UNCSA Magazine, WINTER 2014

WINTER 2014 UNCSA MAGAZINE | 1

VOLUME TWO, NUMBER ONE WINTER 2014

UNCSAmagazine

INSIDE:

Meet Interim Chancellor James MoeserDrama and Film Accolades

UNCSA Loses Revered Figures

You’re Going to

withFall in Love

Us!

VOLUME TWO, NUMBER ONEUNCSA MAGAZINE

KaleidoscopeOn the cover: She Loves Me, directed by Drama alumna Gaye Taylor Upchurch. Both leads, Georg and Amalia, were played by second-generation School of Drama students: Gus Halper, son of alumna Deann Halper, and Mary Katharine Harris, daughter of alumna Katharine Buffaloe Harris.

This page, L-R, starting at top left: Fall Dance, Lotto, choreography by Ming-Lung Yang; King Hedley II, directed by Guest Artist Timothy Douglas; the Verdi Requiem performed by the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra, the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorale, UNCSA Cantata Singers, and soloists from the Fletcher Opera Institute, conducted by James Allbritten; UNCSA Jazz Ensemble – Swing Era Extravaganza, directed by Ron Rudkin; and Street Scene, directed by Matthew Bulluck and Carl Forsman. All performances in fall 2013.


Dear Friends, We made history with the premier edition of UNCSA Magazine last spring, and now we are back in your mailboxes for a special reason! We want to introduce you to our interim chancellor, James Moeser, chancellor emeritus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and update you on our chancellor search.

We also have a new film dean – industry veteran Susan Ruskin – and a new executive director of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts – Corey Madden! I’m proud to say that I went to the School of the Arts with Corey and worked with her professionally. Both are brilliant choices!

2013-14 is already proving to be another spectacular year. We celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Bill and Judy Watson Chamber Music Hall and the 20th anniversary of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts with two magnificent concerts last fall. Of course, it’s also the 20th anniversary of our magnificent School of Filmmaking! And our 50th anniversary plans are coming together as we approach 2015.

We were delighted to have statewide audiences see our own “Dance Fantasies,” which was broadcast on UNC-TV last October. And we’ve just learned that the television broadcast of our spring 2012 production of Much Ado About Nothing has been nominated for an Emmy Award! That program was broadcast statewide by UNC-TV on April 9, 2013. The regional Emmys will be presented on Jan. 25 in Nashville.

I must confess working at UNCSA has been all that I expected and more. It’s been great to travel the country and meet with my fellow alumni (some of whom are shown on this page), to meet new friends and to spread the wonderful news about the School of the Arts.

The sun never sets on the Pickles!

Sincerely, Mark Hough ‘79 Chief Advancement Officer 336-770-3329 [email protected]

welcome

VOLUME TWO, NUMBER ONE WINTER 2014

1533 South Main St. Winston-Salem, NC 27127 336-770-3337 phone | 336-770-3342 fax www.uncsa.eduPublished by the Communications & Marketing Office, Advancement Division, of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts as a service to alumni, students, parents and friends of the school. Contributors include:Mark Hough ‘79, Chief Advancement Officer, [email protected] Paula Pressley, Director of Development (Retired Dec. 31), [email protected] Lisa Ransom ‘92, Major Gifts Officer, [email protected] Amy Werner, Annual Fund Manager, [email protected] Jonas Silver ‘98, Director of Alumni Affairs, [email protected] Erik Salzwedel ’84, Manager of Corporate & Foundation Relations, [email protected] Marla Carpenter, Director of Communications & Marketing, [email protected] Terri Renigar, Brand Marketing Manager, [email protected] Lauren Whitaker, News Services Manager, [email protected] by Lin Taylor Graphic Design, Winston-SalemContributing Photographers: Allen Aycock, Steve Davis, Brent LaFever, Rosalie O’Connor, Peter Mueller, and Christine RuckerPrinted by Collinsville PrintingUNCSA is an equal opportunity, constituent institution of the University of North Carolina. Please mail address changes to: Advancement, UNCSA, 1533 S. Main St., Winston-Salem, NC 27127Every effort has been made to avoid errors in this issue. Please notify us of any errors, and accept our apologies.

Retreat/workshop SPACE, Ryder Farm, Brewster, N.Y.

Senior Film Trip, Home of Martha de Laurentiis, Los Angeles, Calif.

VOLUME TWO, NUMBER ONE2 | UNCSA MAGAZINE

Alumna Named Executive Director of Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the ArtsSchool of Drama alumna and award-winning writer and director Corey Madden has been named the executive director of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNCSA. She returns to Winston-Salem from Los Angeles, where she was founding artistic director of L’Atelier Arts, which creates multi-disciplinary and site-specific projects around the world. She also was the director of Artist Programs for the Pasadena Arts Council.

“We are proud to add an alumna to our executive staff,” said Provost David Nelson. “Corey Madden’s depth and breadth of professional experience, plus her passion for the School of the Arts, made her an excellent choice.”

The Kenan Institute, funded by the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, incubates projects that sustain artists at every point in their creative development through strategic partnerships that capitalize on visionary thinking in the arts. Its current projects include fellowships at Aspen Music Festival and School, WGBH Boston, and Penland School of Crafts, as well as UNCSA’s Cirkus Theatre Project and the Open Dream Ensemble.

Madden said she is honored to lead the Kenan Institute, and to return to her alma mater. “As an alumna whose creative career was jump-started by my studies at UNCSA, I am thrilled to join this wonderful institution where I hope to foster creative leadership, innovation and service among students, faculty and staff,” she said.

Madden brings 30 years of creative leadership in the performing and visual arts. Her career began at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she helped program, cast and produce the Humana Festival of New American Plays. She was recruited to join the artistic team of the Tony Award-winning Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 1985 and became associate artistic director in 1993. She left the Taper in 2007 to found L’Atelier Arts.

Schools of Drama and Filmmaking Cited with National AccoladesThis past summer, UNCSA’s School of Drama was named to a list of top acting programs, and UNCSA’s School of Filmmaking was ranked among the top film schools.

Backstage.com listed the School of the Arts as one of “7 colleges where Tony winners trained.” And The Hollywood Reporter ranked the School of Drama No. 7 in the world on its list of the “Top 25 Drama Schools in the World.”

“The school was the first public arts conservatory in the country,” and “one of the most exclusive arts conservatories in the world,” Backstage said. Considering The Hollywood Reporter list includes graduate Drama programs, by default the ranking would make the UNCSA School of Drama fourth in the country for undergraduate programs.

Drama Dean Carl Forsman, who recently completed his first year at UNCSA, said he is awed by the level of talent that he has seen. “It’s fantastic to see our alumni being recognized and rewarded because it is testament to the training and discipline they learned here, from our talented faculty,” Forsman said.

The Hollywood Reporter ranked UNCSA at No. 12 among the top 25 film schools in the country.

“We are pleased to be on the list,” said Film Dean Susan Ruskin. “These schools are very diverse in what they offer, so it’s a bit like comparing apples and oranges. But we are in very good company.”

Variety listed the School of Filmmaking in its top 20 film schools in the world.

Industry Leaders Applaud Susan Ruskin’s Appointment as Film DeanSusan Ruskin’s appointment as dean of the School of Filmmaking has been praised by film industry professionals, and she is recognized as a leader in the North Carolina film and television industry.

The appointment was effective July 1. She had been interim dean for the 2012-13 year.

