her time at UNT as a performer and student leader, performing at ACDA, the National Dance Education Organization Conference, Winter Guard International World Championships, and the 254 Dance Festival with Satellite Dance Company. She also served as the Vice-President of the dance honor society Chi Tau Epsilon, starting UNT’s Inaugural HIV/AIDS Benefit Dance Concert as an undergraduate.

Her achievements only continued post-grad, starting her expansive career as a dance director and educator. In tandem with working on her Master of Arts at TWU, she worked at Nimitz High School in Irving ISD as dance director, sponsoring many dance groups within the school’s community. “I sponsored beginner through advanced level dance classes, drill team, ballet folklorico, and I founded and directed the only competitive co-ed hip hop team in Irving ISD history— the Kings Dance Crew.”

Following her master’s degree in dance education, which had a research focus in competitive dance, she moved on to working at McKinney North High School as the Head Director of Dance, as well as teaching a summer course in 2023 in hip-hop technique and performance quality to graduate students at TWU.

Currently, Kristianna is uplifting and empowering the students of Forney ISD as their dance director of the Advanced Academic & Fine Arts Academy at Smith Intermediate and the FISD Dance Day Coordinator. She works with students across FISD and has won national championships with the Forney High School Highsteppers at the National Dance Association.

Her achievements are vast, and I was eager to know what drives her as a dance professional. Through performance, dance has shaped her life as a means of communication within a community of artists. “I have had so many experiences where dance was the vehicle through which lives were changed, and communities were brought together for incredibly special moments.” As an educator, she values dance for its transformative impact on students. It is an art form that teaches physical and emotional resilience, empathy, collaboration, and compassion.

Kristianna has been an incredible advocate for her students her entire career. She works with a diverse group of students of many ages and styles of dance. From choreographing middle school theatre productions to preparing students for national conferences to working with graduate dance students, she does it all. During her time at Irving ISD, she raised over $50,000 dollars writing grants for students to travel and compete at dance competitions like the Monsters Dance Competition. She is excited to continue in her position at Forney ISD where she will help students reach their personal and educational dance goals.

We love watching our UNT alumni soar and make an impact on our community. Kristianna says she chose UNT because of the strong dance and education programs, the incredible faculty and the community of dancers in Denton, including the programs and people at TWU. We are so proud of her numerous accomplishments, and we can’t wait to see what happens next for her!

Written by Carver Olson
Photos provided by Kristianna Hogan Freeman

Exploring Technical Theatre Outside of UNT: A USITT Follow-Up

Running from March 5th-8th, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) held its annual conference in Columbus, Ohio, which many of our technical theatre students had the opportunity to attend. At the conference, students attended sessions and hands-on workshops, met with theatre companies and graduate schools from across the country, got first looks at new technology, and collected a lot of cool swag.

USITT is the dream of every tech theatre kid as the conference hosts a wide variety of sessions and showcases of new technologies, covering almost every aspect of the technical theatre world. Have a specific niche? There’s most likely a session on it. From workshops on building puppets and the physics of rigging to sessions on how people respond to crises, you are bound to find something that interests you. If you are interested in working in corporate theater, our very own theatre professor, Matthew McKinney, hosted a lecture titled “Depth of Cut: Drafting Techniques for Mass CNC Production.” Alex Eliason, junior and costume designer for Machinal, states their favorite session related to costuming BIPOC, trans, and plus size artists. “How do we costume people that are not the same as we are… How do I make them the most comfortable?”

Aside from the educational sessions and panels, one of the biggest reasons students like going to USITT is for networking and job opportunities. The conference brings in many graduate schools and major theatrical companies from all around to pitch themselves to upcoming graduates looking to get into the theatre world. “Theatre is an industry about connections. If you’re not connected, you’re not working. And if you’re not working, you’re not in theatre,” says Eric Tinkler, senior and Technical Director of Cabaret. From colleges like Purdue, Texas State, Yale, and Carnegie Mellon, to companies such as Disney, ACME, ETC, BMI Supply, IATSE, and so many others, attendees are bound to find great connections and potential job opportunities. “There’s always someone on the Expo floor that needs something very specific you can fill,” Eliason continues.

For future attendees, it is highly suggested that you bring your resume and business cards, so you can showcase your own work and talent. Even if you’re not completely confident in your resume, there are resume and portfolio workshops you can attend for advice and resources. Eliason describes a conversation with a technical director in Cincinnati who provided insight into what he looks for in a job candidate and offered advice on what to add to Eliason’s resume.

For those looking to attend USITT next year, some key advice past attendees suggest is to stay connected and to not be afraid to reach out and talk to people. While it may seem intimidating to talk to the grad schools in attendance, it’s important to remember that they are also there for you. “They all just want to see the next generation move on with the best resources they can have,” Tharp comments. “You go to talk to them, and they go to talk to you. They’re here for younger artists, younger designers and tech artists, because we’re their future."

And then there’s the swag. “The fun thing about the Expo floor is that they all have goodies,” comments Rose Tharp, graduating senior and Scene Shop staff. “There was an opening ceremony that welcomed all the cool sponsors that were on the Expo floor. ETC [Electronic Theatre Controls] showed up, a couple other places showed up, and they all tossed out souvenirs.”

