Seeking early-career, NYC-based BIPOC leaders in all theatre disciplines. Since 2016, TCG’s Rising Leaders of Color (RLC) program has developed and highlighted highly talented early-career Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) leaders across the U.S. who are committed to initiating and upholding equitable practices in the theatre field. Funded in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation, an organization that supports performing arts organizations in all five New York City boroughs, this year’s RLC will form a cohort of eight highly talented early-career BIPOC leaders based in NYC. Join program staff for an info session to learn more about the program: Wednesday, March 10th, 3:00pm EST Click here to register for the event! |
Articles tagged: Performing Arts
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a working actress/comedian/writer in Hollywood?
Below our Peer Career Advisor (PCA) Katie Marshall shared her summer experience working for a Midd alum.
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a working actress/comedian/writer in Hollywood? Same. This summer I had the incredible opportunity to work with Alyssa Limperis ‘08. Simply put, Alyssa is hilarious. She can easily imitate almost anyone and spends her days mastering characters, writing movies, and filming sketches.
When I think of one word to describe Alyssa in a professional setting, it’s “determination.” Alyssa works harder than anyone I know in order to constantly create opportunities for herself in her professional field. I quickly learned from her that if you can’t find the specific opportunity you want, you must go and create it yourself.
As I embarked on the “Covid summer” I, like many others, had no idea what to expect. I had planned to intern for Alyssa in LA. As artists, we are trained to collaborate, to articulate the abstract ideas in our head into something more tangible. I wasn’t sure how we would collaborate in different time zones, but like many others, the two of us adapted. Not only did we pivot, we actually found a lot of beauty and connection in a world that sometimes felt distant and lonely. We would text, Facetime, and find new ways to exchange ideas. Alyssa is also incredibly resourceful, which proved to be useful in quarantine. She would film her sketches for Instagram using just her iPhone and a tripod. As a young artist, it was so valuable to see her making the most out of every situation and continuing to create despite the chaos of the world. In ways, it was one of the deepest artistic connections that I had felt in a long time, despite all of the challenges. I learned the most about artistry, ambition, and connection when I got to talk with Alyssa about our love for Middlebury and our longing for a pre-Covid world.
When people ask me how I spent my “Covid summer” or what I learned from my time working remotely–I’m still not quite sure how to reply. I feel overwhelmed with all the knowledge that I gained from such a unique experience. First, I feel lucky that when I reached out to Alyssa last fall she actually replied and took the time to meet with me. Secondly, I feel grateful that our shared Middlebury connection and love of comedy proved to be so strong. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to be out in LA or able to meet with Alyssa in person, but I do feel incredibly supported in my future artistic endeavors because of the deep, yet virtual, connection that we created this summer.
This experience wouldn’t have been possible without the help, support, and guidance of the CCI at every step of the process. If you have an idea, a thought, or even a possible experience in mind for J-term or next summer–I encourage you to connect with the CCI to explore all the potential possibilities!
Playwrights on Writing for Young Audiences: A Partnership Between TCG-NEA-TYA/USA
In honor of National Arts in Education Week (September 13 – 19, 2020), Theatre Communications Group (TCG) invites you to join on Thursday September 17th at 4pm ET (1pm PT) for a special presentation they’ve arranged in partnership with the NEA celebrating the importance of Theatre for Young Audiences.
Tune in to watch a virtual roundtable of playwrights (and parents!) Idris Goodwin, Lauren Gunderson, and Alvaro Saar Rios speak on their experiences writing for young audiences, what the work means to them in light of the pandemic and newly energized movements for racial justice, and the great responsibility that comes with writing plays for the next generation of citizens and theatre-goers.
This is a free event, but you must register in order to receive the Zoom link. ASL and closed captioning will be available, and they encourage you to reach out to aciarlone@tcg.org if you have additional access needs they can help support.
Click here to register for the event!
VR, AR and other Digital Tools for Remote Performance Webinar – Thursday, August 20
Remote performances can easily look like hastily put together film, and theatre suffers in the comparison. But in a post-COVID-19 world, what other options are there? In this session, Alex Coulombe (Agile Lens), Jasper Tarr (Adventure Lab), Brendan Bradley (The Jigsaw Ensemble), and Heather Harvey (Black Revolutionary Theater Workshop ) walk you through the latest case studies and tech tools being successfully employed by theatre-makers to broadcast remote performances, many of which require little to no investment. You’ll learn to think of these tools as not something that threatens the future of theatre, but instead will allow it to spread its core values into many new and exciting forms. Like light through a prism, sometimes the same narrative material can yield myriad iterations tailored for different audiences. Click here to register for the event.
The Craven Conversations with distinguished actor Michael Murphy-June 24 @ 7pm EDT
MNFF is thrilled to welcome back one of its favorite Honorees, the distinguished film actor Michael Murphy, for the next edition of the Craven Conversations on Wednesday, June 24 at 7pm on Zoom. In a brilliant career spanning more than 50 films over 50 years, Michael has worked with a wide array of heralded filmmakers including Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen, Paul Mazursky, Peter Weir, Tim Burton, Oliver Stone, Sarah Polley, John Sayles, Elia Kazan, Peter Bogdanovich, Martin Ritt, Robert Aldrich, Orson Welles and Paul Thomas Anderson. Among his dozens of film credits, you’ll find The Arrangement, MASH, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Nashville, The Front, An Unmarried Woman, Manhattan, The Year of Living Dangerously, Salvador, Batman Returns and Away from Her. The breadth of the roles Michael has played and the innumerable stories he has accumulated will make for a most entertaining conversation that you won’t want to miss.
