Theatre Arts Archives - �鶹ӰԺ University

Costume-design work, including summer experience, has senior eyeing career in theater

Communications — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 21:02:38 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University senior Jordan Wallin-Swanson grew up in a family of creators. So, when she received her first sewing machine before the age of 10, it seemed inevitable that she would explore her own creativity.��

“I have a big world of people that sew in my life,” said Wallin-Swanson, who is majoring in business and entrepreneurship and theatre arts. “My grandma does a lot of quilting. My mom would make me costumes and pajamas and really likes to make curtains. I always have someone around me that’s crafting or creating.”��

For the last 10 years, Wallin-Swanson, a native of Georgetown, Kentucky, honed her craft at her sewing machine. One of her first projects was making whale plushies with a pattern made by her dad.��

Her passion for sewing took a turn in high school when she got involved with theater productions. As a senior in high school, she designed costumes for their production of Beauty and the Beast JR. At a relatively new school, Wallin-Swanson had to figure out her process along the way.��

“It was a lot of Googling,” Wallin-Swanson said. “How do you costume design? What does this look like? How do you put together a budget? That was a really good start for me, because when you have to figure it out like that, you remember it.”��

Jordan Wallin-Swanson works with sophomore Aimsley Shearer in �鶹ӰԺ’s costume shop. (Photo by Jacob��Hanekamp ’25)

Although she had been sewing for the past 10 years, coming to �鶹ӰԺ offered Wallin-Swanson her first opportunity to receive formal training in sewing and costuming.��

One of her first classes at �鶹ӰԺ, Costume Crafts and Technology, allowed Wallin-Swanson to explore new sewing techniques. The course was taught by Kärin Kopischke, instructor of theatre arts and costume shop supervisor, who also helped Wallin-Swanson on her path to working in the �鶹ӰԺ costume shop.��

“I came in knowing how to sew, but she (Kopischke) will meet you where you’re at,” Wallin-Swanson said. “We have plenty of people that come into the costume shop and don’t know how to sew but want to learn. By the time they leave, they’re fluent and efficient in the costume shop, and it’s really fun to watch them learn.”��

Most recently, Wallin-Swanson worked in the shop as costume designer and shop supervisor for the fall 2024 musical, Working. She designed the costumes for three of the characters; in addition, she assisted everyone else in constructing costume pieces.��

Working presented a challenge as it “defied time and place.” The musical, based on the 1974 book by Studs Terkel of the same name, follows 26 professionals in their daily lives. A revised version of the musical was put out in 2012, offering a look at how professions may change but hopes and fears around careers do not.��

“Each of these stories are intertwined and map together, and it’s really pretty to see that happen,” Wallin-Swanson said. “We have people that are dressed to period in the ‘70s, and we have people who are modern day. We need to make sure that the person in the ‘70s doesn’t feel too distant that we can’t hold onto their story anymore.”��

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Wallin-Swanson’s involvement in the theater department also showed her what life after college could be like. When she first arrived at �鶹ӰԺ, she planned on becoming a high school librarian.��

“I really enjoyed sewing, I really enjoyed theater, but I didn’t feel like there were job opportunities out there for it,” Wallin-Swanson said. “I got here, and I met Kärin and some of the other folks here in the theater department, and I was like, this is something I could make work.”��

Now in her senior year at �鶹ӰԺ, Wallin-Swanson is gearing up for her senior project, which will be a “bible of bibles” for costume shops. Every costume shop has a “bible” for each show, which includes the script, the cast’s measurements, the designs, and anything else the costume department might need for the show. She will also be looking at how those “bibles” may look in different parts of the world.��

Wallin-Swanson also credits Kopischke with helping her get her first job in the wardrobe world, working over the summer as the wardrobe supervisor at Northern Sky Theater in Door County.��

“It starts out as a professional relationship, and it turns into one that you really want to foster,” Wallin-Swanson said of her relationship with Kopischke.��

At Northern Sky, Wallin-Swanson gained experience running her own department.��

“I felt very underprepared going in, and when I got there, I realized I actually have all of the skills needed to do this,” Wallin-Swanson said. “I’ve been prepared for this.”��

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Staged reading marks next step in play written by �鶹ӰԺ’s Troy during Fulbright year in Ireland

Communications — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:22:35 +0000

A staged reading of a play �鶹ӰԺ University theatre arts professor Timothy X. Troy ’85 wrote while spending a year in Ireland as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar will be presented March 28 in Cloak Theater.

Run with the Hare (…and hunt with the hound) is the result of Troy’s research into the life of Dan Stapleton, whose contributions to the Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921 were both daring and secretive.

Troy, the��J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama and professor of theatre arts, spent the 2022-23 academic year in Ireland as the recipient of a��Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to��teach in a master’s program for stage and screen at the University College Dublin (UCD). While there, he continued his research and wrote the play.

