Theatre South Carolina presents
William Shakespeare’s
directed by
Robert
Richmond
April 15-23, 2016
DRAYTON HALL
THEATRE
1214 C
S.
ollege
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
t
Special thanks to our
DONORS!
SUPPORTERS OF THEATRE SOUTH CAROLINA
THROUGH OUR DONOR GROUP
THE CIRCLE
AND THROUGH ANNUAL GIVING
TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SC
Rick and Rory Ackerman
Dr. and Mrs. John L. Almeida
Dr. Sally Boyd
Professor Keen Butterworth
Matthew S. Cleary
Peter Chametzky
Roger and Pat Coate
Erik Collins
Dave and Sandy Cowen
James Dawkins
Max Dent, Jr.
John Dickerson
Robert and Judith Felix
Rhittie Gettone
Sallie J. Guess
John F. Hamilton
John and Lucretia Herr
Janet Hudson
Elizabeth Joiner and Buford Norman
Alice Bee Kasakoff
Natalie Kaufman
Mark Kilgus
Jane Lavender
Daniel and Rita Lebish
Steve and Annette Lynn
Robert and Mylla Markland
Bonnie J. Martin
Lawrence Mintz
Hayes Mizell
John and Catherine Moring
Dr. Gail M. Morrison
Jeff and Linda Moulton
President Harris Pastides &
Mrs. Patricia Moore-Pastides
Jeff and Brigette Persels
Richard and Keely Remedios
Dr. and Mrs. S. Hunter Rentz
Jean Rhyne
Jim and Jackie Robey
Dr. and Mrs. Jaime L. Sanyer
William Schmidt, Jr.
Elizabeth Simmons and Al Sadowski
Barbara and Wally Strong
Dan and Barbara Vismor
Dick White
THANK YOU!
JOIN THE CIRCLE TODAY!
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION:
ARTSANDSCIENCES.SC.EDU/THEA
(CLICK ON “DONORS” LINK ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE)
List compiled from donations received at time of printing, April, 2016.
Theatre South Carolina presents
Written by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Directed by ROBERT RICHMOND
Assistant Director.................................................................................................RYAN STEVENS
Scenic Designer............................................................................................NEDA SPALAJKOVIC
Lighting Designer..........................................................................................CHRIS PATTERSON
Costume Designer............................................................................................APRIL TRAQUINA
Hair/Wig/Make-up Designer..........................................................................VALERIE PRUETT
Sound Designer...........................................................................................DANIELLE WILSON
Production Manager/Props Master......................................................................JANE HEARN
Stage Manager..................................................................................................KIRA NEIGHBORS
Composer/Music Director..............................................................................JESSI WITCHGER†
CAST
Prospero/Caliban.............................................................................................RICHARD WILLIS*
Miranda...........................................................................................................CANDACE THOMAS
Ariel.........................................................................................................................CARIN BENDAS
Ferdinand..........................................................................................................DIMITRI WOODS**
Stephano....................................................................................................................JOSH JEFFERS
Trinculo..............................................................................................................RACHEL KUHNLE
Antonio......................................................................................................................BEN ROBERTS
Sebastian............................................................................................................TRISTAN HESTER
Gonzalo....................................................................................................MATTHEW CAVENDER
Alonso..................................................................................................................JOHN ROMANSKI
Harpy/Islander......................................................................................................NICOLE DIETZE
Juno/Islander.....................................................................................................KELSIE HENSLEY
Iris/Islander.............................................................................................................SOFIA PAVONE
Ceres/Islander..........................................................................................................JAMIE BOLLER
Islander............................................................................................................JORDAN YOUMANS
Islander..............................................................................................................ALLIE ANDERSON
Islander.........................................................................................................CONOR GALLAGHER
Islander....................................................................................................JON WHIT MCCLINTON
Islander.............................................................................................................FREDDIE POWERS
Violinist, Harpist, Vocalist............................................................................JESSI WITCHGER†
Percussionist/Guitarist................................................................................SAMUEL TRAQUINA
There will be one intermission.
This production utilizes strobe, haze and fog effects.
*Member of American/Canada and British Equity, ACTRA
† Actor's Equity EMC
**Member of Actor's Equity.
This theatre operates under an agreement between the University Resident Theatre management program and
Actors Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.
FROM THE CHAIR/CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Lisa Martin-Stuart
I would stay asleep my whole life,
if I could dream myself into a company of players.
-- Shakespeare in Love
It is time, once again, to say ”Congratulations!” and “Farewell”
to a group of theatre graduates. Over the past four years we
have watched these talented students perform, direct, build
sets, create lighting, create costumes, stage-manage, and support us in so
many ways in the Laboratory Theatre, on the Mainstage, and in many studentproduced shows. I say “Thank You and Good Luck!” as they pursue their dreams
and conquer their next challenges. I also want to remind them of the many ways
their theatre degree has prepared them to face their future and strive for their
goals - whatever they may be.
Critical and Creative Thinking – Sure! You have probably read Julius Caesar for
your Dramatic Lit. class, and maybe even memorized a few soliloquies, but as
a theatre major you can think creatively! Look beyond the scripted page and
dream of a unique staged production - maybe it takes place in 2016 during a
hotly-contested presidential election year . . . .
Creative Problem Solving - The script calls for . . . a shipwreck, a character to fall
from a cliff, a character to fly over the audience, an entire set to rotate in front of
the audience, a character to magically transform into a god, a princess, a frog, a
ghost . . . . If you can solve these problems (with no budget), you can do anything!
Leadership and Management - Our stage managers have five days to take 9 to
12 crew members (most with little, to no, previous experience) and shape them
to into a well-organized force, able to work behind the scenes creating all the
special effects listed above—future CEO's in the making!
Time Management - The bottom line is . . . Opening Night is non-negotiable!
Resourcefulness - One has a budget to manage, a company to hire, a rehearsal/
stage space to find and maintain, sets, lighting, sound, props, and costumes to
produce, and two weeks to fill the house to keep your accounts in the black—
future CFO's in the making!
Empathy and Passion - Performing artists are collaborative folk. This means we
must be supportive, understanding, good listeners, intuitive and connected. We
depend upon one another to create our art and our passion for the creative
process is infectious, enthusiastic, and always to be shared with our audiences.
Courage - All of these skills and qualities take great courage and faith to pursue
every day—often in the face of disappointment and hardship. Theatre artists
love what they do and are passionate to share what they create, because in the
end the art we make teaches us something new, or reminds us of what we know
to be true about the human condition and the community shared by us all.
Tonight's Student Spotlight Series is dedicated to our graduating Theatre majors.
Please read their stories as they look to a new future.
Congratulations to All!
A Shakespearean Blockbuster
by Assistant Director Ryan Stevens
“Me, poor man, my library
Was Dukedom large enough.”
Shakespeare’s final work, The Tempest carries with it a sense of
finality, a sense of grandeur that comes through with every line
spoken by its protagonist, the wise, wizened wizard Prospero.
