UW Whitewater Theatre/Dance Department

I was able to go a bit further on the Sketchup Rendering of Animal Farm. As soon as Dancescapes moves into performances, we will begin the build.

At UW-Whitewater, our students are encouraged to undertake research projects under the banner of the Undergraduate Research Program. In the Theatre/Dance program, partial funding for conference particpation in KCACTF and ACDFA comes through student participation in UR. In March, for one day, students from across campus gather in the University Center to present their work. For Theatre/Dance students, this means presenting the work that they’ve presented at their conferences. The design/tech/stage management students have physical displays (as do some of the dance students), while the actors present one of their short pieces. Here are photos of our students setting up their displays, ending with one of the performance students presenting Hermia’s monologue from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to his fellow UR participants.

Last week, while Dancescapes was getting set up in the Barnett Theatre, I as at the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology conference in St. Louis. My colleague Tracey Lyons was also there. Most excitingly, one of our costume design students, Kat Middleton, won the Midwest Region’s Founder’s Award this year, so the department was able to find some funds and get her to the conference to accept her award.

The entrance to America’s Center (just because):

Waiting for the keynote address to begin:

Some of the day’s offerings. I went to the Contemporary Chinese Stage design seminar:

In the USITT book shop, there was our book, on the table, for sale! Tracey and I both participated in the official conference book signing later.

Some of the Cover the Walls displays. Lots of interesting student work from all over:

And an interesting display of Contemporary European costume design:

More seminars:

The excitement of the Midwest Regional section meeting:

And Kat receiving the Founder’s Award:

The crowd waiting for the Expo floor to open:

And the Expo floor itself:

Another session. This time, on dance lighting, featuring the lighting supervisors of the NYC Ballet, Alvin Ailey, and Paul Taylor companies:

Waiting for the dance lighting session to begin:

On the Expo floor, a stop by the Routledge Press booth, and there our book was again. Also got to finally meet, in person, our editorial assistant Meredith!

I was also able to spend a little time away from the conference, checking out some sights of St. Louis. Here I enjoy a cubano espresso and a slice of gooey butter cake at a coffee shop near Lafayette Square:

And now that “Putnam County” is done, I can get the drawing for Animal Farm done (though Dancescapes is the next production):

“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” has now come and gone. Yesterday, after the student matinee, the set was struck. Set design by Eric Appleton, Costume Design by Tracey Lyons, Lighting Design by guest David Gipson, Stage Manager student Emily Ottinger, Props by students Tori Martino and Stephanie Graf, Music Direction by Sheri VanAlstine, Directed by Guest Ken Williams.

Here are some pics from the final dress rehearsal:

Spell ‘syzygy’:

Leaf Coneybear spells “capybara”:

Giving away candy during the snack break:

Into the final round of words:

Barfee spells the final word:

It was a very nice beginning:

And since the door push and kick plates didn’t get installed until the following afternoon (though still before the first public performance), here’s the actual, completed set: