Tags: theatre and film studies

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New musical showcases work by arts scholar, alumni group support

This week, UGA Theatre presents “First Semester: A Musical,” an original work written by undergraduate and Cora Nunnally Miller Arts Scholar Wyn Alyse Thomas, directed by Thomas and Sydney Rainwater and supported by the New Georgia Group fund. “First Semester: A Musical” represents a new addition to UGA Theatre’s seasonal offerings—a slot dedicated to original student-written, student-produced work supported by the New Georgia Group fund. The…

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Divisional Spotlight: Fine & Performing Arts

Like the five food groups necessary for good health and wellbeing, the Franklin College is organized in five divisions that together power the robust, intellectual learning environment of the University of Georgia. We welcome 2024 by highlighting the divisional nature of our organizational structure and the academic units contained in each division. Today we highlight the FINE & PERFORMING ARTS Connecting our campus community with a wide…

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Alumni shine Off-Broadway in 'Brighter than the Sun'

An autobiographical musical that delves into the poignant relationship between a young man and his grandmother, both hailing from South Georgia, "Brighter Than the Sun" is written by alumnus Collin Hendley and features an array of UGA Theatre & Film Studies alumni. The limited run production opened January 9 Off-broadway at New York's Chain Theatre and runs until January 21: In 2022, Theatre undergraduate Collin Hendley was named the…

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Alumni Profile – Casey Nelson

Casey Nelson has been a Georgia Bulldog since birth.   Growing up a self-professed die-hard UGA fan, he attended home football games every weekend and has fond childhood memories of tailgating and running through North Campus throwing a frisbee. When the time came for college, it was a dream come true for him to accept a track and field scholarship at the school he’d always loved.   Fittingly, it was in Athens that another…

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Theatre provides the stage for blending the arts and AI

Theatre and Film Studies associate professor John Gibbs brings his excitement for science to his teaching and research in drama. All along, he knew the potential of artificial intelligence was lurking. Now that computer-aided design is ready to have an impact on just about every field, Gibbs is prepared to meet the new tools more than halfway. Our colleagues in UGA Research Communications share the story: “I was born about five years too…

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Favored by the Muses

The department of theatre and film studies and the Willson Center present an original performance presentation Favored by the Muses, the culmination of a year-long collaboration between UGA and TCU Humanities and Education programs that celebrates the literary and cultural legacy of America’s first published black female poet, Phillis Wheatley Peters(1753-1784), and the sesquicentennial of her collection, Poems on Various Subjects,…

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Theatre student helping in the effort to keep UGA’s drama scene alive and well

With Wyn Alyse Thomas as artistic director, the Thalian Blackfriars staged its first production in three years. The second-oldest student theatre company in the country, the Thalian Blackfriars had been on hiatus due to COVID-19, which stretched through a concerning number of semesters threatening the health of live theatre at the University of Georgia.  “It was about to maybe die out,” Thomas said. “And I had been really wanting to have a…

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Silent Sky

UGA Theatre presents Silent Sky, the untold story of Henrietta Leavitt, a brilliant astronomer whose groundbreaking discoveries changed our understanding of the cosmos.  Fueled by determination, intellect, and an unyielding spirit, Henrietta struggles against the societal expectations of the early 20th century in Lauren Gunderson's thought-provoking meditation on perseverance, the pursuit of knowledge, and the indomitable human spirit.…

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Finding inspiration everywhere

Sophomore theatre major, and Cora Nunally MIlle Fine Arts Scholar in the Franklin Colege, Wyn Thomas channels her inspriations for theatre-making from a variety of sources. Our colleague Erica Techo shares her story: She has written several plays, including “Write Their Wrongs,” a short play that discusses the aftermath of a high school shooting. It was performed around the country as part of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence and then published…

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UGA faculty member Julie Ray "Beautiful" Scenic Designer

Professor and head of the department of theatre and films studies Julie Ray served as Scenic Designer for the recently-opened Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for Aurora Theatre. MFA candidates Jack Stoffel and Cody Russell served alongside her as Assistant Scenic Designers with Russell also designing props. Aurora Theatre holds a special place within UGA and the department, as one of its co-founders is alumnus Anthony Rodriguez…

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Four students named Cora Nunnally Miller Fine Arts Scholars

Four University of Georgia students have been selected as the 2023 cohort of Cora Nunnally Miller Fine Arts Scholars in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The purpose of the scholarship, made possible as part of a $17 million gift to the university upon Miller’s passing in 2015, is to recognize exceptional artistic talent, to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in the arts, to promote the arts on the UGA campus and beyond and to give…

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MFA Film accepting applications through Jan. 15

The Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media is accepting applications for its fourth cohort with some exciting plot developments including a partnership with the new Athena Studios, less than five miles from the UGA campus; growth of the Distinguished Industry Mentor program that includes professionals like Chuck Haywood (“WandaVision”), Davita Scarlett (“The Good Fight”) and Damon Lindelof (“Watchmen”); and the…

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Theatre faculty helped make this show go on