Timothy X. Troy works with actors for a reading of Run with the Hare (…and hunt with the hound) by KATS Theatre Group + Barnstorm Studio at the Home Rule Club in Kilkenny, Ireland, in June.

The first staged reading of Run with the Hare took place in the Barnstorm Studio at the Home Rule Club in Kilkenny, Ireland, giving Troy a chance to test his Irish dialogue with Irish actors.

“The action of the play takes place in Kilkenny, so having a Kilkenny-based cast and audience, I was able to test the accuracy of all the place names, locales, and historical references, and more importantly, the associations locals make with those places and events,” Troy said. “I made a few adjustments to the play based on that feedback.”

The March 28 reading at �鶹ӰԺ, set for 7 p.m., will be the first reading in the U.S. Four professional actors—Stephen Spencer (from TV series Fargo and Empire and the film Public Enemies), Olivia Gregorich ’17, Alan Kopischke, and Jacque Troy—will be joined in the cast by three �鶹ӰԺ seniors, Ella Rose Schaefer, Alec Welhouse, and Jon Winkler.

Troy will direct the production and then partake in a talk-back session with the audience.

The staged reading, Troy said, is a significant step in the development of the play. It’s an opportunity for him as the playwright to hear the dialogue with fresh ears because the audience is hearing the play for the first time.

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The story, Troy said, is focused on Stapleton, a three-time All-Ireland hurling champion, pharmacist, and happily married father of two. He awakens his commitment to Irish Nationalism as the First Dáil and the Irish Volunteers struggle to establish the new Irish State in 1918. From that moment until the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921, Stapleton manufactures and distributes war materials and gathers important intelligence, all while winning golf tournaments, nurturing a growing family, attending to the ailments of his community, decoding messages disguised as folklore, and gathering allies among those who appear to support British occupation, Troy said.

Troy first heard about Stapleton in 2016 while visiting with friend and occasional collaborator Lucy Stapleton, Dan Stapleton’s great-granddaughter. The two attended a museum exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising. Troy learned that his friend’s aunt, Helen (Stapleton) Ledwidge, had written a thesis on Dan Stapleton while studying at UCD.

“Her research, additional Stapleton family letters, an unpublished memoir of Dan Stapleton’s youngest son, photos and documents, and Dan’s 1953 oral history of his experiences during the Anglo-Irish War served as my primary sources for the play,” Troy said.

He also consulted with modern Irish historians from UCD, Trinity College, and Maynooth University and explored archival material from the National Library of Ireland, the Irish Military Archives, UCD archives, and the National Folklore Collection.

Ledwidge and other Stapleton family members attended the reading of Troy’s play in Kilkenny.

“He sent me a copy of his first draft, and when I read it,��I was blown away by his take on Dan’s��story, his grasp of Irish dialogue, humor, and events,” Ledwidge said. “He organized a first reading in Dan’s old hometown of Kilkenny. The family went to see it, and it was so wonderful to see it live; we were blown away at how good the story looked and sounded on stage.”

As someone who has dedicated significant time to researching and documenting her family history, Ledwidge said she is thrilled to see her grandfather’s story come to life on stage.

“I hope when Run with the Hare is eventually performed live it will be received with great applause as it is in my opinion a great piece of writing by Tim,” she said. “We all wish him every accolade due to him and the recognition that he is indeed a great playwright.”

Troy’s year in Ireland was a return engagement. He taught there during a residency 15 years earlier.

A 1985 graduate of �鶹ӰԺ, Troy has been teaching in �鶹ӰԺ’s theatre arts program since 1997 (he also taught from 1989 to 1992), with a focus on acting, directing, script analysis, and playwriting.

�ճ��is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.��Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than��400,000��participants from��over��160 countries the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research, exchange ideas,��and contribute to finding solutions to shared��international��concerns.

On stage

What: Staged reading of Run with the Hare (…and hunt with the hound), written by Timothy X. Troy

When: 7 p.m. March 28

Where: Cloak Theater in the Music-Drama Center

Cost: Free

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Experiences in Ireland inspire creative setting for �鶹ӰԺ’s production of ‘As You Like It’

Communications — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:56:38 +0000

The immortal words from William Shakespeare, “All the world’s a stage,” take on a very literal meaning for �鶹ӰԺ Theatre this Winter Term.��

As the company prepares for their play, As You Like It (Feb. 15-17 in Cloak Theater in �鶹ӰԺ University’s Music-Drama Center), several members of the cast and crew are using their recent experiences abroad to inform the setting and creative choices in the play.��

Directed by Timothy X. Troy, the J. Thomas and Julie E. Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama, As You Like It is a comedic tale of an assorted cast of characters who are divided between the restriction of the court and the freedom of the Forest of Arden. However, rather than setting the play in the woods of the English Midlands, Troy drew upon his recent Fulbright Scholar experience and set the play in Ireland.��

“I had never thought of it as an Irish play until I was in a wonderful, beautiful, scenic area outside of Dublin called County Wicklow,” said Troy. The “beautiful, green, and lush” scenery of the area inspired his choice to set the play in Ireland.��

Senior Maddie Guest performs during a dress rehearsal of “As You Like It.”