Next year’s conference will be held in Long Beach, CA, from March 18th-21st, 2026. While it can be costly having to pay for registration, flights, hotel, and other amenities, many of the students who have previously attended find it highly worth the cost. “You can expect to spend a little more, but I would consider it well worth it. I feel like it’s a very important career step if you want to pursue technical theatre in any capacity,” states Tinkler. Especially if you are graduating, USITT is a great place to find connections and meet with people and companies across all areas of theater.

Written by Wendy Schwartz

Empowering Dancers in Higher Education: ACDA

UNT Dance students and faculty joined more than 400 students and 15 dance programs at the American College Dance Association (ACDA) South-Central conference held at Texas State University in San Marcos from March 12-15. Presenting choreographic works chosen by both students and faculty for the conference, our students represented UNT Dance on a regional platform!

Dance works from the New Choreographers Concert (Fall 2024) and the Spring Dance Concert (Spring 2025) are chosen by both students and faculty to be presented at ACDA for adjudication. The turnaround from the Spring Dance concert to ACDA is quick, and rehearsals are used to refine the work of the performers, build endurance, and develop physicality. Among the students in attendance was Annali Potter, who also serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the Department of Dance at UNT. Potter expressed pride in getting selected for ACDA, eager to show off the work that UNT brings to the table. Performing in Black Label Movement’s Morituri te Salutant, Annali says, “I was grateful that the hard work we put into the piece was recognized and that it was getting the chance to represent the athleticism and performance that UNT Dance can bring.” In addition to Black Label Movement’s piece (a guest artist for Spring Dance Concert), two student works were presented: Imperceptus by Camille Williams and Aftermath by Ethan Gonzalez.

Along with the opportunity to present and perform at a regional conference, ACDA also facilitates learning for collegiate dance students across the country through workshops, panels of professionals, classes, and opportunities for networking for the students in attendance. From classes in commercial jazz to ballet, ACDA strives to encourage students to expand their technique repertoire. “Personally, the experience ignited my passion for dance and inspired me to keep looking for opportunities to grow and hone my craft,” Potter says. “They introduced me to new ways of thinking and moving that I can implement into my own practice.” The goal of ACDA is to enlighten those students in the beginning of their dance careers to approach styles unfamiliar to them with curiosity and openness so that they can diversify their future work.

On the faculty side of the ACDA experience is Dance Adjunct Jocelyn Schimpf, who is a UNT alum, choreographer of SDC three times over, and a working dance professional. Schimpf expressed joy in getting to watch the ACDA group commune with other dance departments and create connections with other future dance leaders. “I'm excited for them to bring what they learned during the conference back into classes, performances, and choreography and see how these experiences accelerate their creativity and development even further.”

We are so proud of our dancers who went to ACDA and their drive to show off their athleticism, tenacity, and Mean Green spirit. We can’t wait to see how their experiences and new knowledge from ACDA will influence their future projects, careers, and artistry.

We are also excited to announce that UNT Department of Dance and Theatre will be hosting the next South-Central ACDA conference in March 2026!

Written by Carver Olson

Right This Way, Your Table's Waiting: A Feature on UNT's Cabaret Choreography

UNT’s upcoming theatre production features their spring musical, Cabaret, written by Joe Masteroff, with music and lyrics by Kander and Ebb. Choreographing the show is UNT Dance faculty member Reyna Mondragon. She currently teaches many of the dance classes, including technique and capstone classes, and has been an advisor for the New Choreographer’s Concert and the Spring Dance Concert for the past few years. Reyna previously choreographed for UNT’s American Idiot in Spring 2023.

Drawn in by her love of musical theatre, Reyna was thrilled to throw her name into the ring as choreographer. Being a part of the production committee that helps pick the shows each year, she was able to help plant the seed for Cabaret. “I was like, hey, if we do this, I will definitely be the choreographer. You don’t have to worry about it,” she commented. She was excited that Cabaret was ultimately chosen for the season.

In her process of creating the choreography for musicals, she goes straight to the original source. Taking inspiration from past productions and the 1972 movie, Reyna was able to research the style of dance as well as the overall context of the story and its characters. “Research is so important, and I always tell people that. That’s what works for me. It may not work for everybody… but I find it really important to the creative process of musicals specifically.” Once she’s done her research, she’ll go on to create the moves and gestures and eventually bring it to the dancers. But what she creates initially is not always the final product. She states, “The dancers start creating their own version of whatever I’m teaching them, and I accept that. I’m not the choreographer that [thinks] ‘this is the way, and this is the only way.’ I’m very much a hands-on and collaborative type of choreographer.” Making sure the dancers are comfortable and seeing that everything is working well is an important step for Reyna and necessary for the final product.

While she may not be your “traditional” musical choreographer, Reyna embraces a more complex approach and loves to “add a type of challenge to all types of technical dancers.” She continues, “I love to give students challenges because I feel they’re more engaged that way.” Using a lot of jazz-styled dance, as well as some Fosse sprinkled in there, Reyna creates light and sensual movement, which revels in the 1930’s Cabaret world. “In American Idiot, the movement style was very direct, very sharp, versus Cabaret is lighter at times and bound in certain ways. It has its sexiness and sensuality, which I love. It’s always fun to teach a different style.”

As part of the set design of Cabaret, the show offers a unique experience where audience members have the chance to purchase a seat at one of the tables on stage and enjoy an immersive experience. Reyna embraces the challenge of interacting with the audience. She says, “…I am asking a lot of the audience members. Interacting with a person on stage is bringing attention to yourself, and then there’s also the worry of doing it right or wrong.” Despite those worries, the experience will be one that is enjoyable, memorable, and well worth the money.