Michael Murphy was born in Los Angeles, California, and after a stint in the Marine Corps, he attended the University of Arizona, Tucson, and then went to UCLA for his California teaching credential. From 1962 to 1964, he taught high school English and drama in Los Angeles. His acting career as a first-rate supporting player began in 1962 and has continued for over five decades.
The consummate professional, Michael is perhaps best known for his long collaboration with renowned director Robert Altman, having been cast in seven of Altman’s movies between 1968 and 1996, and in two cable-TV mini-series for him: Tanner ’88 and Tanner on Tanner. But the relationship stretched back to the very beginning of his career. “I was right out of the University of Arizona,” Murphy reminisced during a 2004 interview, “and a friend said, ‘Go over to MGM and meet Bob Altman. He’s using a lot of young guys for this Army thing he’s doing.'” Altman was directing the World War II television series Combat! and Altman cast him in the show without an audition. “We became immediate friends. He told me, ‘You may not turn out to be a movie star, but you’ll get to do some interesting work.’ Bob was in his thirties when we met. He had been a young bomber pilot in World War II and was wise beyond his years. From the very beginning, he never played it safe when it came to making movies. He had amazing fortitude and guts.”
Attendance is limited for the Craven Conversation with Michael Murphy so don’t wait too long to sign up. We anticipate a good crowd for this event.
Click here to register for the event!
The Craven Conversations with Sarah Beers, Emmy Award Winning Costume Designer: June 10 @ 7PM EDT
MNFF welcomes Sarah Beers, Emmy Award winning costume designer and longtime Middlebury resident, to the Craven Conversations tomorrow, Wednesday, June 10 at 7p on Zoom. Ms. Beers will take viewers through her process of imagination and creation of film, theater and television costumes, illuminating how the work informs and enlarges the consideration of characters. She will show research photos and sketches along with pictures of actors in costume for the film and television work she does. She will also discuss her work on both seasons of the WGN America/SONY series Outsiders and Jay Craven’s film, Peter and John, where she mentored college students involved in the film’s ambitious costume design work. Ms. Beers grew up in Middlebury and attended Middlebury Union High School. Her uncle taught Spanish at Middlebury College and her grandfather was born and raised in Charlotte. She graduated from Connecticut College, where she designed an interdisciplinary major in Theater and Studio Art, and through those courses and her work-study duties in the theater department, she became interested in costume design as a profession. During her senior year in college, Beers was awarded a Watson Fellowship to study costumes at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London. She also spent time working in marionette fabrication at Marionettes de Geneve in Switzerland.
Her film credits include Maria Full of Grace, nominated for a 2005 Academy Award. Beers won an Emmy for her work on the television mini-series The Men Who Built America. Other television costume design credits include extensive work on the recent NBC hit drama Blindspot and the long running FX series Rescue Me.
This will be a fascinating conversation with Jay and Sarah and we invite you to register for the event and enjoy the experience.
Click here to register for the webinar!
SENIORS – Group Advising Appointments to discuss searching for Jobs/Internships in the Arts
In addition to signing up for 1:1 advising appointments, I’m offering group advising appointments this semester focused on a specific career path. Please continue to check back since we will discuss a different industry during each meeting. This week I will be hosting and facilitating two group advising appointments to discuss Careers in the Arts. Please let me know if you would like to attend one. I will add your appointment in handshake. Wednesday, April 29 from 3pm – 4pm EST Career Path: Performing Arts Friday, May 1 from 3pm – 4pm EST Career Path: Fine Arts These group advising appointments will be a great opportunity for students to learn more about a specific industry, build a career community, and practice peer to peer learning. I am limiting the number of participants. Therefore, YOU MUST REGISTER WITH ME. Please send an e-mail to agomez@middlebury.edu to let me know you will attend, and I will add your advising appointment to handshake. |
“The Zoom Where it Happens” by American Theatre- A Publication of the Theatre Communications Group
All across the country, theatre educators and students are mourning the loss of shows that won’t make it to the stage this semester because of COVID-19. They’re using spring break to brainstorm ways the live theatre performances and hands-on experiential classes will be effectively conducted online. Many institutions have thought of some very creative ideas on how to make this happen. Click here to read the complete article.
Schedule your 1:1 Alumni chat with Actor, Co-Artistic Director, and Professor Andrew Smith ’97.5 – Thursday, January 9
Before joining Carnegie Mellon, Andrew worked as a professional stage, film and television Actor, and is the Co-Artistic Director of Project Y Theatre Company in New York City. He founded and led a business in NYC called Artist Building Company, where he hired set designers and painters for NYC remodeling and building jobs.
Click here to schedule your 1:1 chat on Thursday, January 9
Schedule your 1:1 chat with Actor Tyrone Wilson
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) member Tyrone Wilson will be on campus Friday, November 8 to talk to students about his acting career. He graduated from Middlebury College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received his Master of Fine Arts from Yale School of Drama. Click here to schedule your 1:1 chat on Friday, November 8 to learn about Tyrone’s career journey, how he got started, lessons learned about the industry etc. *Please note it is a two-step process to sign up.