The Department of Theatre & Dance will host an all-alumni reunion during homecoming 2008, the weekend of Sept. 27. Please mark this date on your calendar ... we'd love to see all of you ... and please drop us an update and current mailing information. Even if you can't make it, and we hope you can, we'd love to become reacquainted and utilize connections you have with other alumni and former students. Drop an update or your current address information here.
Have you visited MSUgrads.com? The Department of Theatre & Dance has its own club on the site. Use that as a supplement to the information you find here.
We're happy that the following alumni and former students of the Department of Theatre & Dance are alive and well ... and many of them producing theatre. To find other updates, click on the appropriate category below:
To get information posted on this page or to get an e-mail address for one of these people, drop us a note by by filling out the Alumni Contact page.
Hard to believe it was almost a year ago that Angels in America went up (Mike served as guest music designer)... I always have a great time working with you!!!! MSU Theatre Rocks!!!! Things have been super busy since last year... Here are a few highlights:
1. Composed the music and Sound Design for a successfully sold out production/run of "Or The White Whale" (Moby Dick) at The Southern Theater.
2. Guest Sound Design for Macalester College production of "The Love Song of J Robert Oppenheimer."
3. Composed a score for a Brass Trio to accompany "Henry V" at The Nebraska Shakespeare Festival.
4. Composed Music and Sound Design for Frank Theatre's production of "The Pillowman" that was performed at The Guthrie Theater in the Joe Dowling Studio.
5. Commissioned by Arena Dances to compose a String Quartet for a New York Ensemble called "Ethel." With Support from The American Composers Forum & NEA!
6. Commissioned by Twin Cities new music ensemble Zeitgeist to compose a new composition as part of an Pilot Program in The Saint Paul School System to raise awareness of new music and living composers in music education.
7. Creating Sound Design for Mixed Blood theatre's bi-lingual production of "Esperando la Carroza" at the new Stepping Stone Theater in Saint Paul.
8. I will be serving as music director/guitarist for the Jungle Theater's production of "Hedwig" directed by Joel Sass in July & August of 2008. I get to bring my band and wear a wig!!!
There were other things, but I lose track of all the gigs... Someday I will take a working vacation and see some shows in NYC again!
I have been in New York since October and I am loving it! I will be touring at the end of January in the musical "Black Journey" with American Family Theater. We will be touring Philadelphia, New York City area, Washington D.C., North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and New Jersey for about two months.
I'm so happy for all the great things going on!
Greta continues to work as a writer and performing in the Twin Cities. An original cast member of the hit musical "Church Basement Ladies," she is currently writing the sequel which opens in March, 2008. She is the head writer for the Medora Musical in North Dakota, and has been on the writing staff for the Twin Cities annual Ivey Awards Show for the last two years. She also works commercially on camera and as a voice over artist, and has travels the country as a motivational speaker and workshop facilitator. If you're willing to do the work, there is always work to do. For more information visit her website: gretagrosch.com
I am currently (early January) in Fayetteville, AR, playing the Walton Center this week with the "Annie" tour. Things are going GREAT on tour. We have received wonderful reviews. For Christmas I drove to the Grand Canyon with three of my cast members. For New Years NETWorks held a party for us at the restaurant in our hotel that we were staying at in Birmingham, AL.
If you'd like to see B-Roll footage, BIO's, Reviews, and Pictures, go to
www.annieontour.com
When I left MSU in '87, my sincere thought was that if this gentleman (Paul Hustoles) stays this program will thrive. Thank you for sticking around and building the program up to where it is today, it's exciting to hear you speak about it. I have to say the theater aspect of my education at MSU was a key cog to my experience base. I look back at those times with nothing but fond memories. I would love to come back and do a show sometime, especially if I could work with you again.
Currently (as of early January), I am deployed again, this time to Kabul, Afghanistan. I will complete my tour in 17 days, so I'm starting to get a little excited about leaving.