As You Like It is not an Irish play, Troy explained, and actors will not be using accents, but the props, costumes, and scenery will help evoke the beauty and ruggedness of the Irish countryside.��

How space and environment inform the decisions and emotions of the characters was at the forefront of Troy’s decision. In most productions of As You Like It, he said, the Forest of Arden is so distant that the court essentially disappears. By using the setting of County Wicklow, Troy imagined the characters could literally look back on their old lives.��

Seniors Nihan Baysal, a theatre arts major from Watervliet, New York, and Maddie Guest, a theatre arts and music education double major from Appleton, used pictures from a specific vantage point from a gentry estate, Powerscourt, to design the set.��

“It taught me a new way of thinking of the environment of the play,” Troy said. “You didn’t remove the memory of where you left.”��

Seniors Maddie Guest and Jon Winkler take center stage in a scene from “As You Like It.”

Although Troy admits that he is usually drawn to Shakespeare’s histories, the comedies provide other complexities to dig into. While the histories have more external conflicts—battles and wars—the comedies tend to have more internal conflicts, something which As You Like It is steeped in.��

“They’re not ancient stories; they’re next to modern,” Troy said. “The fact that it’s 400 years old actually enhances its value. It helps us understand that people are people.”��

For junior Nina Broberg and senior Jon Winkler, the timing of the play could not have been better. Both theatre arts majors had just returned from their study abroad experience at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.��

According to both Broberg and Winkler, seeing the beauty and variety of the Irish countryside in person helped them inform their characterization and acting choices.��

“I think that in this process, it’s been really helpful to think about who you would be if you grew up somewhere that was like that,” said Broberg, a theatre arts major from Circle Pines, Minnesota.��

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Juniors Nina Broberg and Silas O’Connell rehearse a scene in “As You Like It.”

In the play, Broberg plays the shepherdess Phoebe, who has always resided in the Forest of Arden. She is strong-willed and speaks her mind, emblematic of the freedom she has in the woods.��

Meanwhile, Winkler, a theatre arts major from Evanston, Illinois, plays Orlando, a nobleman who is kept in poverty by his brother. Orlando, said Winkler, lives outside the “norm” and between society (the court) and freedom (the forest).��

Understanding how their characters are influenced by place, Winkler said, helped paint a clear image of how it influenced their lives.��

“There are remnants of structures in society throughout Ireland,” Winkler said. “You’ll find an old castle that’s crumbling and decrepit in the middle of nowhere.” ��

Both Broberg and Winkler came back from Ireland inspired to create. For the first three weeks of their international experience, they explored the Irish Fringe Festival, where “new and emerging artists in Ireland” showcased their work. They then traveled to Gaiety and were immersed in theatre with rigorous, 10-hour days of theory and acting.��

Their experience concluded with a showcase, which they performed the day before they returned to the United States.��

For Broberg, the experience gave her the drive to create her own work and use her free time toward her development.��

“It really helped me make a lot of discoveries with the way that I work best as an actor,” Broberg said.��

Senior Jana Casey rehearses for��As You Like It, opening Feb. 15.

Photo gallery:

As You Like It will be performed in the Cloak Theater in the Music-Drama Center:��

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15��
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16��
2:30 and 7:30 p.m.��Saturday, Feb. 17

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�鶹ӰԺ ’17 alumnus pursues his passion for movies, builds creative film content

Communications — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 14:02:52 +0000

Jacob Dalton ’17 came to �鶹ӰԺ with thoughts of a career on Broadway but discovered a passion for the world of film along the way.

Now Dalton, who majored in theatre arts with a minor in creative writing, has started his own Los Angeles-based company with director Adam Moses, focused on cinematic content creation.

Dalton, lead producer and writer, and Moses, lead producer and director, founded Hot Lunch Productions in late 2021. The company films narrative content, music videos, demo reels, advertisements, social media content, and more.

Jacob Dalton ’17

“We’re capable of shooting anything,” Dalton said. “However, we mostly work on projects at or below a $30K budget. Our specialty is shooting these projects at a high quality regardless of the budget.”

They also continue to pursue their own films. Their latest, Dangerous, hasn’t been officially released yet but got a sneak preview at �鶹ӰԺ in the fall when Dalton and Moses came to campus to talk about the film industry with �鶹ӰԺ students.

A creative journey

Dalton said he arrived at �鶹ӰԺ as a student not knowing anything about filmmaking.

“It was always about acting, it was always about theater,” he said. “It was like I was bouncing back and forth between wanting to be on Broadway or film and TV.”

It was in the creative environment of �鶹ӰԺ that Dalton said he found his path.

Dalton first learned of �鶹ӰԺ from his dad, who attended a yearly jazz camp at Björklunden in Door County. Dalton liked how many clubs and extracurriculars �鶹ӰԺ offered compared to other schools.