Shakespeare, like Prospero, reaches the end of his exploits over the course of
his play, and at the last line, both men find their life’s work finished. Therefore,
any production of The Tempest carries with it an air of summation, of finality,
and begs a director, designer, and actor to wonder, ‘if this were to be my final
production, how I would I want to end it?’ Shakespeare’s answer in the text
seems to be ‘with a bang, and a big one.’ In the play alone, the Bard throws
shipwrecks, storms, magic, family drama after family drama, fairies, monsters,
and Gods themselves onto the stage and defies an audience to look away.
The kitchen-sink carnival that is The Tempest perseveres, and undergoes so
many productions and wild interpretations because, while its historical context
and plot make one meditate on the nature of finality, the subject matter and the
text are so vivid, rich, and dynamic that it is a perfect piece to hang one’s hat
on, a show that screams it will be worthy of capping a career as monumental
as Shakespeare’s. The play, drawing on true-life accounts of shipwrecks,
apocryphal Biblical texts, and Old English folk tales, is designed to dazzle, inspire,
and enrapture its audience unlike anything else in the canon. It’s a Shakespearean
blockbuster, appealing to the audience’s senses and unlocking its imagination,
and delivering on its protagonist’s promises of “rough magic.”
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, The Tempest is a masterwork. Though at this
point in his career Shakespeare was a proven master of the comic and the tragic,
the epic hero and the baudy pun, his final work seems determined to prove
he could not only achieve the highest and the lowest poles of entertainment,
but do them in the same play. From Prospero’s high poetry to Trinculo and
Stephano’s drunken Commedia-esque antics, The Tempest occupies every
niche of entertainment. It is in many ways what Richard Wagner would call
two hundred years later a Gesamtkunstwerk, a Total Life Work, a piece of such
rigorous construction and execution that it could stand for a whole life’s work
on its own. And for a body of work like Shakespeare’s, that’s saying something.
The Tempest is in many ways a love letter to theatre and to the capacity of
human imagination. Prospero performs in the interest of peace, hoping to
reconcile with his wicked brother and make a better world for his daughter. The
aim of theatre and art is, like Prospero’s schemes, to create a better world and
dazzle us a little on the way. Almost four hundred years after the First Folio was
first published, The Tempest still dazzles us. The magic still lingers. And we still
have a lot to learn from Prospero’s books.
Enjoy the show!
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Robert RIchmond
This production is dedicated to the University of South
Carolina’s commemoration of 400 years since the death
of William Shakespeare. The Tempest is his final play and
Theatre South Carolina presents this magical story as part
of the First Folio Exhibition now on display in the Irvine
Department of Rare Books in the Thomas Cooper Library.
The Tempest also marks the final production for many of the actors,
designers, and crew members who will either graduate, or move on into
internships and professional careers. Therefore, it seemed appropriate
that the company honor all of the collective learning and creativity that
has happened upon this stage and present one of the most magical and
theatrical plays that Shakespeare ever wrote. His valentine to the theatre. A
story that is full of humanity, wish fulfillment, and a yearning for unification
and forgiveness.
As the creative team and I began our discussions we knew that we needed
to find a fairy tale world and an island that was nothing akin to the sun
kissed sands of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. This story required a more
psychological and complex location – the world inside of Prospero’s mind,
where spirits, hallucinations and split-personalities might reside.
Our concept for the show is somewhat darker than most productions. By
combining the role of Prospero and Caliban it becomes a story about the
cost of conjuring with the dark arts, which has led to the creation of an alter
ego (Caliban) who is fighting to take over Prospero's weakening body. A
Jekyll and Hyde story, as it were, where the stakes are life or death. Prospero
needs to take action before his health fades and the monster inside him
takes control; it is an internal struggle that dominates this production as
we witness the bio-polar procession of a man’s sub-conscience. It also
throws all sorts of connotations with regards to Miranda's relationship with
her father and the island, and asks the question of what the last thirteen
years have been like as a girl, stranded and in a one-parent family.
We were very fortunate to have Richard Sheridan Willis agree to join
us for this production in a never before performed doubling of Prospero
and Caliban. Richard’s example of how an actor prepares and rehearses
a leading Shakespearean role has been a wonderful experience for our
students to be a part of. We have also been extremely fortunate to have
Jessica Witchger join us to compose and perform her Celtic score. Jessi
has really defined the world in which we tell this story and her music brings
such a passion and heartfelt emotion to our stage. Finally, the amazing
addition of April Traquina, costume designer, has brought such an artistry
to the fantastical element of the clothes, as well as an example that hard
work and creativity, with limited resources, can produce outstanding work.
I would also like to thank Danielle Wilson for her consistent and outstanding
work this season on all of our main stage shows. Danielle brings a depth
to the creative team and is another shining example to our students of the
skill and creativity that a sound designer brings to the stage.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone that has made this production
possible. It has been a fulfilling experience for everyone involved and we
hope that you enjoy this new exciting production.
A NOTE FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR
Jessi Witchger
The Tempest is a unique work in Shakespeare’s cannon for
many reasons, not least of which is the way that Shakespeare
uses and talks about music. There are more songs in The
Tempest than any of his other written works, which makes
this play an exciting and challenging production for any
composer. The very language of the play seems to shift
and change with each musical mood drawing the audience and Prospero
deeper into the magic of the island. The “isle is full of noises,” high “sweet
airs” and low churning reels. The music for this show was inspired by the
songs of Ireland and the British Isles, music that is capable of capturing
both the depth of Prospero's anguish and the joyful melody of the island
itself. Like the dual nature of Caliban/Prospero, the music moves from
instrument to instrument never resting long on any single melody and
shifts from the beautifully poetic words of Shakespeare to the lilting tones
of ancient Gaelic and Irish songs. With each tune we get a glimpse at the
inner workings of Prospero’s mind, his past, present, and hopes for the
future as the music in his head comes to life on the stage and brings light
into the darkest corners of his mind.
CAST
Allie Anderson
Nymph
Allie Anderson is a
freshman Theatre major
at the University of
South Carolina with the intentions
of going into the Master’s Program
of Theatre Education at USC to
become a Theatre teacher. This is
her first time on main stage and she
is thrilled to be working with such
a talented cast and crew. So far at
USC she has crewed "Circle Mirror
Transformation" in the Lab Theatre
and performed in Greenroom
Production's "Grindhouse." In the
past she has performed in and
directed multiple shows at Chapin
High School in South Carolina, where
she discovered her passion to teach.
It has been a privilege to work with
Robert and Richard, and she would
like to give them a special thanks for
teaching her new ways to embrace
Shakespeare. Also, she would like to
thank her Mom, Dad, and twin, Zoie
for their constant support.
