Our first production of the 19-20 season opens this weekend!
Monday, September 23, 2019

The Visit, our first production of the season, opens on Saturday! If you haven't already gotten your tickets, make sure to get them now.

Also get your tickets for the Fall MFA Dance Thesis Concert, with choreography by MFA Dance candidates Ronya-Lee Anderson and Heidi McFall.

Don't forget that our first UTAS Town Hall meeting of the semester will be this Thursday, September 26 in the Cafritz. See details below.

Finally, we have opened up the call for applications for the Jim Henson Award for Puppetry. This is a great opportunity to get a creative puppetry project funded, with a presentation next April. Check out the details below!
  In this newsletter:

  • Upcoming events
  • News
  • Opportunities

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Upcoming events
UTAS Town Hall
September 26, 12:30pm
Cafritz Foundation Theatre

The first UTAS Town Hall of Fall 2019 will take place on September 26 from 12:30-1:30pm in the Cafritz Foundation Theatre.

Do you want your voice to be heard? This is your chance! Come chat with students and faculty in a friendly, no-stress environment about topics related to the department. If you have a topic that you would like to be addressed, please submit a comment (which can be anonymous) here
The Visit
September 28 - October 5
Kay Theatre

Written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Translated by Maurice Valency
Brian MacDevitt, director
Leigh Wilson Smiley, acting coach
Kendra Portier, choreographer

MFA Dance Thesis Concert
October 4-6
Kogod Theatre

Ronya-Lee Anderson, choreographer
Heidi McFall, choreographer

Black Madonna and Miss America
by Ronya-Lee Anderson

Corpora Caelestia: A Movement Opera
by Heidi McFall

On the Move -
TDPS Dance at the Kennedy Center

October 20, 6pm
Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center

The TDPS Dance program will be performing “On the Move” on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center on Sunday, October 20 at 6pm. Free admission, no tickets. Seating is first come, first served. Mark your calendars now!
“Just Out of Reach,” choreographed by Alvin Mayes. Performed as part of “On the Move” at the Millennium Stage in 2016. Photo by Jonathan Hsu.
The Triumph of Isabella Experience - on Tour in England and America

October 30, 4pm

TDPS will hold an informal presentation of "The Triumph of Isabella Experience - on Tour in England and America" on Wednesday, October 30 at 4PM in the Dance Theatre.

Since the opening of the "Triumph of Isabella Immersive Experience" last September, our TDPS graduate student production team has made enhancements to the project's animations and soundscapes. They presented at national and international showings, including at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Shakespeare Globe Theatre in London, Oxford University’s Bodleian Libraries, and the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) conference in Orlando, FL. The team will present the new animation, discuss the development of the project, and share their experiences on tour.
Additional Events
Movement Analysis for Performing and Creative Artists

On Saturday, October 12, the Washington Area Certified Movement Analysts (WACMA) will host a workshop at Dance Loft on 14 about the Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS). Learn the basics of Movement Analysis and explore its applications to theatre, dance, visual arts, and creative writing. More info on the flyer.

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News
Khalid Yaya Long (PhD '18) and Professor Scot Reese at the August Wilson Society Lecture Series at Howard University last Thursday. Dr. Long is the newly elected Vice President/Conference Planner for the August Wilson Society. The event's keynote speaker was Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson from UMD's American Studies department.
Photo courtesy of Scot Reese.
  • Assistant Professor Crystal Davis recently published a chapter entitled "Laying New Ground: Uprooting White Privilege and Planting Seeds of Equity and Inclusivity" in Dance Education and Responsible Citizenship: Promoting Civic Engagement through Effective Dance Pedagogies. This past summer she also presented her paper, "Somatics and Representation: Integrating Cultural Relevance and a Legacy of Cultural Expertise into Higher Education Dance Programs" at the Emerging Pathways Conference, a joint venture between the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) and the International Somatic Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). She was recruited to chair the NDEO Access, Diversity and Equity (ADE) Advisory Committee to implement initiatives relating to inclusivity, diversity, equity and access within the organization. Finally, she co-presented an Embodied Anti-Racism workshop with Nyama McCarthy-Brown at the Dance Studies Association (DSA) Conference this past August.

  • Congratulations to PhD students Lindsey Barr (director) and Christen Mandracchia (lighting designer) on having their production of Twelve Angry Jurors at Vagabond Players listed among top 5 shows to see in Maryland Theatre Guide!

