response,” he laughs. “I guess they weren’t taking
any people with funny accents, no experience
and a chipped front tooth.” So, with a year left
on his GI Bill, Parker enrolled at USC.
“I think I had a primary interest in the history of
the theatre, which presented many centuries of
drama reflecting life and afterlife, power, romance
and revenge. All of those things were interesting
in historical settings. It gave a certain validity to a
career in entertainment, something that too many
actors have been told is not a substantial pursuit.
Too often family and friends feel that the son or
daughter is involved in a trivial pursuit.”
S P R I N G 2 0 0 7
PAGE 7A Galaxy of Stars Shine on Galileo
PAGE 3Walking Through Fire [Telling Stories and Not GettingBurned] by Luis Alfaro
PAGE 6The MFA Dramatic Writing Play Project
When he was studying for his master’s degree in theatrehistory from the USC School of Theatre in 1951, FessParker never dreamed that he would become known tomillions of fans in the 1950s and ’60s as two of television’smost popular coonskin cap-wearing frontiersmen, first as Davy Crockett, and then later, as Daniel Boone.
(continued on page 5)
Life Imitated Art ForSuccessful Actor TurnedBusinessman Fess Parker
School of Theatre Alums Capture Gold at the Golden Globes
Fess Parker at his vineyard in the Santa Ynez valley. School of Theatre alums Forest
Whitaker (1982) and Kyra
Sedgwick (1988) pose backstage
in the press room after winning
for Best Performance by an Actor
in a Leading role for his performance as
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada in “The
Last King of Scotland” and for Actress in a
Leading Role – Drama Series for her work
as Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson on
the TNT series “The Closer,” during the 64th
Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly
Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA on Monday, January
15, 2007. Whitaker has swept the awards
this season, including the Academy Award
for Best Actor, as well as Best Actor awards
from the Screen Actors Guild, the Boston
Society of Film Critics, the Chicago Film
Critics Circle, the L.A. Film Critics Association,
the National Society of Film Critics, the
National Board of Review and the New York
Film Critics Society.
2
CREATING ACOMMUNITY
School of TheatreBoard of CouncilorsLisa Barkett, Terry Berenson (Chair, USC School of Theatre Parents Council), LeVar Burton, Tim Curry, Charles Dillingham,Michele Dedeaux Engemann (Founding Chair),Robert Greenblatt, Susan A. Grode, Paula Holt,Sheila Lipinsky, Martin Massman, MadelinePuzo, Madeline Ramer, Andy Tennant, Joe Tremaine, Richard Weinberg (Chair).
The School of Theatre would like to
recognize the newest members of
the Board of Councilors:
Lisa Barkett A USC alum,
Lisa holds a law degree from
Pepperdine University. She
currently serves as Vice-
President and Board member
of Merjan Financial Corp in
La Jolla, CA. A long-time supporter of theatre,
Lisa has served for 12 years on the Board of
the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.
Tim Curry A multi-faceted
actor with extensive credits
on stage, film and in
television, Tim is perhaps
best-known for his role as
Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the
cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Tim most recently starred on Broadway
and in the West End as King Arthur in the
Tony Award-winning musical, Spamalot.
Robert Greenblatt
Bob currently serves as
President of Entertainment
for Showtime Networks, Inc.,
where he developed such
award-winning original
series as “Dexter,” “Sleeper Cell,” “Weeds”
and “Brotherhood.” He also supervised
Showtime’s foray into producing for
Broadway with Laugh Whore starring Mario
Cantone, which received a Tony Award
nomination for Best Solo Performance.
Sheila Lipinsky
Sheila is a committed
philanthropist who supports
various educational and
arts organizations, including
SDSU, the Old Globe,
San Diego Repertory Theatre and the
American Red Cross Red Rose Society.
Sheila was awarded a 2006 Monty Award
as a distinguished alumna of San Diego
State University.
“What extraordinary people.” Such was my first reaction to this edition of Callboard and its articles about
School of Theatre faculty, alumni, students and our Board of Councilors. My second thought was, “What
an extraordinary community.” But, of course, the two – the individuals and the community – are not only
inextricably connected, they depend upon and create one another.
