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Graduation 2012!!

Friday, May 11, 2012

VCU School of the Arts Graduation

Richmond Convention Center

Theatre VCU

HEY KIDS!!! Next time your parents tell you that you will NEVER find work in the theatre - SHOW THEM THIS LIST!!!

Theatre VCU Students Summer Jobs 2012!!

Justin Ahdoot will perform with Richmond Shakespeare and The Conciliation Project.

Matthew Armentrout will be a First Hand at Williamstown Theatre Festival, a draper with Tennessee Governor’s school for the arts and the Wig Supervisor at Good Speed Opera House for the World Premiere of Amazing Grace.

Nate Betancourt will be a performer with the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.

Becky Brooks will begin an electrics internship at Barksdale Theatre in Richmond, Virginia.

Ben Burke will be Prop Master and Scenic Charge for Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp.

Theresa Bush will be the Costume Shop Manager of the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Tiffany Byrd will be a performer at Busch Gardens.

Caitlin Carbone will begin a performance internship at the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Ellicott City, Maryland. 

Giselle Carrillo will be an intern at Shenandoah Summer Music Theater.

Gabby Carder will be General Technician for Shenandoah Summer Music Theater.

Ted Carter has been hired by the VCU School of Medicine as the Simulation Program Coordinator for the Center for Human Simulation and Patient Safety. He is also a consultant for the Frontier Project.

Luke Cresson will be an Electrician and Spot Operator for Porthouse Theatre.

Matt DiCintio will moving to Medford, Massachusetts to begin his PhD in Drama at Tufts Universityin the Fall.

Mackenzie Ellis will be Master Carpenter for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre.

Michael Farmer will be moving to New York City to pursue theatre.

Chris Foote will be a General Technician for TEXAS! Musical Drama.

Jesse Free will serve as Front of House Audio Technician for Hershey Park in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Brent Gallahan will be a performer at Busch Gardens.

Hannah Goldman will be a Costume Intern at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Jessica Goldman will be a Costume Intern at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Matt Grisdela will be Run Crew for Santa Fe Opera.

Macaulay Hammond has signed with The Buchwald Agency in New York City.

Lisa Hardt will be a Stage Management Intern for Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and a Stage Management Apprentice for Orlando Shakespeare.

Renina Hoblitz will become Assistant Professor of Voice and Diction in the Department of Theatre, Dance and Film at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kristin Kifer will serve as Scenic Charge for Georgia Shakespeare in Atlanta, Georgia.

Gloria Kim will be a Costume Intern at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Andy LeSueur will be TD at Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Camp

Madeline Lovegrove will perform with The Conciliation Project.

Olivia Luna has signed Francesca Francois-Grimaldi at Plaza 7 Talent Agency in New York City.

Becky Lussier will be a Scenic Painter, LX Designer, and will teach lighting and sound for SPARC

Penny Ayn Maas will be moving to  Ft. Worth, Texas, she will be an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University in in the Fall.

Emma Martinez will begin a lighting internship at Theatre IV in Richmond, Virginia.

Morgan Meadows will tour with Missoula Children’s Theatre.

Li Nguyen will be general technician for Shenandoah Summer Music Theater.

Jenny O’Donnell will be a Stitcher at Berkshire Theatre Festival

Zachary Page will be a performer at Busch Gardens.

Andrew Redmon will be Lighting and Sound Technician for Fairfax County Public Schools

Sophie Solomon-Resplandy will be a Scenic Artist for Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre.

Cody Richardson will be Master Electrician at Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Camp.

Jasmine Nicole Roberts will be moving to New York City to pursue theatre.

Nicki Rosecrans will be an Electrics Intern for Porthouse Theatre.

Blair Russell will serve as the Stage Management Intern for Santa Fe

Jacob Sailer will be Lead Carpenter for Monomoy Theatre.

Nicole Slaven will be a Costume Apprentice for Santa Fe Opera.

Joseph Thompson will be a Lighting Assistant at Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Zachary Townsend will teach and direct sound and light at SPARC

Virginia Varland will be a Costume Designer for Bigfork Summer Playhouse.

Will Wacker will direct sound and lights for VCU’s Student Voices.

Sarah Worden will return to work as an intern at Wolf Trap.

Clair Yenson will be the Company Management Intern at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City.

Fantastic First Year Portfolios - Great first year to all the Theatre VCU Techs!

Alex Gogolin & Theda Bara painting

Cierra Coan and her circa 1910 gown

Danny Benzinger, Charlie Chaplin and a self-portrait

Gabbie Carder and Marlene Dietrich

Ivey Turner with Judy Garland on the left.

Li Nguyen with a color wheel sparkling on the left.

Nate & Chris in disguise

Nate Wunderlich and Nate.

Sophie Yoo and her Empire gown.

Sophie Shaw with everything!

Chris Foote in his bathtub.

Great work and welcome to your summer break!

masks, portfolios, finals & farewells. Theatre VCU rocks

The Second Annual Theatre VCU Masked Ball was a resounding blast!

There are awesome photos from the "photo booth" run by Nate Wunderlich, a Theatre VCU first Year Lighting Major who shot photos all night long you can find them HERE

They are fabulous!!

Thank you Nate!