“Susan Ruskin has demonstrated her ability to lead our Film School into its third decade,” said Provost David Nelson in making the appointment. “Susan was chosen from a field of highly qualified candidates identified through a thorough, well-managed national search. Since joining our faculty in 2009, and becoming head of the producing faculty, Susan has exhibited her commitment to our mission. She is an accomplished filmmaker, a gifted educator, and a dedicated administrator.”

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, who shot parts of his feature film YOU ARE HERE on campus, said that Ruskin is an excellent choice for dean. “Under Susan’s leadership, UNCSA has become not only a state-of-the-art facility,” Weiner said, “but Susan’s real strength is preparing the students realistically for their future while filling them with inspiration.”

Doug Belgrad, president of Columbia Pictures, said, “She has a great passion for film and for filmmakers. And her combination of experience as a producer and more recently as an educator makes her a great choice to serve in this role.”

Director, producer and writer Andy Fickman (PARENTAL GUIDANCE, RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN) said UNCSA film students are lucky to learn from Ruskin and to attend a school that she leads. “She’s truly not just an academic talking about a field they have studied ... she is an accomplished Hollywood producer talking about a field she has mastered!” Fickman said.

Ruskin recently participated in a panel discussion at the Cucalorus Film Festival in Wilmington, N.C., along with the director of the N.C. Film Commission, the executive vice president of Screengems Studios, a Wilmington-based producer of CBS’ “Under the Dome,” and the business manager of the IATSE (a trade union representing film technicians and artists, among others). “State of the Slate” explored the future of film and television in the state, in light of proposals to end state incentives to filmmakers.

Ruskin is the film school’s fourth dean. The school is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

news

Corey Madden


Accrediting Agency Warns UNCSA

newsNew Electric “Pickle Pod” is the Real Dill UNCSA is taking the concept of a “green” vehicle to a new level, thanks to a gift from Bob King Automotive Group.

Robert L. “Rob” King III, CEO of the automobile dealerships, donated the lease for a Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car to UNCSA’s Advancement Division. “It is my pleasure to support UNCSA in any way I can,” King said. “This vehicle will help the staff to promote the school, to communicate its unique mission, and to tell its compelling story.” King is chair of UNCSA’s Board of Trustees.

The school enlisted a local company to “wrap” the vehicle graphically in honor of the school’s mascot, The Fighting Pickle (aka The Fighting Pickles).

Mark Hough, UNCSA’s Chief Advancement Officer, said the vehicle is both a promotional tool and a practical one. “We do a lot of traveling around the Triad, building support for the school,” he said. “With the Pickle Car, we can make every mile count, save money on fuel, and reduce our carbon footprint. It’s a win all the way around. … I’ve been a Pickle for a long time,” added Hough, who is a graduate of UNCSA’s School of Drama. “Now, I am proud to drive one.”

Locally, the green machine is turning heads. It garnered a feature story in the Winston-Salem Journal and its travels about town have been documented on social media.

The car has a combined city/highway rating of 112 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe), a measure of the average distance traveled per unit of energy consumed. It produces no on-road emissions, and does not require motor oil. Recycled materials are used in the body and interior.

After a social media campaign to name the car, “Pickle Pod” was selected by a distinguished panel of judges.

Meanwhile, the Fighting Pickle continues to be a national media darling. Last fall, it was pictured in Tailgater magazine as “an interesting college mascot.” And it was on a list of “11 somewhat strange, but mostly awesome college mascots,” which has received nearly 100,000 likes since it was released online this past summer by Buzzfeed.com.

This past summer, UNCSA was placed on warning for 12 months by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges (COC). The warning was issued following submission of UNCSA’s Fifth-Year Interim Report, which is required between decennial reviews.

“UNCSA takes the warning from the SACSCOC very seriously,” said Provost David Nelson. “The education of our students is and always has been our first priority. We are committed to resolving these issues favorably and look forward to working with SACS.”

Nelson emphasized that UNCSA remains accredited, and was not placed on probation.

“UNCSA welcomes outside assessment because it ensures accountability to the public and strong academic standards,” Nelson added. “We are gratified that our High School Programs are unaffected by these issues and, in fact, received a thoroughly positive assessment during its last review by the SACS Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).”

Of the more than 80 standards that must be met for accreditation, SACS had questions on five issues, from the size of the faculty as it relates to the programs UNCSA offers to logging student complaints.

Keep Up With UNCSAWe continue to find new ways to connect with you.

• You can find out about performances at www.uncsaevents.com as well as www.uncsa.edu/performances!

• In addition to Facebook and Twitter, we’ve now ventured onto Flickr (www.flickr.com/photos/uncsa) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNCSAOFFICIAL).

• And we have new mobile apps! Directory, Donate, Events, Map, News, Social Media, etc. To download, just go to the iOS App Store or the Google App Store and search for UNCSA. Here’s the link for iOS on iTunes (iPhone, iPad, etc.): http://bit.ly/13NpDtl. Here’s the link for Android on the Google App Store: http://bit.ly/13NoTUY.

• In an effort to bring down costs for students and the school, UNCSA has entered into an agreement with MBS Direct to provide a virtual textbook and apparel store. You can order books here: http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/uncsa.htm. You can order apparel here: http://www.directgear.net/uncsa/default.aspx?FVCUSNO=37439

The Campus Store in the Hanes Student Commons will continue to operate this school year providing some school supplies, sundries, gifts and snacks. The store will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and also open for some special events.

The Chronicle of Higher Education recently listed UNCSA No. 9 nationally among small 4-year schools with the best 3-year and 6-year graduation rates, with a score of 66.5 percent. Based on U.S. Education Department data, the score reflects the

percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking students who entered in the fall of 2005 and graduated within six years.

King, left; Hough, right

4 | UNCSA MAGAZINE

UNCSA Wins National Fundraising AwardUNCSA has won a 2013 CASE Educational Fundraising Award, an honor given to superior fundraising programs at educational institutions across the country.

UNCSA was selected to receive an Overall Improvement Award in the Category of Public Professional or Specialized Institutions.

Mark Hough, who joined the school in September 2012 as Chief Advancement Officer, said, “How rewarding for our fundraising efforts. I’m so proud of the dedicated people in our Advancement Division, and so grateful to our magnificent donors, who made this possible.”

CASE is the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

The CASE Educational Fundraising Awards program recognizes overall performance and overall improvement in educational fundraising programs based on data submitted to the Council for Aid to Education’s (CAE) Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey.

In 2013, 994 higher education institutions participated in the VSE survey. An independent data analyst narrowed the field to 412 institutions. Out of 412 colleges and universities considered, 68 higher education institutions won an award – 35 in Overall Performance and 33 in Overall Improvement.

High School Students Plan Return Visit to HaitiLast summer, 10 high school students spent a week of their vacation in Haiti, collaborating on art projects with children in a Port-au-Prince orphanage. Five of them will return this coming summer, along with 13 of their classmates. The musicians, dancers and visual artists have studied civics, economics and government with Jonathan Milner, who leads the trips.

Milner, his wife and son visited there in December 2012 as volunteers for Partners in Health (PIH), an international non-government organization that provides medical care in impoverished areas of the world. “Before the 2010 earthquake struck Haiti, 25 disabled children languished, abandoned in a Port-au-Prince hospital,” Milner said. Most of the hospital was destroyed in the earthquake that killed a quarter of a million people. PIH stepped in and spirited the children away to Zanmi Beni, a refuge on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.

Milner knew right away that the children would benefit by meeting the bright young artists that he taught every day, and that his students were hungry for ways to make a difference. “Our students need to practice being artists, and they want hands-on experience with what we read about in class.”