Assisting Reyna with the choreography is Grace Bynum, current UNT senior and dance major. The two tackle the creative thrills of choreographing a musical. With her background in theatre and years of dance experience, including choreographing a piece in the most recent New Choreographer’s Concert, Grace was thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside Reyna and get back to her theatrical roots. Regarding her role, Grace said, “We get together and she asks for my input, if something needs to shift, or if I have another idea for something she’s stuck on. In rehearsals, I’m like her second eye, so she can work with them, and I can step back and see if it’s working.” Reyna also enlists the help of Infinity O’Connor, UNT senior and dance major. As a lover of musical theatre, Infinity auditioned for Cabaret and was cast as Fritzie, a Kit Kat Klub girl, and was then later appointed as dance captain for the show. They enjoy taking on the responsibility of helping fellow dancers understand the choreography or answering questions if they feel lost.

UNT’s Cabaret opens next week, running April 10th through the 13th. Tickets are on sale now!

Written by Wendy Schwarts

Community Connections: Cabaret Alumni Event

The legacy of UNT Dance and Theatre is a great source of pride for our department. Our alumni are consistently creating opportunities, making themselves seen and their voices heard. In celebration of 30 years as the Department of Dance and Theatre, the department will be holding an Alumni Event in conjunction with the performance of Cabaret to celebrate those incredible graduates from our department!

With many departmental changes coming along, connecting with alumni has been a point of interest for the future of UNT Dance and Theatre. I spoke to Professor Marjorie Hayes about the purpose of the alumni event. “We’re kind of in a new age of invigorating the theatre school… there’s a great joy in giving back to the school you graduated from.” As a department, we hope to foster relationships between graduates of all years that can blossom into professional relationships beyond the university level. This can include mentorship of recent graduates by graduates who have established a career for themselves, post-graduate research, job opportunities, endowment/scholarship donations and more.

“We want to find a way for people who are a few years ahead in their career to help those that come behind... It’s a win-win situation for our new graduates to meet graduates who are further along.” As a professor, Marjorie promotes connection with past graduates and works with alumni on professional projects past the university level.

Many alumni have come back to teach workshops as guest artists, direct shows, and even join the faculty and staff at UNT. In fact, UNT Dance alum Reyna Mondragon is the choreographer for Cabaret. We are so grateful to have alumni who continue to give back to their alma mater!

With a department that has existed in some form since the 1930s, originally created as the Department of Speech Arts, to the Division of Drama and Dance to our current moniker as of 1995, there are many alumni to celebrate. The upcoming Alumni Event aims to show appreciation for the wide array of accomplishments of those who have graduated and give an opportunity for alumni to visit and see the work the department is doing now.

Thank you to Professor Marjorie Hayes, Annalise Boydston (Administrative Coordinator), Alyssa Knapschaefer (Box Office Manager), and Rachel How (Administrative Specialist), for all their hard work in facilitating the Alumni Event. Please be sure to check out the Alumni Newsletter to read more about events in the department, spotlights on alumni and info season dates for Dance and Theatre presentations.

The Alumni Event kicks off on Saturday, April 12th, with a contemporary dance master class by UNT alum Amiti Perry in the Dance and Theatre Building from 3:00-4:30pm. A reception and anniversary gala will follow at 6:00pm in the Radio, TV, Film and Performing Arts building lobby before the 7:30pm performance of Cabaret. The reception will be catered, and UNT Dance and Theatre Alumni will receive free tickets to the show with their reservation. Put in your RSVP at danceandtheatre.unt.edu/alumni, and come see fellow alumni and reminisce with us!

Written by Carver Olson

Deeply Rooted in Our Department: Spotlighting Adam Chamberlin

UNT’s Dance and Theatre faculty are a reservoir of talent— juggling professional projects, university duties, and annual conferences all while facilitating a diverse community of artists within the department.

Along with being our Lighting and Sound professor at UNT, Adam Chamberlin is also an extremely active theatre professional. He is a board member for the Leadership of Lighting Commission for USITT, currently serving as the Awards Coordinator and Poster Session Co-Coordinator. His responsibilities include contacting the winners of the Distinguished Achievement as well as finding adjudicators for the student awards. He works on both sides, finding people to judge work for USITT, as well as soliciting for people to bring projects to be adjudicated.

He has designed at many theatres across DFW, including Stage West, Shakespeare Dallas, Watertower (and many others). He is also a founding member of three separate theatre companies. He does a ton. When I asked him what his was looking forward to in the coming months, he said “definitely sleep.”

Most recently, he has returned to Amphibian Stage as the lighting designer for their recent production of Rooted, a 2022 play by Deborah Zoe Laufer. Rooted explores two sisters living in a treehouse who accidentally start a plant-based cult. The quirky comedy explores themes of sisterhood, fame, and the roots we plant in our communities. The production was praised in Onstage NTX for the lighting and technical effects within the show that created surrealism and unpredictability within the strange world of the play.

Adam is an Amphibian veteran; he's worked there since 2013 and will be opening another show, Rift, or White Lies, on April 16th. Amphibian Stage is a unique and intimate space that transforms for every show. It has its challenges, but Adam tells me that he loves Amphibian for the creative license the company provides. “I love working there because they do those shows that have deep meanings that are new works... It’s where I’ve kind of found my niche.” Amphibian calls itself “Fort Worth’s Home for Exhilarating Performing Arts,” which is true not only for its audience but the creatives that get to handle new material and empower their artistic process.