Carin Bendas
Ariel
A native of Pittsburgh,
PA, Carin is thrilled to
return to the Drayton
stage, where she last appeared
in The Three Musketeers (Queen
Anne). Carin has worked as a
professional actor for many national
and
international
companies
including Dolby, Fisher-Price, Big
Lots, Dick's Sporting Goods, Sally
Beauty Supply, the AdCouncil,
Blue Diamond Entertainment (Pain
Within), and ABC Studios (Army
Wives). Cherished roles include
Lavinia (Titus Andronicus), Mary
Lane (Reefer Madness), Lanie (Two
Rooms), Lucy (Mr. Marmalade),
and Hyacinth (Scapin). Carin is
a proud member of Kaufmann
Forensic Acting, through whom she
is contracted to work with several
government agencies, including the
FBI. In her favorite role to date, Carin
is the very lucky wife of USC MFA
Acting Graduate Ben Blazer. Carin is
infinitely grateful for the opportunity
to finish her time here at USC with
such an incredible role and director.
"When I waked, I cried to dream
again."
Jamie Boller
Ceres
Jamie Boller is a
senior Theatre/English
Honors student and
is so thrilled to be working on her
favorite Shakespeare play for her
last performance at USC! Jamie
directed a production of Annie
Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation
in the Lab Theatre this past Fall.
Some of her other favorite credits
include Zerbinette (Scapin), Filch
(Threepenny Opera), Richard III
(Richard III), Ricky Roma (Glengarry
Glen Ross), Hecuba (The Trojan
Women), Olive (The Women of
Lockerbie), and Grumio (Taming of
the Shrew). She would like to thank
the cast and crew for all of their hard
work, as well as Mom, Dad, Rae for
all of their love and support these
past four years--"I would not wish
any companion(s) in the world but
you!"
Matthew Cavender
Gonzalo
Matthew Cavender is
thrilled to be returning
for his second year at the
graduate program at the University
of South Carolina. Previously he has
performed in Translations (Owen),
Three Musketeers (Aramis) and Our
Town (George). It has been a true
privilege to work with his fellow
graduate and undergraduate peers
and especially with director Robert
Richmond and guest performer
Richard Willis. Special thanks to
Jane and Robert Cavender for all
their love and support.
Nicole Dietze
Harpy
Nicole is a second-year
MFA acting candidate.
She performed with
Pennsylvania Rep Co. in Of Mice
and Men and Romeo and Juliet and
also at The Shawnee Playhouse in
The Importance of Being Earnest,
Beyond Therapy, and Manhattan
Casanova. Nicole originated the
roles of Zoe in Spanakopita and
Johanna in Visions of Johanna
through
Shawnee
Playhouse’s
Original Playwright Series.
Conor Gallagher
Reaper
Conor Gallagher is a
freshman Theatre and
English major here at
the University of South Carolina.
This will be his second performance
at the university. He has performed
in "Scapin" as Leander and he has
been behind the scenes as assistant
stage manager for "Circle Mirror
Transformation" in the USC Lab
Theatre. He has performed in many
high school and community theatre
productions in his home town of
Beaufort, South Carolina. He would
like to thank his family for all their
support and encouragement along
the way.
Kelsie Hensley
Juno
Kelsie Hensley is a
junior Theatre major
and English minor. She
is so thrilled to be a part of her first
mainstage production and is so
grateful for the opportunity. She was
recently Evil Tina in Green Room
Productions' She Kills Monsters.
Kelsie would like to thank all of her
friends and family for their endless
support!
Tristan Hester
Sebastian
Tristan is very excited
to be working on the
Theatre Department’s
production of William Shakespeare’s
The Tempest as Sabastian! As his
second
mainstage
production,
Tristan is still very new to the
program and continues to learn
new things from his directors and
fellow actors. Tristan has worked
on Shakespeare before, but never
on anything at this level, having
primarily been a musical theatre
actor in the past. He would like to
thank Robert for the endless support
through the difficulties, Richard for
his Shakespearean wisdom, the
crew for keeping us all together, and
his fellow actors for their advice and
skill. Lastly, he would like to thank his
family, for all of the encouragement
they give and the passion they have
for the art, and for supporting him
in every production he’s ever done.
Please enjoy this fantastic adventure!
Josh Jeffers
Stephano
Josh
Jeffers
has
previously been seen
on the Theatre South
Carolina stage in Blithe Spirit, The
Three Musketeers, Translations, and
Our Town. He thanks his teachers,
mentors, and directors.
Rachel Kuhnle
Trinculo
Rachel Kuhnle is a
second
year
MFA
Acting Candidate at
the University of South Carolina.
Originally from Honey Creek, IA,
Rachel has also worked with Trustus
Theatre (SC), the Commonweal
Theatre (MN), Festival Theatre (WI)
and CLIMB Theatre (MN.) Rachel
would like to thank her classmates
and instructors, cast mates and
the production team, as well as her
favorite person ever, Josiah, for
being awesome.
Jon Whit McClinton
Reaper
Jonathan
Whitley
McClinton
is
from
Camden, SC, but has
lived large parts of his life in Orlando,
Florida and Jacksonville, North
Carolina. He is a veteran who has
formerly served in the United States
Marine Corps before becoming a
student at the University of South
Carolina. He graduated in May 2015
with a BA in Theatre and Spanish.
His passion is not just acting, but
he would also like to direct and
has playwriting interests. He has
aspirations to reach the Broadway
stage, television, and film in the
near future. He has been in other
USC
productions:
Yellowman;
Whose Words All Ears Took Captive;
Status Update; Hamlet; Ajax in Iraq;
Our Town; Trojan Women; Player
King; and most recently, She Kills
Monsters. Jonathan has also been
involved in student productions,
including Green Room Productions’
Grindhouse. He would like to thank
Robert Richmond and the University
of
South
Carolina’s
Theatre
Department for this opportunity and
hopes for more chances like this in
the time he spends here. He would
like to thank his friends and family
for their support and would also like
to thank his love, best friend, and
“partner-in-crime,” Abigail.
Sofia Pavone
Iris
Sofia Pavone is a
freshman Theatre major
and is delighted to be in
her first main stage show. She was
seen in Circle Mirror Transformation
at the Lab Theatre last semester and
was recently in Mad Forest at CPE.
Sofia also works as an actress for
Marilyn's Talent Agency and hopes
to be a professional actress one
day. She would like to thank all of
her instructors, directors, and fellow
actors at USC; her acting coaches
and voice coach back home; and
anyone else who has been a mentor
along the way. Most importantly,
she would like to thank her family for
their constant love and support, and
for always pushing her to reach her
dreams.
Freddie Powers
Reaper
Freddie Powers is a fifth
year Computer Science
major and Theatre
minor, and he is excited to be working
on this show as his last main stage
show as an undergraduate. Freddie
has previously appeared on the USC
main stage in Scapin (George/Music
Director), The Three Musketeers
(Debris/Ensemble), and Hamlet
(Priest/Ghost/Player), as well as in
the USC Lab Theatre in Stop Kiss
(George). He would like to thank the
cast and crew of the show as well as
his friends and family for helping him
to keep pushing forward.
Ben Roberts
Antonio
Benjamin Roberts is
happy to be performing
in The Tempest. A
second year MFA student, he has
recently been seen in Threepenny
Opera, Herculine and Lola, and
Scapin. He would like to thank his
wife for her support.
