Recent News

The Department of Theatre and Dance is pleased to celebrate the hiring of Katherine Freer, who will join the department in the fall semester as an assistant professor as part of the UT Live Design and Production program (integrated media for live performance). Freer, who has served as a lecturer at the department since 2022, is a multi-media artist, filmmaker, organizer and educator with a prolific background in story, science and civic engagement.

Director Jenny Lavery (M.F.A. 2024) spoke with BroadwayWorld about the magic of bringing The Wizard of Oz to the stage at San Pedro Playhouse. The production also features David Gonima (student) as "Scarecrow" and Jackie R. Pérez (B.A. 2018) as the stage manager. 

The Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin is thrilled to announce the hire of Dr. Luke Williams, who will join the department in the fall 2024 semester as an Assistant Professor in Performance as Public Practice and Expanding Approaches to American Arts areas at the College of Fine Arts.  

Assistant professor of acting Corey Allen has been recognized as the recipient of the 2023-2024 Department of Theatre and Dance Teaching Excellence Award, a prestigious teaching accolade that celebrates his contributions to student success within the department. This award is granted to educators within the Department of Theatre and Dance who go above and beyond in their work both in and out of the classroom. 

Faculty member KJ Sanchez has been selected for The Ground Floor Residency Lab at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. There, she'll develop her one-person play The Making of a Saint.

Alum Katie Folger (B.A. 2013) was voted Best Actor in The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2024 Readers Poll, recognizing her "energy, wit, and brilliant charm" as a performer. 

Faculty member Gesel Mason is among 10 recipients of the 2024-2025 Teaching Innovation Grant, which provides support to faculty members seeking to develop new teaching methods and tools for the upcoming school year. 

Hayden Daniel Cox (B.F.A. 2022), David De La Barcena (B.F.A. 2022) and Caroline Beagles (B.F.A. 2020) recently completed the short film Going Dark with Earnest Sweetgrass: Or a Comprehensive Guide on How to Die. The film, directed by De La Barcena and written by Cox who also stars alongside Beagles, was described as a "philosophical treat" in a five-star review by Short Films Matter. 

The New Yorker spoke with faculty member Annie Baker about her debut film Janet Planet, from her inspiration when writing the work to the discoveries she made while directing and the ways her background in theatre carried over to filmmaking.