After his 16 years at UNT, Adam was promoted to the professor track over the summer. In his research, he is excited to be a part of an industry that is shifting and changing with innovations in technology as well as diversifying and opening to new voices.

Keep a look out for Rift, or White Lies by Gabriel Jason Dean at Amphibian Stage for another chance to see Adam’s work in action this April. It’s a brand-new play in which the creatives at Amphibian are working directly with the playwright to bring his work to fruition. The play is a semi-autobiographical story of two brothers divided by personal world view, white nationalism and the state of society who must grapple with their shared trauma. The two actors in the show switch off roles throughout the run.

We are so proud of Adam’s achievements and can’t wait to continue to support his research, his future projects, and his artistry as a theatre professional. Thank you for planting your roots in our department!

Written by Carver Olson

UNT Alumni Spotlight: Playwright Franky Gonzalez Shares His Story

UNT alum, Franky Gonzalez, is a well-acclaimed playwright that splits his time between DFW and Los Angeles. He works for companies such as the Bishop Arts Theatre Center in Dallas and the Playwrights Center in Minneapolis. He is also involved with projects with Netflix, Sony, and Amazon Prime. Gonzalez also wrote shows like Escobar’s Hippo, which was recently performed at UNT in Spring 2022. I had the chance to sit down with Gonzalez and dive into his playwriting journey.

From a very young age, writing was something Gonzalez wanted to do. An aspiring writer at the age of four, Gonzalez was inspired by hip-hop music, originally wanting to become a rapper until realizing that he wasn’t very good as a poet. That didn’t stop him from pursuing different forms of literature. In high school, his mother forced him to take a theater class. It was in this class that he found his love of plays. Gonzalez says, “The theatre teacher… hand[ed] me three plays: Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello, Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca, and Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. I read those three in a night, and I knew that I found the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

Franky Gonzalez, originally from Queens, New York, came to Texas with his mom and brother in 2007. Before Texas, he and his family briefly lived in Florida until the housing market crashed. He recalls:

“...The financial crisis hit down in Florida about a year-and-a-half before the rest of the country. Around 2007, [my mother] said it’s becoming a lot like New York. So, she blindfolded herself, pulled out a map of the U.S., got a pen, and said, ‘we’ll go with God!’ She stabbed it, and she landed on Texas. And I’ve been there ever since.”

After moving around the North Texas area, Gonzalez and his family landed in Denton where he attended Denton High School. Eventually, Gonzalez applied to our very own University of North Texas, to which he says, “I particularly enjoyed the professors that were there at the time. It just made sense to me.”

Gonzalez graduated from UNT in 2013 and looks fondly over his time here. From the campus amenities to the professors and classes taught at the time, Gonzalez enjoyed his time as a student. In particular, he appreciated the flexibility of special problems courses that allowed him to choose and explore his own focus of study with direction and guidance of faculty. Gonzalez was taught by current professors, Bob Hess and Sally Vahle, who both helped encourage his playwriting path. “[UNT] was a lovely experience, and it was a great place to be able to guide and direct my own study, while also receiving that kind of classical education of Acting Styles and Design.”

Unfortunately, post-graduation did not turn out the way Gonzalez had thought. He went straight into corporate customer service jobs and struggled to get his plays widespread attention. He tried self-producing his works, but the shows flopped, and he was left with little money. He recalls a moment with his wife and son, who was born shortly after graduation. They were counting pennies to buy formula when his wife asked, “Is this theatre stuff worth it?” She left for the store to buy formula and asked Gonzalez to consider what it is that they’re really doing. Gonzalez looked at his son and remembered saying:

“I’m a failure. I’m nobody. I know you’re hearing your mom and I arguing. She wants what’s best, she does. She’s been breaking her back trying to make this thing work. I promised her that I’d become a famous writer, that she wouldn’t have to worry about anything. But, I guess I’m a liar.” Gonzalez adds, “And as I’m saying these words to my son, I realize I think I’m writing the greatest monologue I’ve ever written.”

It wasn’t until talking to his newborn son when inspiration and motivation hit. From that moment on, Gonzalez knew that the one person he would ever want to write his plays for was for his son. He began to write as if he was telling his son a story, the first work being Even Flowers Bloom in Hell, Sometimes. He stopped self-producing and started submitting his works to contests, consequently receiving invitations to places like the LARK and the Great Plains Theatre Commons. It was in these spaces that he built relationships and met agents. He said that “…seeing my plays go up in Chicago, Florida, Dallas, all of these different places I never thought would happen [came] down to the fact that I had to reach my absolute low and realize who it is I’m actually writing for….”

Gonzalez’s work mainly comes from his own personal connections and stories. One of his solo shows, Paletas de Coco or The Christmas Eve Play, shares his struggle of becoming a father over the course of four different Christmas Eves. In this play, Gonzalez shares a letter he wrote to the man he fears the most, which isn’t revealed until the end: “The revelation of it is that the man I fear the most in all the world is not my father, despite me looking for him... It is my son, whom I fear most in this world, because I fear failing him like my father failed me.”