This is, in part, the nature of the performing arts: it takes a community (or, if you will, a village) to make
theatre. It may just be possible for an individual to prepare a performance alone. But for it to be truly
a “performance” an audience is necessary. Theatre essentially remains the work of a community for a
community. In the ancient Greek city-states which gave birth to drama, all the citizens of the city participated
in or attended the yearly contests for which the great tragedies were written. Theatre is perhaps the most
collaborative, the most social, of the arts.
It is not at all accidental that the School of Theatre is the locus of such a vital and dynamic community
of bright, passionate, talented and committed people. The School has always been guided by an under-
standing that not only theatre training but the very art itself requires a center, a meeting place, where
experienced artists and scholars can share their knowledge with talented students who will, in turn, go out
into and enrich the profession and larger community. This is certainly how actor and alumnus Fess Parker
(a formative figure for those of us who grew up watching his television portrayals of Davy Crockett and
Daniel Boone) remembers his theatre studies. Arriving at USC in 1951, Parker felt connected to both the
great history of the art of theatre and the best of the entertainment business reassuring him that his career
choice was a valid one.
I was recently reminded of the depth and richness of the School of Theatre community at Galileo, the third
of four readings we are presenting as part of Visions and Voices, USC’s Arts & Humanities Initiative. Here
was Bertolt Brecht’s great classic of modern drama, a subtle, sophisticated work with much to say about
important issues facing our university and nation, brilliantly brought to life by a superb cast featuring School
of Theatre alumni. And in the audience was director and designer John Blankenchip, now in his 51st year
as a member of our faculty.
Creating a community is what we do at the School of Theatre – and it is a community of which you are
an essential member.
Madeline Puzo
Dean
A M E S S A G E F R O M T H E D E A N
Dean Madeline Puzo
3
I have always had stories that I wanted to tell.
Stories about Los Angeles from a native Angeleno.
Stories about the astounding diversity around us
and the largest populations of people from out-
side their native countries. Stories about why L.A.
is America’s city of the future. Stories about the
L.A. that sits at the end of the world and is home
to an amazing legacy of literary tradition.
When I think about the great West Coast literary
artists who came and wrote here, I see my
favorite writers among them. Bertolt Brecht,
Joan Didion, William Faulkner, James Cain,
Carey McWilliams, John Fante, Nathaniel West,
Raymond Chandler, Christopher Isherwood,
Charles Bukowski, John Rechy, Carol Muske-
Dukes, Bernard Cooper, Wanda Coleman,
Marisela Norte, Mona Simpson, Carolyn See,
Walter Mosley, Mary Helen Ponce, Mike Davis,
Ruben Martinez and Lynell George.
Just thinking about these writers made me
salivate! And they also made me want to write.
But the stories that I wanted to tell, were not
the stories that I needed to tell.
In the stories that I needed to tell, I was never
quite as sexy as I wanted to be seen. I was also
not as funny or suave or likable or even articu-
late. What I was instead was – honest. And
this honesty is full of a better kind of writing
that is filled with joy, pain, hope, sorrow, frustra-
tion, anger, laughter, exhilaration, freedom
and most of all – drama. That is because the
story I need to tell is not in my head, but in
my heart. Which makes this story emotional.
And sometimes these stories can be scary to tell
because the best emotion is the one we can not
control and comes surprisingly spilling out of us.
If we are the subject of our stories, are we not
the most complicated, emotional and interesting
people in the world? I thought so.
In order to tell these stories we have to walk
through fire, jump off the cliff, go into the
danger zone, etc. We don’t get to pass through
GO and we don’t get to skip the small stuff.
I believe that writing is equal parts desire and
skill. Passion and technique. Technical and
emotional. The alchemy of our work happens
in that moment when our muscle for writing
finds our heart and soul. This is hard because
you have to nurture it like a great love and
feed it, well, like a great love as well.
Funny, but I can’t quite bring myself to say that
I am a teacher. It feels like a teacher owns a ruler
and a compass. What I really am is a facilitator,
a dramaturg, even a cheerleader for a student’s
process towards becoming the most extraordi-
nary person and artist that they can be.
I do this through writing exercises, theatre
games, research, reading work and asking a lot
of questions. It is the questions that become
our great drama. I believe we should all have
questions about our life and our community.
Things we want to know about ourselves and the
world. This is the stuff of great theatre. When
the artist is provoked and provoking enough to
uncover a great mystery and bring it to light.
Whether I am teaching Solo Performance, a grad-
uate playwriting workshop or youth theater, I love
to create ‘environments of possibility’. A space
where an artist can feel safe and free enough to
explore. I think school is the ultimate laboratory.
I want everyone to push themselves farther than
they’ve ever gone to see what their limits are.
How can you know how high you can fly if
you’ve never reached for the sky?
But I am not in the business of making art for
arts sake. I came to art making by way of politics.
I chose art as means of creating social change.
I marched, I got arrested, I ran an AIDS hospice,
I worked for a union, I even helped people put
together demonstrations. As you can tell, I like
artists who have questions about the world.
But can art really do that? Change people, that is.
I believe that everyone is an artist. Everyone has
a great story to tell. Everyone can write a great
solo show, play, poem, song, etc. But few of us
can write twenty of them, because, honey child,
that takes muscle! That takes commitment and
perseverance and consistency and enthusiasm and
focus and skill and most of all – desire. And this
is what I wish for every student that I work with.
But the journey can be emotionally painful.
It can bring up memories we don’t want to
remember. I like to think that if a story is holding
you hostage, it’s time to give it a voice, so that
you can control it instead.
Walking through fire can be so hard sometimes.
Every play, performance, class, article, story
requires that I look deep inside of myself. Not
just for the details, but for the feelings as well.
To conjure worlds, to question my community,
to feel my characters, to know all I can about a
given time and place, to let my characters speak
as honestly and truthfully as I possibly can.
Try it. I promise you, even if you get burned –
it’s so cool on the other side.
Luis Alfaro is known for his work in poetry, theatre,
fiction, performance and journalism. He is a MacArthur
Fellow, a current AETNA Fellow at Hartford Stage
Company in Connecticut, and a new appointee of Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa as a commissioner for the City of
Los Angeles. His film Sense & Sensibilidad has just begun
production. He teaches Solo Performance and a Graduate
Playwriting Workshop at the USC School of Theatre.
This is what I bring to USC. A desire to see a young personbecome a great artist and citizen inthe same moment. To help you workon the skill and technique and tomake sure your passion and desire arefree and open to be able to tell thestories that will change our world.
Walking Through Fire[Telling Stories And Not Getting Burned]By Luis Alfaro
I will tell you something about stories. They aren’t just entertainment. Don’t be fooled.
They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death. You don’t
have anything if you don’t have the stories. – Leslie Marmon Silko
Playwright Luis Alfaro and director Michael Garces during a rehearsal of Alfaro’s play Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
44
Internships At Center Theatre GroupProve Invaluable For Our Students
This is what some of the fall 2006 interns had
to say about their experience:
”CTG posed a challenge for
me that was both enriching
and exciting. This internship
enabled me to work with
professionals and view
the world of theatre from
a business perspective.”
— Katie Novack, Intern, Management
”Working on 365 Plays/Days
was definitely a highlight of my
experience at CTG. I was put on
headset and answered to the
Stage Manager. It was wonder-
ful. I took a great deal of pride
in my work that day as I led
the audience around and gave the actors the
cue to walk onstage at the world premiere of
the largest theatrical collaboration in history.”
— Tim Sullivan, Intern, Press
”Everyday that I spent at CTG,
I felt so honored and privileged
to be an artistic contributor
to one of the most highly-
regarded theatre companies
in the country. Working in the
casting office and observing
professional auditions taught me many invalu-
able things about the business that could not
be learned from a textbook.”
— Danielle Faitelson, Intern, Casting
”I had a wonderful experience
at Center Theatre Group.
I immediately felt like I was
part of and contributing to
the work of the department.
The learning experience was
invaluable to me as a thespian
by teaching me that a successful theatre com-
pany is one that communicates constantly and
efficiently to accomplish a common vision.”
— Sarah Buster, Intern, Development
”This was an amazing experi-
ence, and the best part was
that I got to interview Center
Theatre Group Artistic Director
Michael Ritchie!”
— Lexi Cejka-Hales,
Intern, Finance
”As the intern in the Literary
Management Office of Center
Theatre Group, I had the
unique opportunity to work
with the literary manager
and literary associate at one
of the major regional theatres
in the country. One of the most interesting
aspects of the job was reading play submissions
and vetting them based on whether or not
CTG was likely to consider them for production.
As a playwright, this experience was invaluable
as it taught me a great deal about the decision
rules theatre companies employ in considering
plays for production.”
— Mayank Keshaviah, Intern,
Literary Management
”I had a great experience
as a part of the Center
Theatre Group family this
past semester. I was exposed
to various areas of marketing,
such as distributing promo-
tional materials, updating
the patron database, re-vamping the website,
working the opening of a show, developing
audiences, working with group sales, etc.
I came to appreciate how events like this
really help CTG foster a strong relationship
with the Los Angeles community.”
— Caitie Hannon, Intern, Marketing
”I could not have pictured
a better way to become a part
of the working environment
of a major theatre, meet
others working in the arts,
and hone my production skills
than with the Center Theatre
Group. I thank the USC School of Theatre for
helping to facilitate the opportunity.”
— Heather Pennington, Intern, Production
”Working as an intern at
Center Theatre Group was
both one of the most
challenging experiences
I’ve ever had and one of
the most rewarding. The
responsibilities that my
internship entailed made me much more
well-rounded, professional and competent
in my abilities as a theatre practitioner.”
— Kate Gorman, Intern, New Play Development
The School of Theatreencourages students to gain professional experience and academiccredit through internships.The School recentlyformed a partnershipwith Center TheatreGroup, one of thenation’s leading professional theatres with a history of theatrical excellence, to offer internships for students ranging from performance opportunities to administrative aspects.
The Tony Award-winning Center Theatre
Group is home to the Mark Taper Forum
and the Ahmanson Theatre at the
Los Angeles Music Center and the new
Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
55
Parker continues, “I suppose that all aspiring
people secretly hope for that magical moment
when they are recognized and subsidized as a
result of pleasing the film public and their peers.
And to those people, and to me, the university
was a place that reassured me that it was worth
the challenge. USC faculty and former students
have contributed so much in the field of enter-
tainment. Just having the privilege of being at
USC gave one the sense of taking the first step
toward a career.
“Being able to take classes under (School of
Theatre founder) William C. DeMille, who was
a film director and playwright before his brother
Cecil B. DeMille, was a privilege and a great
learning experience. Mr. DeMille had written
a small book entitled The Truth of the Unreal.
For actors it made the point that in acting the
untrue became the truth. That people involved
in real grief, sobbing and wailing, did not move
an audience as much as a single tear.“
After USC, he nabbed his first professional acting
role in the national company of Mr. Roberts,
starring Henry Fonda. A series of small film roles
followed including a brief appearance in the sci-
fi thriller Them that was just long enough to
be noticed by Walt Disney who offered him a
personal contract and the role of Davy Crockett,
King of the Wild Frontier. Parker knew this
wasn’t going to be like playing Hamlet. Still, the
naïve newcomer never foresaw the limitations
this would ultimately place on his career.
“I soon realized that at Disney, they only wanted
me to play a certain kind of role,” says Parker.
And it was only after the fact that he learned that
famed director John Ford wanted him for a role
in The Searchers with John Wayne but that Disney
had turned him down. Later, Parker brought
William Inge’s play Bus Stop to Disney with an eye
toward the role of the brash cowboy Bo. Again,
Disney put the kibosh on Parker playing against
what had now been established as his “type.”
“Yes, my acting career was frustrating for me. But
you know what? I would have described myself
as a happy camper if I’d had a jar of peanut butter,
a dozen eggs and some Velveeta cheese.”
