Alum and Intern Gossip

Let us know where you are, what's happening...or just give us your e-mail address and we'll publish it here so your friends can get in touch! Remember to let us know about changes in your postal addresses. Email anything to theatre@sc.edu.

Alumni News is featured in the Department's twice-yearly newsletter, Performances. An Acrobat version is available here. If you're not on the mailing list and would like to be, send your address to theatre@sc.edu.

"After nine months touring with Chamber Theatre of Boston last season (every state east of the Mississippi except Vermont and Florida), I came back to the Milwaukee area to recover from Graceland, Bourbon Street, Boston, Brooklyn, Huntsville, you name it.... What a trip.

"I did a production of The Comedy of Errors with Milwaukee Shakespeare last fall, playing Luciana (Michael Kroeker was in it, too, as well as Todd Denning). [Editor's note: Michael is a USC alum and Todd was a guest artist for our production of The Merry Wives of Windsor.] I have also been filling in at Milwaukee Shakespeare as Education Administrator since September and will stay on at least through the end of their season. Near the end of February I'll go to part-time with Milwaukee Shakes as I'll start rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream (Titania/Hippolyta) with Metropolis Performing Arts Center in the Chicago area."

Marcy is too modest to excerpt her reviews but we're not! Damien Jaques, the Journal Sentinel theater critic, calls her work "first class," and Laura Williams, writing for onmilwaukee.com, calls her "delightful."

Zach Hanks, MFA Acting 2005, spent February on location in Columbia and Myrtle Beach playing the lead in the independent film, My Sweet Misery, opposite Anna Chlumsky. Next month, he will appear as Deputy Reed in the independent film, Come Away Home, opening March 11th in Greenville, Spartanburg, Atlanta, and Asheville. He appears opposite Martin Mull, Paul Dooley, and David Keith. Zach completed his degree last December and is currently based out of Los Angeles.

Sarah Hammond will finish up a MFA in playwriting from the U of Iowa, and plan to move to Minneapolis. She writes, "South Coast Rep has offered me a comission for a new play, so for the next year or so, anyway, I'll actually be a working playwright. And the thought of writing for a warm climate is very, very pleasant at this icy moment in Iowa."

Karen Eterovich continues to tour her one-woman show based on the life of Aphra Benn. March 1-3 at - Dickinson State University, Dickinson, ND. March 4-6 at Louisiana State University at Shreveport. March 7-8 at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, St. Louis, MO. March 9-11 at Simpson College, Indianola, IA. March 15-17 at University of Shippensburg, Shippensburg, PA. March 21-23 at University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. She also was a panelist in January at Theatre Resources Unlimited: "Taking it on the Road: A Quick Tour of the Touring Circuit." For more information visit Love Arm'd Productions website.

Jimmy Flannery (BFA 1987) is currently in Cameron Macintosh's U.S. National Tour of Oliver! playing Mr. Sowerberry and Dr. Grimwig for almost 400 shows. He reports being very grateful to have worked with Mr. Macintosh, as well as meeting Sam Mendes, who directed the revival in London. Prior to that, he completed an independent art project in Costa Rica, playing a supporting character role in a film entitled The Sunsetters. He also played Uncle Ernie in The Who's Tommy, musically staged by Tony-winner Scott Wise for the New Jersey Peforming Arts Center, and

was directed by Scott Schwartz (Jane Eyre, Batboy) as Etches in Titanic: the Musical. Jimmy has also done a dozen shows for summer stock theatres and appeared in a few in New York City, where he now resides, including an Off-Broadway production of Eurydice, playing Monsieur Henri for the Storm Theatre. He credits his education at USC and years working at Trustus and in Columbia's community theatres for the blessings he receives today. He wants to send his love and hope for everyone who has every dreamed of working as an actor.

