Congratulations to our graduates! Have a restful and festive winter break. |
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Monday, December 20, 2021
Dear TDPS community,
I would like to express my gratitude for all of your hard work and camaraderie as we transitioned back to in-person classes and productions this semester. We have faced many challenges over the past 21 months with collaboration and creativity, which is what we, as theater and dance artists, do best. I could not ask for a better team of students, faculty and staff to work with and share ideas with.
As the chair of our TDPS Board of Visitors, John Ford ‘64, says, “We cannot lose sight of the wonderful sense of intimacy that comes with the shared experience of disappointment and recovery.” We have had our share of both since the pandemic started, but we have also risen above to find new points of connection and to push the boundaries of what we thought possible.
I would also like to remember Clarice Smith, our building’s namesake, who passed away on December 9. As ARHU Dean Bonnie Thornton Dill said, “She was forward-looking with a willingness to grow & change as the arts on campus changed. Her generosity was a gift to us all & will be felt for generations to come.” Her creative legacy is carried on through the transformative work that we do in our classrooms and studios and on stage.
Finally, congratulations to our graduates this semester, who have gracefully navigated the surprises and uncertainties of their final semesters. Although winter commencement has been canceled due to safety concerns, we are proud of the work you have done and we celebrate your accomplishments. All are invited to walk at our spring commencement in the spring.
Happy holidays to you and your loved ones! Wishing you a restful and rejuvenating winter break.
Sincerely,
Maura Keefe, TDPS director
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Clarice Smith, an artist, educator and major benefactor of the University of Maryland whose creative spirit is reflected in the vibrant, transformative performing arts center that bears her name, died on December 9 at age 88.
Her towering impact at the university extended beyond The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (The Clarice) to include support of music scholarships, endowed professorships, visiting artists, virtual classroom collaborations and other facilities, including the mid-Atlantic’s largest performing arts library.
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Smith was “an unparalleled champion for the arts,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. “Our faculty, staff and students have benefited greatly from her passionate, generous and steadfast support of the performing arts both on our campus and in the surrounding community. It’s an incredible legacy, and we are forever grateful.” |
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Un Espectro Real
February 18-27
Created and directed by Marielis Garcia
In this devised dance theater piece, Un Espectro Real brings the power of physicality to the stage in joyous communal celebration. The ensemble activates space through physical tasks, building a world of shared language to demonstrate the need for raucous exaltation, in tandem with moments of tender comforts and quiet joys. Through transitions, overlaps, nonlinearity and other design elements, this physical theater work constructs and reveals the spectrum of shared community experience. This is a time to exhale!
More info and tickets here. |
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Fefu and Her Friends
March 4-6
By María Irene Fornés
Kelsey Mesa, director
This play by Cuban-American writer María Irene Fornés explores the personal struggles of women against gendered stereotypes and societal expectations in a male-dominated world. Set in New England in 1935, Fefu and Her Friends is the story of a group of friends brought together by their loneliness, fears and secrets.
More info and tickets here. |
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Spring M.F.A. Dance Thesis Concert
March 11-13
Rebecca Hill, choreographer
Tristan Koepke, choreographer
Driven by curiosity, ongoingness and experimentation, Hill’s Lost Patterns creates sonic landscapes that break the boundaries between music and dance. Koepke’s The Poisoned Solos weaves through a maze of formalist dance compositions and improvised hauntological inquiries using robotics technology and Vaporwave aesthetics.
More info and tickets here. |
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Stick Fly
April 15-24
By Lydia R. Diamond
KenYatta Rogers, director
This comedy drama by Lydia R. Diamond explores issues of race and class privilege through the story of the LeVays, a wealthy African American family vacationing at their home in Martha’s Vineyard.
More info and tickets here. |
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TDPS Spring Dance Concert
April 29 - May 1
Sara Pearson, director
In this varied, vibrant and celebratory dance presentation, the TDPS offers new works of art in motion.
This year's choreographers include: guest artist Derick Grant, assistant professor Crystal Davis, Mary Kate Ford (M.F.A. Dance '24), Javi Padilla (M.F.A. Dance '24), Olivia Perkins (B.A. Dance '23), Stephen Lyons II (B.A. Dance '23), Gaya Schechter (B.A. Dance '24) and Charlotte Macko (B.A. Dance '25).
More info and tickets here. |
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Spring 2022 Experimental Performance Series |
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February 11 & 12
Title TBD by Greta Cover, B.A. Dance '23
Cover stages a maze of mirrors to explore how we navigate the discovery of multiple versions of our personalities throughout our lives and who we choose to identify with to construct our truest self. This work prompts audiences to ask how one’s identity impacts others and how all of our lives are interconnected.