So after almost
30 years in the
business, Parker
and his wife Marcy
pulled up stakes
and moved to
Santa Barbara
County permanent-
ly, albeit with a
little more than a
jar of Skippy’s and
a box of Velveeta.
Today, his businesses are very much family affairs.
He’s the CEO of the winery, but his son, daughter
and son-in-law run much of the operation.
The Inn and Spa was his wife’s idea. And Fess
and Marcy have performed show tunes and
ballads every Thursday night at the Inn for years.
“And, we still do,” he says.
Now, at 81, Parker’s philosophy may seem
simple to some, but it’s obviously served him
well. “Life is fickle…” he says. “But I still find
tomorrow enticing.”
The Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone television seriesare now available on DVD. For more information on the DVDs, Fess Parker's Winery or the Wine Country Inn & Spa, please visit www.fessparker.com or call (800) 446-2455.
Fess Parker as Davy Crockett...
Fess Parker(continued from page 1)
...and as Daniel Boone
Mark Morris In MotionModern dance is increasingly evolving toward incorporating elements from other technolo-
gies to enhance the observer’s experience. In an effort to bring together USC’s strengths in
engineering research as well as dance, famed director, choreographer and dancer Mark
Morris presented a workshop for USC students and faculty in preparation for the USC School
of Theatre’s Repertory Dance Company’s annual spring concert, Step Into Spring, where
Morris’ work will be featured using a merger of motion capture technology and robotics
with modern dance. Mark Morris’ visit and workshop were made possible by a grant from
Visions and Voices, the USC Arts & Humanities Initiative.(Back row, center) Director of Dance Dr. Margo Apostolos and director/choreographer Mark Morris with motion-capture workshop student choreographers/dancers Joe Ungco and Kelly Proctor, and (front row) Alisa Cohen and Mary Thurtle.
6
Under Construction: The USC School
of Theatre Master of Fine Arts Play
Project,” a festival of plays by the three
graduating playwrights of the M.F.A. in
Dramatic Writing program, the inaugu-
ral class of the newly-revised three-year course of
study, will be held from May 22 – 26, 2007, in the
Scene Dock Theatre. The readings, which will each
have two public performances, will be presented
concert style by professional actors and under the
guidance of professional directors.
USC School of Theatre Dean Madeline Puzo stated,
“We are so pleased to be able to give our third-
year M.F.A. playwrights the opportunity to see
their works presented on stage, cast with actors
who best represent the multi-dimensional charac-
ters that they have created. These concert readings,
we believe, will provide the best showcase for their
plays, focusing solely on the text rather than on
elements of production.”
USC Professor of Theatre and Director of Dramatic
Writing Velina Hasu Houston said, “The culmina-
tion of a playwright’s artistic journey is to have
his or her play brought to life, which is why the
Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing offers a
three-phase process for our students that includes
production, festival presentation and post-festival
introduction to the profession. The festival allows
our students to take their plays through develop-
mental paces with professional artists who bring
skill and depth to the plays, thereby allowing the
students to experience their work on a high level
that in turn inspires them to strive for greater
excellence in craft.”
The three plays and playwrights are:
Ruby, Tragically Rotund by Boni B. Alvarez
In a modern Greek tragedy, Ruby Salazar, a plump
and vivacious Filipina American longs to be a
teacher. She is well on her way with only one semes-
ter left to go at San Jose State University when her
beauty-obsessed mother, Edwina, takes a refund on
Ruby’s tuition as she needs the money for the beauty
pageant endeavors of Ruby’s little sister, Jemmalyn.
Devastated, Ruby must find a way to survive in a
world in which being fat is both an encumbrance
and a hindrance to success and happiness.
Circus Ugly by Gabriel Rivas Gomez
Circus Ugly tells the story of Razi, a young
woman whose skin is made of paper. Her skin
is full of secrets, scars and stories of how she has
been made to feel disposable. When she comes
to town looking for answers, she meets Neto,
an artist whose arm doesn’t work and who is
every bit the freak she is. Together, they explore
the pain and isolation that comes with being
different, along with the constant longing to
be something normal.