  • Visiting Assistant Professor Caitlin Marshall will participate in a fellowship workshop at UPenn’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies this fall, entitled “Early American Music and the Construction of Race.” She and her colleagues Patricia Herrera (University of Richmond) and Marci McMahon (University of Texas Rio Grande) were also awarded a Collaborative Research Grant from the American Society of Theatre Research in support of the “Revolutions in Sound” conference she is organizing in Spring 2020 with Iván Ramos from UMD’s Women’s Studies Department. The symposium is a celebration of and workshop tied to the special issue of "Performance Matters" that she, Herrera, and McMahon are editing called “Sound Acts,” forthcoming in Fall 2020.
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Opportunities
Call for applications: Jim Henson Award for Puppetry
Please see attached for the application and guidelines for the Annual Jim Henson Award for Puppetry. Applications are due Monday, December 2 by 5pm via email to Susan Miller at smille13@umd.edu . The Jim Henson Fund for Puppetry was established by Jane Henson family to honor the memory of Jim Henson (1960), creator of the world famous Muppets. Up to 4 awards in the amount of $1,500 will be offered to undergraduate or graduate students in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies for the creation of a puppet project or performance. You may not be awarded the Henson Award for two consecutive years. 

Application for the award includes the name of the project, an abstract, a detailed written concept, your intended audience, and an itemized budget. Current projects or already-made items are not eligible.

There will be a 30-minute performance/presentation showcase for each project awarded during the Spring 2020 semester in the Cafritz Theatre. A tech rehearsal will be scheduled for the day before the performance/presentation. 


Additional Opportunities
  • NEW Jewish Community Services (JCS) is hiring for a part-time position as Health Educator for Innovative Theatrical Programming. This individual would develop, present, and coordinate a unique series of health promotion programs that incorporate dramatic arts and theatrical skits to capture and hold the attention of teens and young adults. See more details on their website.

  • NEW Applications are now open for the Eva Yaa Asantewaa Grant For Queer Women(+) Dance Artists. This $10,000 grant is awarded to US-based artists for making cutting-edge dance and movement-based performance work. Queer|Art strongly encourages self-identified women, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary artists to apply. Named in honor of visionary dance curator, critic, and educator Eva Yaa Asantewaa, the grant is administered through Queer|Art by a panel of queer women and nonbinary judges and seeks to highlight the important contributions queer women and nonbinary artists have made to dance throughout history. Applications close November 10. Learn more and apply here.

  • Tuesday, October 1 at 5pm is the deadline for submitting proposals for the Fall round of International Program for Creative Collaboration and Research (IPCCR) grant funding. These grants are available to TDPS faculty, graduate students, and staff for projects to be undertaken between October 15, 2019 and June 15, 2020. See the call for proposals, application, and list of IPCCR committee members. You should talk to one of your area representatives on the IPCCR committee about your project before you apply.

  • The Puppet Co. Playhouse at Glen Echo Park is looking to fill a part-time House Management position at their theatre. They are a small, professional non-profit children’s theatre that produces original retellings of classic stories using puppetry. See the attached flyer for more details.

  • Charm City Fringe is hiring for the following paid positions: Front of House Manager, Venue Manager, and Producer. View each listing at charmcityfringe.com/jobs and send your resume and cover letter to hr@charmcityfringe.com. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but for best consideration, interested parties should apply ASAP. They would also like to welcome theater and arts students to volunteer with the festival. Learn how to participate and produce for the stage or the studio moving forward by visiting their website.

  • Folger Shakespeare Library is seeking Production Stage Managers for its 2019/20 season production of The Merry Wives of Windsor, by William Shakespeare, directed by Aaron Posner. Rehearsals begin Monday, December 16, 2019, and the production closes Sunday, March 1, 2020. This is a weekly contract position that begins with first rehearsal. Folger Theatre’s performance schedule is an 8-show week. Must be a member in good standing of Actors’ Equity Association. Submit a cover letter and resume on their website

  • The Jung Society of Washington is hiring a part-time director of communications to handle publicity for their upcoming programs. Visit their website for more information.
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The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
advances and transforms the research and practice of the performing arts
through a commitment to excellence and innovative education.

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Kate Aurelia Spanos, Coordinator of Marketing & Communications
Krissy Aurelia Harris, Graduate Assistant