Recent News

Faculty member Kirk Lynn and collaborator Lana Lesley, two founding members of Rude Mechs, discuss their current residency with the Department of Theatre and Dance, past performances and what's next for future creations. 

Faculty member Dr. Lisa B. Thompson earned a spring 2021 Creation Fund Award from the National Performance Network for her new work The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body, which is co-commissioned by The Vortex, Fusebox Festival, the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and the Pyramid Theatre Company.

This fall, the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin welcomes incoming faculty member and award-winning scenic designer Josafath Reynoso who will serve as a professor of scenic design in the UT Live Design area. Reynoso has designed work both across the United States and around the world and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field.

Playwright Reina Hardy (M.F.A. 2014), co-directors Rudy Ramirez (M.A. 2012) and Marcus McQuirter (Ph.D. 2012), actors Oktavea LaTio (B.A. 2017) and Christina Blake (B.A. 2021) and others members of the team behind Annie Jump and the Library of Heaven discuss the magical elements that make The Vortex Theatre's production a joy for audience members of all ages. 

In pursuit of the missing element of in-person theatre, the team of artists behind Community Garden (UTNT (UT New Theatre) navigated a unique rehearsal process. From growing their set in the Campus Environmental Center Microfarm to monitoring rainy weather during performance week, their resilience brought to fruition UT Theatre and Dance’s first in-person performance in over a year.

UT News spoke with faculty member Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, along with the other 2020-2021 President's Associates Teaching Excellence Award recipients, about the future of education. Bonin-Rodriguez shared how making personal connections with his students in the wake of tragedy and creating a collaborative learning environment has helped him grow as an educator.

After being awarded a MacDowell Fellowship in the spring of 2020, faculty member and playwright Dr. Lisa B. Thompson will join 46 other artists for a MacDowell Summer Residency, aimed at identifying and celebrating emerging and established art-makers and providing them with a creative space free of distractions.