Over the summer, two faculty members from the University of Georgia department of theatre and film studies worked with the Aurora Theatre and Broadway Factor to bring Chris Anthony Ferrer’s debut play, “Swindlers,” to life. The play ran at the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville in May and June. Julie Ray, associate professor and head of the department of theatre and film studies, and Ivan Ingermann, associate professor…

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Graduate Student Excellence-in-Teaching Awards

The Excellence-in-Teaching Award was established by the Graduate School to recognize those students who have demonstrated superior teaching skills and have contributed to teaching beyond their own classroom responsibilities, making a significant contribution to the instructional mission of the university. Three of the five 2022 Graduate Student Excellence-in-Teaching awards went to Franklin College students: Elise Robinson is a Ph.D.…

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Cinema Roundtable: New French Cinema - Beyond Borders

The Willson Center for Humanities and Arts presents a Cinema Roundtable."New French Cinema: Beyond Borders - French Women Filmmakers and Global Perspectives," Friday November 5 at noon. Advance registration for the event, which will be conducted via Zoom webinar, is required and available here. The event is part of the Spotlight on Arts Festival and also part of France-Atlanta 2021, an annual series of high-caliber…

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UGA Theatre presents “Rent”

UGA Theatre presents “Rent,” with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, directed by Brandon LaReau, part of the University of Georgia’s Spotlight on the Arts festival. Performances will be held in the Fine Arts Theatre Nov. 4-5 and 10-13 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16 or $12 for students, and can be purchased at ugatheatre.com, by phone at 706-542-4400 or in person at the Performing Arts Center. Larson’s…

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The show goes on: UGA Theatre takes the digital stage

Our colleagues in the Office of Research share the story of a successful year for theater at the University of Georgia. The Department of Theatre and Film Studies and its associated student theater organizations produced over 30 shows, each unlike anything seen before at UGA. Productions ranged from self-taped musical cabarets to live-streamed comedy shows, to multimedia explorations of current events, and featured the work of…

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The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines

UGA Theatre presents The Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines by Don Nigro, April 19-21, via livestream: A metaphysical and metatheatrical romp of rebellion and reimagined classics. Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines explores the lived experiences of two of Shakespeare's famous female characters and two actresses who have embodied them onstage. This humorous and intimate testimony reveals what Shakespeare left out of his immortal text and why…

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Spotlight on the Arts 2020

The University of Georgia's Spotlight on the Arts festival returns for its ninth year with dozens of virtual events and exhibitions in the visual, literary, and performing arts through Nov. 20. Highlights of this year's 17-day festival include performances from Grammy-winning singer Kathy Mattea, multimedia work presented by UGA Theatre, the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame keynote address, and several exhibitions at the Georgia Museum of…

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UGA Theatre presents Thackeray's Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair, Kate Hamill’s adaptation of the 1848 William Makepeace Thackeray novel, directed by David Saltz, takes the Cellar Theatre stage of the Fine Arts Building Feb. 25-29 at 8 p.m., and March 1 at 2:30 p.m.: In Vanity Fair, two women—one born into privilege, another from the streets—attempt to navigate a society that punishes them for every misstep. Clever Becky Sharp is not afraid to break the rules; soft-hearted Amelia Sedley…

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2019 in Review

The many great Franklin College stories of 2019 create a vibrant image of ongoing excellence at every level. Our faculty, students and staff are leading the University of Georgia in its most dynamic era yet. From TED Fellows to Guggenheim Fellowships, imaginative research and teaching draw out the best in our students. Our colleagues provided elegant expression to the fire at Notre Dame de Paris and the death of Toni Morrison,…

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UGA launches Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media

In a new partnership between the University of Georgia, the Georgia Film Academy and Pinewood Forest, the new community in Fayetteville, Georgia, located adjacent to Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences have created a Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media program:  The…

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Libraries, theatre collaboration brings incarceration history to the stage

Beginning this Friday, November 8, the first-of-its-kind endeavor, By Our Hands – a cross-institutional theatrical experience between Spelman College, the University of Georgia, librarians, archivists, students, professionals, incarcerated individuals, and community partners – takes the Fine Arts theatre stage. The Georgia Incarceration Performance Project incorporates scenes directly from Georgia history to negotiate our relationship…

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UGA Theatre presents " She Kills Monsters"

Cue the dragons, demons, and orcs as UGA Theatre presents Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters,” directed by T. Anthony Marotta, October 3–5, 8–11 at 8 p.m. and October 13 at 2:30 p.m. in the Cellar Theatre of the Fine Arts Building: the core of the story centers on high school teacher Agnes and her quest to find a meaningful connection with her recently-deceased sister Tilly. After a car accident claims the of lives of her family,…

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Combining engineering and arts in theater set design

Hannah Fordham, a third-year student from Statesboro, came to the University of Georgia expecting to major in engineering. But the high school percussionist missed missed performing so she added a theater major, started taking acting classes and then discovered set design—where her passion for the arts could draw on her engineering skills: “Engineering helps me think about things from a practical standpoint,”…
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