“I really liked the campus culture,” he said. “…I loved how when everyone went to lunch they just left their bags outside the doors at Warch. I was like, ‘If everyone trusts enough to leave their stuff outside the cafeteria, I feel like that’s the place I want to go to school.’”

Once on campus, Dalton involved himself heavily in theater productions along with classics, writing, and history classes.

“That taught me more about acting than just classwork would have,” he said. “…You learn a lot about other people and working with directors when you’re actually doing productions, and in a lot of bigger schools, you don’t get that chance.”

Dalton was considering a Broadway route but found himself increasingly leaning toward filmmaking.

“I decided that I wanted to make movies instead of waiting for someone who decided to make movies to give me a job,” Dalton said.

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After �鶹ӰԺ, Dalton got an internship in film development, which means taking intellectual properties like scripts and helping to develop them into movies.

“Creative producing gives you a very cool and unique opportunity to be creatively involved with all aspects of a project without being technically proficient in every aspect of filmmaking,” Dalton said.

A return to �鶹ӰԺ

With six narrative projects under his belt, Dalton said he wanted to give back to the school that inspired his career path.

Working in the fall with �鶹ӰԺ’s Career Center, including Assistant Director Laura Hoekstra, Dalton organized From �鶹ӰԺ to Hollywood, an event for �鶹ӰԺ’s aspiring filmmakers.

Dalton and Hoekstra presented two seminars about the industry and what Dalton does at his company. They also held a pizza social and spoke about getting started as an artist. They screened Dangerous and held a Q&A afterwards.

“It was really just an honest conversation where I was like, ‘Frankly, this stuff is hard…you’re going to have to sacrifice a ton and it’s totally worth it. You should get that into your mindset now,’” Dalton said.

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Being honest and realistic is important to Dalton. He said an essential part of the industry is how you present and sell your skills, abilities, and assets.

“Once you start to view the industry as an industry it stops being so terrifying,” he said. “…It’s not that you have the secret ‘it’ factor, it’s that you can provide a better benefit to a set.”

Dalton remembers a moment where he said his career path began. A fan of Renaissance fairs as a child, he told his mother he’d like to own his own stand at the fair someday.

“She was like, ‘That’s really nice, Jacob, but have you ever considered owning the Ren Fest?’” Dalton said.

That inspired him to be ambitious.

“I’ve realized that as much as I wanted to act, I wanted to create movies more,” Dalton said.

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�鶹ӰԺ dance lecturer Kraker chosen for prestigious MacDowell Fellowship

Communications — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 15:24:12 +0000

Mauriah Donegan Kraker, lecturer of dance, has received a prestigious 2023 MacDowell Artist-in-Residency Fellowship.

Selected from a pool of more than 1,800 applicants, she joins 141 other fellows – architects, composers, filmmakers, interdisciplinary artists, theater artists, visual artists, writers, and poets – from 23 states and 11 countries for a month-long residency. MacDowell’s stated mission “is to nurture the arts by offering talented individuals an inspiring residential environment in which to produce enduring works of the creative imagination.”

While in Peterborough, New Hampshire, this spring, Kraker will research and further develop a new dance work alongside New York-based collaborator Leah Wilks. Together, they function as the duo , serving as co-choreographers, performers, and sound creators.

“A MacDowell Fellowship deeply supports and nourishes my choreographic research, encourages me to stay with an imaginative state of research/play while being fully supported with space and time in a way that is not often available to a dance artist/educator,” Kraker said.��

Learn more about dance at �鶹ӰԺ

This innovative program will nourish you as you take an embodied, experimental approach across disciplines.��

The creative work during this fellowship will be in sync with the learning happening at �鶹ӰԺ, said Kraker, who teaches movement practices in the Theatre Arts department.

“This is the dance and artmaking we believe in and facilitate in each dance class at �鶹ӰԺ: deep conversation around artistic process, interdisciplinary collaboration, student/faculty multi-media collaborations,” she said. “This cross-pollination of idea, interest, training is what makes �鶹ӰԺ unique and is what sets up our artists for post-�鶹ӰԺ success. I look forward to returning to �鶹ӰԺ in four weeks and sharing my research methodologies with my classes at �鶹ӰԺ.”

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Claire Chamberlin finds inspiration in French-to-English translation project

Communications — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:36:37 +0000

As the saying goes: when one door closes, another one opens.

�鶹ӰԺ junior Claire Chamberlin had plans to study abroad in Senegal during 2021 Spring Term, but the program was paused due to COVID-19 pandemic protocols. However, this turn of events gave Chamberlin, who is pursuing a double major in global studies and French, the opportunity to pursue a new project—the translation of four Molière-inspired plays from French to English. Two were later chosen to be performed on stage.

Chamberlin enrolled in Translation and Stylistics, a course taught by Eilene Hoft-March, the Milwaukee-Downer College and College Endowment Association Professor of Liberal Studies and professor of French. Near the end of the term, Chamberlin was introduced to the Molière project.