Andrew Reilly (MFA 1987) has just published An Actor's Business: How to Market Yourself As an Actor No Matter Where You Live. The book covers "everything you need to know" to market yourself as an actor. Unlike other books about the acting business, which focus on east and west coast opportunities, An Actor’s Business describes 25 regions all over the United States. From the Stage Directions review:

Firdous Bamji and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Homebody/Kabul.

An article in the New York Times about the return of Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul features a picture of Firdous Bamji (MFA 1994), performing with Maggie Gyllenhaal. The article is www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/theater/ newsandfeatures/09DOMI.html. [Times articles are available on the web only to registered readers—there is no cost—but are usually available only for two weeks or so.] When the play premiered in New York in December 2001, USA Today called Firdous's performance "especially compelling." For the Alumni Gossip piece on that earlier appearance, click here.

This just in: Jerry Miller, MFA 1995 was recently featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and on National Public Radio. The play Downsize by Chicago's Walkabout Theater is a play about corporate America that is site specific, the play is done in a bathroom. Five coporate execs struggle for power as they scheme in the corporate washroom. The play was produced in the bathrooms of Steppenwolf, Museum of Contemporary Arts, Athenaeum, Grammercy, Cubby Bear Cafe, DePaul University The play ran for nine months and was filmed for Independent Circulation in the Goodman Bathroom. Jerry was seen recently in the original play Final Angel that won an After Dark Award for best ensemble, best new work, and best direction.

Jerry is currently directing Angels in America: Millennium Approaches for the Lincoln Square Community Arts Center where he serves as Artistic Director. Recent directing credits include Beast on the Moon, The Normal Heart, Mass Appeal, and Godspell.

Steven Carpenter (MFA 1995) has been nominated for two Helen Hayes awards: best supporting actor in “The Philanderer” at the Washington Stage Guild and best director for Thief River at Theatre Alliance.

The Helen Hayes Awards operate under the auspices of The Washington Theatre Awards Society, a non-profit organization established in 1983 to recognize achievement and promote excellence in theatrical production and performance in the Washington metropolitan area.

The supporting actor nomination was for Steven’s portrayal of Dr. Paramore in Shaw’s The Philanderer.

The black tie ceremony at which the winners will be announced is May 10 at the Kennedy Center. Steven notes, “I’ve gone to the awards for seven or eight years, and I think I’ll finally get a decent seat!”

Since Thief River, he has appeared in multiple roles in two mountings of Piaf, a bio-play about the French chanteuse, produced by the Potomac Theatre Project and he directed a very successful production of Steve Martin’s adaptation of The Underpants at the Stage Guild that due to popular demand is being remounted in June. “I then spent a month and a half commuting to Annapolis to direct Art for the Bay Theatre Company, Annapolis’ only professional theatre, now in their second season. Most recently, I’ve been speaking Shaw once more as Viscount Barking and Glenmorrison in the Stage Guild’s production of On The Rocks, an incredibly prescient political satire. That production closes April 11. After that? I’m not sure at the moment! A few readings here and there, but no full productions currently scheduled.”

(Thief River featured another USC alum as actor, R. Scott Williams (MFA 1996).)

Open Heart, a new musical penned by film star Robby Benson, was presented off-Broadway in March 2004 by the Cherry Lane Theatre. Benson starred, along with his wife Karla DeVito and USC alum, Stan Brown (MFA 1989).

The piece is described as “an irreverent, comic look at love and life seen through the eyes of a man during a one-minute trauma that changes him…forever.” Benson, who made his Broadway debut at age 12 in Zelda, has also appeared in The Rothschilds and The Pirates of Penzance. Also a film actor, Benson provided the voice of the Beast for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Karla Devito has appeared on Broadway in The Pirates of Penzance and Big River and was the lone female in Meatloaf’s “Out of This World” tour.

Stan Brown is an Associate Professor of Theatre Arts at the University of Nebraska. Some of his credits include featured roles on NBC’s Homicide Life in the Streets, recurring roles on In the Heat of the Night and the critically acclaimed I’ll Fly Away. In film, Stan appeared in Robby Benson’s Modern Love and in Doug Liman’s directorial debut, Getting In.