When I'm not deployed, I live in a small town in Wisconsin, with my wife Sandra, son Cole and daughter Brynn. We are also expecting our third, a boy on March 3rd. Life is good, and I can't complain.
I'm glad to hear the departments keeping real busy and putting out great stuff as usual. I miss the old place, but I guess we all have to be grown ups sooner or later. Oh well.
Lately (as of early January), I've done a couple short tours with the National Theatre for Children. In between tours, I've done an internship for the Seattle Children's Theatre (while living with fellow alum Jason Harber and Trick Danneker) and shows for Starting Gate Productions, Bloomington Civic Theatre and Hardcover Theatre. The Hardcover show was called "The Savage Joy of Breaking Things" and was just ranked 5th on the City Pages top 10 Twin Cities shows of 2007. I'm starting 2008 by doing singing telegrams for the company Party Crashers to pay the bills and a show called "So it's Lent" then... "The Sequel" with Seasons Dinner Theatre in Coon Rapids.
I am writing to you in a bit of a rush, having just completed my first day of training at my new crappy corporate job, and am off to first dress for "Noises Off" which opens this Thursday (I am playing Frederick/Phillip). This show has been an exciting one, we've replaced two of the actresses and our lead (Gary/Roger) came down with mono and was out for two. Needless to say it's been a challenge, not to mention all the missed rehearsals for the weather. Either way it'll be fun.
Things are going well for me here, I just got a little nod in the local paper's best of 2007, citing that my performance as Astrov in "Uncle Vanya" was a show stealer, and even my role in "Art" was mentioned. Coming up I start rehearsals for "Complete Female Stage Beauty," which is a big step up for me in that the Madison Rep, Milwaukee Rep and APT of Spring Green, WI, will all be in attendance since some of their favorites are in the show. I have a meaty part as Villiars the Duke of Buckingham, and hopefully can show off my excellent training.
My wife is the new favorite choreographer and after only a year is turning down work left and right all over the state, not that I'm surprised. She is wonderfully talented and equally a pleasure to be around (though I must say I'm biased).
Jennifer (Dark) Saxton is a visiting assistant
professor at Tarleton State University, where she
teaches theatre history and introduction to theatre,
and designs costumes. She has a beautiful five-year-old daughter, Annie.
Thanks a lot for all your advice and for all the tough
love you gave us when I was there. It's made a huge
difference in how I approach my vocation.
I'm a newly appointed Executive Director of a non-profit called aMaze. We do anti-bias work with elementary aged children through children's literature that features family diversity. My directive was to grow the organization and it's happening in gangbusters. We'll are adding a preschool curriculum and an arts supplement for hands-on activities in the classroom. You can check us out at www.amazeworks.org. I am also heavily into advocation for families with LGBT parents and serve on several committees in that respect.
I was working for the past few years as an artist in residence in St. Paul and Roseville. I have also been teaching comedy improvisation to teenagers for several years and developed a local troupe who—last year—performed for 4500 kids at a statewide convention. I have found that I LOVE teaching and directing kids more than almost anything. Sadly, I need to give that up for this job—at least until things are really rolling along.
Thought I am not actually working in theatre at the moment, I find my theatre training very helpful in so many ways. I can read people so easily, feel the emotional temperature in a room immediately, and find creative ways to solve problems. I also find the exercises from your acting and directing classes very useful in developing fun arts curriculum for kids.
Stephen (my husband) has been working quite alot with Tom Bliese—now that he's "retired." Stephen is still working at VEE Corp and (hint hint) hires young scene painters every summer to work on Sesame Street Live. Maybe John Paul will develop some talented artists.
We have three children as you probably know who are ages 16, 8 and 6. I believe one of them is considering MSU as a college choice. Besides that, it's just life as a family with children in several impossible and wonderful age ranges.