Through his stories, Franky also explores the ideas of masculinity, particularly from a Latino perspective. Gonzalez shares, “I am a man who was raised by women, my father was not really present in my life, and I became a father not knowing what a father was. One of the things I see happen for a lot of men is they wall themselves off from honesty, from truth… They keep themselves closed off, and then it usually comes out in some sort of outburst.” In addition to exploring masculinity, Gonzalez also speaks about redemption. He hopes to lift up those who are often dismissed, like addicts, prisoners, and boxers, and shine a light on their humanity. “Just because you’ve done a crime doesn’t mean you have lost your humanity [or] your inherent goodness as a human being. Just because you’ve made mistakes doesn’t mean you are without merit.”

While faced with many years of rejections, Gonzalez used that time to network and get his foot in the door. The theatre industry is about connections and the people you know. He says, “If you want a theatre to produce you, get to know the theatre. Not just by submitting plays, ask them ‘I’d love to get a coffee sometime’ and talk about how they select their season.” Recognizing and building relationships with people you want to work with will help you in your future.

Moises Kaufman, the writer of The Laramie Project, shared some of his wisdom with Gonzalez and said, “Franky, we are all waiting for you, but nobody is looking for you. You have to find us, and you have to go on that journey.” Ultimately, Gonzalez advises that it's up to you to be the person people want to work with and to make connections with companies. “Be a part of your community, and your community will give back to you.”

Written by Wendy Schwartz

Student Spotlight: Highlighting the Hard Work of Momo Sugawara

The UNT Dance and Theatre Department houses many aspiring and fantastic artists and creators. This week, we want to highlight Momoka “Momo” Sugawara for her dedicated and hard work for this department. Momo is a Technical Theatre Major, concentrating in Scenic Design, minoring in Dance, and will be graduating this May.

Momo, originally from Japan, has traveled between Japan and Texas for her family’s work. She found her love of theatre, specifically scenic design, after taking a tech class at her high school in Texas. She says, “I was like ‘Oh my god this is so fun. This is so much less stressful, and it’s so joyful.’ Seeing my work being built, seeing my imagery, actually seeing that in the space made me like ‘Ok, I want to do this’.”

During her time at UNT, Momo has been working in the Paint and Prop Shop since 2023, where she has worked as a painter and prop artisan for many of the shows here, including Peter and the Starcatcher, The Donner Party, and Fiddler on the Roof. Momo was also Assistant Scenic Designer and Prop Master for the Fall 2024 production, Bus Stop, and was most recently the Scenic Designer for Machinal.

After meeting with Lin Roberts, director of Machinal, Momo was inspired and able to conceptualize and create her set for the show. Momo shares on her website that “meta, distancing, and abstract” were her focus for the design. She describes creating a multi-layered and square structure that gives the audience an “uncanny valley-like effect” while also having removable panels. Drawing inspiration from The Truman Show, the removable panels “[reveal] the story behind the wall. As the face is completely removed, the frame will be left, which looks like a cage that visualizes the concept of ‘Fight for Freedom’.”

Her interest in scenic design has taken her outside of UNT as she looks to travel to the many theatre conferences the U.S. offers. This past November, Momo took part in USITT Connects, a virtual recruitment event that hooks students up with potential graduate schools and summer stocks. “I talked to like 20 grad schools in two days. Talk for 20 minutes, rest for 10 minutes, talk to a different school for the next 20 minutes, rest for 10 minutes. I did that for two days in a row,” Momo comments, “I did meet some schools, and even if I’m not going there, it’s good to say hi.” Momo will be attending the USITT Conference this March in Columbus, Ohio.

Momo also attended the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) last year, another theatre conference for college students. While USITT focuses on the new tech elements and gadgets, SETC has a stronger focus in design. “I went last year, and that is how I met the grad school I am going to, and that’s how I found my summer job in Interlochen, Michigan. They have a lot of opportunities for designers. They hold some auditions as well, and maybe a little of tech theatre things, but it was mostly design focused.”

After graduation, Momo will be attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), her first pick for graduate school, where she will continue her work in Scenic Design. Grad schools can offer many future opportunities for students, which was something Momo looked for. “They not only do ‘traditional theatre’ but they have a lot of entertainment stuff. I thought I could experience a broader type of theatre designing.” After talking with some of the students at UNLV, she discovered that the school focuses more on learning through experience rather than focusing on a traditional classroom setting. Rather than scenic design being merely a class that students can take, UNLV focuses on providing more hands-on experience for individualized learning.

In addition to her work in theatre, Momo is also a dance minor. She recently performed in Antares Ewell’s piece, “Joyous,” in both the New Choreographers Concert and the Spring Dance Concert. Worlds collide when having to focus on both a dance concert and scenic design. “When I’m doing dance, I concentrate a lot on class time or rehearsal time, and when I’m out of that, I’m in theatre mode,” Momo chimes. “For SDC, I was working in the shop until 5:55 or 5:58, and then run to the [University Theater], and like ‘okay, I’m a dancer now’.”

Though she has been involved in dancing for many years, Momo’s passion lies in theatre and scenic design. She says, “I do enjoy dance, but when I think [about it] as a career… maybe I’ll do it as a hobby or as fitness….” Momo hopes that her master’s will help her find work in the States but will someday return to Japan to help grow their theatre industry. “I do want to go back to Japan to share my experience and help evolve the theatre in Japan, but for a couple of years, I want to keep experiencing.”

