Alumni in the News

Erica Nagel (MFA 2008) has been named the Director of Education and Engagement at McCarter Theatre Center. She also serves as a Lecturer at Princeton University.

Congratulations Bill Craver (B.F.A '52, M.F.A. '56 in Drama)! Bill, a distinguished Broadway producer and Company Manager, will be awarded with the Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre. The 2013 Tony Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, June 9th on CBS, and are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing. 

The University of Exeter's Drama Department is performing their original show, More than the Sum, as part of the Cohen New Works Festival. UT alum, Avital Stolar (B.A.T.D. 2011), is now working on her Masters in Theater at Exeter and traveled from England to her alma mater to perform. Stolar explained, “Through connecting the two universities, we have engaged in a cultural exchange in which masters theater students from UT and Exeter share ideas from across the world and explore them in rehearsals. Meeting together in Austin will enable our collaborators from UT to see the final product they helped to create. As applied theater students, we all have an interest in developing artwork with the community and are excited to learn from each other about different ways of working with young people."

Fadi Skeiker (Ph.D., Theatre, 2009) is currently assistant dean for student affairs in the College of Arts and Design and assistant professor at the University of Jordan. In addition to his work in academia, he has continued to lead practice-based research projects in the field of applied theatre in Jordan, using theatre as a tool to address issues related to women, youth and social change.

Alan E. Hicks (DMA, 2009) authored a book entitled Singer and Actor: Acting Technique for the Operatic Performer. The book was published by Amadeus Press in paperback in 2011 and ebook formats in 2012 and contains contributions from Professor Franchelle S. Dorn.

Elliott Forrest (BA, Drama, 1979) is a familiar voice for fans of classical music in New York City. He can be heard regularly on WQXR, Classical 105.9. Each year he produces an annual radio reading of A Christmas Carol and this year directed Brian Cox as Ebenezer Scrooge. Last summer, he produced an extremely successful large scale concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a new production will be created for summer 2013. Forrest has also signed a contract to create a production for the Houston Symphony in 2014. Additionally, he recently signed a deal with Simon and Schuster to write a book about classical music with Alec Baldwin.

The Fierce Backbone theater company, co-founded by alum Stephen Blackburn (MFA, Play Writing, 1997), had the world premiere of their work The Rock of Abandon on October 20th. Directed by Tiger Reel and written by Stephen Blackburn, The Rock of Abandon will run through November 18th at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Presidential Suite, a play currently featuring alumna Liza Binkley (BA, Theatre and Dance, 2007), recently received a four star review in The London Times. Presented in conjunction with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2012, Presidential Suite by B&G Productions (New York) runs through August 18, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Department of Theatre & Dance alumna Denny Berry (BFA, 1973) was recently announced as the Head of the newly formed Musical Theatre Program at the University of Utah Department of Theatre.

Berry is an esteemed director, choreographer, educator and writer both on Broadway and around the world. She looks forward to bringing together her ongoing relationship with the New York theater world and her students in the Department of Theatre.

Pamela Ribon (BFA, Drama Production, 1997) has just released her latest novel, You Take It From Here. Pamela has written for several television comedies, most notably the Emmy Award-winning Samantha Who?. A national bestselling author, Pamela has adapted her popular novels for both film and television. She was an Oprah.com contributor, where her novel about divorce and roller derby, Going in Circles, was selected as an Oprah.com Book Club pick. She was also a flagship contributor to TelevisionWithoutPity.com. Using her loyal Internet fan base, Ribon sponsors book drives for libraries in need at DeweyDonationSystem.org. Visit her at pamie.com or follow her @pamelaribon.