University Theatre hosts professional theatre makers to speak about their work, their industry, and their journey within the arts.
University Theatre director Joshua Reaves sits down with our speakers in a casual and interactive conversation with attendees. Speakers will take questions from the audience during this one-hour chat. Pre-registration required for each speaker.
Please contact University Theatre with any questions about registration needs: universitytheatre@ncsu.edu
Elizabeth Doran
President & CEO
With over 15 years of experience as an arts leader and theatre producer, Elizabeth has successfully led several arts organizations serving as the CEO of San Diego Theatres, executive director of The Pasadena Playhouse, the State Theater of California, and managing director of The Actors’ Gang.
February 16 | 6pm EST
Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre
Frank Thompson Hall
Maya Bryant
Communications Manager
A Durham native and William Peace University alumna, Maya currently serves as the communications manager for North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh.
March 9 | 6pm EST
Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre
Frank Thompson Hall
Patrick Torres
Artistic Director
With over a decade of experience as a professional director and theatre educator, Patrick’s work has been seen at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The Southwest Shakespeare Festival, Round House Theatre, The Source Festival, and the Hangar Theatre among others. In 2003, he was selected as a Drama League Directing Fellow and in 2005 was named a Young Leader of Color by the Theatre Communications Group.
April 13 | 6pm EST
Kennedy-McIlwee Studio Theatre
Frank Thompson Hall
By supporting the student through the arts we promote the success of the whole student, preparing them to succeed academically, professionally and personally. Donor support is critical to the success of University Theatre and makes an impact beyond the performances you see on stage, particularly in a time when live audiences are unable to attend. Your gifts allow our programs to grow and thrive.
Past Speakers
Alejandro Fajardo
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Colombian lighting designer based in New York City. Works include designing plays and musicals, directing dance tours and festivals, lighting fashion shows, music festivals, escape rooms, and other live events. www.fajardodesigns.com
April 27 | 6pm EST
Andy Señor
Director & Actor
Currently serving as the associate director a La Jolla Playhouse.
April 29 | 6pm EST
Matthew Miller
DIRECTOR
Chicago based director, casting director & TV executive producer.
Co-creator and director of TV Land’s Teachers. Commercial Director for Got Milk?, Crest, Eggo, and Lowe’s and has directed in theaters such as Steppenwolf, Second City and Lifeline Theatre
February 2 | 6pm EST
Chris Chalk
ACTOR / FILMMAKER
Chalk is known for television roles such as Lucius Fox on “Gotham”, journalist Gary Cooper in HBO’s “The Newsroom”, Marine Tom Walker in “Homeland”, and murderer Jody Adair in “Justified”. He has also been in multiple Law & Order episodes. Other credits include roles in the 2010 Broadway play Fences, and the films 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Red Sea Diving Resort (2019)
February 4 | 6pm EST
Ryan Moller
COSTUME DESIGNER
Chicago based award winning costume designer for companies such as The Metropolitan Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, Norwegian Cruise Line, and many more. Dresser for 25 broadway shows including: Hamilton, Rock of Ages, Memphis, Head over Heels, Mean Girls, Miss Saigon, American Psycho and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
February 11 | 6pm EST
Stephanie Trigg
COMPANY MANAGER
NYC based Event and Entertainment Producer and Company Manager working in theatre and the immersive world. More than a decade in the industry with seven years of experience working with Emursive and Punchdrunk International, developing Sleep No More in New York City.
February 16 | 6pm EST
Seth Starr
Lighting Test Specialist
Former Field Service Engineer and current Acceptance Test Specialist for Electronic Theatre Controls. Facilitate User “Beta” Testing of ETC products before going to market.
February 18 | 6pm EST
Jackson Cooper
Major Gifts Officer
Major Gifts Officer for Pacific Northwest Ballet working concurrent on marketing and communications to donors. He is also an MFA in Arts Leadership candidate at Seattle University where his research focus is the decolonization of fundraising principles and entering the arts career field in a post-COVID world.