We are very proud of Momo for all her hard work in the department and give her our best wishes at UNLV! Check out her website (www.momosugawara100.com) for more of her incredible work.

Written by Wendy Schwartz
Photos by Rebecca Ramos
Photos by Cesar Valdes
Photos by Skyekat

The Directors Cut: A Look at This Semester’s Student Directors

Love/Sick

Love/Sick, written by John Cariani, was performed on February 13th-15th. The show was directed by Kayle Richey, current Theatre Major, as part of the First Stage Series. First Stage Series gives students a chance to direct their own show for the department but with a very minimal budget. The process of proposing a First Stage show starts with having a show in mind, then you fill out a form with all the logistics, including the number of actors, where and when it takes place, as well as explaining the students’ concept for the show. The proposals are then reviewed by a committee of faculty members. Richey explains:

“[The committee] wanted to see that we weren’t just doing the play as it’s written [and] that we weren’t just putting bodies on stage and doing a show. They wanted to see that we had a creative idea and a story we wanted to tell. That we had a passion.”

This is Richey’s last semester at UNT, and she will graduate in May. She has performed in a production almost every semester since starting in the Theatre program, including Fiddler on the Roof, Book of Will, and Pride and Prejudice. Richey’s first experience with the First Stage shows was also through performance. In her junior year, Richey took part in First Stage’s Elephant’s Graveyard directed by Sam Jack, playing “Young Townsperson,” and in Black Snow, directed by Cade Roberti, playing “Ilchin” and “the Fat Man.” Apart from her directing class, Love/Sick will be Richey’s first full show she has ever directed.

Love/Sick features nine scenes, each showcasing a different couple dealing with their own unique struggles. “It shows real couples really struggling with life issues, along with a deep love for one another,” Richey comments. Having a full year to conceptualize her show, Richey went through many different concepts along the way. “Our original concept was going to be reincarnated lovers, as if each of the characters become the next characters. Two people in a lifetime destined to not be together, then it became two people in a lifetime who are destined to meet, teach each other something, and then not end up together,” she says. The final concept was portrayed by one of the characters in the final scene, Emily. Inspired by Richey’s love of romance novels growing up, she decided that Emily also grew up loving the same type of stories.

Throughout the show, each scene is a depiction of a novel Emily has read, leading up to their own story.

Each director has a unique creative process. With Richey, her creative ideas are cultivated and expressed through Pinterest. She uses the site to articulate ideas to her cast, especially since she prefers to see ideas visually. Pinterest also became useful when her advisor, adjunct faculty member Nathan Autrey, gave “direction of finding images and ideas that can represent the concept in the way of ‘How does this scene smell? How does it taste?’ and all those five sensory factors, which is something we touched on in Lisa [Devine]’s directing class.”

The creative process continues through rehearsals, as actors discover the characters for themselves. One of Richey’s main focuses for rehearsals are the characterizations as this show is about the deep connections between each couple. Through the show, the audience meets different couples who are all at different stages in their relationships. Richey comments:

“Some of the couples we’re meeting them the first time they meet each other, [and] some of them we’re meeting nine years into their relationship. [We discuss] what that history is like for them, so that way we are watching two people who deeply love each other and know each other, and not two actors just reciting lines at each other.”

Richey’s love for the show goes beyond the scope of romance and into her passion for theatre and storytelling. For Richey, Love/Sick was her love letter to the department. Being in her final semester and after performing in so many shows here, this final project of hers was an outlet to express her love for her previous shows. She says, “I’ve gotten to work with so many great people here, and I’ve gotten to tell so many cool stories, and I tried to include as many of those pieces of those stories to my set. There’s set pieces from Pride and Prejudice, Elephant’s Graveyard, Black Snow, on the set. I wear my Book of Will ring everyday when I’m at rehearsals.”

But ultimately, Richey had always felt a deep connection with this show. Love can be a complicated subject, and while facing her own struggles, Richey wants her audience to understand that maybe those struggles happen for a reason; she believes that even the difficult parts of relationships can teach us something, that “love always has its purpose.”

Machinal

Meanwhile, rehearsing a few doors down in the studio theater, another show is in the works. Running February 27th-March 1st is Machinal, written by Sophie Treadwell, and directed by Lin Roberts. Roberts is also a current senior graduating this May and was given the chance to direct as part of the Lab Series, a continuation of the First Stage Series. Previously, Roberts performed in UNT Theatre productions of Anatomies and Donner Party, as well as performing in various scenes from the directing classes.

Her directing experience came well before joining UNT, starting as an assistant to her high school director. She stated, “I kind of enjoyed it. I didn’t quite know what I was doing.” She continued directing scenes in high school, culminating in her senior showcase, which led to Roberts having doubts about herself:

“I did my best, and I tried. So for a long time I had imposter syndrome, but luckily I had a really good therapist who was able to talk to me about that, who was like ‘You saw the growth, and you were proud of the growth your actors were able to accomplish. Why does everything else matter?”

Moving into college, Roberts reluctantly continued her directing work through the Directing 1 class, taught by Professor Marjorie Hayes. “There was more direction in how to direct, and there are so many talented people here at the university, and they’re all willing to listen. But even then, I still didn’t think I was a good director,” Roberts continues.

But that didn’t stop her from continuing to direct. She was encouraged to apply to the First Stage Series by Professor Hayes, and though she was hesitant, she submitted a proposal. Roberts decided to pitch Eurydice as her show since she performed it in high school and had also worked on the show in directing class. In directing Eurydice, Roberts felt that her imposter syndrome weakened: “I can’t be an imposter if I actually did it. And that flung open the doors, and I marched right on in.”

