Recent News

Alumnus Isaac Gomez (B.A. 2013) has been named the co-recipient of the Lanford Wilson Award along with R. Eric Thomas by the Dramatists Guild of America. This award is presented annually to early career playwrights at the Guild's national conference, which will take place July 28 in New York.  

Summer is officially underway and faculty and students of Texas Theatre and Dance have departed Winship to spread their knowledge and creativity far and wide, from Austin to Minnesota; Cincinnati to New York. In this two-part series, we take a look at what everyone is up to this summer.

Robert Schenkkan (B.A. 1975) has been named a recipient of the Texas Exes Distinguished Alumnus Awards. A Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winner, Schenkkan is the author of several prominent works including All the Way, Building the Wall  and Hacksaw Ridge. The awards ceremony will take place at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center on Friday, November 2.

'A' (What the Black Girl Found While Searching for God) written and performed by Taji Senior, directed by alumnus Matrex Kilgore (B.A. 2015) heads to Ground Floor Theatre this July. Inspired by George Bernard Shaw's The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search For God, 'A' is the story of a person, searching inside and outside of herself to find her place in the world. That search is filtered through a lens of black girlhood. 'A' hopes to ask and answer the question: Who has the right to self-creation?

Away, written by Andrew Hinderaker (M.F.A. 2013), is loosely inspired by Chris Jones' Esquire article of the same name and details an epic love story and a thrilling tale of survival set against humanity’s greatest endeavor – the first human mission to Mars. Netflix premiere date to be announced in 2018. 

One of Backstage's "25 Amazing Acting Colleges You Need to Know," UT Austin provides "conservatory-style teaching...woven together with training in fields like voiceover-for-video-games for a unique approach to learning. Students also have the option to participate in an L.A. residency for first-hand experience in the industry. If you’re looking for an intimate learning experience within a larger university located in a funky city, consider UT Austin."

Kathy Dunn Hamrick (B.A. 1981) of Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company was recently added to the ranks of the Austin Arts Hall of Fame along with four other local creatives for their shared commitment to helping the arts thrive in Austin.

Alumnus Abe Koogler (M.F.A. 2014) recently received an Obie Award for playwriting for his work Fulfillment Center, presented at the Manhattan Theatre Club. The Obie Awards recognize the best writers, actors, directors and designers of Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theatre.