Tyler Marchant (MFA 2000) continues to work with Primary Stages, which has just moved into a brand new theatre complex this spring east of Central Park on East 59th Street. Primary Stages opened the theatre with a world premiere production of Terrence McNally’s play The Stendhal Syndrome starring Isabella Rossellini and Richard Thomas. Tyler’s duties include directing the Writer’s Group (a group of seven new writers creating new plays for the American theatre), vice-president for the Association of Not-for-Profit Theatre Companies in New York, directing workshops/readings/development projects, and producing/directing productions.

Dan Roach (BA 1999) just completed a very successful six-week run of a new play called Styrofoam by up-and-coming playwright Kevin Doyle, at the Trilogy Theatre on 44th St. Styrofoam received positive reviews from The New York Times, The Village Voice, NYtheatrewire.com, NYtheatre.com, Backstage, American Theatre Journal, and Time-Out. The Village Voice wrote, “As the loathsome upper-east-side power couple, Keri Meoni and Dan Roach assume their whipping-post duties with gusto.”

“ It has really catapulted my career here to a new level!” says Dan. “Besides that I’ve just been auditioning, and living the New York life. I’m slated to work on Kevin Doyle’s next production The Position in May, so I’m looking to do a show in between now and then. I’ll be heading out to LA on March 16th for a week. I’m hoping to see Ben Fitch, Alyson King, Drew Bates, Sterling Rush, and all the other SC Alums who’ve migrated out there.”

Kevin Shaw (MFA 1997) designed the lighting for the 2002 summer season at The Cherry County Playhouse, working with Broadway stars from the original productions of Rent and A Chorus Line. That Summer he finally had the chance to light one of his “dream shows,” Jesus Christ Superstar. In Fall 2002 he became the resident lighting designer and assistant technical director at The Tennessee Williams Fine Art Center in Key West. After a season in paradise creating lighting for Cuban jazz artists, The Key West Symphony, The Key West Pops, and Island Opera productions as well as a myriad of other artists both local and national Kevin says he “felt the pull of the big city again.” In the Summer of 2003 Kevin returned to Chicago to pick up where he left off working in the thriving Chicago theatre scene. In addition Kevin recently accepted a full-time position at SCS Productions Inc. and has started working as a lighting designer of corporate theatre, fashion shows, and summer festival rock concerts. He is currently working on a production of Never The Sinner, the Leopold and Loeb story, with the Chicago Historical Society.

Guy Molnar (MFA 2001) is teaching voice, speech, and acting at Webster University’s Conservatory of Theatre Arts in the spring semester of 2004, subbing for Professor Bill Lynch who is on sabbatical. He just performed in a series of fifth-grader-written one-acts at the Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis as part of the Rep’s “Wise Write” education program. He writes, “I had great fun playing a twelve-year-old boy, a piece of chalk, and—best of all—a big toe."

Danny Hoskins (MFA 2003) writes from Atlanta that things are okay: “Lots of auditions and teaching here and there and waiting tables... an actors nightmare! Ugh! I’m waiting to hear on a couple projects and have been asked to understudy at a couple theatres, including the Alliance. I’ve done a few local commercials and an episode of Good Eats (a Food Network TV show) and am working on a short film in January.”

Ann Courtney (MFA 1999), Owen Collins (MFA 1998) and big sister McKelvey announce the birth of their new little girl, Arden Mary Courtney Collins on January 6th.

Stephen Cone, (BA 2002) in the latter part of 2003, assistant directed and acted in the York Shakespeare Company’s production of Richard of York, a world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part III and Richard III. In addition to a couple of other NYC acting gigs in 2003, he has fallen into playwrighting, which is now his primary focus. His play “The November Boy” was produced in Chicago and Austin last year (opening to great reviews in the Austin American Statesman and the Chicago Reader) and is getting a reading and production at Charleston’s Pure Theatre in 2004. In addition, it is (as of press time) a finalist for the Ensemble Studio Theatre Marathon of One-Act Plays. His full-length play Henry Hettinger is a finalist for the Abingdon Theatre Company Reading Series in NYC and will be receiving a staged reading at The Side Project in Chicago later this year. After some changes based on his living preferences, he is currently writing like mad in Charleston before relocating to Chicago this summer to pursue playwrighting, filmmaking, and, still, acting.