John Romanski
Alonso
John Romanski is a
freshman
Broadcast
Journalism major and
Theatre minor, born in Bohemia,
New York but currently residing
with his family in Fort Mill, South
Carolina. He attended Fort Mill High
School, where he was involved in
several productions as Mr. Potter
(It’s a Wonderful Life), Emmett
Forrest (Legally Blonde: The
Musical), Atticus Finch (To Kill a
Mockingbird), and Harold Hill (The
Music Man). His recent work at USC
includes The Threepenny Opera
and Mad Forest. John would like to
thank his family and friends for their
continued support and the cast and
crew for allowing him to be a part of
this production. He thanks you for
coming and hopes you enjoy the
show!
Candace Thomas
Miranda
Candace Thomas is a
second year MFA Acting
Candidate.
Theatre
South Carolina credits include: Our
Town (Mrs. Gibbs), Tongue of a Bird
(Maxine), The Threepenny Opera
(Polly Peachum), and Blithe Spirit
(Elvira). Favorite regional credits
include: Spring Awakening (Theatre
Horizon), Passing Strange (11th
Hour Theatre Company), and Little
Shop of Horrors (Bristol Riverside
Theatre), in which she received a
2014 Barrymore Award nomination
for “Best Supporting Actress in a
Musical”. Candace dedicates every
performance to her grandmothers.
To God Be The Glory.
Samuel Traquina
Percussionist/Guitarist
Samuel Traquina is an
actor and musician. As
a 2011 USC alumni he is excited to
be back and to be involved in this
collaboration. He has previously
worked in Atlanta, GA both in
theatre and in film. Recent roles
include: David in Ravens and
Seagulls and Caleb in The Whipping
Man. He is thrilled to work with
Robert Richmond again, to continue
learning, and to be surrounded with
such incredible talent. He would like
to thank the entire cast and crew,
Robert and USC for this opportunity
and especially April Traquina for
always making him look good!
Richard Willis
Prospero/Caliban
Richard has worked
extensively at theatres
throughout
the
world. Companies include: Folger
Shakespeare Theatre in Washington
DC, St Lawrence Shakespeare
Festival, Norway’s National Theatre,
Peter
Hall
Company/London,
Denver Centre Theatre Co, Shared
Experience/London and The Wilma
Theatre in Philadelphia. In 2015 he
played a variety of roles in Ubisoft’s
Assassins Creed Syndicate. He has
just completed playing Gaev in The
Cherry Orchard for The Chekhov
Collective at Canadian Stage in
Toronto. Recent theatre includes:
Graham in A Chip in the Sugar Talking Heads (Campbell House,
Toronto); Malvolio in Twelfth Night;
Chorus in Henry V (Folger Library
Theatre, Washington DC) Mann in
The Clockmaker (STC); Henry Higgins
in My Fair Lady (STONC); Father in
The Railway Children (Roundhouse
Theatre, Toronto); Vigil (STC); Catch
22 (Lucille Lortelle, NYC); I Take Your
Hand in Mine (Chekhov Collective).
He has performed his solo show
Strolling Player (directed by Robert
Richmond) in Washington DC,
Hastings in the UK and at The
Tarragon Theatre in the Toronto
Fringe Festival. TV: Dr Who, Law
& Order, Flashpoint, Nikita, Lost
Girl, Maigret, Soldier and Me, The
Feathered Serpent, The Diary of a
Nobody, A Bunch of Fives and Flesh
& Blood. Film: Dreadful Sorry; The
Big Bad Swim. www.richardwillis.
org.
Dimitri Woods
Ferdinand
Dimitri is a graduate of
Santa Clara University
where he received his
B.A. in Theatre Arts with an emphasis
in Acting and Directing. Since
graduating, he has performed in the
Bay Area for a number of companies,
most recently with Marin Theatre
Company’s West Coast Premier of
Choir Boy. He’s also performed in
In The Heights as Benny, The Color
Purple, Follow Me to Nellie’s, and
Cinderella. Some of his favorite roles
he's performed were Paul in Six
Degrees of Separation, Schroeder in
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,
and as Assistant Director for For
Colored Girls. Dimitri is excited to
be a part of the MFA program here
at University of South Carolina and
thanks everyone for their support.
Jordan Youmans
Nymph
Jordan Youmans is
a senior Theatre and
English double major
at the University of South Carolina.
She is also a graduate of the Duke
Ellington School of the Performing
Arts in Washington D.C. where
she concentrated in theatre and
performed at such venues as Arena
Stage and the Folger Shakespeare
Library. Jordan was previously
seen in the USC productions:
Scapin (Nerine), Glengarry Glen
Ross (Aaronow), 12 Angry Jurors
(Juror #8). This is Jordan’s last USC
performance. She wants to thank
her family and friends for their
undying love and support, and she
wants to thank the cast and crew for
all of their hard work. “I was inspired
by your talent every day. Thank you
for sharing it with me. All my love.”
ARTISTIC COMPANY
Robert Richmond
Director
Robert Richmond is
originally from Hastings,
England, and studied
at the Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama. He is an Associate
Professor in Theatre at the University
of South Carolina, Co-Artistic
Director, and Head of Undergraduate
Studies and Performance in the
Department of Theatre & Dance.
Prior to his academic career, Robert
spent thirteen years as the Associate
Artistic Director of the Aquila Theatre
Company, and directed productions
of Shakespeare that toured across the
United States and Europe. Robert’s
directing career continues to take him
all over the nation. Most recently his
credits at the Folger Theatre include:
Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Henry
V, Othello, Henry VIII, Julius Caesar,
and Richard III. Other companies
Robert has directed for include Lost
Colony, La Jolla Playhouse, and
Denver Center for the Performing
Arts. His next project, A Tale Told By
An Idiot, which was originated at USC
in 2008, will appear this May at the
Clark Studio at Lincoln Center, NYC.
Robert will also be directing Hamlet
for the Academy of Classical Acting at
Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. in June.
His work is known for its ability to
reinvigorate theatre with imagination,
innovation, and relevance. His mission
is to create theatre that will sustain and
transform the twenty-first century,
revitalize audiences, and reward them
for their patronage.
Ryan Stevens
Assistant Director
Ryan Stevens is a firstyear MA student at USC.
He was recently the
DramaturgeonPeter&TheStarcatcher
at Trustus Theatre. Previous directing
credits include Glengarry Glen Ross
and She Kills Monsters through Green
Room Productions, and his original
play, Player King, in the LAB Theatre.
He would like to thank Robert for this
amazing opportunity and the entire
cast and crew for a fantastic process.
Neda Spalajkovic
Scenic Designer
Neda Spalajkovic is a
second year MFA Scenic
Design Candidate at
the University of South Carolina,
Department of Theatre and Dance.
She was born in Belgrade, Serbia
where she graduated in 2013 from
the Faculty of Applied Arts, University
of Arts in Belgrade in Scenic and
Production Design Department.