While last year’s trip was a first for UNCSA, it was a perfect fit. “It’s a way to help people, to pay it forward,” said Sean Mulligan, a viola player from Baltimore who graduated in May. Another 2013 graduate, Daniel Sims, was in charge of documenting the trip through blogs, photographs and videos, so that more UNCSA students might be interested in service learning. “We hope there will be more trips, to different areas,” said the trombone player from New York City. For information about the trip, see www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Arts/326252840828503.

The project was profiled on ImpatientOptimists.org, the blog of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a story in the Winston-Salem Journal was picked up by the Associated Press and USA Today.

While students helped pay for the 2013 trip with their own funds and by staging a benefit concert, the trip was financed in part by a grant from the Semans Art Fund at UNCSA. Students chosen to participate in 2014 are planning fundraisers for their trip, and are currently selling bracelets made by children at Zanmi Beni, with proceeds going to the orphanage.

newsKiplinger’s: UNCSA Now Among Top 25 Best ValuesThe University of North Carolina School of the Arts is among the top 25 Best Values in Public Colleges, according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. The School of the Arts climbed to #24 on the list for 2014.

UNCSA has been on the list of 100 every year since 2010, when it ranked 61st. In 2011, the school climbed to 48th, in 2012 it reached 41st, and in 2013 UNCSA was ranked 31st.

The report features schools that deliver a quality education at an affordable price. UNCSA made the list thanks to its high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, available financial aid, low sticker price, and overall great value, according to Kiplinger’s.


All his life, Tim Cahill loved music. While he had a successful career in public relations at RJR Industries, his true passion became apparent when he sat down at the piano or organ or when he was singing.

Piano lessons at the age of 5 led to playing horn with the Moravian Easter Band as a teenager. After earning a degree in church music from Northwestern University, Cahill served as the organist at several area churches including Trinity Moravian, Calvary Moravian, Parkway Presbyterian and Thomasville’s Memorial United Methodist Church. He also had a deep love of opera and choral music and received the Beverly Sills Award for his work in the office and on the stage with Piedmont Opera.

Now, his devotion to the music that inspired him throughout his life is living on through a generous bequest from his estate.

The Timothy Keith Cahill Endowed Scholarship Fund in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute honors his longstanding appreciation of opera and opera education at UNCSA. The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute was established to provide exceptional training to the next generation of talented opera performers, to promote the growth of opera in America, and to share opera with diverse audiences across the state of North Carolina.

“Tim was happiest when he was behind the piano or organ,” said Tim’s twin brother, Ben. “That was his great satisfaction. Our

family believes he would be very pleased to know that he’s helped ease the financial burden for young people who want to bring the joy of music to audiences around the world.”

Ben Cahill also gave UNCSA a 1960s Steinway grand piano that had belonged to his brother. “I know Tim would have wanted the piano to be used and loved, and the students and teachers at UNCSA will do both,” he said. The piano is currently used in the studio of voice faculty member Glenn Seibert.

UNCSA Dean of Music Wade Weast said, “This scholarship could, quite literally, make the difference in whether or not a student continues with his or her training.”

Students who receive the scholarship must demonstrate outstanding talent and potential as well as financial need. Scholarship recipients at the Fletcher Institute learn through performance-based training at the graduate and post-graduate levels. Institute Fellows perform in

fully-staged productions of new and established operatic works and participate in touring and outreach programs. Many Fletcher Institute students go on to sing with major opera companies after graduating.

In addition to the Timothy Keith Cahill Endowed Scholarship Fund in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute, Tim Cahill’s generous planned gift has also established the Timothy Keith Cahill Endowed Fund for Faculty Support in the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and contributed significantly to the creation of a new Visiting Artist Professorship for the institute. (See back page.)

If you are interested in establishing a scholarship within the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute or at UNCSA, or if you would like more information about including UNCSA in your future plans, please contact Major Gifts Officer Lisa Ransom at 336-770-1372 or [email protected].

givingUNCSA’s A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute Honored with Bequest from Timothy Keith Cahill

Gwyns Win Giannini Award UNCSA has named Nancy and Paul Gwyn of Winston-Salem as the recipients of the 2013 Giannini Society Award, one of the school’s most prestigious honors.

The Gwyns were recognized at the University commencement at the Stevens Center on May 4. They were cited for years of steadfast service to UNCSA and passionate support of its student productions.

In 1999, the Gwyns established an endowed scholarship in the School of Music. They have been members of the UNCSA Associates, and Nancy served as president of the volunteer group. For many years they have been Giannini Society-level donors. The Gwyns are past co-chairs of the Giannini Advisory Committee. They recently were appointed to the UNCSA Board of Visitors.

With a degree in chemistry from Princeton and an M.D. degree from The College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, Paul Gwyn had 37-plus years of practice as a plastic surgeon. He is a founding member and a past president of The North Carolina Plastic Surgery Society. Nancy Gwyn graduated from Duke University with a B.S.N. and later received her B.M. in Organ Performance from Salem College. She served for approximately 20 years as a church organist. The Gwyns have three children and six grandchildren.


James Moeser came to UNCSA with a master plan. “It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about trying to make everyone else successful, making the school successful. That’s my job as chancellor, and that’s what I want to do.”

Upon his arrival last summer, Moeser reached out to the campus and local community. “As you probably know, this is not a position that I sought,” he said in his first communique. “I was very happy being an emeritus chancellor and professor of music at UNC-Chapel Hill. However, when President Ross called me and asked me to consider taking this position, this was something I could not turn down. I am a musician. I love the arts. I have experience leading collegiate arts institutions. I have enormous respect and admiration for the School of the Arts and its incredible students, faculty and staff.”

UNC system President Tom Ross named Moeser interim chancellor at UNCSA effective Aug. 1, 2013. “James Moeser’s vast administrative experience and his demonstrated love of and commitment to the arts and humanities make him uniquely qualified to lead the School of the Arts during a time of transition,” Ross said. “He understands the many challenges and opportunities before this very special campus of the university.”

A native of Lubbock, Texas, Moeser received a bachelor’s degree in organ performance

and a master’s degree in musicology from the University of Texas at Austin. He studied in Berlin and Paris as a Fulbright Scholar and has a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Michigan. He was dean of the School of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas, and dean of the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State University. As an organist he has performed throughout the United States and Europe, and was president

of the American Guild of Organists. Moeser also was provost of the University of South Carolina and chancellor of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Most recently, he was chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill from 2000-2008, and has taught music there since 2008.

With Moeser well into the job, many say Ross made a wise decision. “Tom Ross could not have picked anyone who loves the arts more,” said Thomas S. Kenan III, a founder of the School of the Arts and a Trustee Emeritus. “He is number one in my book,” added Kenan, who worked with Moeser on several arts-related initiatives at Chapel Hill.

Michael Tiemann, vice chair of the UNCSA Board of Trustees, agreed. “He came fully

prepared to engage this campus where it is and to make sure the new chancellor inherits a well-prepared environment to move us into a new era,” said Tiemann, who has known Moeser for more than a decade.

The interim chancellor hit the ground running and has not slowed his pace. “It’s full speed ahead and keep moving, the way everyone works on this campus,” Tiemann said of Moeser’s first months. “It’s nothing short of remarkable.”

Tiemann said several arts-related initiatives have moved forward under Moeser’s leadership. “We haven’t missed a beat,” Tiemann said. “Any time there’s a new chancellor it’s a disruption. Except this time.”

Moeser said that he considers storytelling his first priority. “This place is unique in the country, and we have to tell that story,” he said. “It is the job of the chancellor to help tell the story to policy makers and legislators.