Hoft-March was working with Kathy Privatt, the James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama and associate professor of theatre arts, in coordinating a summer research opportunity in the French Department for a student who would translate four short plays that were retellings of works by Molière or inspired by Molière.

“Professor Kathy Privatt told me about these plays,” Hoft-March said. “We discussed how ‘interdisciplinary’—and cool—it would be to have a student of French translate a couple of them for performance at �鶹ӰԺ.”

The production, Molière Inspired, was performed during Winter Term in the Cloak Theatre by �鶹ӰԺ theatre students, directed by Privatt.

Take a look behind the scenes of Molière Inspired

Chamberlin, from��Rhoadesville, Virginia, had only experienced French on DuoLingo before taking her first French class at �鶹ӰԺ. She took to it quickly. A year later, she was offered the opportunity to translate these plays. But she said she was never intimidated by the work.��

“I was really excited to have the opportunity,” Chamberlin said. “I was excited to be challenged.”

For Chamberlin, the most difficult part of her work was translating French idiomatic phrases and cultural references because some literal translations did not make sense in English. And although it was tough, Chamberlin took joy in solving the translation puzzles and felt rewarded each time.

“The job of the translator is to translate as literally as possible, whenever possible, but when literal translation doesn’t make sense, you need to be comfortable throwing it out the window because your job is to capture the spirit rather than the letter,” Chamberlin said.

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From research fellowships to experiential learning funds, there are many ways for �鶹ӰԺ students to access funding for research.

Whenever she felt stuck, Chamberlin would rely on the guidance and help of Hoft-March. Her knowledge, patience, and humor throughout the experience was invaluable, Chamberlin said.

And Hoft-March sang the praises of Chamberlin’s diligence.

“She was attentive to accuracy, register, aesthetic, and cultural connotations,” Hoft-March said. “For lovers of language, translation can be a banquet and a brain teaser at the same time. Claire knows all about both aspects of the art.”

At the end of summer, Chamberlin met with Privatt and passed along her work. Seeing that work then performed on stage was magical.

“The things that actors did with the words that I had written were incredible,” Chamberlin said. “I am so grateful that so many people put so much effort into it and made it so beautiful.”

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Theatre professor Troy to spend year in Ireland on Fulbright fellowship

Communications — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 18:59:26 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University theatre professor Timothy X. Troy is heading to Ireland for the coming academic year, the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar award to teach in a master’s program for stage and screen at the University College Dublin.

For Troy, the J. Thomas and Julie Esch Hurvis Professor of Theatre and Drama and professor of theatre arts, it’s a welcome return to Ireland; he taught there during a residency 15 years ago.

In addition to teaching, Troy will research and write a play set during the Irish War of Independence (1919-21) and will serve on a development team for a newly launched program that aims to help students build careers in cultural fields such as theatre, music, literature, and film.

“I’m delighted to anticipate a full year of rediscovering this vital city, which is the cultural and economic center of Ireland,” Troy said.

Receiving the Fulbright is a deserving honor for Troy, said �鶹ӰԺ Provost and Dean of Faculty Catherine Gunther Kodat.

“Having myself enjoyed a Fulbright fellowship and then served for three years on the faculty peer review committee for Fulbright applications in Central and Eastern Europe, I know well the tremendous strengths and virtues of the Fulbright program,” she said. “These are truly transformative experiences—both for U.S. faculty and for their peers and students in the host country. And I can think of no better �鶹ӰԺ ambassador than Professor Troy. This is a wonderful opportunity for Tim, and for the university as well.”

�鶹ӰԺ students, alumni named Fulbright semifinalists

Troy, a 1985 graduate of �鶹ӰԺ, has been teaching in �鶹ӰԺ’s theatre arts program since 1997 (he also taught from 1989 to 1992), with a focus on acting, directing, script analysis, and playwriting. He’s also been a key player in establishing �鶹ӰԺ’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship program, which meshes well with the work he’ll be doing with Ireland’s new Creative Futures Academy (CFA).��

“I hope to learn some best practices from my Irish colleagues,” Troy said. “I’ll be working with a consortium formed by the Irish government consisting of the National College of Art and Design, the Institute of Art, Design + Technology (Dun Laoghaire), and University College Dublin. CFA’s focus on preparing students to live creative lives while supporting the larger economy is a perspective I plan to bring back to �鶹ӰԺ when I return.”

Meanwhile, Troy will create a new play, Writing Across the Diaspora: Exploring the Irish War of Independence for Stage and Radio, set during the Irish War of Independence and using primary research on an I.R.A. munitions expert, Daniel John Stapleton. Troy befriended the Stapleton family during his appointment as a visiting professor at the Samuel Beckett School of Drama, Trinity College Dublin, in 2005. His research will combine official records of the Irish government, various archives throughout Ireland, and Stapleton family stories, letters, and artifacts to explore Stapleton and other non-combatant contributors to the formation of the Irish Republic.��

“I met his granddaughter, Lucy, in 2005 and we’ve kept in contact ever since,” Troy said. “She shared pieces of her grandfather’s story with me on a visit to a museum exhibit commemorating the Centenary of the Easter Rising in 2016. Since then, I’ve been in contact with Lucy’s aunt, Helen, who is the ‘official’ keeper of Stapleton family history.”