During her studies she participated
in many theatre and movie projects,
and after she graduated she worked
as an assistant in several professional
theatres in Belgrade and one in Iasi,
Romania. Neda was also designer
of many short movies and several
exhibitions. In Fall 2014 she was the
scenic designer for Our Town (USC
production), directed by Steven
Pearson. Fall 2015 she was the scenic
designer for Empty City by Dejan
Dukovski (Belgrade Drama Theatre in
Serbia), directed by Marko Manojlovic,
and she was the costume designer
for USC production of Threepenny
Opera, directed by Steven Pearson.
Christopher Patterson
Lighting Designer
Chris Patterson is a
second
year
MFA
candidate from Union,
South Carolina. His recent main
stage designs have included The
Threepenny Opera and Translations.
He has recently completed the 37th
season at the Virginia Shakespeare
Festival, and has accepted a
professional apprenticeship
Florida Repertory Theatre.
with
April Traquina
Costume Designer
April J. Brown Traquina
graduated in 2011 from
the University of South
Carolina with her Masters of Fine Arts
in Costume Design. She won Best
Costume Design for a Narrative Short
at the Los Angeles Movie Awards in
January 2012 for her work on “Civil”.
April works in film and television as
a costumer and textile artist. She
has worked on various productions,
including “Hunger Games: Catching
Fire”, “Mockingjay: Part 1 &2”,
“Insurgent”, “Constantine; Season 1”,
and “Sleepy Hollow; Season 3”. April
is thankful for this opportunity to
return to USC to design the costumes
for this amazing production and
to collaborate with an incredibly
inspiring team. She would like to thank
everyone at USC for this wonderful
experience, her family for always
believing in her, and her wonderful
husband Samuel Traquina for always
being by her side during all of life’s
adventures.
Valerie Pruett
Hair/Wigs/Makeup
Valerie has been working
as a professional hair
and makeup artist for
over fourteen years. Before returning
to the University of South Carolina
ten years ago, she free-lanced and
designed for regional theatres across
the country, including: Milwaukee
Repertory Theatre, Utah Shakespeare
Festival, American Players Theatre,
New American Theatre, Dallas
Theatre Center, American Folklore
Theatre and the Madison Repertory
Theatre. Valerie also worked as a
guest lecturer and adjunct faculty
at Lawrence University in Appleton,
WI and the Professional Theatre
Training Program at the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition
to teaching and designing at Theatre
SC, Valerie maintains an active
professional career as a Hair and Makeup artist in the tri-state areas with film
and media productions. She firmly
believes that a successful portrayal
of any character must include the
complete visual transformation of
that character in order to have a true
balance and silhouette.
Danielle Wilson
Sound Designer
Danielle
is
always
pleased to return to
Theatre South Carolina.
She graduated from the MFA lighting
design program at USC in 2003. She
worked as the house lighting designer
for the Blumenthal Performing Arts
Center's Spirit Square where she lit
Derek Trucks, The Avett Brothers,
Arlo Guthrie, and Eve Ensler, among
others. She returned to USC and
worked for four years as the Assistant
Technical Director for lighting and
sound. In recent years her focus
has become sound design as she
has designed a number of the main
stage productions at Theatre South
Carolina. Danielle is currently a
freelance lighting and sound designer.
She would like to thank her family.
Jane Hearn
Production Manager/
Props Master
Jane is a graduate
of the University of
South Carolina Honors College with
a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre. She
stage managed many productions
throughout college and is excited to
return to the UofSC (back)stage.
Kira Neighbors
Stage Manager
Kira is a Junior Theatre
major at USC and is
excited to be stage
managing her first Main Stage
production.
She
has
worked
as stage manager for She Kills
Monsters, produced by Green Room
Productions, and Stop Kiss in the USC
Lab Theatre. Kira has also been an
ASM for Main Stage productions such
as Our Town, Translations, and The
Three Musketeers. She spent the past
summer in Raleigh, where she had a
costuming internship at North Carolina
Theatre and a stage management
internship at Theatre Raleigh. Kira is a
member of the theatre honor society,
Alpha Psi Omega and is the Business
Manager for the organization. She
is excited to be working on such a
fantastic show.
Jessi Witchger
Composer/Music
Director/MultiInstrumentalist
Jessi is delighted to be
making her debut at the University
of South Carolina. Recent credits
include: Intl. Solo Tour, Voices of the
Homeland; Folger Theatre: Henry
V, Macbeth (audiobook), Romeo
& Juliet (audiobook). Jessi is an
internationally acclaimed violinist,
composer, vocalist, and multiinstrumentalist. She has produced
nine albums with the internationally
renowned band ShaeLaurel and
toured in sixteen countries. Television
Credits include: MTV, ABC, America's
Got Talent, CNN, etc. She is currently
conducting research on Celtic music
and folklore, and American roots
music at Duke University. Education:
The Benjamin T. Rome School of
Music, Duke University, B.A.
Drake Dial
Assistant Stage Manager
This is Drake’s first
show as Assistant Stage
Manager. A sophomore theatre major,
Drake has worked on scenic crew
for two years and lighting crew for a
semester. He wishes the best to the
cast and crew of The Tempest.
Sam Gross
Assistant Technical
Director
Sam Gross is a graduate
of Indiana University
where he earned an MFA in Theatre
Technology.
He
specializes
in
mechanized
scenery,
computer
controlled systems, electronics, set
construction, and rigging. He has
designed and built motion control
systems for such productions as The
Real Thing, Sweeney Todd, Romeo
and Juliet, Sweet Charity, Dracula,
and Pal Joey. He has overseen the
construction of USC productions since
2005. Mr. Gross received his Bachelor
of Sciences Degree from the University
of North Alabama where he also
worked as a sound designer, lighting
designer, sound engineer, carpenter,
and actor. In his position as Assistant
Technical Director, Sam supervises
graduate and undergraduate students
in the construction of scenery and
props for USC Theatre and Dance
productions.
Spencer Henderson
Costume Studio
Supervisor
M. Spencer Henderson
is a graduate of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill where he received an MFA in
Costume Shop Management and
Costume Technology. He received
his BA in Theatre from Florida State
University. His costuming credits
include
Playmakers
Repertory
Company, The Utah Shakespearean
Festival, and Glimmerglass Opera.
Recently, he spent the
three
summers (‘09-’11) at the Williamstown
Theatre Festival as the Costume
Shop Manager. Spencer supervises
the USC costume shop, assists with
the patternmaking and construction
of costumes, and teaches costume
construction classes.
Sara Hilton
Assistant Stage Manager
Sara Hilton is a senior
theatre major, from
Ravenel, SC. Previous
stage experience includes: stage
manager for Still Life in the Lab
Theatre, assistant stage manager
for Blithe Spirit, and run crew for
Translations on the main stage. She
wants to thank the cast and crew
for making this production a magical
experience. To her family, thank you
for all your support and love, and to
everyone, enjoy the show!