I keep hoping I'll have a summer when I could come down for Highland Summer Theatre. I did lots of work with Greta's sister Heidi last year - with their Silly Sisters pre-school shows. It was so much fun to perform again! Got the bug bad, just no time.
I have been at The Children's Theatre Company for five years and was promoted two years ago to lead scenic artist which was great. I love my job there. I still freelance in smaller theatres designing scenery now and then when I get time off from CTC. Have a great New Year!
Throughout the years I have volunteered in theaters around Orange County, primarily at Newport Theatre Arts Center (www.ntaconline.com) here in sunny Newport Beach, California. I spent about nine years in the corporate environment and recently started my own consulting practice for nonprofit consulting, Sheppick Consulting (www.sheppickconsulting.com). Residing in Newport Beach, I help nonprofit organizations run smarter by using business practices. Yes, that includes theaters also! I hope to soon begin a project for Orange County Performing Arts Center for development research (www.ocpac.org). Recently I took solo trips to Ireland, France and Belgium. I saw Waiting for Godot at The Gate Theatre (gorgeous) and a modern French ballet at The Abbey Theatre (very small and modern!). Both were fantastic. The Palais Garnier in Paris was breathtaking! No shows then as it was dark. I continue to study ballet here at the local college, but spend most of my time working, volunteering, writing grants and camping.
Gina and her husband, Jeff, moved back to Algona, IA, from Des Moines where they started up a Chiropractic and Massage Clinic. Business is going very well! They just celebrated Griffin's 1st birthday! "I can't believe that I have a 1 year old!" Gina writes. Life in Algona is definitely different; not much theatre around there. Gina hopes to get involved with the community theatre next summer and is looking into coaching Speech and Theatre at the high school next school year. They just bought a 1910 house and it takes every free second they have.
Since graduation, Hilary has worked in costume design and construction from Washington to New Hampshire. When living in Spokane, WA she worked as a wardrobe supervisor as well as a key set costumer for a total of four films. Starting in August 2007 she joined up with the Seasame Street gang touring through Latin and South America and now up and down the East Coast.
Chris writes to say, "We are well and busy! Ruby is 6! Jack is 20 months! Tom still has a corporate job but we are carving out a balance to get on stage again as Jack gets older and are sooo very excited. Tom is auditioning for Long Days Journey later this month at Theatre in the Round, one of his dream roles, the older brother, and has an upcoming audition for a TV show host—just getting details, HGTV I think. I have plans of my own which I will share at a later time!! It's called a Salon Style Evening, just to give you an idea!"
Gregg is working a "real job" in the Twin Cities, but says he does find time for the occasional theatre project. In August 2005 he mounted an original Fringe show called The Candy Ass Club; it was received very well, he writes, and they plan to remount in March. He keeps in touch with those MSU Theatre people that he can and makes it back to his hometown of Mankato every now and then ... though he admits to not seeing the inside of the Andreas Theatre. Shame, Gregg!
Brandy and husband Bradley are still in North Carolina, where Brandy finished her MA last year with a focus in Teaching Composition. In fall 2005 she began her Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, with a focus on Rhetoric and Composition. "It is a great program, but all this reading and writing has really made me miss my performance days. I am hoping to do some small community theatre work this summer."
Chris had appeared in a show at Circa '21 that closed Dec. 31, 2005, and on Jan. 2 jumped into a job with Birmingham Children's Theatre. He will be playing both Lord Hertford and The Minstrel in their upcoming production of The Prince and the Pauper. It will play in-house for about a month before going on tour until May 6, "at which point I'll be looking for another job!"