Las Mujeres Del Mar by Janine Salinas
Las Mujeres Del Mar traces the lives of three genera-
tions of women in the Del Mar family, through love,
loss, violence and the process of healing and for-
giveness. Virginia’s memory is slowly fading even
though her adolescent memories are still very much
a part of her present being; Marina searches for love
and faith within the walls of the prison that has
become her home; and Lupe tries to create a better
life for herself (outside of the violent world of gang
Sherril & David AnderleBrenda & Richard AndersonFrancesca BaldassanoCrystal BalthropEliot & Sheryl BarnettSpencer BeglarianSara BenjaminGary BenkeBob & Terry BerensonCandace Barrett & Raye BirkAdele BoboThe Boeing Company Howard BolterJessica & Martin BoskovichGisela BrodinMichael CantorGail CarrierErin CarufelFrances CiullaSusan Clines
& Charles DillinghamCarrol CohrtMarlene ColemanDorothy CoonDennis CornellKaren CovellTerri & Stephen CrinnionCUNA Mutual GroupNancy DavidsonSharon DeBriereVaughn de GuigneKristine Dillon & John CurryRalli DimitriusDana DowellDavid DrummondMary DunphyMegan DunphyJames Eggold & Karen BenikDonald ElsonMichele & Roger EngemannLinda EwingKatherine FarrenJoseph FarrisAndrea & Fred FensterAmber FlamminioMarilyn Q. FomonAlan Foote & Janet AmiraultKelly FosterMarcia & Bill FrankMadgel FriedmanKalia Fullerton The Gale Family FoundationConstance GoldinPatrick GormanDoyle GrayWill GreenbergCindy & Peter GreenwaldSusan GrodeLauren HabermanTrevor HagginDanielle HamrickK. Robert & Mary HahnRobert S. HarrisJudith HeinzMichele Henn
Elinor HickeyCarolyn Holm
& Hratch KouyoumdjianJoanna HumphreyCarol & James HuntRobert Ishii & Arlene LuckChuck JonesTaylor JosephRachel KaberKurt & Rosemary KalmHolly & Howard KalmensonLiza KaplanJoanne KarrKathie Kellogg-TaxeDylan KeninJan KlevanJohn KyserSusan LaemmleKaren & Gary LaskLiz Munro LedwellGloria LemusJoanne & John LeslieJulie Levin & Marc Daigle Peter Levine Mary LewisElizabeth & Thomas LittleAlexander LoCasaleShelley LongWayne LongCinda LucasMasako & Kazumi MakiBabette Markus-Weir
& Jack WeirEric MarshallJennifer MartinAlice & Filippo MasciarelliEdward MatazzoniJo-Anne & Howard MatsubaRichard McCuneWilliam McGovernThomas McWhorterWilliam MeansMarilyn & Trent MerrillAlison MichaudCatherine MoffettPamela MonroeChristopher MooreMichael MoorePenelope MoserScott MullinChelsea NassifRichard NathanJacquie NemorNew York Life FoundationWill & Nora NewbernKathleen & Mark NolanGay OakesKevin OeserInger & Tomson OngAlfred OnoratoSteven OresteCarolyn & Robert OwensNick PaglianteMary (Reveles)
& Oscar PallaresPamela & David PatchKosha PatelGordon PattisonAgnes PearlmanDaphne Pena-HiggsMyra & Lee Perlman
Under ConstructionThe M.F.A. Dramatic Writing Play Project
The USC School of Theatre is grateful to those who havegiven wisdom, talent, time and financial resources to thebenefit of the School. Our Donor Marquee recognizes those who have made gifts the School between July 1 andDecember 31, 2006. We hope that you will consider joiningwith these supporters. All gifts received by June 30, 2007 willbe included in the School’s 2006-2007 gift report. For moreinformation about giving to the School of Theatre, pleasecall Cindy Young at (213) 821-4047 or email [email protected].
USC FRIENDS OF THEATREDONOR MARQUEE
(L. to R.) M.F.A. Dramatic Writing students Boni B. Alvarez, Janine Salinas and Gabriel Rivas Gomez.