“The School of the Arts is an incredible resource for the state,” he continued. “We are a job creator. Students leave this school and work in the arts.”

Hopes to Raise Money, UNCSA Profile

“It’s a very special place. I get a sense of tremendous affection from everyone.”

Administrator, Organist

James Moeser Takes the Reins

James and Susan Moeser


That is an important message to get across right now, Moeser said. “It’s a troubling time in higher education, and throughout the UNC system with budget cuts, and especially here because this campus is so small.” And while other campuses can increase class sizes to help make ends meet, Moeser says that won’t work at an arts conservatory.

“You can make class sizes bigger but you can’t get bigger than one-on-one. It’s very intimate. That’s the nature of study in the arts.”

Conservatory training is expensive, he added, but valuable. “Artists are important. They use the left and the right sides of their brains. They are entrepreneurs. They create new ventures. In a state that wants to be economically progressive, that’s a vitally important message to get out to legislators, and to voters.”

Private funding is another priority for Moeser, who led UNC-Chapel Hill through a $2.2 billion capital campaign, and raised $350 million in private funds at the University of Nebraska. “I will help develop the capacity to raise private money, to increase the donor base and strengthen alumni support,” he said. “The arts always depend on private money. Education does too. You have to be strong on both sides – with state support and private funding.”

Moeser announced to trustees in December that the renovation of the Stevens Center is “an absolutely essential project” because the center is an anchor for the cultural life of Winston-Salem. He suggested that the estimated $30-million renovation should proceed as a public-private partnership between the city and the state.

Moeser also wants to raise UNCSA’s international profile. “We’re already a nationally known school,” he said. “We need to be internationally known as well. People in China and Korea need to know about us. They are sending their best and brightest students to the best schools they can find. Those students need to be here.”

He said the School of the Arts should make merit and need-based scholarships the priority of its upcoming capital campaign, because “our peers are far better armed,” and “the finest students have options.”

Since the beginning of his tenure at UNCSA, Moeser said he has felt the unique energy of the School of the Arts. “It’s a very special place,” he said. “I get a sense of tremendous affection from everyone.”

Getting to know you …We asked Dr. Moeser for help in getting acquainted, and he provided the following facts about himself.

• Favorite composer: J.S. Bach

• Favorite author: He narrowed it down to three – David McCullough, Ken Follett, Robert Caro.

• Favorite movie: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

• Hobbies/pastimes: Hiking, gardening, reading, listening to music, movies and theatre.

• Pet peeve in the workplace: People who write anonymous letters.

• Family info: Married to Susan, an organist and faculty member at UNC-Chapel Hill; two grown children – son Chris, an attorney in Phoenix, Ariz., and daughter Carter, a physical therapist in Tacoma, Wash; and two grandchildren, Jack and Claire.

• Best advice he ever got: Create an environment where people celebrate other people’s success.

• How he spent his summer vacation: A few days in Charleston, S.C., and New York enjoying culture, and a week at the beach.

• What does he think of our mascot, the Fighting Pickle? “I think it’s great.”

Chancellor Search ResumesApproximately 30 candidates for the next chancellor of UNCSA have been identified, but the search remained open through the holidays.“My belief is that the person we are looking for is not looking for a job,” said Robert L. “Rob” King III, the chair of the UNCSA Board of Trustees and chair of the Chancellor Search Committee.Following a summer hiatus, the search resumed this past fall with the search firm, Baker & Associates, recruiting and evaluating qualified candidates. The search committee reconvened in early December to review applicants. At press time, the committee was scheduled to reconvene in January to make the second cut, to select approximately 10-15 candidates for “airport interviews.”“Once the search committee selects the final slate of candidates, it will submit the names to the full UNCSA Board of Trustees,” King said. “The board will then recommend a slate of finalists to (UNC) President (Tom) Ross, who then will recommend one candidate to the UNC Board of Governors. The committee continues to be confident that they will accomplish this task and have a new chancellor in place by July 1, 2014.”The 18-member Chancellor Search Committee includes representatives of the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, student body, alumni and the community.

Meeting with Staff Council Chair Dolores Watson.

Making music at Carolina.


alumniAlumni Notes 1960sIra David Wood III ’66,’70 directed the Roanoke Island Association’s The Lost Colony for the 2013 season. The Lost Colony received a 2013 Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre. Wood is also the founder and executive director of Raleigh’s Theatre in the Park, the largest community theatre in North Carolina.

1970sTerrence Mann ’78 received a Tony nomination for his role in the musical Pippin, which won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

Jim Lauderdale ’79 performed at Music Academy of the American South in Winston-Salem in June.

1980sAlexander Isley ’80 was named a Fellow by AIGA, the Professional Association for Design, in May at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Conn. The museum also exhibited 25 years of Alex’s work. He was recently named one of the most influential designers of the past 50 years by readers of Graphic Design USA magazine.

Steve Coulter ’81 was seen in the summer film THE CONJURING, starring Vera Farmiga. He also plays Elijah Bowman on the Cinemax series Banshee, and appeared as Charles in A.C.O.D., which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.

Mark Land ’81 is the senior managing director of Foundation Source’s national business development team. Foundation Source is the largest provider of support services for private foundations. He’s also the former alumni director at UNCSA.

Nan Barnett ’83 is the new executive director of the National New Play Network in Washington, D.C. Nan moves to NNPN from the Actors Express in Atlanta, where she was also executive director.

Mark Dendy ’83 recently choreographed Ritual Cyclical, a production with the American Dance Festival, which celebrated its 80th

anniversary at Lincoln Center Out of Doors last summer. Participants included members of his own company, Mark Dendy Dance & Theatre, as well students from UNCSA.

Wayne Hollowell ’83 performed his one-man show Drama Queen in New York City at the Michael Mut Gallery opening in June.

Deann Simmons Halper ’84 served as associate director for Marvell Repertory Theatre’s production of Mommalogues, directed by William Sanders ‘07. Deann works as an actor, director and producer off Broadway and regionally. She also serves on UNCSA’s Board of Visitors.

Joe Mantello ’84 directed Bette Midler as an outrageous Hollywood super agent in I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers at the Booth Theatre. He also directed Laurie Metcalf and Daniel Stern in The Other Place for the Manhattan Theater Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater and joined the cast of the feature film version of Larry Kramer’s THE NORMAL HEART opposite Julia Roberts, Alec Baldwin and Mark Ruffalo.

Mary-Louise Parker ’86 was honored at the Steppenwolf Theatre’s 4th annual Women in the Arts luncheon in March for her creative contributions to the arts. She also received the Spotlight Award at the Sonoma International Film festival in April. Last summer, Mary-Louise starred in RED2 and R.I.P.D.

Paul Tazewell ’86 designed the costumes for It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman at City Center in New York as part of the Encores! concert production. He returned to UNCSA as a guest artist for Intensive Arts in 2013.

Jennifer Ehle ’88 played Jessica in the film ZERO DARK THIRTY, directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow.

Eric Ludacer ’88 is head of lighting, projection and special effects for the MJ 2013 Project for Cirque du Soleil at the Mandalay Bay hotel and casino in Las Vegas. He previously served as head of projection for the Cirque du Soleil production of The Beatles Love.

Sean Murray ’89 directed Sondheim’s Company! and Sondheim & Weidman’s Assassins at the Cygnet Theatre in San Diego, working with UNCSA alumni in both productions. Andrew Oswald ’91 appeared in Company! with Andrew Wells Ryder ‘11. Braxton Mollinaro ’11 played John Wilkes Booth in Assassins. Sean also served as artistic director for Joe Calarco’s Shakespeare’s R&J at the Cygnet, in which he cast four UNCSA alumni: Dave Thomas Brown ’06, ’10 played Mercutio; John Evans Reese ’10 played Nurse/Tybalt; Tyler Lea ’11 played Juliet and Bevolio; and Christian Daly ’12 played Romeo.