Cheryl just completed a successful run of Grease at Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse where she played "Sandy" in her 20th professional production since graduating. Earlier this month she had the opportunity to meet with and partake in a master class with Broadway director Philip William McKinley (The Boy from Oz, The Glass Menagerie, Zombie Prom). Philip was a student of Denny Hitchcock's (producer of Circa '21 and MSU alum) when he taught at Augustana College in Moline, IL. Before returning to Circa '21, she performed at Broadway Palm West Dinner Theatre for four months in productions of Camelot, Spirit of the Season and Dr. Doolittle. Cheryl will spend some time in Sleepy Eye before heading back to New York to work, audition, see shows, take classes and be poor. ADDITIONAL UPDATE 8/7/06: Since April of this year Cheryl has been working private parties for the likes of Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Estee Lauder at the French restaurant Brasserie 8 1/2 in New York City. But she is saying goodbye to New York (for now) to do a three-theatre tour of "The Full Monty" for the Prather Family of Theatres. She will debut in Fort Myers, FL (September 21-December 25, 2006) then head to Lancaster, PA, (February 3-April 7, 2007) and then finish out the run in Mesa, AZ (April 11-June 2, 2007). Cheryl is playing "Joanie" and understudying the role of "Vicki."
Sara is part of the first commercial sit-down run of Urinetown: The Musical, which opened March 26 at the Mercury Theatre. She plays the role of "Little Becky Two Shoes." Sara also recently added to her brood: a dog (a little mutt) named Tootsie.
Zillah Glory (her professional name) has been place-hopping since graduation, beginning with a nine-month Missoula Children's Theatre tour. Then it was on to Circa '21 Dinner Theatre in Rock Island, IL, in Annie and as "DeLee" in Smokey Joe's Cafe. From there it was to Baton Rouge, LA, with then-fiancee Jonathan Goodman before going to Wichita, KS, where she performed as "Glinda" in The Wizard of Oz, "Julie" in Getting Momma Married, a couple of children's shows, "Sister Mary Amnesia in Nunsense and then multiple roles in the naughty musical revue based on Ruth Wallis' music called Boobs: The Musical. Zillah then produced a cabaret-style fundraiser in under a month called GodZillahMonster, earning enough money to float the seven weeks in Vancouver, BC, among 49 other international participants at The National Voice Intensive. Vancouver is where she reconnected with mentor Gary Logan. She headed to Charlotte, NC, where she was accepted for the role of "Carly" in Stephen Simon's "Conversations with God," based on the life of author Neale Donald Walsch. That project was filmed in Ashland, OR, and will be out in October of this year. Since heading back to Charlotte, Zillah has played "Rosie" in Gospel Hill, "Sheila" in An Inspector Calls and "Alex" in On the Verge. Most recently, she has accepted the role of "Barbara DeMarco" in Shear Madness under the direction of Michael Fennimore (comedic genius with the stubborn hyperactivity of a Paul Hustoles!). She agreed to take on Equity status for the role; it runs through June 26.
Following a stage management internship for Once Upon a Forest at the Children's Theatre Company, Danae joined the CTC team to work on many projects and shows during the 2002-2003 season. She continues to keep busy there, currently working as the Assistant Stage Manager for Amber Waves.
Mark did his internship at The Guthrie Theater, finally finished his thesis and spent the last year teaching at Dakota State University in Madison, SD. Much of that year involved teaching young minds all about speech and communication. "Many undergrads in Madison can now speak with irony, wit, humor and sarcasm, as God intended," according to Mark. This summer he accepted the design/tech position at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD. This is a three-year-old venue that resembles, in some ways, a baby-Guthrie. In his spare time he advises Bush "43" on laundry detergents and animal husbandry (note the aforementioned irony, wit, humor and sarcasm). At least for the time being, he can be reached at dakgeo@rapidnet.com.
Amanda reports that she is in Knoxville, TN—or was as of Oct. 21—finishing a two-woman multi-media project with her sister, Alecia, called KITTY. She plans to get her Equity card in December and move with Alecia to New York City in June. She directed some one-acts for Chicago's Stage Two Theatre's New Works Festival (PlaySLAM!), and was beginning negotiations for a commission to write a full-length play. She visited fellow MSU alum Peter Ellenstein in Independence, KS, and performed the leading role in a reading at the William Inge Festival.