Troy said he’s also excited to work alongside Ashley Taggart, who teaches screen writing and dramatic literature at UCD. The two formed a friendship in 2005 when Troy was at Trinity.

“He was instrumental in making my connection with UCD’s School of English, Drama & Film,” Troy said. “I’ll be back in the classroom with him again, after 15 years, and I’m thrilled to share his company again. Ashley grew up in Belfast, which means he has an especially full and nuanced view of Irish history and culture.”

The Fulbright brings both professional and personal joy, Troy said. His family hails from Ireland, and the coming year offers a chance to further explore those connections.

“Yes, in my free time, I’ll go back into some of the local history archives I visited in 2005 in Waterford City,” he said. “The Troy side of my family emigrated from County Waterford in the 19th��century, first to Canada, then to the Berkshires, where my parents met and fell in love just as World War II interrupted the plans of that generation.”

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Maggie McGlenn earns 2022 Watson, will study elements of fashion, sustainability

Communications — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:31:13 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University senior Maggie McGlenn, having long blended her interests in fashion and environmental sustainability, will have an opportunity to explore those passions in unison as the recipient of a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.

A biology major from Madison, McGlenn becomes the 77th Lawrentian over the past 53 years to be awarded a Watson, which provides $36,000 in funding for a year-long���ɲ��Ի��Ჹ��of independent travel and exploration. She is one of 42 graduating college seniors across the country selected as part of the 2022 Watson class.

McGlenn will travel to Scotland, India, Tajikistan, Senegal, and the Netherlands, seeking out communities of people involved in the creation and/or recycling of clothing while staying in harmony with the land they call home.

McGlenn got word that she was awarded the Watson shortly after finishing a Winter Term final exam.

“The first thing I did was call my mom and dad,” she said. “I was so excited and at the same time it felt unreal.”

“Ever since I learned about it, I’ve been day-dreaming about what I would do if given the chance.”
– Maggie McGlenn

McGlenn has been a constant in the theatre costume shop since her first year at �鶹ӰԺ. She’s known across campus for her skills in creating and altering clothing, and she used her talents during the COVID-19 pandemic . She’s also been heavily involved in , the , and other sustainability efforts across campus.

Her Watson journey, she said, will build on those experiences.

“I was drawn to the opportunity because it allows me to take something I love so much—fashion, clothing, sewing—and give it such a greater perspective,” McGlenn said of the Watson. “I hope that through this opportunity I can find a way to do what I love the most in a way that is also good for the world and everyone in it.”

Brian Pertl, dean of the Conservatory of Music and a Watson recipient following his own graduation from �鶹ӰԺ in 1986, serves as the university’s lead advisor for Watson applications. He called McGlenn’s talents with a sewing machine a beautiful blend of inspiration and art.

“Maggie is a creative artist with an incredibly imaginative eye,” Pertl said.��“Instead of paints, her medium is cloth. Maggie repurposes used clothing from Goodwill, leftover cloth from the costume shop, even old theater curtains, and creates magnificent wearable art. Her creativity, adaptability, and her love of community and collaboration will serve her well on her year of exploration.”

McGlenn will begin her 12 months of travel and study on the Isle of Iona, Scotland, where she’ll be immersed in a community of sheep farmers who cultivate precious natural wool.

“I will assist the shepherds at Maol Farm, exploring how treating animals with dignity, respect, and love produces the best results for both parties,” she said in her Watson proposal.

She’ll then select, spin, and dye the fiber from the same sheep she tended.

From there she’ll go to Jaipur, India, to explore a textiles community that has never departed from natural dyeing.

She’ll head to Kulob, Tajikistan, where she’ll connect with UNICEF’s Protecting Children Affected by Migration in Southeast, South, and Central Asia.

“In collaboration with Terre des Hommes, I will sew alongside families affected by migration, transforming simple cloth into a life-saving livelihood,” she said.

Then it’s on to Dakar, Senegal, where McGlenn will explore what happens to the nearly 18,000 tons of second-hand clothing that enters the country every year and how recycled materials can alter how we think about new clothing.

Her final stop will be in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, where she’ll rummage through waste sites “to gain a visceral understanding of fashion consumption habits” and assist with a local waste management study that is looking at the creation of carbon sinks and energy from retired landfills.

“Amongst our garbage, I will explore how recognizing waste as a potential for recreation and energy can help to heal our relationship with the environment,” she said.