Students who previously directed a First Stage show can continue directing as part of the Lab Series. With the First Stage Series, directors make their own designs for the set, props, lights, sound, and sometimes, costumes. The Lab Series, however, is a step up, where students get to run the show with a full production team behind them. Roberts is one of the first students to direct a Lab Series in a long time. She stated that after directing Eurydice, “I wanted more, I wanted to do the next thing. Nathan Autrey...talked about Lab Series quite a bit…so I [knew] that I had a whole year and a half left. I was like, why not?”

Machinal was quite a step for Roberts, compared to Eurydice. The pressure of directing a show with the same expectations that faculty and guest directors have was a challenge for Roberts to face. Though she created the set, sound, and light design for Eurydice, as well as acted as her own stage manager, she felt that she had a “safety net.” With Machinal, she feels grateful to have a cast that is not only talented but invested in the work. However, she feels as though the same safety nets are not there. She explains, “I am being treated as a professional, [and] I have the same authority and team and responsibilities of a director that’s been coming in here for ten plus years and says they want to do a show.”

While she feels that the bar is higher for her, Roberts is pushing past and feeling great about where she and her team are at. Roberts describes Machinal as “the story about an ordinary woman who murders her husband.” It is based on the true story of Ruth Snyder, who was the first person to be executed by electric chair after murdering her husband. Roberts explains:

“It’s expressionistic theatre, which is a lot different from what we’ve done. The only character that’s almost more than two-dimensional is the main character… You get into the inner workings and the inner thought process of the young women, which I find incredibly fascinating.

While the show has yet to come out, Roberts shares what she thinks the audience should get from the show: “When you are backed into a corner and oppressed past the points of words mattering, sometimes you’ve got to be radical.”

Congratulations to the cast and crew of Love/Sick for a wonderful show and get your tickets now for Machinal!

Written by Wendy Schwartz

Shining a Light on New Equipment in the RTFP

The UNT E-Shop staff was hard at work over the winter break installing new lighting systems into the RTFP 127 and 130 classrooms! The new system has implemented LEDs which allow for color washes and more complex looks with the lighting setup in the classrooms. This opens new opportunities for classes, student directors, and student designers.

Its intended purpose is educational usage and First Stage productions. Furthermore, it aims to expand opportunities for lighting designers in the department. With only three plays and two dance concerts per year, student lighting designers have previously had very few opportunities. With the addition of an LED lighting system into RTFP 127—one that isn’t just an archaic set of switches in the wall—new doors are opened for prospective lighting students to design for the First Stage season.

RTFP 127 and 130 still have the strip plates that we, as students, have become accustomed to using. The new LEDs will be usable through monitors set up in the classroom that involve a USB attachment. The attachment loads the same program that’s run in the main theatre spaces, just adapted for digital screen use rather than the average light board.

The development is very new, so many things are still a work in progress, such as who can use the programs, how students will use them, and how to educate on the use of lighting systems. The shop is currently working on an instructional guide to using the new system, as well as continuing to make improvements to the system itself. There will be a bit of a trial-and-error period as we settle into using our new resources.

Again, a huge thanks to our wonderful E-Shop staff, Oso Padilla and Taylor Post, who worked dutifully over the break to install the new fixtures. They were allotted a week to load in and hang new fixtures, and because of their work, Love/Sick directed by Kayle Richey was the first student directed production to use the new lights!

Written by Carver Olson

Heart and Sole: The Dedication and Craft of UNT Dance

The UNT Dance and Theatre Department presented their annual Spring Dance Concert (SDC) this past week, running February 6th-9th. SDC featured a variety of works choreographed by the department’s talented faculty and students, as well as featured guest artists. “The pieces are really strong,” comments Daniel Garcia, Dance Adjunct and Rehearsal Director for SDC. “There is use of props, different styles of dance like ballet, contemporary, hip-hop. There is an overall emotional story, where pieces build and fall in energy. Each audience member is able to get a different experience.”

Among the choreographers is Dance Adjunct and UNT Alumni, Jocelyn Schimpf. Teaching at UNT since Fall 2021, she has taught a wide variety of classes, this semester including Ballet 6, Laban Studies, and History of Dance. Schimpf is back choreographing for SDC for the third time, with a tap and contemporary fusion piece, titled Prisma. “It may seem very chaotic, but we want the audience to see the fun and community within it,” chimes Schimpf, “students putting their heart into each piece, how they move and interact through the stage, and how they share that love and passion with the audience.”

The student choreographers chosen for SDC are also chosen to participate in the American College Dance Association (ACDA) Conference. The ACDA Conference hosts students, faculty, and professionals from across the country to showcase their work and gain outside experience and feedback from their peers. “It is a platform to push student work,” describes Garcia. This year, the conference will take place at Texas State University on March 12th-15th. Through an adjudication process, students submit and present their work to a committee consisting of two faculty members and two student representatives, which get put to an anonymous vote in which dance students partake. The committee then comes together to select the submissions, taking account of votes as well as what they feel best represents the school.

