Tom Munn, professor emeritus of theatre and dance, died on June
24 at 78. He was a pillar of the UC Davis Department of Theatre
and Dance, where he co-created the M.F.A. program in theatre,
design. An acclaimed designer in the San Francisco Bay Area, he
designed lighting and scenery for the San Francisco Opera for
nearly a quarter century.
Chris Oca (B.A. dramatic art, ’04) has been named production
manager at the Robert and
Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, just ahead of
the building’s 20th-anniversary season. He has worked in various
technical roles for the parent presenting program since the
building’s opening.
Jordan Brownlee (B.A., cinema and digital media ‘20) is
a cast member for the New York premiere of Jim Henson’s
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas which plays at the
New Victory Theatre Dec. 10- Jan. 2.
The Department of Theatre and Dance production of The Bluest
Eye will be presented at the Chicago International Puppet
Theater Festival in January 2022. The show was originally
performed at UC Davis in spring 2018.
Professor Mindy Cooper is the chair of the Ann
Reinking Scholarship Program which honors the late
actress/dancer/choreographer. The program presented its first
scholarship at a fundraising event in New York on Nov. 8.
Ian Wallace, lecturer in scenic design, is the scenic designer
and co-director of photography for A Midsummer Night’s Dream
which running weekends through Nov. 21. The Falcon’s Eye
production is performed in person at Folsom Lake College or is
available through a live stream.
A number of alumni appear in The Thanksgiving Play, a
production which marks the debut of the Davis Repertory
Theatre on Nov. 13 and 14 at 2 p.m. in the Village
Homes Amphitheatre, 2655 Portage Bay East in Davis.
Emile Rappaport (B.A., theatre and dance, ‘19) currently
works in video production for Zach King Team which
specializes in making short, high concept videos that are shared
onto Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube. The team is currently
seeking Los Angeles based crew for a variety of positions.
Professor Mindy Cooper is collaborating with pianist Lara Downes on Tomorrow I
May Be Far Away which includes an appearance by
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rita Dove.
The in-person performance is Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. (EST) at Sixth & I in Washington, DC.
Alumna and lecturer in Theatre and Dance Michele Apriña Leavy
(MFA dramatic art, ’94) has returned to in-person learning at UC
Davis, which includes her course for the Global Study Program in
Continuing and Professional Education |
International. Leavy’s positive perspective is spotlighted
in an article about the return to in-person instruction on the
program’s website.
Alumna and former peer advisor Elisabeth McGowan (B.A., theatre
and dance and English, ’18) has become a regular contributor
to the Showbiz Cheat
Sheet, an online publication devoted to all things show
business, including the latest entertainment and celebrity news.
Professor Mindy Cooper is the director of Still Will Be
Heard which shows at the Robert and Margrit
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on Nov. 17, 18 and 19 at
7:30 p.m.
For all questions, you can contact Susie Owens, production
manager of theatre and dance, in Wright Hall 216 or
at sowens@ucdavis.edu or Ileana Oseguera, undergraduate
advisor to theatre and dance, at ioseguera@ucdavis.edu.
Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp appears in the new
film Ten-Cent Daisy which has its world
premiere at this year’s Urbanworld Film Festival’s silver
jubilee in New York. The film will be shown Oct. 2 at 12:45
p.m.
Professor Margaret Laurena Kemp is a co-author of “Unity over
Unison: Creating AntigoneNOW in Lockdown,” which has
been published in a recent edition of the journal Theatre
Topics, vol. 31, no. 2, July 2021.
In Summer Session II, doctoral student Karola Lüttringhaus
teaches DRA 014: Intro to Contemporary Dance in which students
explore ways to access their unique movement vocabulary.
The Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of
California, Davis is dedicated to integrating consent-based
practices into all classroom, studio and production environments.
The 180 Series of courses provide exciting practical instruction
and participation in all aspects of theatrical and dance
production. Whether you are exploring these courses as a
Theatre & Dance Major, Minor, or are simply an interested
non-affiliated student, you will find passionate people working
to create art and tell stories on stage. We invite you to
join us at this link.