Jared Redick ’89 has been named to the UNCSA School of Dance faculty, where he is assistant dean, ballet. He began his performance career with San Francisco Ballet and danced with Texas Ballet Theater, Miami City Ballet and The Suzanne Farrell Ballet before joining Boston Ballet, where he danced for seven years as a soloist. Following his retirement in 2009, he served as principal of Boston Ballet School’s South Shore studio. He was appointed artistic director of New Haven Ballet in 2011 and associate fellow of Pierson College Yale University in 2012.

1990sPhillip Boykin (Music) joined other Broadway stars, composers and musicians in From Broadway with Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook. The January 2013 show was free for families impacted, first responders and the Sandy Hook Elementary School community.

Gary Taylor ’90 choreographed and danced in the Fletcher Opera Institute’s production of La Rondine.

Jean Trowbridge ’90 worked backstage at the Piedmont Opera’s production of Barber of Seville.

Kathryn Findlen ’91, ’95 gave a preview of her concert of UNCSA composer and alumnus Kenneth Frazelle’s auto-biographical composition Songs in the Rearview Mirror at Watson Hall. Kathryn presented the New York premiere of the work at Carnegie Hall.

Mary Mitchell-Campbell ’92 was the musical director for Big Fish, which opened at the Neil Simon Theater Oct. 6. The musical, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace, premiered in Chicago last April.


alumniLauren Ward ’92 received a Tony nomination for her recreated role as Miss Honey in Matilda the Musical. Dialect coach on the production was Ben Furey, former Drama faculty member and frequent guest teacher.

Brian Coats ’93 won the 2013 Helen Hayes Award for Invisible Man at Washington, D.C.’s Studio Theater. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Short for his work in the film ALTERNATE SIDES at the Golden Egg Film Festival in New York City. Brian also worked on the off Broadway La Ruta with Working Theater Company.

Mark Damon Johnson ’93 appeared in Lucky Guy with Tom Hanks.

Mollye Maxner ’93, ’09 directed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Brock Performing Arts Center in Mocksville, N.C.

T. Oliver Reid ’93 took his award-winning show Drop Me Off in Harlem to New York City’s 54 Below. He returned to UNCSA as a guest artist during Intensive Arts 2013.

Alex Woods ’94 is one of two recipients in the Unites States to be awarded a $1,000 Kent Hamlin Memorial Scholarship awarded by the American Nuclear Society. He also received an award from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the spring 2013 semester. Alex is an engineering technology student at Chattanooga State Community College.

Avery Glymph ’95 appeared in repertory in Freidrich Schiller’s Wallenstein directed by Michael Kahn and Shakespeare’s Coriolanus at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C.

John Langs ’96 directed Hamlet at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc., and Kenneth Albert’s world premiere adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial at Seattle’s New Century Theatre Company. John is the associate artistic director of Seattle’s ACT Theatre.

Wes Day ’97 is part of a touring production for Blue Man Group. He has been a member since leaving UNCSA.

Sarah McCafrey ’97, ’01 played Catherine in David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof for Festival Stage at Hanesbrands Theatre in Winston-Salem in May.

David Gordon Green ’98 won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival for PRINCE AVALANCHE. David also screened the movie at the 2013 South by Southwest Film Festival and the RiverRun International Film Festival. Fellow alumnus Craig Zobel ’99 and former faculty member Lisa Muscat produced the film with David. His drama JOE, starring Nicholas Cage, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. He is currently shooting the drama MANGLEHORN, starring Al Pacino.

Daniel Stewart Sherman ’98 played Don in the Cyndi Lauper Broadway musical Kinky Boots at the Al Hirschfeld Theater. Kinky Boots won six Tony awards including Best Musical.

Danny McBride ’99 appeared in THIS IS THE END where he and other celebrities who attend a party at James Franco’s house are faced with the apocalypse. He also appeared in AS I LAY DYING, directed, written by and starring James Franco.

Shirley Serotsky ’99 was promoted to associate artistic director at Theater J in Washington, D.C.

Craig Zobel ’99 will adapt Robert C. O’Brien’s “Z for Zachariah” for the big screen. Chris Pine, Amanda Seyfried and Chiwetel Ejiofor have all signed on to the project.

2000sJonah Bokaer ’00 performed the U.S. premiere of The Ulysses Syndrome with his father at the French Institute Alliance Francaise’s World Nomads: Tunisia Festival. Jonah also choreographed the piece, which was originally commissioned by the Hivernales D’Avignon.

Anna Camp ’00, ’04 returned as Sarah Newlin, “the anti-vamp puritan,” for season 6 of HBO’s True Blood.

Hillary Hart ’00 is the managing director of Flat Rock Playhouse in Flat Rock, N.C. She was previously the general manager of the Dallas Theater Center in Texas.

Sacha Mueller ’00 was the post production supervisor for the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Mary-Jean O’Doherty ’00 won first place at the 2013 Paris Opera Awards. Mary-Jean is an international coloratura soprano who has U.S., Greek and Australian citizenship. She also covered the role of Lulu in the production of the same name for the Welsh National Opera.

David Pulliam ’00, ’03 is organist and choirmaster at the Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of Western Massachusetts: Christ Church Cathedral. He also serves as one of 11 awards validators and examiners in the United States for The Board of the Royal School of Church Music in America.

Morgann Rose ’00 won Best Ensemble for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with Imagination Stage in Bethesda, Md.

Travis Smith ’00 appeared as a recurring guest star on USA Network’s Necessary Roughness.

Barclay Stiff ’00 was the production stage manager for Manhattan Theatre Club’s The Assembled Parties at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater and MTC’s The Other Place.

Mando Alvarado ’01 is emerging as a powerful voice in the Hispanic American theatre scene. His newest play, Basilica, appeared off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre, produced by Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre.

Camille Brown ’01 choreographed and performed The Real Cool in Working Women at the Joyce Theater.

Michael Lluberes ’01 held the West Coast premiere of his play Peter Pan: The Boy Who Hated Mothers at the Blank Theatre, directed by Ovation Winner Michael Matthews, last April.

Jeff Nichols ’01 received the Emerging Master Award at the 2013 RiverRun International Film Festival in April. MUD, which he wrote and directed, was included in the Festival Favorites program at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and was the highest grossing independent film of the summer, according to Indiewire.com.

Stefani Collins ’02 performed Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto with the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra in February. She also won the 2012 Washington International Competition and is pursuing her master’s degree in Violin Performance at Juilliard.

Will Files ’02 was the sound re-recording mixer on Disney’s BRAVE, which won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature in 2013.

Zachary Groff ‘02 won the male classical whistling division at the International Whistlers Convention last April.

Jennifer Haire ’02 served as the production coordinator for CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, which shot in Charlotte. Jen was also production coordinator for additional photography unit of DON JON’S ADDICTION, which was included in the Festival Favorites program at the South by Southwest Film Festival and selected for Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival. She also was elected to a second term on the PA Council Board of Delegates of the Producers Guild of America, and was elected to the national board of directors of the PGA through 2016. Jennifer is an official representative of the UNCSA West Alumni Group in Los Angeles.


Rebecca Shorstein ’02 played Berta in Piedmont Opera’s The Barber of Seville.