JOHN RITTER MEMORIALENDOWMENTStacey EisenbergChristine Healy & Paul LinkeNancy RitterAurie Salfen
BOARD OF COUNCILORSSCHOLARSHIPLisa & William BarkettBob & Terry BerensonSusan GrodeMadeline Puzo
MFA DRAMATIC WRITING FESTIVALAnonymousIris & Matthew Strauss
MFA ACTINGFredda Weiss
USC ASSOCIATES—THEATREK. Robert & Mary HahnJean & Steve HamerslagDebbie & Terry HammerJames KimLynn LasherInger & Tomson OngHoward & Sally OxleyMary & Graham Whaling
We have taken care to list names and gift designations accurately. If you believe there has been an error or omis-sion, please contact development assistant Vanessa Tuversonby phone at (213) 821-4262 or send her a note via emailaddressed to [email protected]. Thank you for your support.
1) (L.- R.) Philip Ross Weiner, Ryan Eggold, Scott Atkinson, Brian T. Finney, Tagen West 2) The Galileo Company3) Tate Donovan 4) Peter Stormare and Eric Stoltz
A Galaxy of Stars Shine on GalileoA terrific company was assembled for Galileo, the third reading presented by the School of Theatre
as part of Vision and Voices, USC’s Arts & Humanities Initiative, on Thursday, January 25, at the Scene
Dock Theatre. Under the direction of Neel Keller, the cast was headed by well-known actor Peter
Stormare (Fargo and TV’s Prison Break) as Galileo and featured many School of Theatre alums, including
Patrick J. Adams, Erin Anderson, Scott Atkinson, Tate Donovan, Ryan Eggold, Trevor Peterson, Eric Stoltz,
Andrea Syglowski, Philip Ross Weiner and Tagen West.
1
2
43
We’d like to hear from you, keep you informed and
share your news in an upcoming issue of Callboard.
Please mail this completed form to: USC School of Theatre,
Attn: Tony Sherwood, Childs Way, DRC 104, Los Angeles,
CA 90089-0791, or fax to (213) 821-4051.
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Callboard is published three times a year by the USC School of Theatrefor alumni, parents, students andfriends of the school.
DeanMadeline Puzo
Assistant Dean, CommunicationsTony Sherwood
Assistant Dean, DevelopmentCindy Young
DesignIE Design + Communications
MARQUEESophia Bush (2003) most recently co-starred in the new big screen versionof “The Hitcher.”
Ryan Eggold’s (B.F.A. 2006) most recent credits include roles on the television series “Entourage,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “The War at Home,”“Related” and “Veronica Mars.” He also appeared in the Visions and Voices reading of “Galileo” for the School of Theatre.
Jeff Parker (B.F.A. 1989) most recently appeared as the Comte de Rochefortin a new musical of The Three Musketeers, music by George Stiles, lyrics by Paul Leigh, book by Peter Raby and directed by David H. Bell at ChicagoShakespeare Theater, Chicago, Illinois.
Kate Hutter (B.F.A. 2004) is co-founder and Artistic Director of the L.A.Contemporary Dance Company, as well as an independent choreographerand lighting designer in the Los Angeles area. She completed her M.F.A. in choreography at Purchase College, SUNY under the direction of KazukoHirabiyashi. Credits include choreography for L.A. productions of PeterSchaffer’s Equus and Carol Churchill’s Vinegar Tom, as well as artistic direc-tion of “An Unknown Nutcracker” for the USC Repertory Dance Company.
Stark Sands (B.F.A. 2001) just opened on Broadway co-starring as Rollie inthe revival of Journey’s End at the Belasco Theatre. Sands’ professionalcareer began immediately after graduation. He has been seen on televisionas a recurring love interest to the angst-ridden teen Claire Fischer on HBO’scritically acclaimed series “Six Feet Under,” and on “Nip/Tuck,” “Family Guy”and “Hope & Faith.” He co-starred in Me and Daphne, a short film directedby actress Rebecca Gayheart and produced by Brett Ratner. Sands made his feature film debut in Charles Busch’s Die, Mommie, Die! His recent film credits include the role of Gus in Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, Pretty Persuasion, Shall We Dance with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon,Chasing Liberty opposite Mandy Moore, and Primal Scream, as well as thewell-received independent films 11:14 and Pack of Dogs.