McGlenn said she has been fascinated by fashion since she was a toddler and expects it to be part of her life going forward. But how that ties in with her other interests, including the ways fashion can be used for good, is something she’ll have a chance to explore through her Watson experience.

“Whenever I would get nervous or overwhelmed during the application process, I would just remind myself that my plan was to go and make clothes, and I would instantly become excited again,” she said.

Watson Fellows are selected from 41 private colleges and universities across the United States that partner with the Watson Foundation. More than 3,000 Watson Fellows have been named since the inaugural class in 1969.

The Watson Foundation dates back to 1961, created as a charitable trust in the name of Thomas J. Watson Sr., best known for building IBM. It works with students to develop personal, professional, and cultural opportunities that build their confidence and perspective to be more humane and effective leaders with a world view.

McGlenn said she grew up hearing tales of the places that she’ll now get to visit.

“I learned about the Watson through friends who described it to me as the chance to travel the world studying something you are uniquely passionate about,” she said. “Ever since I learned about it, I’ve been day-dreaming about what I would do if given the chance.”

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Behind the scenes: A look at the making of �鶹ӰԺ’s production Molière Inspired

Communications — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 21:40:18 +0000

Behind the scenes takes center stage in this look at the work needed to make theatrical magic for the audience. �鶹ӰԺ students and faculty spend hours tackling set building, prop creation, costume design, and rehearsal to create a theater production.��

This collection of photos is a look at the making of��Molière Inspired,��aWinter Term production from �鶹ӰԺ University’s Department of Theatre Arts in celebration of the French playwright’s 400th birthday. It includes three one-acts:��one by Molière and two inspired by Molière.

The production also is a celebration of collaborations across academic departments, as well as collaborations between faculty and students.��

Funded by a summer research grant, �鶹ӰԺ junior Claire Chamberlin translated short plays under the supervision of Eilene Hoft-March, the Milwaukee-Downer College and College Endowment Association Professor of Liberal Studies and professor of French. They were then handed off to Kathy Privatt, the James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama and associate professor of theatre arts, who is directing the evening of��Molière Inspired.��

Molière Inspired��will be performed by �鶹ӰԺ theatre students in Cloak Theatre on Feb. 18 (8 p.m.) and Feb. 19 (3 and 8 p.m.). It’s open to all �鶹ӰԺ students, faculty, and staff.��

Fadila Louleid, a sophomore, helps paint the set for��Molière Inspired��in the Cloak Theater. Guest artist Roy Hoglund designed the set and worked with students on painting techniques.

The painter’s elevation for��Molière Inspired��set lays backstage.

Liam Edwards, a first-year, begins work on a prop for��Molière Inspired��in the Music-Drama Center. Edwards was creating a newspaper that would be used during the production.

Alex Pollock, a senior and lighting designer, adjusts the lighting during rehearsal.

Jon Winkler, a sophomore, reacts during rehearsal for��Molière Inspired��in the Cloak Theater.

Kathy Privatt, the James G. and Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama and associate professor of theatre arts, gives students direction during a rehearsal in the Cloak Theater.

Zhanna Weil, sophomore, works in the costume shop in preparation for��Molière Inspired.

Notes for a costume that will be used for��Molière Inspired��are written on a label and attached to the costumes.

Claire Chamberlin, a junior, sits for a portrait in the Cloak Theater surrounded by the completed set for��Molière Inspired. Funded by a Summer Research Grant, Chamberlin translated these as part of the “10 sur 10” project, created by Drameducation, a French-speaking theatre center in Poland. The project commissions playwrights across the globe to write new works inspired by Molière.

Frankie Sobel and Alec Welhouse, both juniors, rehearse.

Maeve Shaffer, a junior, and Maeve Shampine, a sophomore, work on costumes for��Molière Inspired.

Nihan Baysal and Jana Casey, both sophomores, go over notes during a rehearsal for��Molière Inspired��in the Cloak Theater.

Sophia Driessen, a senior, works on a corset in the costume shop for��Molière Inspired.

Jon Winkler, a sophomore, is fitted with a hair net as part of hair and makeup before rehearsal.

Nihan Baysal, a sophomore, watches rehearsal from the control booth.

Lexi Praxl, a senior, sits in the costume shop as a wig is adjusted before rehearsal. Performing in��Molière Inspired��is Praxl’s Senior Experience.

A cast member in costume is silhouetted against the stage while watching rehearsal.

Lulu Wang, a junior, gets the stage ready for a scene change during rehearsal in the Cloak Theater.

Frankie Sobel, a junior, puts on makeup before rehearsal.

Nina Broberg, a sophomore, checks props before rehearsal backstage in the Cloak Theater.

Karin Simonson Kopischke, Instructor of Theatre Arts and Costume Shop Supervisor, talks with Anna Dlugi, a first-year, in preparation for hair and makeup before rehearsal.

Students Maeve Shaffer, Frankie Sobel, Lexi Praxl, Alec Welhouse, Maddie Guest, Ella Rose Schaefer, and Nina Broberg rehearse a table read scene for��Molière Inspired��in the Cloak Theater.