February 23 | 6pm EST
Anthony Shou
PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT
Acoustics consultant in performing arts related venues and academic facilities focusing on architectural acoustics, sound isolation and noise vibration control to ensure great acoustics is accessible to everyone.
February 25 | 6pm EST
Shauna Johannesen
Writer/Actor/Filmmaker
Vancouver-based award-winning writer, actor, and filmmaker. Her plays have been produced across Western Canada. Her short film , “Bedbugs: A Musical Love Story,” garnered numerous accolades on the festival circuit, including Leo awards for Screenwriting and Best Female Actor.
March 2 | 6pm EST
Registration opens late January 2021
Jessica Holcombe
Owner/Charge Artist
Scenic painter and owner of Majestic Scenic in Winston-Salem NC, a full service scenic art company.
March 4 | 6pm EST
Heather Strickland
Executive DIRECTOR
Theatre and nonprofit executive, currently Executive Director of Raleigh Little Theatre, as well as a sometimes artist with experience in fight and intimacy choreography, acting, directing, and teaching.
March 9 | 6pm EST
Joel Veenstra
STAGE MANAGER
Professional AEA stage manager, production manager, producer, & improviser. Theatres include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pasadena Playhouse and many more. Currently Associate Chair of Production and Co-head of the Stage Management Program for University of California’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts
March 16 | 6pm EST
Audrey Hoo
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Production Manager at the Tony Award-winning theater, Berkeley Repertory Theater and former production manager of A.C.T. and La Jolla Playhouse
March 18 | 6pm EST
Elizabeth Mak
LIGHTING & MEDIA DESIGNER
Singapore-born NYC-based lighting and media designer. Her practice as an artist is rooted in using various forms of visual storytelling to create immersive and experiential works that address issues of social justice
March 23 | 6pm EST
Jay Machado
Virtual Art Department Supervisor
LA based VES award winning hard surface modeler for Industrial Light & Magic. Currently supervising the Virtual Art Department on an upcoming Star Wars TV series
March 25 | 6pm EST
Lauren Van Hemert
Arts Journalist
CEO of Beltline To Broadway (formerly RDU on Stage) and former Contributing Editor for Broadway World Raleigh, covering over 50 shows in the Triangle and conducted over 50 interviews, including profiling Kristin Chenoweth and William Ivey Long. Member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
March 30 | 6pm EST
John McIlwee
DIRECTOR, ACTOR & DESIGNER
Retired director of NC State University Theatre
April 1 | 6pm EST
Emily Tadlock
TV NEWS ANCHOR & MMJ
Award winning multi-media journalist and primetime anchor for Bangor, Maine’s WABI TV 5 – 5 p.m. newscast
April 6 | 6pm EST
Abby Tutorow
FIELD SERVICE ENGINEER
Factory-based Field Service Engineer for ETC lighting controls systems. Abby works with programming, troubleshooting, implementation, and training.
April 8 | 6pm EST
Kaitlin Gill Rider
LIGHTING DESIGNER & SALES
RTP based freelance lighting designer with over 10 years of experience in dance, theatrical, worship, and architectural lighting design. Director of Outside Sales for WHOCO Lighting and Controls, INC.
April 20 | 6pm EST
Jen Dasher
COSTUME DESIGNER
Principal designer and founder of J.Dasher Creative, a creative studio that has produced designs for Cirque du Soleil, Taylor Swift, Paula Abdul, Glimmerglass Opera, The Washington Ballet, Ford’s Theatre, PBS, Ballet X and a selection of Broadway and Off-
Broadway works. Currently Assistant Professor of Costume Design at The University of Florida,
April 22 | 6pm EST
Elisheba Ittoop
Sound Designer/Composer
NYC based designer, composer, & noisemaker.
