Alumni in the News

The Fierce Backbone theater company, co-founded by alum Stephen Blackburn (MFA, Play Writing, 1997), had the world premiere of their work The Rock of Abandon on October 20th. Directed by Tiger Reel and written by Stephen Blackburn, The Rock of Abandon will run through November 18th at the Lillian Theatre in Hollywood, CA.

Beginning in September, Jonas Criscoe along with two fellow residents will receive nine months of access to Highpoint's fully-equipped printshop as well as technical support, critiques with area arts professionals, a stipend for printmaking supplies and the opportunity to work in a collaborative workshop environment that encourages experimentation and growth. The program will conclude with a group exhibition in May 2013 featuring work created by the artists during their residency. The residency, funded with a generous grant from the Jerome Foundation, is open to emerging Minnesota printmakers — defined here as artists who show significant potential, yet have not received a commensurate amount of professional accomplishment or recognition regardless of age or recognition in other fields. The three new residents were selected on the basis of their dedication, interest, and potential in printmaking and the artistic merit of their work. Utilizing a variety of lithographic and relief techniques, Jonas Criscoe plans to continue his explorations on the theme of place. Specific focus will be given to examining how commercial signage and structures have shaped the urban landscape around Highpoint, the community's interaction with these objects and their deterioration due to wear and exposure.

Art and Art History alumna Marcia Santore (BFA, 1982) has two of her paintings included in the exhibition Joy at the East Ends Arts Council Gallery in Riverhead, NY. The exhibition runs from August to October 2012. All of the artworks featured, including the two by Santore, can be seen on the East End Arts Council's Facebook page.

Butler School of Music alumnus Dr. Gary Beckman (Ph.D., Musicology, 2007) has become co-editor of a new journal - Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. The inaugural issue will be published on September 1, 2012. 

Dr. Beckman is currently a musicology professor and the Director of Entrepreneurial Studies in the Arts at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Art and Art History alumnus Isaac Lyles (BA, Art History, 2004), Associate Director of the Derek Eller Gallery in New York City, has curated an exhibition titled Sweet Distemper.  Reviewed in The New Yorker, Artforum, Modern Painters Daily, and others, Sweet Distemper features works by artists Anna Betbeze, Samara Golden, Tamara Gonzales, Davina Semo, and Despina Stokou.

On view through August 16, 2012 at the Derek Eller Gallery in New York City, NY.

Presidential Suite, a play currently featuring alumna Liza Binkley (BA, Theatre and Dance, 2007), recently received a four star review in The London Times. Presented in conjunction with the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2012, Presidential Suite by B&G Productions (New York) runs through August 18, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Andrew O. Hallock (BM, 2002, Music Composition) and the five other musicians in the ensemble "Sopra il Basso", based out of the Hague, Netherlands, have been invited to become the Resident Ensemble for 2012 at the Academie Ambronay in France.

After graduating from UT Austin in 2002, Hallock moved to Europe to study singing at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague; he graduated in 2009. Hallock also works as a freelance instrument maker, producing a variety of historical woodwind instruments in his workshop in the Hague.

Department of Theatre & Dance alumna Denny Berry (BFA, 1973) was recently announced as the Head of the newly formed Musical Theatre Program at the University of Utah Department of Theatre.

Berry is an esteemed director, choreographer, educator and writer both on Broadway and around the world. She looks forward to bringing together her ongoing relationship with the New York theater world and her students in the Department of Theatre.

Art and Art History alumna Jennifer Chenoweth (MFA, 1999) has been named a 2012 New Philanthropist by GivingCity Austin. Featured in the Summer 2012 issue (available online here), Chenoweth is listed in "The Entrepreneurs" section for her work as the founder of Generous Art, an online gallery dedicated to raising money for nonprofits and artists through the sale of one-of-a-kind original works of art.

Pamela Ribon (BFA, Drama Production, 1997) has just released her latest novel, You Take It From Here. Pamela has written for several television comedies, most notably the Emmy Award-winning Samantha Who?. A national bestselling author, Pamela has adapted her popular novels for both film and television. She was an Oprah.com contributor, where her novel about divorce and roller derby, Going in Circles, was selected as an Oprah.com Book Club pick. She was also a flagship contributor to TelevisionWithoutPity.com. Using her loyal Internet fan base, Ribon sponsors book drives for libraries in need at DeweyDonationSystem.org. Visit her at pamie.com or follow her @pamelaribon.