Untitled (Duet on Four Frames) choreographed by Carlo Antonio Villanueva, M.F.A. Dance '23
In this piece for five dancers, Carlo Antonio Villanueva activates a rich postmodern dance landscape that engages various methods of form, improvisation, intuition, unison, chance and performance. Training for this work includes “Authentic Movement,” an approach that aims to bridge the conscious and the unconscious, as well as the study of scored improvisations, Cunningham-esque event structures and traditional movement phrase choreography.
200 phrasal verbs choreographed by Christina Robson, M.F.A. Dance '22
This work for five dancers focuses on contact. Robson’s process plunges into the mechanics of weight sharing, harnessing momentum and experiencing reconnection. This work prioritizes contact as a form of communication between individuals, prompting physical negotiations in process and performance.
More info and tickets here. |
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April 1 & 2
Shared Graduate Dance Concert
Featuring provocative choreography by M.F.A. Dance students, this concert is a collection of eclectic new works, serving as an unguarded exploration of these diverse artists' talents and interests.
More info and tickets here. |
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May 6 & 7
Title TBD written and directed by Jordan Resnick, B.A. Theatre '22
This live theater piece prompts audiences to reflect on our contemporary relationship with technology and mass media. It asks: How will a generation raised on computer screens and divided by algorithms turn out? How can we break down these barriers to have more open conversations about how our opinions are formed? Resnick presents theater as a medium for social change, urging audiences to action.
Title TBD produced by Alie Karambach (B.A. Theatre '21), Natalia Corvoisier (B.A. Theatre '22) and Layali Aljirafi (B.A. Theatre '23)
This work is a devised theatrical celebration of, for and by students of color and queer students. This work follows the structure of the Neo-Futurists’ Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, with 15 two-minute plays, in an order chosen by the audience. The production arises from an inclusive and collaborative devising process that invites marginalized groups who are often forgotten or silenced in traditional white American theater to express themselves.
More info and tickets here. |
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Have an event you want to share?
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"Crisscross" by Paetyn Lewis, B.A. Dance '22. Photo credit: Julia Nikhinson/The Diamondback. |
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- Check out this great article in The Diamondback about our Experimental Performance Series concert earlier this month: UMD seniors bring personal stories to life through dance. The article features the work of senior dance majors Megan McDevitt and Paetyn Lewis. Congrats to both on their beautiful work!
- Congratulations to M.F.A. dance candidate Carlo Antonio Villanueva on Moriah Evans's Repose, in which he performed in August at Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. The work was mentioned in the Best Dance of 2021 in The New York Times.
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End-of-semester photos from Scot Reese's
THET222 Foundations of Acting and Performance (left) and THET330: Directing classes (right).
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Have news you want to share?
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TDPS Awards—Applications deadlines extended! |
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- The Annual Jim Henson Award for Puppetry applications deadlines have been extended to Friday, January 28 by 5PM via email to Susan Miller at smille13@umd.edu. The Jim Henson Fund for Puppetry was established by the Jane Henson family to honor the memory of Jim Henson '60, 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. Find out how to apply here.
- Deadlines for applications for the Board of Visitors Student Award have been extended to Monday, January 24 by 5PM via email to Susan Miller at smille13@umd.edu. This prestigious merit award is available for undergraduate and graduate Dance and Theatre majors and may be used to fund projects supporting career training, study abroad, research projects, unpaid internships, etc. during Summer 2022. Find out how to apply here.
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- DC opera-theater company IN Series is seeking dancers for their upcoming series, THE MONTEVERDI TRILOGY, which is a month-long festival of Asian art and culture, structured around productions of three operas by Claudio Monteverdi: The Coronation of Poppea, The Return of Ulysses, and The Night Song of Orpheus. The performances would take place in August/September 2022. See the full casting notice here.
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The Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio has an application open for U.S. based writers, scholars and researchers that identify as African American. It is a $15,000 award and a 90-day stay at the home of artist and MacArthur Fellow Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson. Learn more here.
- The Baltimore School for the Arts is seeking a Theater Educational Associate to begin in August 2022. The Theater Educational Associate will serve as the artistic and educational leader of a distinguished staff of theater professionals. In this role, the Theater Educational Associate guides artistic programming within the Theater Department while managing the educational work that prepares students for study at the nation’s finest colleges and universities. Learn more here.
- The University of Maryland is seeking a Visit Experience Student Representative to support Enrollment Management in welcoming prospective students and their families to campus. This position requires in-person and virtual work. Student representatives will assist with our visit offerings including presenting undergraduate admissions information and working on projects and new initiatives. This is a paid position at $12.00 per hour. Find out more and apply here.
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Bard DC is interviewing for a Performing Arts short-term leave replacement position from January 3rd to June 25. The position comes with a full-time salary based on education and years of teaching experience, and a complete insurance package. Bachelor's degree required. Learn more here.
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Have an opportunity you want to share?
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Do you have something you want to share with the TDPS community?
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 Spanos, Coordinator of Marketing & Communications
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