Thank you also to the usual suspects (without whom we could not pull together such a great night):
Katie Davis, Blair Russell, Nicole Slaven, Jasmine Roberts (who was amazing in her hat - see photo left), Will Wacker,
Luke Cresson, Becky Brooks, Lisa Hardt, Sarah Worden, Johnny K., Nikki Malloy,  Joe Thompson,  Tiffany Byrd & Raven Wilkes (thanks for the clean-up guys)

Note: Most of those wonderful, creative folks are 4th year students and won't be here next year. Who will step up next year and make this happen... You?

Thank you also to our senior showcase performers: Liz Earnest, Katie Ford, Debbie Crabbe, Ahjah Prom, Macaulay Hammond & Ariel Shine.

It was a great night guys.
The Blogster will have more photos when she catches her breath.

TONIGHT:

  The Unfeigned Joy
a reading of a new play by Matt DiCintio
May 9th, Wednesday 6pm – 8pm • PAC B072

 The last play by one of America’s leading playwrights is about tobegin its out-of-town tryout, and the leading actor has literally broken a leg. As the theatre struggles to open the play, the producers worry about a Broadway transfer and the understudy. A director worries about the understudy. The injured actor worries about becoming an understudy. Marriages and friendships might end for good – all before the Tony nominations are announced. A dark comedy about putting on a play – and what it costs.

 featuring Taylor Ballard, Rachel Blackburn, Zach Campion, Patrick Clark, Dan Granke, Matt Johnson, Jason Michael, Sarah Provencal and Alan Vollmer.

TOMORROW NIGHT:

Today's events at Theatre VCU - we may be winding down- but ramped up the entertainment & culture for a day!!

2:00 pm  - 2012 Senior Showcase performance at  the Newdick Theatre in Shafer.

3:30 pm - Adaptation readings at PAC B72

Refreshments provided

Don't forget the ever loving Masquerade Ball - tomorrow at 7:30l!! Tickets on sale in the Main Office today and tomorrow for $7.00, and at the door tomorrow for $10.00. Be ready to rock!!

Did I mention there were prizes?

Best Mask (girl &  boy)

Best Costume (boy & girl)

Best Couple (ahhhh, cute)

Funniest ( mask, costume, whatever)

We have judges from the theatre community (thank you Augustin for setting this up)

Celebrate the Theatre VCU Senior Showcase 2012

The Theatre VCU 2012 Graduating Performance Majors have just returned from their NYC Senior Showcase and NY and LA Actor’s Connection Workshops. This year’s Senior Capstone Experience was an amazing success.

The week in NYC began with 3 days of workshops with top Theatrical Casting Directors from The Roundabout Theatre (The Book of Morman, Anything Goes), Tara Rubin Casting (Ghost, How To Succeed In Business, Momma Mia, Phantom, Jersey Boys), Duncan Stewart Casting (Chicago, La Cage Aux Folles). Workshops were also held with Telsey & Co. (Smash, The Big C, Modern Love), Powers/Kaplen Casting (Tell Me I Love You, A Stranger in Paradise), Commercial Casting Director Ken Lazar and Voice Over Artist  Paul Liberti (Pokeman, Disney, Muppets, Nickolodeon).

The industry attendees to the 2 NYC Senior Showcases held at Actor’s Connection and at The Play Room Theatre was an overwhelming 40 important Casting Directors , Agents, Artistic Directors and Talent Managers.  Most of the cast of 25 were called into interviews and auditions, and 2 of the graduating seniors have already signed with top NY agents. Also in attendance were 25 Theatre VCU NYC Alumni who offered their support for our graduating senior class.

We have just returned from our LA Connection Workshops held at the Hilton Universal City in Hollywood. Over 9 days of workshops gave our Theatre VCU Seniors a chance to work with the casting directors for such TV shows as Glee, The Mentalist, Grey’s Anatomy, Fringe, Criminal Minds, as well as huge feature films such as Transformers, Water For Elephants, Pirates of the Caribbean, Brother’s Grimm Snow White, The Three Stooges, Rocket Science. We also worked with the important talent agents from Avalon, Talentworks, Bella Agency and Rogers Orion Talent.  Voice over talent, Chip Bolcik  (National Geographic, E, World’s Dumbest Videos) held a very informative workshop, and career coach Dallas Travers  (author of The TAO of Show Business – How to Pursue Your Dream Without Losing Your Mind) gave an amazing workshop on creative approaches to using social media in beginning our young actor’s careers. Most of our seniors were offered opportunities to begin working with these very important TV/Film/Commercial Casting Agents, Talent Managers and Talent Agents. The week was topped off by an amazing wrap party held at the Saddle Ranch at Universal City Walk. Many Theatre VCU LA Alumni were also in attendance to lend their support for the Class of 2012.

The final Theatre VCU 2012 Virginia Showcase will be held Thursday, May 4^th in The Shafer Street Playhouse. Artistic Directors attending will be from Theatre VI, Barter Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Cadance Theatre, Firehouse Theatre, Richmond Triangle Players and others.

The Theatre VCU student body, faculty, staff and alumni will also be in the audience supporting our seniors.

A special person has joined the Theatre VCU Showcase team. Tammy Motola, parent of senior Austin Seay, has generously donated and raised the money necessary to send most of our seniors to the NY and LA Connections. Without her support many in this class would have been denied these great opportunities to begin their professional acting careers. The class and Theatre VCU welcome Tammy to our team and greatly appreciate her amazing support and love.
THANK YOU TAMMY!!!!!