Anthony Sparks (B.F.A. 1994) is currently a staff writer for the new ABCFamily series “Lincoln Heights.” He also wrote for “The District” (CBS), was selected as a Fellow for the prestigious ABC Entertainment/ Walt Disney Studios Writing Fellowship and is working on a doctorate in the USC Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. Along with his wife, School of Theatre faculty member Anita Dashiell-Sparks, he recently celebrated his daughter’s second birthday.
Jonathan Silverman (1985) recently starred on the ABC-TV comedy series “In Case of Emergency.”
Julie Valine (B.A. 2003) has recently been promoted to Creative Executive at The Robert Simonds Company. She also appeared in Tony Scott’s filmDomino released by New Line Cinema in 2005.
Bree Michael Warner (B.A., 1998) appeared most recently on the CBS televi-sion series “The King of Queens” and on the new drama series “The Heiress”for My Network television. Warner, who has guest starred on “Six FeetUnder,” “CSI: Miami” and “Crossing Jordan,” has just signed on to star in thepost 9/11 feature film Terminal Trap, slated to begin production this spring.
F O C U S O N F A C U LT Y
Paul BackerA Senior Lecturer teach-ing voice, acting andtheatre history, PaulBacker has spent theyear completing his doctoral dissertation inTheatre through the
joint Ph.D. program at U.C. Irvine and U.C.San Diego. His dissertation blends togetherseveral diverse interests he had pursued in both his professional work in theatreand his scholarly interests in the arts andhumanities: Shakespeare, religion, spiritu-ality, science, psychology, cultural identityand trans-cultural connections. His disserta-tion topic explores the correspondencesbetween and Shakespeare and the Chinesereligion and philosophy of Daoism. Themeeting point between these two appar-ently very different worldviews is theancient art of alchemy, which was centralto both Western and Chinese early modernculture and shared many attributes in common. In both cultures, alchemy was an investigation of the natural world, buteven more importantly it was a type of“inner theatre” for psychological and spiri-tual transformation of self and society anda vehicle to achieve it. In addition to an“outer alchemy” that worked with metals,there was an “inner alchemy” of breathwork, meditation, active imagination, visualization, physical work and artisticexpression. Backer brings to this researchhis long professional association withShakespeare as Artistic Director of the Ojai Shakespeare Festival since 1989. AMaster Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voiceworks,he was a teacher during the Certification program, and led a five day workshop in New York. For the School of Theatre thissemester, he is directing The Ash Girl,by Timberlake Wertenbaker, a modernretelling of the Cinderella story told with a delightfully dark magic and poetic wit.
Dr. MeilingCheng
Associate Professor and Director of CriticalStudies at the School of Theatre, Dr. MeilingCheng was born andraised in Taipei, Taiwan.Dr. Cheng came to the
United States in 1986 to study at YaleUniversity, School of Drama, where sheearned her MFA (1989) and DFA (1993)degrees in Theatre Arts. She began teach-ing at USC in 1994 and has taught a vari-ety of courses in theatre history, dramaticliterature, contemporary visual theatre andlive art, and critical and cultural studies. Dr. Cheng is a noted performance art criticand poet and has published widely in both English and Chinese. Her first book,In Other Los Angeleses: MulticentricPerformance Art (University of CaliforniaPress, 2002), received a Junior FacultyAward from Southern California StudiesCenter and the Zumberge IndividualResearch Grant from USC. She won anoth-er Zumberge Individual Research Grant in2006 to conduct fieldwork in Beijing forher current book project, Beijing Xingwei:Time-based Experimental Art in China,which covers performance and installationartworks in China. Within 2006, Dr. Chenghad published several ground-breakingarticles on performance art (translated as “xingwei yishu”) in China. She also had three different papers (on extremeperformances, death in live art, and cadaver display in Chinese performancesand installations) presented in internationalconferences, including one in Boston, one in London, and one in Chicago.