Jim Hunter
Lighting Design Advisor
Jim’s scene and lighting
designs
have
been
seen at such theatres
as the Folger Shakespeare
Theatre, Theatre Virginia, Phoenix
Theatre, Florida Repertory Theatre,
Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Florida
Stage, Arkansas Repertory Theatre,
Playhouse on the Square, Drury Lane
Theatre, Heritage Repertory Theatre,
Flat Rock Playhouse, VeggieTales Live
National Tour, Florida Studio Theatre,
World Stage Exposition in Toronto
as well as others. Jim toured with the
modern dance company, Wall Street
Danceworks. Recent designs have
been recognized with two consecutive
AriZoni Awards for Excellence in
Scene Design. Jim is a member of
the national designers union, United
Scenic Artist, Local 829 in both scene
and lighting design. He served as
Chair for the Department of Theatre
and Dance here at the University of
South Carolina and Artistic Director
of Theatre South Carolina from
2004 to 2014. During this period the
department produced 63 main stage
and 46 second stage theatre and
dance productions. Current national
service activities include Chair of
the Commission on Accreditation/
Member, Board of Directors with
the National Association of Schools
of Theatre and regular assignments
chairing Accreditation Teams for
NAST. Recent local community
service includes board membership
on the Columbia Design League and
President of the Blythewood Middle
School Orchestra Booster Club.
Please visit his online portfolio at www.
jimhunterdesigns.com.
Andy Mills
Technical Director
Andy has designed
professionally
at
Shakespeare Theatre’s
Young Company (Washington, DC),
Charlotte Repertory Theatre, Carolina
Opera, USC Opera, and Trustus. Andy
currently teaches Intro to Theatre
Design and Theatre Laboratory. He
specializes in the area of properties,
finding or building the most obscure
of items. Andy is a Member of USITT.
Rachel Sheets
Master Electrician
Rachel is a second
year MFA candidate
in lighting design. She
also holds a BA in Geography from
the University of Mary Washington.
Previously she was the ME for The
Three Penny Opera at Theatre South
Carolina. Last summer she worked
as the Master Electrician for McLeod
Summer Playhouse’s production
of Legally Blonde. She has also
designed Scapin, Blithe Spirit and The
Three Musketeers for Theatre South
Carolina. She was the assistant lighting
designer for Ruptured Silence: Racist
Symbolism and Signs, and designed
several numbers from Affirmation: A
Journey of Life Through Dance for the
University of South Carolina Dance
program. She would like to thank her
family and the faculty and staff at USC
for their continued support.
Lisa Martin-Stuart
Chair/Co-Artistic
Director; Costume
Design Advisor
As head of the Costume
Design Program, Lisa has a strong
background in design, historical
research, and costume technology.
Overthelast20yearsLisahasdesigned
costumes for over 50 productions for
Theatre South Carolina, most recently
Ajax in Iraq and The Three Musketeers.
Lisa’s professional design credits
include Film: Ruby in Paradise, winner
of the 1993 Sundance Film Festival
and starring Ashley Judd; Ulee’s
Gold (1997) starring Peter Fonda;
Coastlines (2002) starring Timothy
Olyphant. Regional Theatre costume
design credits include: American
Folklore Theatre, Asolo State Theatre,
Aquila Theatre Company of London,
Charlotte Repertory Theatre, and
Hippodrome State Theatre. Her longtime collaboration with Marilyn Wall
(Emmy Award-winning costume
designer) and Marion Caffey (Three
Mo’ Tenors) on Cookin’ at the Cookery
has brought her design and technical
expertise to the Geva Theatre,
Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and
Huntington Theatre Company.
Nic Ularu
Scenic Design Advisor
Professor Ularu has
extensive design credits
in USA and Europe,
including theatres in Sweden,
Northern Ireland and Romania. Nic
Ularu was the head of scenography
at the National Theatre of Bucharest
- Romania, and served for four years
as a board member of The European
League of the Institutes of the Arts
(ELIA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
He has taught scene and/or costume
design in Romania, Germany, Sweden,
UK, Italy, Denmark and Hong Kong.
Prior to USC, he taught at Smith
College, National Theatre School
of Denmark and The University of
Theatre and Film, Romania. In 2003,
Professor Ularu received an OBIE
award for outstanding achievement in
Off-Broadway theater. Ularu’s designs
appeared in the USA entries at the
Prague Quadrennial International
Exhibitions of scenography in 2007,
2003 and 1998. In 2005, Nic codesigned the exhibit and designed
the poster for the World Stage Design
Exhibition, Toronto - Canada, and
was appointed by the United States
Institute of Theatre Technology as the
leading designer and curator of the
USA National Exhibit at the Prague
Quadrennial International Exhibition
of 2007. Besides his national and
international design activity, Nic
Ularu is a playwright and director. His
recent freelance work as playwright
and
director
includes
several
acclaimed productions at LaMaMa
ETC - New York, Sibiu International
Theatre Festival - Romania, Teatrul
Foarte Mic, Bucharest - Romania,
“O” Teatret - Sweden, National
Theatre of Constanta - Romania, and
National Theatre of Cluj - Romania.
Nic recently received the Grand
Prix award for Best Production for
a show he designed and directed at
the Belgrade International Theatre
Festival. BEHIND THE SCENES
Technical Director
Assistant Technical Director
Assistant Stage Manager
Assistant Stage Manager
Master Electrician
Andy Mills
Sam Gross Sara Hilton
Drake Dial
Rachel Sheets
Scenic Artists/Scenic Grad. Students
Scenic Studio Undergraduate Assistants
Leroy Kelly, Drake Dial, Caroline Catoe, Dodge Dixon, Brandon Owen and students of THEA 121
Rachel Sheets, Chris Patterson
Sara Hilton, Adam Greathouse, Katrina Koprowicz
Frank Kiraly, Dave Stancik
DeAudrey Owens
Cody Philips
Lizzie Johnson, Leroy Kelly
Lighting Graduate Students
Lighting Studio Undergraduate Assistants
Lighting Crew Assistance
Light Board Operator
Sound Board Operator
Spot Operators
Fire Prevention
Costume Graduate Student
Costume Undergraduate Assistants
Staff Draper
Dressers
Costume Studio Supervisor
Dept. Chair/Co-Artistic Director
Assoc. Chair/Co-Artistic Director
Financial Manager
Administrative Assistants
Student Coordinator
Promotions Assistants
Baxter Engle, Neda Spalajkovic,
Tamara Joksimovic
John Floyd
Rachel Harmon
Kat Marchant, Kira Neighbors,
Bailey Enlow
Kelly Renko-Clarkson
Kayla Shaw, Madeline Binney,
Kerri Simmons
Spencer Henderson
Lisa Martin-Stuart
Robert Richmond
Ray Jones
Charlotte Denniston, Leigh Cowart
Lakesha Campbell
Camille Lacey, Beck Robertson, Jordan Youmans
in the spotlight
As we near the close of a successful
and memorable academic year with
this production of The Tempest, we
thought we'd turn the spotlight on
those graduating seniors in our family
who will soon be venturing into the
next "stage" of their lives. We asked
them to list their on- and off-stage
credits in their time here, what classes
and stage experiences made the most
impact, and what the immediate future
holds.
Enjoy reading about them below, and
please join us in congratulating all of
our graduating seniors on all they have
accomplished!
