The Spotlight

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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

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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 at the university.  

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Interview with Director, Nathan Autrey

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TDIF is an annual event curated by Texas artists to inspire and foster diverse improvisational dance communities. We are grateful for the guidance of our event director, Whitney Geldon, and the production support from Reyna Mondragon.

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Interview with Director, Morgana Wilborn

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Interview with Director, Nathan Autrey