Marissa Savaris currently attends Fordham
University Law School in New York.
1. Majors: Dramatic Art & English.
2. Did you have any internships during or after
college? “No, during college I did not have the
chance to intern or work anywhere. I was President of Studio 301
Productions my senior year and a member of Tri Delta, so between
those commitments and classes I had barely any extra time.”
3. Did you travel during or after
college? “I studied abroad in Oxford, England the
summer before my Senior Year. It was the Oxford: Portal to
Fantasy program through the English Department with Amy Clarke.
We studied children’s and young adult fantasy literature that had
roots in Oxford, ranging from Harry Potter and Alice in
Wonderland to Howl’s Moving Castle. At the risk of sounding
cheesy, it was the most magical experience.”
4. Did you have any internships/apprenticeships/jobs
after you graduated from UCD? “Yes, immediately
after graduating, I moved to the east coast to work as a Company
Management Intern at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in the
Berkshires. Once the summer was over, I moved to New York to be
the Company Management Intern at Manhattan Theatre Club. MTC
produces Broadway productions at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
on 47th Street and Off-Broadway productions at City Center on
55th Street. It is one of only four non-profit organizations in
NYC with a resident home on Broadway. I had the opportunity to
work on some incredible productions, including
Constellations with Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson. I
worked briefly at MTC as the General Management Assistant, and
then moved to the American Associates of the National Theatre as
the Development & Special Events Assistant. The AANT is a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports the work of the
National Theatre in London and any productions that transfer to
New York, such as War Horse, The Curious Incident of
the Dog in the Night-Time, and Angels in America.”
6. Hometown? Where are you located now?
“Oak Park, California. “I currently reside in New York,
where I just finished my first year of law school at Fordham
University School of Law. I hope to pursue a career in
entertainment law.”
What was your major(s)? “Double majored in
English/Theatre and Dance.”
Did you do any research/projects in your time as a
Theatre major? “I wrote a one-act play for the Dead Arts
Society student theatre club with Professor Rossini advising. I
was assistant director ’Do Not Obey’ for Margaret
Laurena Kemp and Lisa Quoresimo. I performed in 6 department
shows, including ‘Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play’ and ‘Romeo and
Juliet.’”
Did you have any internships or other jobs during
college? “I had an internship through the English
department as they developed ‘Play the Knave,’ an interactive
Shakespeare-performance game.”
Did you travel while you were a student or after you
graduated? “I studied abroad in London for
two weeks over winter break.”
Have you had any internships/apprenticeships/other jobs
after graduating? “Since leaving UC Davis, I worked as
an apprentice at Capital Stage in Sacramento for a year. I now
work for a solar panel company and at Big Idea Theatre in
Sacramento.”
“In my last quarter at UC Davis, I was cast at Davis Shakespeare
Ensemble for their summer repertory. I have worked consistently
with them, and this will be my third season when I return in the
fall. During the run of those, my first season I was accepted
into the Capital Stage Apprenticeship Program and started that at
the end of August 2016.”
Where is your hometown, and where are you located
now? “I grew up in Santa Cruz, CA and now
live in Sacramento.”
Advice? “Work hard, play fair, and try to keep a
sense of humor about yourself. It’s a tough business but if you
want it, you’ll make it happen somehow.”
Gin Hammond, a distinguished dialect and vocal coach, will make a
virtual visit in DRA 135 The Expressive Voice on Nov. 18. Taught
by Associate Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp, Hammond is
scheduled to appear 12:40-1:50 p.m. in the class.
Outside of the students in the class, space is limited for this
event. Please email Professor Kemp, mlkemp@ucdavis.edu,
for consideration.
Michele Apriña Leavy (MFA dramatic art, ’94), a lecturer in
theatre and dance, has been honored by UC Davis Continuing and
Professional Education with an Outstanding Service Award for the
academic year 2019-2020 in recognition of her partnership,
service and commitment to continuing education.
During spring quarter 2020, Leavy had to adapt her course,
DRA198-Presentation, Communications, and Collaboration Skills for
International Students which is offered with the UC Davis Global
Studies Program, for online learning due to the pandemic.
Rose Kim, B.A. theatre and dance, ‘18, has recently published her
first book, “25: Before, During and Shortly After,” which is her
raw account of turning 25 and the powerful internal compasses we
are all equipped with for the journey into maturation.