Vanessa K. Smith ’02 released her new novel “Fashionista” last June under the pen name Vanessa McKnight. The novel is about Millie, a plus-sized girl producing glamorous runway shows who dreams of being a writer and exposes the juicy secrets of the fashion underworld when a new client knocks her off her feet.

Chris Stuart ’02 is a company dancer with the Nashville Ballet, joining the company in 2003. He also performs as a guest artist with Configuration Dance Theatre, Quixotic Fusion, Missouri Ballet Theatre and National Choreographic Institute.

Adrian Crutchfield ’03 played in the horn section in Andy Allo’s single “People Pleaser.” In 2012, he toured with Lionel Ritchie and Prince.

Jennifer Ferrin ’03 appeared as Hannah on the first episode of NBC’s Deception.

Blake Griffin ’03, ’07 is featured in LIFE OF A KING, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dennis Haysbert. The film premiered at the LA Film Festival in June.

Lucas Hall ’03 played Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Bassanio in The Merchant of Venice and Hamlet in Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. He also appeared in John Cariani’s Almost, Maine at TheaterWorks in Hartford, Conn., directed by Amy Saltz.

Rebecca Naomi Jones ’03 appeared as Jacquenetta in Love’s Labour’s Lost, A New Musical by NY Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park last summer. She was also featured in the musical Murder Ballad, which sold out its run at Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II and switched to Union Square Theatre.

Jennifer Lyon ’03 played Hildy Johnson in His Girl Friday at the LaJolla Playhouse.

Andrea Crampe Braswell ’04 was the first assistant accountant on CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR, which filmed in Charlotte. Glenn Peison, Jr. ’08 was the on-set dresser and Clint Buckner ’09 was the 2nd assistant director. Alexandria ter Arvest ’11 appears in the film. Mariangelica Velasquez ’12 was the office production assistant.

alumniZach Clark ’04 sold out the world premiere of his film WHITE REINDEER at South by Southwest in 2013. He wrote, directed, edited and produced the film. WHITE REINDEER was also selected for the RiverRun Film Festival in Winston-Salem. Maggie Ross ’05 appears as a grocery store clerk, and Alex Sablow ’09 was first assistant cameraman.

Matt Cowart ’04 directed Black Comedy for No Rules Theatre Company at the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C., and in Winston-Salem. Brian Sutow ’09, co-artistic director of No Rules Theatre Company, played Harold Gorringe in the show, while Kathryn Saffell ’11 played Carol Melkett. John Bowhers ’12 designed the set and Travis McHale ’05 designed the lighting.

Dane DeHaan ’04, ‘08 was the face of Prada’s spring/summer fashion campaign. He also appeared in THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES with Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling and in METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER.

Trieste Kelly Dunn ’04 appeared as Margot Dixon in the CBS crime drama Golden Boy. She also has a recurring role as Siobhan Kelly on the Cinemax series Banshee and stars in LOVES HER GUN, which premiered in the Narrative Spotlight category at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Tre Garrett ‘04 directed A Raisin in the Sun as the 2013-14 season kickoff at the Dallas Theater Center. He was also recognized in The Column’s annual Best of Dallas/Ft. Worth Theatre as Best Artistic Director, Best Director of the Year and Best Production for Pretty Fire by Charlayne Woodard in 2012. He is the artistic director of Ft. Worth’s Jubilee Theatre.

Jerzy Gwiazdowski ’04 played Brindsley in No Rules Theatre Company’s staging of Black Comedy at the Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. He also appeared in the acclaimed HBO series Girls.

Chad Hartigan ’04 directed THIS IS MARTIN BONNER, which was screened at the 2013 RiverRun International Film Festival and which won the NEXT Audience Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

Bridget Regan ’04 played Alexandra “Lex” Sutton, the lead role, in the ABC drama pilot Murder in Manhattan. From executive producer Ryan Reynolds, the show follows a mother and daughter who team up as amateur sleuths in New York City.

Robyn Rikood ’04, ’08 guest starred as Heidi Dolaman on NBC’s Law & Order SVU episode “Undercover Blue.”

Will Rogers ’04 played Audrey Piper in George Kelly’s The Show Off at the Westport County Playhouse. He also appeared in the off-Broadway Signature Theatre production of Lanford Wilson’s The Mound Builders at

the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre, Pershing Square Signature Center.

Kern Saxton ’04 directed SUSHI GIRL, which screened in the Back Alley Film Series at the Charlotte Crownpoint Theater.

Anna Wood ’04,’08 played the lead role of Jamie in the CBS pilot Reckless. She also played recurring character Nichole Frishette on NBC’s Deception.

Travis Beacham ’05 made The New York Times bestseller list for his graphic novel “Pacific Rim: Tales from Year Zero,” which is the prequel to his adaptation of the summer blockbuster film PACIFIC RIM, directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Marcus Beam ’05 made his Piedmont Opera debut as Figaro in The Barber of Seville.

Neal Bledsoe ’05 won the Best Actor award at the 2012 Long Island International Film Expo for the feature film JUNCTION, written and directed by Tony Glazer. He also appeared in the NBC fall series Ironside opposite Blair Underwood.

Gerald “Ro” Boddie ’05, ’09 played Horatio in both Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and appeared in Two Gentlemen of Verona at the American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisc.

Bryan Hall ’05 performed “Building on the Classics” on violin at Main Street United Methodist Church in Kernersville as a fundraiser for the church’s building project. After high school at UNCSA, Bryan went on to graduate from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and the University of Texas-Austin.

Sarah Haught ’05 served as assistant director on the Los Angeles premiere of Daniel Talbott’s Slipping, by Rattlestick Theatre.

Ashley Jackson ’05 dances with Alonzo King Lines Ballet. In 2009, she received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Performing Arts Medal. In 2010, she was honored with the Princess Grace Foundation and Chris Hellman Dance awards.

Ian Merrigan ’05 is the co-author and featured performer in The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s world premiere of The Unfortunates, which ran through Nov. 2.

Bobby Rayfield ’05 played in the horn section of Andy Allo’s single “People Pleaser.” He also appeared at Prince’s After Party at the House of Blues in Chicago with Allo.

Jenna Smith ’05-’06 choreographed a ballet about the Osage Indian Tribe that premiered in August 2012 and was performed at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in March.


Hayley Treider ’05, ’09 became UNCSA’s first-ever recipient of the prestigious Lennore Annenberg Fellowship Fund in the Performing and Visual Arts. The $50,000 award, which had previously only been open to graduates of NYU, Yale and Juilliard, is to be used for ongoing artistic development. She also played Daphne Stillington in Noel Crawford’s Present Laughter at the Two River Theatre Company, where former faculty member and frequent guest artist Ben Furey served as vocal/dialect coach.

Gaye Taylor Upchurch ’05 directed the critically acclaimed world premiere of Laura Marks’ Bethany with America Ferrera for The Women’s Project at City Center Stage. She returned to UNCSA to direct She Loves Me this past fall.

Joe Isenberg ’06 received the 2013 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography for The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre. The Helen Hayes Awards are Washington, D.C.’s version of the Tony Awards. He also choreographed and performed a fight scene in Show Boat for the Washington National Opera.

Gabriel Brown ’07, ’11 appeared in August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Los Angeles Music Theatre’s Mark Taper Forum, directed by Phylicia Rashad.

Jordan Brown ’07 played Chad in the world premiere of Neil LaBut’s newly revised stage version of his feature film IN THE COMPANY OF MEN at Chicago’s Profile Theatre.

Haley Dreis ’07 embarked on a 40-city spring tour with fellow musician Caleb Caudle beginning in Winston-Salem and traveling throughout the Southeast and Northeast.

