Recent News

Faculty member Lisa B. Thompson has created a list of plays by African American playwrights to serve as an aide to better understand our present moment and the cries for reform and racial equality heard across the nation.  Her list includes classical works as well as contemporary plays that explore varying forms of Black resistance, encourage social change and provide inspiration for those who continue to fight for an end to racial injustice. "In difficult times like these I find great solace and inspiration in the words and magic of Black theatre. Gather your people and share this magic." 

Alumna Felicia Fitzpatrick (B.A. 2014) recently wrote an article for Playbill highlighting the work of playwrights who put queerness and Blackness at the forefront of their work. Among those listed are faculty member Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, author of Marcus; or the Secret of Sweet, recently performed at Texas Theatre and Dance as part of the 2019/2020 Season and In the Red and Brown Water (Texas Theatre and Dance, 2016). The article focuses on artists who have used theatre to share Black LGBTQIA+ stories, an existence that Fitzpatrick describes as "vast and complex, with identities occupying their own spaces and offering their own perspectives. This community is not a monolith, but rather a tapestry of different experiences of being othered and oppressed."

Alumna Tyler English-Beckwith (B.A. 2016) was recently awarded Leah Ryan's Fund for Emerging Women Writers for her play Mingus. This recognition--established to support and encourage the work of emerging women, trans and non-binary playwrights--has earned her a cash prize and a public reading of Mingus at Vassar & New York Stage and Film's Powerhouse Theater. English-Beckwith's piece was selected out of over 400 applicants and stood out among the other submissions as a "smart, dynamic, and moving play."

Tackling choreography in the style of contact improvisation seems nearly impossible in a time when physical contact is limited. In Dr. Rebecca Rossen’s Dance History II class, undergraduate students Ashley Stone and Lindsay Ball were tasked with exploring this style for a group presentation. As their class transferred to an online setting, the two had to find a way to incorporate aspects of contact improvisation, a form rooted in physical collaboration, while maintaining social distancing restrictions.

The members of The Fine Arts Diversity Committee (FADC) stand in solidarity with our students and colleagues of color.  We join Moody College of Communication’s Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion Ya’Ke Smith, who recently sent this call out to UT Administration: “As we move toward creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all, and continue toward our goal of affirming those that have been historically marginalized, we must take a stance that acknowledges the impact of this kind of violence and racial profiling on our community, and we must make it crystal clear that we understand the pain caused to those affected.” 

Alumnus Andrew Aaron Valdez (B.F.A. 2017) was recently recognized by the Cleveland Public Theatre in their "CPT Artist Spotlight Series." Valdez, a 2019/2020 Premiere Fellow, actor, playwright and stage manager, was recently seen in Teatro Público de Cleaveland's Marisol and his original work Coyote was performed in part at Entry Point 2020. The CPT Premiere Fellowship recognizes artists whose work centers on new play development and original works. 

M.F.A. in Playwriting candidate and Michener Center for Writers fellow Jaymes Sanchez was recently awarded The University of Texas at Austin's Keene Prize for Literature for his play The Cucuy Will Find You. This prize is one of the world's largest literary prizes, awarding $50,000 to one undergraduate or graduate student each year in recognition of creations that exemplify "the most vivid and vital portrayal of the American experience in microcosm." Sanchez's play features aspects of Mexican-American folklore, addressing the balancing act that Latinx millennials face as they struggle between traditional Latin-American ideas and modern day aspirations toward individual success and the American dream.

SPACE on Ryder Farm has selected alumnus Isaac Gomez (B.A. 2013) as a writing resident for their 2020 season. As a member of The Working Farm writer's group, he has earned five non-consecutive weeks on Ryder Farm, providing him with a creative space to continue his work, three meals a day and opportunities for collaboration with fellow residents. The residency culminates in readings of their work to their fellow residents in special locations throughout Ryder Farm and then to the public later in the year.

Kimberly Belflower (M.F.A. 2017) has been selected as one of ten commissioned artists for Studio Theatre's 2020-2021 season. Championing new works, the Washington D.C.-based theatre seeks out new and established writers to develop plays for their stages. As a commissioned artist in their Studio R&D program, Belflower will receive support, time and resources to develop her work from inception to the first production.

Faculty member Kirk Lynn's novel-turned-screenplay Rules for Werewolves is slated as a highlight at Frontières Proof of Concept, a section of the Festival de Cannes as part of the Marché du Film. After premiering as a short film at SXSW online this year, Lynn and director Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux partnered again to expand the film to feature-length, starring Finn Wolfhard of Netflix's Stranger Things. At the film market, a teaser of Rules for Werewolves will be presented to potential producers and financiers in hopes of partnering and moving further along in the production process.