August 20 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO
Haley Clair
Voice Actor/Singer
NYC based voiceover artist, singer, and actor who has voiced commercials for Kohl’s, David’s Bridal, Michael’s, Canva, Spotify, and more!
August 25 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Kara Harmon
Costume Designer
Costume Designer living in NYC whose work has been seen in theatre, film, television, commercials and events.
August 27 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Ryan Wineinger-Schattl
Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering
Disney Imagineer with 10 years experience in Theatre & Theme Parks.
September 1 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Porsche McGovern
Lighting Designer, Researcher
Lighting designer and author of the Howlround series, “Who Designs & Directs in LORT Theatres by Pronoun”.
September 3 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Josh Tower
Actor/ Singer
Broadway actor and singer currently playing Burr on the first national tour of Hamilton.
September 8 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
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Hillary Hart
Executive Director
Executive director for Theatre Under the Stars in Houston, Texas
September 10 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Sun Hee Kil
Assistant Professor/Sound Designer
NYC based Theatre Sound designer/Professor, from South Korea
September 15 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Eric Tysinger
Stage Manager
AEA stage manager for the first national tour of Hamilton.
September 17 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
Nathan Crocker
Assistant Professor / Voice and Dialect Coach
NY/NJ based actor and accent and dialect coach. Currently voice and speech professor at Rutgers University.
September 22 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO HERE
David Tompkins
Executive Director
Arts and Culture Executive and Film, Television, Live Concert, and industrial show Production Manager, and Event Producer.
September 24 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVED VIDEO
Rasean Davonte Johnson
Projection Designer and Video Artist
Video artist and designer of projections for theatre, film, and installations.
September 29 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Edred Utomi
Actor
Professional actor currently playing the role of Alexander Hamilton on the Angelica tour or “Hamilton”
September 30 | 7pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Charles Murdock Lucas
Scenic and Integrated Media Designer, USA 829
International scene and media designer, member of USA 829, and Head of Scene Design, Projection & Integrated Media Design for the BA and M.F.A. programs at San Diego State University.
October 1 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Tara Faircloth
Opera Stage Director
Freelance opera stage director for companies large and small.
October 6 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Alan Campbell
Actor
Tony nominated actor with nearly forty years experience in stage, film, television and concerts.
October 7 | 7pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Quentin Fears
Fashion Consultant
Celebrity Stylist & Host Based in Los Angeles, Ca.
October 13| 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Stephanie Umoh
Actor/Performer/Angelica Schuyler
NYC based Broadway/TV/Film/Commercial actor for over 12 years currently playing the role of Angelica on the national tour of “Hamilton”
October 14 | 7pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Jenny Ely
Associate Project Manager
Project Manager for ILMxLAB, Lucasfilm’s immersive media division.
October 15 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE
Rob Eastman-Mullins
Scenographer, Assoc. Prof. of Design & Production
Scenographer–designing scenery, lighting, and costumes–for over twenty years, and associate professor of deign & production at Wake Forest University.
October 22 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Lex Liang
Founder/Principal – LDC Design Associates
Founder of LDC Design Associates a multi-disciplinary design and production house, specializing in experiential, live event design and bespoke interiors.
October 27 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Lauren Kennedy Brady
Producing Artistic Director of Theatre Raleigh
Broadway actress and Artistic Producing Director of Theatre Raleigh
October 29 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Pornchanok Kanchanabanca
Sound Designer/ Composer
Female Thai artist, sound designer, musician and composer.
November 5 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Sharon Huizinga
Lighting Designer
Head of MFA Lighting Program at CCM, Sharon is an international lighting Designer and programmer in many genres, from theatre and live music to corporate events and television.
November 10 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO
Ken Maruyama
(Retired) Vice President, Artist Management & Academic Relations , Sony Pictures Imageworks
Retired Visual Effects Production executive from Sony Pictures Imageworks and Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic
November 12 | 6pm EST
ARCHIVE VIDEO