Recent News

The College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin has named choreographer, scholar and administrator Peter Carpenter as chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, effective July 1. Carpenter joins the department from his most recent role as director of the School of Theatre and Dance at the University of Florida's College of the Arts. He will hold the Z.T. Scott Family Chair in Drama.

Alumni Giana Blazquez-Bultman (M.F.A. 2022), Laura Epperson (M.F.A. 2020) and Kati Koerner (M.F.A. 1998) reflect on their experiences working with educators in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their reflections were shared at the Let's Read at the Tertiary Level Student Symposium this past May.

Graduate students Mateo Hernandez, Allen Porterie and Deen Rawlins-Harris were selected as Point Foundation BIPOC scholars, earning financial and community support for their studies during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Dr. Jesse O'Rear (Ph.D. 2020) served as a guest speaker on HowlRound Theatre Common's Gender Euphoria podcast. He talked about his experiences with applied theatre, including his work with the UT Gender and Sexuality Center's Peers for Pride program and his mentorship from faculty member Megan Alrutz, which has inspired his current work empowering LGBTQ students and histories at Texas A&M University.

Fault Line Theatre will present a reading of Legitime, written by playwriting alum Zachariah Ezer (M.F.A. 2023), on September 15, 2023. His new script will be on stage as part of their Irons in the Fire series, showcasing in-development works and celebrating the new play process.

Austin Playhouse's production of Big Fish features actor Connor Barr (B.A. 2018), lighting designer Mark Novick (B.A. 2000) and costume designer Jessi Rose (M.F.A. 2019). Performances will take place June 2-July 2, 2023.

Earlier this May, four graduate students travelled to Pennsylvania to perform for young audiences at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Their interactive performance was created to help young people understand the concept of opposites, with inspiration from the exhibition Opposites Abstract: A Mo Willems Exhibit.

Alum Amanda Salazar (M.F.A. 2013) has joined Great River Shakespeare Festival's 2023 company as their Director of Inclusion & Belonging and Mental Health Coordinator. She's also joined by Ashley Bowen (B.A. 2021), who will perform in multiple productions as a member of their acting company.

In mid-May, students, faculty and alumni traveled to Arizona to attend the TYA/USA 2023 Festival & Conference: AMPLIFY. There, they networked and learned alongside fellow theatre-makers, with many alumni performing and leading breakout sessions throughout the festival.