JAMIE BOLLER
Credits:
2012: August Snow (Taw
Avery); The Rose Tattoo
(Flora);
2013: How I Learned to
Drive (Female Greek
Chorus); King Lear (ASM); Finding
Richard (Richard III)
2014: Glengarry Glen Ross (Ricky
Roma); Taming of the Shrew (Grumio);
Ajax in Iraq (A.J.); The Women of
Lockerbie (Olive)
2015: The Trojan Women (Hecuba);
Player King (Stratdorf); The Threepenny
Opera (Filch/Walt/Nelly); Circle Mirror
Transformation (Director)
2016: Scapin (Zerbinette); The Tempest
(Ceres/Ensemble)
I have absolutely loved taking Suzuki
movement classes while at school here.
I'm currently in my third year of training,
and it has benefitted me as both an
actor and a person. The class is like a
giant meditation--it's about learning to
exist fully in the moment and exploring
the body's endless possibilities. My
current friend and mentor teaching
the class (MFA student Carin Bendas)
encourages me to "ask for ease" during
training and in all aspects of my life. The
clowning/commedia class (taught by
Sarah Barker) was one of my favorite
theatre classes here at USC! How cool
is it to get graded on juggling? This class
taught me to let go of my inhibitions
and be silly.
My sophomore year, I played Richard III
in an all-female workshop production of
Shakespeare's Richard III, called Finding
Richard (directed by Robert Richmond).
This was the first Shakespeare I had
ever performed and my first encounter
with gender-bending. We only had
three and a half weeks of rehearsal!
This was a totally life-changing
experience for me. It's what convinced
me that Shakespearean performance
is what I want to pursue in the future.
It encouraged me to audition for the
Midsummer in Oxford program at the
British American Drama Academy,
which I attended that summer. Studying
Shakespeare in England for a month
was another life-altering experience for
me. The lessons I learned there are ones
I will take with me for the rest of my life. I
still keep in touch with a lot of the friends
I met there and hope to collaborate with
them in the future.
After graduation, I'll be heading home
to Memphis for the summer to teach
acting classes at the Orpheum Theatre!
After that, I hope to pursue performance
opportunities and eventually start a
radical all-female theatre company.
Most importantly, my future plans
include a kitten.
MICHAEL CASTRO
Credits:
Our Town (Howie
Newsome); The Three
Musketeers (Ensemble);
The Threepenny Opera
(ASM); Scapin (Geronte)
My classes taught by Sarah Barker
(beginning and advanced acting,
movement for actors) and Erica
Tobolski (Character Voices, Voice
Acting) have definitely shaped me
as an actor because Sarah and Erica
have constantly demanded the best
from and have not held back in giving
me critiques and forcing me to get
out of my comfort zone and break
through the many plateaus I have hit
along my studies. All three acting roles
have shaped me as an actor. Geronte
however was the most difficult and
rewarding role because it was my first
large role and also forced me to deal
with a character that was more like me
than I care to admit. Louis Butelli greatly
helped me through Geronte to have a
better understanding of me and what I
can do as an actor.
Another organization I have enjoyed
being apart of is SGTV (Student
Gamecock Television) where I got to
explore the film and television side in
addition to my theatre studies. It also
has given me the chance to meet other
committed artists outside of the theatre
department with different interests in
the entertainment and media industry.
I hope in 10 years to be an EGOT as
a writer, director, or actor and have
the financial means to start my own
production company and theatre
company here in South Carolina. In
my immediate future, I am moving
to Atlanta, GA to continue my acting
career and hopefully go into an actor
apprenticeship program with one of
the many well established theatre
companies in the Atlanta area.
SARA HILTON
Credits:
Translations (Run Crew,
Lighting Lab Class);
The Three Musketeers
(Lighting Lab Class);
The Threepenny Opera
(Undergraduate Lighting Assistant);
Blithe Spirit (ASM, Undergraduate
Lighting Assistant); Scapin
(Undergraduate Lighting Assistant);
Still Life (Stage Manager); The Tempest
(ASM, Undergraduate Lighting
Assistant); 5 years of productions with
Off-Off-Broadway in various positions
including: actor, costume design,
lighting design, director, vice president
and president
THEA 240 and THEA 440 with Erica
Tobolski (Voice and Diction and
Advanced Speech and Diction) had a
significant impact because they helped
me to realize that training can help me
improve my abilities as an actor but also
help me in my general life, and because
of that made me realize that my interest
in theatre didn’t have to be relegated to
an after-school hobby. Also, strangely
enough, THEA 562 (History 2) had a
significant impact because my initial
lack of application–based theatre
classes in the Spring of 2015 helped
me realize exactly where my passion
for theatre lives: in the building, helping
in the process to tell the story, onstage
or behind the scenes.Being a member
of Off-Off Broadway impacted me
by providing me an outlet and an
opportunity to explore multiple areas of
theatre, and helped in the transition from
a Computer Science major from a high
school with no theatre program and
therefore no experience, to declaring
a theatre minor to my new humanities
major. My initiation into Alpha Psi Omega
introduced me to the people who
sparked my interest in lighting design
and the technical aspects of theatre, and
led to my declaration of theatre major.
And my experience with the cast and
crew of Blithe Spirit, and especially the
guidance of Stan Brown our director
and Hunter Robinson our stage
manager convinced me that stage
management was a role I was not only
interested in but could excel at, and
would want to pursue into the future.
After graduation I intend to pursue a
career in stage management, while
also looking for the opportunities
to improve my skills as a lighting
designer.
LEROY KELLY
Credits:
Acting: Ajax In Iraq
Crew: Our Town, Three
Musketeers, Blithe
Spirit, and currently The
Tempest
Worked as scenic assistant in Ajax in
Iraq and everything else up to now.
Leroy lists Beginning/Intermediate/
Advanced
Acting,
Alexander
Technique and Advanced Alexander
Technique, Voice and Diction, Voice
and Movement, Rehearsal and
Performance, and the Capstone
course as having made a significant
impact on him as a student.
Ajax in Iraq challenged me to use
the training and experience from
the Marine Corps to help assist the
creative process in myself, and the
rest of the cast of the show. This was
similar when directing Still Life. Thus,
I had to recall my training and the
traumatic experiences of others that
suffered from PTSD that I knew of,
in order, to help my actors relate to
the story better. This was significant,
because, previously, I never thought
that my experience in the Marines
would help make an impact on myself
and others love for theatre.
In my immediate future, I plan to
find me a local job in Columbia, then
continue to further improve my skills
with acting and voice acting work. I’m
also going to work towards becoming
a certified personal trainer. In addition,
continue to audition for plays locally,
and eventually make my way to either
D.C or Atlanta in the near future. I
would love to try directing plays along
the way as well. My career goals are
to continue improving my proficiency
in voice over work, Stanislovski’s
Method, and filmmaking, in order, to
eventually make my way to becoming
a professional working actor/Director
10 years from now.
