Alumni in the News

Talleri McRae (M.F.A., Theatre, 2010) was recognized in American Theatre's Roll Call. She is currently a teaching artist and access/inclusion consultant whose work focuses on fostering the creativity and passion of the disability rights movement and developing meaningful theatre for young audiences.

Lucia Unrau (D.M.A., Applied Music, 1992) has been appointed professor of Music and Music Department Chair at Murray State University. She will continue as Camp Keyboard Coordinator at Interlochen Center for the Arts, where she has been a member of the piano faculty since 1993.

Christopher Diaz (M.M., Music and Human Learning, 2012) was a featured singer in "Folklórico!," the annual collaborative production sponsored by Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. Diaz is a newly appointed professor in the college’s music program.

Dan Duling’s (Ph.D., Drama, 1977) play “Tesla: A Radio Play for the Stage” will be performed May 26-28 at Laguna Playhouse in Laguna Beach, California. He also is the scriptwriter at Pageant of the Masters in Laguna and their latest production, “The Grand Tour,” which opens July 7.

Thomas Caneva (M.M., Band and Wind Conducting, 1984), director of bands at Ball State University, conducted the BSU Wind Ensemble in a performance at the College Band Directors National Association National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri. In addition, Caneva was awarded the 2017-18 College of Fine Arts Dean’s Creative Endeavor Award in Music at BSU.

Naomi Boyd (B.F.A., Dance, 1999) was named an endowed professor at West Virginia University. She is currently the department chair for the Department of Finance and an associate producer in the College of Business and Economics. She is also the founding director for the new Center for Financial Literacy and Education which houses many programs in wealth management, banking and insurance, as well as research opportunities and support for faculty projects to further the center.

Lindsay Genshaft (M.F.A., Theatre, 2011) received the 2017 Jon Lipsky Playwriting Award. Established in 2014, the award is dedicated to the memory of Jon Lipsky, the late playwright and artist-in-residence for the Museum of Science in Boston, and is given annually to the writer whose script best exemplifies standards of excellence in museum theatre.

Robert Di Donato (B.A., Theatre and Dance, 2016) is a core member of the New York-based performance troupe Queer Scouts. The troupe was selected for a new residency at the Abrons Arts Center in Manhattan after completing a full residency at Dixon Place Theater in New York City. After the completing their residency at Abrons, Queer Scouts is set to develop a new production to perform in fall 2017.

Austin Ferguson (B.A., Music, 2015) was appointed in February 2017 as carillonneur of the Mayo Clinic. He is only the fourth person to hold this post in the instrument's 89-year history. His duties include performing eight half-hour concerts a week, giving tours and performing for and with local groups and events.

Dylan Morrongiello (B.M., Voice Performance, 2016) will perform this summer in the role of Ali Hakim in Rodgers' and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" at The Glimmerglass Festival as a member of the young artist program.