Sedrick Gillespie ’07 danced as Gabriel in the Winston-Salem Festival Ballet’s production of Angels in Our Midst.

Aaron Gonzales ’07 is resident director and assistant stage manager on the national tour of the Tony winning Billy Elliot, The Musical.

Mark Karafin ’07 served as assistant director/company manager of Oberon Theatre Ensemble’s The Drawer Boy off Broadway at SoHo Playhouse.

Matt Lauria ’07 played Davis in the NYC premiere of Really, Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo at the Manhattan Class Company.

Billy Magnussen ’07 received a Tony nomination for his reprised role as Spike in Lincoln Theatre Company’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike on Broadway. He also recorded an album with his band, Reserved for Rondee. Billy can be seen in the upcoming film adaptation of INTO THE WOODS.

Andre Peele ‘07, ’11, Cameron Flynt ’09, ’13, and Kenneth Pettigrew ’13 participated in the young artist program at The Princeton Festival.

alumniWilliam Sanders ’07 is the artistic director at Civic Theatre in Allentown, Pa., and original director of Mommalogues. He also directed the play for Marvel Repertory Theatre in NYC. William has been the artistic director at Civic for more than 20 years while also directing off Broadway and regional theatre and serving as assistant director on Broadway.

Monica Vega-Gorsun ’07 is co-producer of WALLABOUT, an independent feature film that tells the story of a woman who has lived abroad for 10 years and struggles to reboot her life in the artsy enclaves of contemporary Brooklyn.

Spencer Beighley ’08 served as assistant to Ben Affleck for ARGO, which won three Academy Awards in 2013, including Best Picture, as well as a Golden Globe and a SAG Award.

Lauren Culpepper ’08 played Grace in the NYC premiere of Really, Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo at the Manhattan Class Company. Lauren also played Anna in Lincoln Center Theater Company’s Nikolai and the Other by Richard Nelson.

Logan Fahey ’08 guest starred as Brad Parker on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy episode “Transplant Wasteland.”

Mark David Johnson ’08 appeared in the Broadway premiere of Nora Ephron’s Lucky Guy, starring Tom Hanks, Maura Tierney and Courtney B. Vance.

Jake Lacy ’08 joined the cast of the CBS family comedy pilot The McCarthys as Ronny. Jake also played Pete on the last season of NBC’s The Office.

Summer Shelton ’08 was associate producer and post production supervisor on AT ANY PRICE, which was shown at the 2013 RiverRun International Film Festival. She is also producing a film by Alex Moratto ’10 in which two brothers smuggle rare lumber to sell on the black market, hoping to save their family’s rural home in the Amazon. Summer was a 2012 Sundance Producing Fellow.

Crystal Arnette ’09 appeared as Tara Bruno in the world premiere of The House of Von Macrame, written by Joshua Conkel, music and lyrics by Matt Marks and directed by Nick Leavens.

Nicholas Bailey ’09 played Michael in the musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County. He also performed in Moonlight and Love Songs off Broadway at the Abington Theatre in May and appeared in Hit the Wall, a new play by Ike Holter, in March at the off Broadway Barrow Street Theatre.

John Milani ’09 served as the stage manager for Second Stage Theater’s revival of The Last Five Years.

Kendall Ramseur ’09 released his first album, T.I.M.E., featuring a fusion of vocal tracks, cello, piano and choir. He won the Boston Music Award for Gospel/Inspirational Artist of the Year.

Aleque Reid ’09 played Haley in the NYC premiere of Really, Really by Paul Downs Colaizzo at the Manhattan Class Company and appeared in Second Stage Theatre’s off- Broadway musical Nobody Loves You as Jenny.

Sydney Shepherd ’09, ’13 appeared in First Date, a new Broadway musical that opened last August.

2010sJoshua Conyers ’10 served as an apprentice artist at the Santa Fe Opera last summer.

Collin Fullerton ’10 took first prize in the guitar category of the senior division of the American String Teachers Association competition and received a scholarship to participate in last summer’s Aspen Music Festival.

Alex Hoeffler ’10 appeared in the new musical Derma at the 2013 Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.

Brighton Linge ’10 was part of the NFL film crew that filmed Superbowl XLVII.

Alex Moratto ’10 was one of eight filmmakers chosen for the Film Independent’s Directing Lab in Los Angeles. The Directing Lab is an intensive, 10-week program that helps directors develop new feature films and improve their craft.

Megan O’Malley is a musician with Feld Entertainment, touring with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus.

M. Meriwether Snipes ’10 won the 2012 Princess Grace Award, which recognizes outstanding emerging artists in theatre, dance and film.

Jackie Hansen ’11 appeared in Words, Razors and the Wounded Heart, a new play by James Presson at St. Marks Theatre in New York City in April.


Vera Herbert ’11 created and wrote a new drama series Blink, for the CW. Also, her script DON’T MAKE ME GO, which made last year’s Black List, was picked up by Big Beach and De Line Pictures.

Marvin Kehler ’11, ’12 is a studio artist with the Sarasota Opera, singing roles in Puccini’s Turandot and Carlisle Floyd’s opera Of Mice and Men, based on the Steinbeck novella.

Richard Ollarsaba ’11, ’12 was runner-up at the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. He received $5,000 to continue his studies as a bass-baritone and joined the Ryan Opera Center at the Chicago Lyric Opera as a member of the young artist program.

Ben Morris ’11 was an editorial intern on BRAVE, which won a 2013 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Ben is an editorial assistant at Pixar Animation Studios. He also worked on MONSTERS U, which came out last summer.

Dina Perez ’11 spent last summer as a costume designer for the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Luke Smith ’11 served as the understudy for keyboards, guitar, newbie, Tano and Cliff in Ike Holter’s play Hit the Wall at the Barrow Street Theater.

Ben Carbo ’12 plays the recurring role of an alien high school student in the CW Network series “Star-Crossed.” He also played Romeo in The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival’s Romeo & Juliet last summer.

Ted Federle ’12 is a young artist in the Nashville Opera. He also sang the role of Bob Boles in Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, as well as covered the role of Ford in Falstaff with the Chautauqua Opera last summer.

Mallory Hayes ’12 won the Anderson (S.C.) Symphony Concerto competition and performed the concerto with the symphony.

Jonathan Majors ’12 appeared in the world premiere of Cry Old Kingdom by Jeff August in at the Actors Theatre of Louisville’s 37th annual Humana Festival of New American Plays.

Charles Osborne ’12 served as the male understudy in Gerald Alessandrini’s off Broadway hit Forbidden Broadway: Alive and Kicking! at the 47th Street Theatre.

Kass Patselas ’12 received an honorable mention in the 2013 Young Arts Awards, one of the most prestigious awards in the nation for artists under age 18. She is now enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The award is for work submitted during her senior year in high school at UNCSA.

Corinne Serfass ’12 was a stitcher at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Zach Strum ’12 directed MOLLY UNDER THE MOON, which was shown at the 2013 RiverRun International Film Festival. The movie is a collaboration of the Schools of Filmmaking, Dance, Drama, Music, and Design and Production at UNCSA.

Jamar Williams ’12 appeared in Witness Uganda at The Miller Theatre at Columbia University. The musical is a 2012 Richard Rogers Award winner and is directed by Tony winner Diane Paulus.

Bailey Powell ’13 won the National Gold Medal in the Scholastic Art & Writing competition. Her painting, “Self Respect,” was also selected for the American Vision Award – Best of Show for the N.C. Eastern/Central region. She won 13 gold keys and two silver keys at the regional competition. Bailey continues her studies as an undergraduate in UNCSA’s Costume Design program in the School of Design and Production.