Alec Welhouse, a junior, and Jon Winkler, a sophomore, rehearse in full costume.

The post Behind the scenes: A look at the making of �鶹ӰԺ’s production Molière Inspired appeared first on �鶹ӰԺ University.

On Main Hall Green With … Kathy Privatt: The joy of collaboration on and off stage

Communications — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 02:04:30 +0000

About the series: On Main Hall Green With … is an opportunity to connect with faculty on things in and out of the classroom. We’re featuring a different �鶹ӰԺ faculty member each time — same questions, different answers.

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Kathy Privatt and the stage have gone hand in hand for more than two decades of teaching at �鶹ӰԺ University.

The James G. Ethel M. Barber Professor of Theatre and Drama and associate professor of theater arts has taught in �鶹ӰԺ’s theater department since 1999. A faculty leader across campus, she currently serves as chair of the Theatre Arts Department and is the university’s faculty athletic representative.

Through those 22 years of teaching, she has annually directed theater students through main stage productions, one-act plays, and a bevy of other theater experiences. When teaching went remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, she deftly transitioned her students into producing radio dramas via Zoom.

She has held the Barber Professorship since 2008. It was originally established in 1985 by Ethel Barber, a 1934 graduate of Milwaukee-Downer College, and recognizes her lifelong interest in and support of the performing arts and higher education.

Privatt earned her bachelor’s degree��magna cum laude��in theatre and speech at Central Missouri State University and her Ph.D. in theatre from the University of Nebraska.

We caught up with her to talk about her interests in and out of the classroom.

In the classroom��

Inside info:What’s one thing you want every student coming into your classes to know about you?

Collaboration drives my work, and I really do expect the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. When I’m directing a production, the collaborative process may seem obvious, but it’s how I think about teaching, too. Coming to class means we’re all agreeing to show up together, and while I certainly have a plan, I also expect to learn from each student, and for students to learn from each other so that we’re all learning from each other and together.

Getting energized:What work have you done or will you be doing at �鶹ӰԺ that gets you the most excited?��

Right now, a set of three one-acts that I’ll be directing Winter Term because it’s a joyful collaboration. It all started with student Lexi Praxl’s independent study on contemporary French theatre. As she was collaborating with the reference librarians, she discovered what seemed to be a project to commission new short plays, inspired by the plays of Molière. We reached out to professor Eilene Hoft-March for translation help, and that led to a plan to have a student translator (Claire Chamberlin) create English versions. Now I’m starting production meetings with the designers for two new plays inspired by Molière, and one play by Molière, who was, himself, inspired by the Italian Commedia dell’arte. We’ll be performing these in the year of Molière’s 400th birthday. Oh, and did I mention that I also get to work with other colleagues for pronunciation help in a variety of languages? And this production will be Lexi’s Senior Experience? Collaborating is like going to a��really good��buffet, and every time you put something on your plate it creates interesting flavors with the food that is already there. It’s delicious, and just a bit intoxicating.

Going places:Is there an example of somewhere your career has taken you (either a physical space or something more intellectual, emotional or spiritual) that took you by surprise?

Thanks to former Provost Dave Burrows, I am a certified Alexander Movement Technique (AT) teacher. I love sharing that work, whether through the classes I teach, in workshops, or in individual lessons. What I didn’t expect was to find myself sitting in church, making connections with the metaphors of the Christian faith and ways that AT guides us to experience ourselves in the world – and it feels so organic to me. Those connections have launched me on a project I call Embodying Your Faith, and I’m continuing to build on the collection of workshop sessions I’ve created. Most recently, I finished a set called��Belonging��that lives on the Spiritual and Religious Life YouTube page.

Out of the classroom��

This or that:If you weren’t teaching for a living, what would you be doing?��

I think I’d be a physical therapist. They’re really effective body-detectives, AND relieve pain.

Right at home:Whether for work, relaxation or reflection, what’s your favorite spot on campus?

My office. I’m a bit of a “nester,” so I’ve filled it with mementos, even toys, that either remind me of someone or some event I’m connected to.

One book, one recording, one film:Name one of each that speaks to your soul? Or you would recommend to a friend? Or both?

Book:��Love Wins��by Rob Bell. Not a fluffy little examination, and even controversial for some, but to me, this book makes a really compelling case that God love us all, no matter what – period.

Recording: Poncho Sanchez’��Latin Spirit.��My husband and I first heard Sanchez at a Jazz Series concert, and I hope I never forget how much sheer joy I felt watching those musicians as the music poured out of them. We bought the CD, and are lucky it still plays because I’ve lost count of the times we’ve put it on to dance a little salsa in the kitchen.

Film: That’s easy,��The Princess Bride. I adore fairytales, and this one contains “love, true love” that isn’t afraid to sacrifice for one’s love . . . and the grandpa-reading-a-book frame makes me a little teary-eyed every time. So good.

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