Associate Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp and spring 2020 Granada
Artist-in-Residence Sinéad Rushe who
co-directed the UC Davis online production of
AntigoneNOW will participate as panel members in this
year’s Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s virtual
conference.
Alumna Jasmine Washington, B.A. 2018, has written
Callus, a new production that centers on the racial
disparities in America’s health care system. The new work is
being produced by Art Rat
Theatre which was founded by Rose Kim, B.A. 2018. The
production will be stage managed by undergraduate student Jillian
Yong.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Professor Larry Bogad has created
“The
Plague,” a podcast series that not only explores the pandemic
but also our nation’s homemade plagues created by human
socioeconomic systems.
A book focusing on using theatre techniques for protest
by a UC Davis professor of theatre and an associate
professor’s collaboration about artist-made tools that
resist algorithmic racism have recently been included in the news
and social media coverage during the nation’s current period of
civil unrest.
UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance Costume Shop Director
Roxanne Femling will retire on July 1. An alumna, Femling who
received her B.A. in dramatic art (costume design and
construction) in 1983, joined the department staff in Sept. 1999.
Noah VanderVeer-Harris was a member of the 2019 GFTF ensemble
while also serving as the publicity intern for the Department of
Theatre and Dance during the same period. He appeared in the
festival’s production of the new musical Fat Kid Rules the
World. Noah shares his insight into why you should be a
member of GFTF which has been re-branded as Catalyst: A Think
Tank Theatre.
Members across the Department of Theatre and Dance have created
and contributed to the urgent need of face masks during this
pandemic. They have taken out their sewing machines and searched
through their homes for materials in order to make masks.
UC Davis alum Dahlak Brathwaite (B.A. English and theatre and
dance, ‘08) is a spoken-word poet, musician, actor, playwright
and writer. Associate Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp is
pleased to announce that he has joined the creative
team of “Antigone NOW” as spoken-word artist.
22-year-old Matt Gumley is a musician, writer, actor, and
Broadway veteran. He first found his way into New York City’s
theater scene when he played Chip in “Disney’s Beauty and the
Beast “on Broadway at the age of seven, and now he is here with
us at Davis as an instrumental part of the hit new punk rock
musical, “Fat Kid Rules the World.”
Professor John Iacovelli shares his photographs of his set models
for the South Coast Repertory Theatre’s production of “Sweeney
Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The production runs in
Costa Mesa Jan. 19 through Feb. 16.
John Iacovelli, professor of theatre and dance at UC Davis,
and alum Kent Nicholson are collaborating on the South Coast
Repertory Theatre’s upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and
Hugh Wheeler’s award-winning musical “Sweeney Todd, The
Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Iacovelli is scenic
designer and Nicholson is the dark musical’s director.
These are the songs from the score of “Flora the Red
Menace” that will be used in the auditions. Please click the link
for a specific character’s material.
These are the scenes from the script of “Flora the Red Menace”
that will be used in the auditions. Please click the link for a
specific character’s material. Characters may have more than one
scene, so please read all of their scenes.
As Artists and Educators in Theatre, Dance, and Performance we
unequivocally condemn the historically rooted and pervasive
racist murders of African Americans and other people of color by
police in the United States and globally. We acknowledge these
most recent examples are not unique. We acknowledge this plague
is systemic and extends beyond the police. We cannot function as
a society, nor as a learning institution, in a context where
people of color cannot walk, jog, drive, talk, or even sleep in
their homes safely without fear of being murdered by the state.
We certainly cannot teach our craft, which is by its very nature
a living and breathing engagement with all people, without
denouncing this violence, and the hateful rhetoric that fuels it.
What are you doing these days? We want to hear about your life
since you graduated. Are you working, attending grad school,
or performing somewhere? Please fill out this form to tell
us about your work, accomplishments, awards or future plans.
To Mondavi Center: From I-80 take the UC
Davis/Mondavi Center exit and follow signs.
To Wyatt Pavilion and Nelson Hall Studio:
Proceed as above, continuing on Old Davis Road past the Mondavi
Center to Visitor Parking Lot 5.
To Main Theatre, Arena Theatre, and Laboratory Theatre
A: These three theatres are located in Wright
Hall, a short walk through the Arboretum from Visitor
Parking Lot 5.