Zachary Cook ’13 sang the National Anthem before the Winston-Salem Dash game on April 25, 2013.

alumniSamir Gangwani ’13 created Summer Brass Bash at Paisley Middle School in Winston-Salem, which is designed to boost interest in music by giving the students of Forsyth County the opportunity to learn fundamentals and have fun playing for and with others.

Jason Grimes ’13 won the International Trumpet Guild Young Artist Award recognizing developing young trumpeters.

Mark Haas ’13 was named an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation intern in music for summer 2013. He was one of only 40 students selected nationwide for the program and worked one-on-one with composer Snuffy Walden.

Jake Laguardia ’13 directed the indie feature film SILVER COVE, which shot last summer. The film stars Alec Shaw (Alec Grooms) ’13 and is produced by Warren Smith ‘13.

Diandra Langenbach ’13 made her professional acting debut in Agatha Christie’s The Hollow at Houston’s Alley Theatre in July.

David Palmer ’13 worked in projection design in the Princeton Festival’s production of “The Flying Dutchman” with several other UNCSA faculty and alumni.

Alec Shaw (Alec Grooms) ’13 worked on Oregon Trail, a new play by Bekah Brunstetter, at the prestigious O’Neill National Playwrights Conference.

Noah Smith ’13 signed with The Gersh Agency less than a month after graduating from UNCSA.

In MemoriamDavid Alden Lee ‘84 James R. Crayton ‘00

Stephanie “Stevie” Dawson ‘04

Send us your note or those of fellow Pickles to [email protected], or update your information at the Pickle Portal at https://uncsa.thankyou4caring.org


Robert Ward, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer who was among the founders of the school and served as its second president (and later, chancellor) from 1967-74, died April 3 at his home in Durham. He was 95.

Ward’s most well-known work is The Crucible, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1962. In 2011, he received a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Opera

Honors, the nation’s highest award in opera. During his tenure as chancellor, he oversaw the integration of the School of the Arts into the University of North Carolina system and the creation of the School of Design and Production. He initiated the International Music Program and International Dance Program, both of which endured for years. While chancellor, he taught composition in the School of Music, and continued to teach from 1975-79. Ward is survived by his five children. His wife of 62 years, Mary Ward, died in 2006.

The UNCSA Symphony Orchestra will give a concert featuring the music of Robert Ward, his teachers and his students at 7:30 p.m. March 29, 2014, at the Stevens Center.

Malcolm Morrison, who led the School of Drama from 1976 to 1987 and is credited with building a national and international reputation for the school, died Nov. 8. He was 73.

British-born, Morrison came to the School of the Arts from Rose Bruford College near London, where he received a degree in acting, and then taught. During his tenure, he founded N.C. Shakespeare Festival in 1977, becoming its artistic director in 1979. Morrison left the School of the Arts to become director of the National Theatre Conservatory in Denver, and then chaired the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Wisconsin. In 1996, he became director of the theatre division of the Hartt School at the University of Hartford in Hartford, Conn., and later was named dean of the school. He retired from that post in 2008. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, actress and teacher Johanna Morrison.

Robert Suderburg, who served as the school’s third chancellor, died April 22 in Williamstown, Mass., at the age of 77. A composer, conductor and pianist devoted to the performance of 20th-century music, Suderburg was chancellor from 1974-1984.

In 1985, Suderburg joined the music faculty of Williams College, where he became composer-in-residence and served as chair of the Music Department. He retired in 2001. Suderburg’s tenure as chancellor was marked by major capital improvements, including the completion of the Workplace Building, the opening of the Semans Library, and the renovation of the old Carolina Theatre, now the Stevens Center. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth.

memoriamSchool of the Arts Loses Revered Figures The School of the Arts lost five major figures in its history between April and November of 2013: Robert Ward, Robert Suderburg, Robert Lindgren, Daniel McKinny, and Malcolm Morrison. Donations to honor the memory of any or all of these legends may be made to the UNCSA Foundation, Inc., 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27127, or at www.uncsa.edu/donate. Please include “In memory of” whom you wish to honor on the gift.

Robert A. Lindgren, founding dean of the School of Dance, died May 10 at his home in Winston-Salem. He was 89. A noted performer, teacher, choreographer, administrator and innovator, Lindgren led the School of Dance for 22 years.

During his long career as a dancer, Lindgren performed with such companies as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet. He and his wife, Sonja Tyven, opened a ballet school in Phoenix, Ariz., prior to joining the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1965, at the behest of first President Vittorio Giannini. During his tenure at the School of the Arts, he and his wife choreographed the school’s first production of The Nutcracker and founded the Preparatory Dance Program. Lindgren also founded the North Carolina Dance Theatre. He left the School of the Arts in 1987 to become general director (later, president) of the School of American Ballet in New York City, where he served until 1991. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, and two daughters. A dance concert was held at UNCSA Oct. 27 in his honor.

Daniel McKinny, a founding faculty member of the School of Filmmaking, died June 9. He was 66.

McKinny was a camera operator, director of photography and director. His credits include movies-of-the-week, theatrical motion pictures, documentaries, and TV series “Perry Mason” and “90210.” He was a five-time member of the Emmy Awards Blue Ribbon

Judging Panels, and member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1993, he and his screenwriter wife, Laura, moved their family to Winston-Salem as founding faculty of the North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. He is survived by his wife and three sons.

1533 South Main Street Winston-Salem, NC 27127

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Permit No. 1

Fletcher Opera Institute to Present

The Tales of Hoffmann

The A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute and the School of Design & Production at UNCSA will present Les Contes D’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), Jan. 31, Feb. 2 & 4 at the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem. Sung in French with English supertitles, the opera features a glorious score by Jacques Offenbach and libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré, based on the tales of E.T.A. Hoffmann.

James Allbritten is music director and Steven LaCosse is stage director for the production. Angela Vanstory Ward is handling vocal preparation.

Call the Box Office at 336-721-1945 for tickets.

UNCSA Announces $500,000 Endowed Professorship for Fletcher Visiting ArtistsWade Weast, dean of the School of Music at UNCSA, has announced the establishment of the James Allbritten Visiting Artist Distinguished Professorship. The $500,000 endowment provides funding for guest artists in UNCSA’s A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute.

The endowment is named for James Allbritten, artistic director of Fletcher Opera, who has taught at UNCSA since 1993. It was endowed by the estate of Timothy Keith Cahill, Ms. Jacqueline Mars, and friends in the Winston-Salem community, with a matching grant from the Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund of the State of North Carolina.

“We are grateful to supporters who made this gift in honor of James Allbritten,” said Weast. “It is an indication of the community’s respect and admiration for his talent, dedication and hard work.”

Allbritten has been artistic director of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute since 2001. During his time at UNCSA, he has held positions as principal conductor for the UNCSA Cantata Singers and the UNCSA Symphony Orchestra. He recently was recognized by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNCSA as a “Class Act,” an outstanding teacher who employs best practices in arts education. He received a UNCSA Excellence in Teaching Award for 2013.

Allbritten said the gift will enrich opera performance for years to come. “Graduates of the Fletcher Opera Institute perform on the world’s stages. This endowment will allow us to bring in guest artists of the highest caliber, who will inspire new generations of talented performers,” he said. “I am honored to have my name associated with such a generous gesture.”

Photo of work on one of the opera’s beautiful backdrops taken on the paint deck. Courtesy UNCSA School of Design and Production students.

Allbritten

UNCSA Magazine, WINTER 2014

Documents

Transcript of UNCSA Magazine, WINTER 2014