Jack Baker Ripple (MFA 2001) writes: “Gabriel Matthew Ripple arrived on Friday, November 28 at 4:03 in the afternoon. We had him at the Bay Area Midwifery Center after 12 hours of labor—no drugs, no surgical procedures...We were home by 9 p.m.! He weighed 8 lbs. 8 oz. and is 21 inches long. He has blond hair and I think his eyes will be brown. He nurses like a champ and we are on a very crazy sleep schedule. Happy as can be, but very tired. I am working towards Linklater Designation and continue to act when I can.”

“ I got married! My name is Leslie Gravett Dellinger now. I got married on Jan 24, 2004 to Eric Dellinger who is a First Sargeant for a Basic Training unit at Ft. Jackson, which basically means that right now we don’t see each other much! I’m currently Vice President of the South Carolina Theatre Association and drama teacher at Lexington High School.”

Love Arm’d is 10 years old! Karen Eterovich (MFA 1989), the actress and author of Love Arm’d: Aphra Behn and Her Pen, celebrated the tenth anniversary of the play with an array of events designed to highlight the literary contributions of Aphra Behn, whose plays are known for their quick wit and parodies of society. Love Arm’d by Ms. Eterovich was performed at Bergen Community College on March 4, and Varner Recital Hall at Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, on March 9. Ms. Eterovich was also the featured speaker for the Brunch & Books Series at Bergen on March 2, before undertaking a workshop entitled “Women in Theatre” at Oakland on March 10, and directing She Stoops to Conquer for performances at Bergen running April 16-25.

Sarah Hammond (BA English and Southern Studies, 2002) is seeing her first professional production of her full-length play Kudzu, in Columbia, SC, at Trustus Theatre. The script won the Trustus theatre award for best play. Sarah worked extensively on Department productions and at Trustus theatre when she was an undergraduate at USC. Currently, she is working a MFA in playwriting at the University of Iowa.

She has been a finalist in the Actors Theatre of Louisville 10-minute play competition in 2001 and 2002 and a finalist at the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference in 2002 and 2003. Her play "Wax Work," produced at USC-Aiken took second place in the Kennedy Center comedy award competition. Sarah was one of five US representatives of the Interplay International Festival of Young Playwrights in Australia, 2001.

Kudzu is directed by MFA directing candidate Craig Miller and features MFA acting candidates Kay Allmand, Steve Fenley and Brian Allen Schilb, Department undergrad Matt Purdy and alum Bob Hungerford.

The State reviewer says of the production: "Hammond's 'Kudzu,' which opened Friday night at Trustus, is a brave, imaginative, well-researched work. But most of all, it is well-written....Craig Miller directs this play with as sure a hand as he did 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' last season, one of the best productions ever at Trustus. He's got a heck of a cast to work with....Although 'Kudzu' tells a serious story, it is also really funny....If there's any justice in the theater world (and there isn't much), this play deserves many more productions. Even here, for its first, it has the feel of something that will last."

In a feature article in the July/August edition of American Theatre about the play, titled "The Vine that Ate the South," Sarah elaborates on why she named her play after the invasive vine that covers so much of the old South:

Nosey Parker, an independent film featuring alum Natalie Picoe in a major role, was reviewed in the August 4-10 issue of Variety. (We first wrote of this film in May 2003; click here.) The film was reviewed due to showings at the South by Southwest film festival. The reviewer writes, "Picoe and Shee's shared scenes are marvelously subtle displays of a modern married coupule embroiled in quiet crisis. Picoe also is terrific in her scenes with Lyford..., who is wonderfully elastic in his ability to play in the moment."