At the beginning of the year, there is a formal audition for SDC that is open to all Dance Majors and Minors. Ava Townsley, a current senior graduating in December, is performing in three of the show’s pieces, including one as an understudy. She comments on the audition process:

“There is no preparation needed. You come in and warm up, and then there are two to three sections of the audition: there’s a ballet section, a contemporary section with partners, and then a more ‘worldly section’ with jazz and hip-hop. Then [faculty and guest artists] decide based on availability, and of course, who fits best for each piece. You pretty much come in blind-sided. It’s a very professional process. You learn and gain skills, even if you don’t make it in.

One student adjudicated for ACDA, and presenting her piece Imperceptus in SDC, is Camille Williams. Williams is a Senior, Majoring in Dance on the education track, and is currently a student teacher in Carrollton. “Growing up, my mom always thought I’d be a choreographer,” Williams comments.

For Imperceptus, Williams looked for dancers with a solid foundation of ballet. “My piece is very light and angelic. I wanted someone with soft qualities, but also someone who will come in at 7am and do the work and won’t flake.” Despite the early morning rehearsals, the process for her dancers is still enjoyable. “No one is in the building. We just sit and get to know each other.”

When asked about what this piece means to her, Williams explains,

“The meaning of my piece is very centered around the future and the unknown, which is inevitable for the human experience. Do you resist or surrender? It comes from personal experience. I transferred to UNT and switched to dance, which was a big unknown moment for me. I used that personal experience to create the piece.”

We congratulate all the choreographers, designers, and performers in SDC, and send best wishes to those performing at ACDA!

-Written by Wendy Schwartz
- Photos by SkyeKats Photography

UNT Faculty and Alumni Take the Stage with Shane at Dallas Theatre Center

Dallas Theatre Center’s latest production, Shane, is an adaptation of the 1949 western novella of the same name about the Range Wars. The stage adaptation by Karen Zacharías had its premiere in August 2023 at the Guthrie in Minnesota. Zacharías’ adaptation reexamines the assumptions and allure of the Wild West—its fantasies, myths and values—and creates a new point of view of the classic story of Shane. It examines the forgotten voices of the true Wild West—the People of Color and Native Americans who shaped the American West—but are erased in the John Wanye-esque ideals of Hollywood and the American cowboy myth. The production and its themes are incredibly timely.

Running from Jan. 31st-Feb. 16th, you will find UNT faculty members and alumni as production members of Shane: Professor Bob Hess as Luke Fletcher, Professor Laura Berrios as Assistant Stage Manager, and UNT Alumni Stephanie Delgado as Winona Stephens. The production is receiving rave reviews. DFW Center Stage says to “forget all those western cliches and prepare yourself for a supremely entertaining evening of theater.” Dallas Weekly’s Aaron Zilbermann says the fresh perspective “leaves us walking out of the theater reminded of why we love these stories in the first place.”

Dallas Theatre Center is one of the very few theatres that works under the League of Regional Theatres (or LORT) in DFW and is the largest in North Texas. Dallas Theatre Center produces around five to six shows per season, as well as holds public works such as community workshops, a flagship education program, and master workshops. Shane is the third show of their current season.

I got the chance to speak with UNT Professor of Acting, Bob Hess, about his experiences with Shane. On top of being a full-time professor at UNT, Bob is one of the 10 resident actors with Dallas Theatre Center. He was Scrooge in A Christmas Carol earlier in the season, as well as Mina, Dr. Helsing, and others in Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. When I asked him how he does it, he said that it is an exercise in time management. “It involves careful time management and a support system that understands that I can’t be two places at one time. Dr. Wolverton (the UNT Dance and Theatre Chair) … values the importance of what I do as an artist with my creative research and how it makes me a better teacher.” Prof. Hess takes on the role of Luke Fletcher, who he calls a “particularly greedy character who wants to own everything.” It’s hard to imagine him as anything other than the kind professor we know and love… But he’s a consummate professional at his craft.

Shane is an incredible story about caring for each other and the world we live in and flips the narrative in a necessary way to tell the stories of our predecessors. Our Theatre faculty and UNT Alumni are remarkable professionals and work incredibly hard in pursuit of their artistry. Go out and see Shane and support live theatre and our UNT Dance and Theatre community!

-Written by Carver Olson

Department News

Student Spotlight: Dance and Theatre’s Student Reporters

Welcome Home: Celebrating Nathan Autrey as Our New Directing Lecturer

Faculty Promotion: Spotlighting Sarah Rutan, Full-Time Acting Professor

Being the Candle in the Dark: A Spotlight on Our Student Ambassadors

Theatre Skills Outside of the Theatre Field: Graduate Coaching and Careers

Into the Thick of It: Spotlighting Lisa Devine's Work

Igniting Passion for Young Artists: Alumna Kristianna Hogan Freeman

Exploring Technical Theatre Outside of UNT: A USITT Follow-Up

Empowering Dancers in Higher Education: ACDA

Right This Way, Your Table's Waiting: A Feature on UNT's Cabaret Choreography

Community Connections: Cabaret Alumni Event

Deeply Rooted in Our Department: Spotlighting Adam Chamberlin

UNT Alumni Spotlight: Playwright Franky Gonzalez Shares His Story

Student Spotlight: Highlighting the Hard Work of Momo Sugawara

The Directors Cut: A Look at This Semester’s Student Directors

Shining a Light on New Equipment in the RTFP

Heart and Sole: The Dedication and Craft of UNT Dance

UNT Faculty and Alumni Take the Stage with Shane at Dallas Theatre Center