KATRINA
KOPROWICZ
Credits:
Our Town (Rebecca
Gibbs); Translations
(Sound Operator);
The Three Musketeers
(Follow Spot Operator); Scapin
(Follow Spot Operator); The Tempest
(Sound - live mixer)
The theatre class that had the
most significant impact on me was
Advanced Acting with Sarah Barker
because it's a class with a small group
and we all work together so you form
a support network. It's also made a big
impact because it's the most in depth
work I've done in the theatre area
and really awakened a love for acting,
which I had only tapped into before.
Any work I've done on crew for a
production and all the work I've done
with the lighting department has
made me realize how much of a team
the crew is and how welcoming and
encouraging the community can be
off stage.
My ultimate career goal is to work as
a creative therapist for the VA, which
I envision as a nice marriage of my
Political Science and Theatre double
major. However, in the immediate
future I am pursuing administrative
and clerical work.
a backstage wardrobe manager for
the major shows in the parks. I would
love to travel the world with different
theatre companies, learning new
techniques and always getting better
at what I love to do.
FREDDIE POWERS
KAT MARCHANT
Credits:
Player King; Blithe
Spirit (Assistant Stage
Manager); Scapin
At USC, I have helped
with the Lab theatre’s spring semester
play Player King in 2015, assistant
stage managed Blithe Spirit in the fall
of 2015, and dressed Scapin for my last
semester in spring of 2016. Since the
fall semester of 2014, I have worked in
the costume shop and have greatly
enjoyed working with every costume
for all the shows since then.
Spencer Henderson’s sewing class
was the door way in to working in
the costume shop. I have previous
experience sewing, but his class was
fun, exciting, and challenging to me.
I learned the process each costume
must undergo to make it on stage,
and was taught many different
sewing techniques that I can build off
of to be a costumer in the theatrical
world. I am so glad that I joined Alpha
Psi Omega, the honors theatre society
at USC. The girls and guys a part of
it have been a joy to be around and
made the department feel that much
more like home.
My immediate future holds an
internship at Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Florida. I will be working in
the costume department for all four
parks. I hope that I can rise in the
ranks to become a shop manager, or
Credits:
Scapin (George/Music
Director); The Tempest
(Ensemble); Hamlet
(Priest/Ghost/Player/
Ensemble); Stop Kiss
(George); The Three
Musketeers (Debris/Ensemble);
Multiple OverReactors Improv shows
and Grindhouses through Green
Room Productions.
The classes that have had the largest
impact on me here have probably
been Beginning Acting with Robert
Richmond and Physical Styles in
Comedy with Sarah Barker. Beginning
acting was my first real experience
with theatre since I didn't do any
acting before college, and comedy
acting introduced me to a lot of acting
styles that have become some of my
favorites, such as Commedia and
clowning. Hamlet made a big impact
on me not only because it was my
first undergraduate show, but also
because it showed me how much
potential there is to change things
up with working with Shakespeare.
I remember thinking the whole
concept, the idea of Hamlet taking
place in an asylum, was crazy and
interesting, and that's happening all
over again right now in The Tempest.
Scapin also holds a special place in
my heart as a show that was just
pure, unending fun. It was like a huge,
explosive concert every night, and it
was so enjoyable to be on stage as
George playing music the whole time
and feeling the audience respond.
The group that I've been in that has
been the most important to me has
definitely been OverReactors Improv.
I started during my senior year, and it
has taught me so much not only about
comedy, but also about friendships
and relationships in general. Being
president of OverReactors this year
has been one of my favorite college
experiences, and I hope that I've
helped the group be to someone else
what it has been to me.
I am currently planning on taking some
part time classes after graduation to
finish off the Theatre major that I'm so
close to having, and outside of that,
I'm looking to work in a programming
or software development field while
staying as involved as possible in
the local theatre scene. I'm also
considering applying for some
theatre graduate school programs
next year. There's a lot of possibilities
out there, so who really knows what
will happen? One way or another, it's
going to be an adventure!
JORDAN YOUMANS
Credits:
Twelve Angry Jurors
(Juror #8); Glenngary
Glen Ross (Aaronow);
Scapin (Nerine); The
Tempest (Islander)
The Capstone course with Robert
Richmond really made an impact
on me because I got to learn about
different parts of the theatre industry
that I had never put much thought
into (like what workers unions are for
and all of the different aspects of a
production that you have to include
in a budget). It helped me broaden
my understanding of what it means
to be an artist and have the courage
to put your ideas out in the world for
others to receive. Two other classes
that I really enjoyed while I was at
USC were Spencer's sewing class and
Lisa's knitting and crocheting class.
They were both challenging, but I
gained so much confidence in myself
and my ability to try new things (like
sew a purse or crochet a blanket). All
of the productions I've been involved
in have impacted me in some way. I
think Scapin was one of my favorites
because every time I went to
rehearsal, I could not stop laughing. As
an ensemble, I felt like we gave each
other and ourselves the permission to
try out our craziest ideas and it was
really exhilarating to be apart of.
My long term career goal is that run
my own theatre company for high
school students where they would
be able to work with artists who
would help them get a sense of what
it's like to be a part of a professional
theatre company. My immediate
plan is to work with L’Oreal Paris
in their corporate office in London
as a copywriter and see a bunch of
London theatre.
Graduating seniors not profiled for this article:
Grace DuBose, Jasmine James, Elizabeth Houck
MEET A FEW STARS FROM BEHIND THE SCENES!
Backstage Crew: (left to right, back row) Cody Philips, Kerri Simmons, Katrina
Koprowicz, Drake Dial; (left to right, front row) Kayla Shaw, Madeline Binney, Kira
Neighbors, Leroy Kelly, Lizzie Johnson, Sara Hilton.
Lighting Crew: (left to right) Adam Greathouse, Katrina Koprowicz, Rachel Sheets,
Chris Patterson. Not pictured: Sara Hilton.
(left to right) Tamara Joksimovic paints the Tempest set; Rachel Sheets, Chris Patterson
and Katrina Koprowicz are all smiles on light moving day; Rachel Harmon preps a
pattern in the costume shop.
Coming up at the
Center for Performance Experiment
April 27, 2016
Platonov
by Anton Chekhov
Show Time: 4pm
Our second-year MFA Actors will present a studio performance of
one of Chekhov's earliest plays, Platonov, which was discovered over
twenty years after his death in 1904. Finding himself on a downward
spiral fueled by lust and alcohol, Platonov proudly adopts as his
motto to speak ill of everything. A shining example of the chaos
that reigned in his era, Platonov is a Hamlet whose father was never
murdered, a Don Juan who cheats on his wife and his mistress, and
the hero of the as-yet unwritten great Russian novel of his day.
April 28, 2016
Three Dances
Show Times: 4pm and 5:30pm
The same MFA Actors will perform three original dance pieces:
Constellation, Tuesday Under the Sky and The Present Matter.
All performances are free.
718 Devine St.,
near the Colonial Life Arena
Longstreet Theatre, 1300 Greene St. | Columbia, SC 29208
803.777.5208 | [email protected] | artsandsciences.sc.edu/thea