SUMMER 2013
Commencement 2013:
Speaker David Henry Hwang Encourages Students to Remake Theatre It was a morning of smiles, sentiment and, even, sighs of relief for the Class of 2013 as the culmination of their studies had finally come to fruition at the School of Dramatic Arts Commencement. “This is a wonderful day. Today, we celebrate the accomplishments of you, our amazing students, and we honor your success,” Dean Madeline Puzo said. “I have every confidence, in watching you grow over the last several years, that you’re ready to face that future and all the challenges and successes it’s going to bring to you.” As the first group to graduate under the School’s new name, more than 120 students made their way across the stage in a packed Bing Theatre on May 17. Following the opening of the ceremony, Bachelor of Arts student speaker Jordan Merimee took the podium to share a few humorous haiku and witticisms to commemorate his time at the School. All joking aside, he then got to the core of his speech and retold a story about how a peer’s solo performance saved another USC student from taking her own life. “Some people are called to keep the world living, but we know that we’re called to give it a reason to live. The plays we direct, the shows we light, the dances we share, and the stories we tell remind the world that the heartbeat is more than a random pump of blood,” he said. While at USC, Merimee performed in 11 productions, and was president of the Sigma Alpha Lambda honors society, member of Phi Beta Kappa and an officer in the Theatre Students Association. With a similar passion as Merimee, Bachelor of Fine Arts student speaker Ashley L Koenig encouraged her fellow artists to embrace the newfound freedom they had from that day forward. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Above: Students and faculty celebrate the graduation of the Class of 2013 on May 17. Bottom left photo: Student representative Ashley L Koenig delivers her speech in the Bing Theatre.
Commencement speaker David Henry Hwang
School of Dramatic Arts Board of Councilors
A Message from the Dean Summer quiet has settled on campus. Students and faculty have departed, taking with them the bustle and energy that fuels the school year. The quiet allows for reflection on the achievements and challenges of the previous year, as well as time to dream and plan for the future.
never more so than at graduation when families,
This Callboard celebrates not simply our com-
once they leave. This class gave me a great deal
faculty, staff and students (what some call stake holders but we call community) gather together to honor our students’ success and mark a major transition in their lives. One of the joys of being a dean is watching the students grow as artists while they are at the School. Another joy is hearing of their successes
mencement ceremony but also, by extension,
of joy over the last four years and, I believe, will
the achievements of all our graduating students.
give us all even more in the years to come.
It was a terrific event – highlighted by three excellent student speeches and a wise, inspiring
Have a great summer and I hope to see you at one of our productions next fall.
talk by award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. I am always proud of our School, but
Dean Madeline Puzo
Richard Weinberg (Chair) Michele Dedeaux Engemann (Founding Chair) Patrick J. Adams David Anderle Lisa Barkett Todd Black Tim Curry Tate Donovan Michael Felix Greg Foster Michael Gilligan Robert Greenblatt Susan A. Grode Paula Holt Donna Isaacson Mark Kogan Gary Lask Sheila Lipinsky Martin Massman Jimmy Miller Madeline Puzo Thomas Schumacher James D. Stern Andy Tennant Allison Thomas Rik Toulon Joe Tremaine
A Toast to Our Supporters! With our fiscal year at a close, we would like to express our deepest appreciation to the hundreds of donors who provided vital support to the School this past academic year. Your gifts, at all levels, helped the School bring curriculum-enhancing experiences that are paramount to the success of our students. From providing support for our much needed ambitious production program (two-dozen full-scale shows each year) to our guest artists program which brings leading artists in the field to speak with students and teach master classes, you have helped ensure that we provide the most enriching educational experiences year-round. And, your scholarship gifts have helped us continue to bring the best creative talent to the School. Please accept our heartfelt thank you for your support.
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Attention Los Angeles Alumni!
Save the Date Please join us and other local SDA graduates for great food, drinks and company at our fall alumni party:
Sunday, September 15 3 to 6 p.m. Look out for an email invitation with the details in late July. If you have any questions or wish to update your contact information, please contact Kimberly Muhlbach directly by at 213.821.4045 or via email at muhlbach@usc.edu.
We hope to see you all there!
22nd Annual Awards Celebration On May 10, the School commemorated a year of excellence by honoring 26 distinct individuals at the Bing Theatre for the 22nd Annual Awards Celebration. The event acknowledged the exceptional work of students from all disciplines – including acting, design, stage management, dance and technical direction. Congratulations to all! Aileen Stanley Memorial Award for Undergraduate Students Rebecca Esquivel, Design/Tech Jesse Pilchen, Acting John Blankenchip/William C. White Award for Outstanding Contributions David Hernandez Alexis Agolsove USC Alumni and Friends Award for Creative Student Activities Annie Jankowski Ruth and Albert McKinlay Award for Undergraduate BA Student Performers PERFORMANCE: Kaitlin Kelly HIGHEST GPA: Elizabeth Colwell Student Council Award for a Graduating Student Jordan Merimee Nancy Kehr Reed Award for Funding an Independent Student Production Elisabeth Farmer – Macbeth
The James B. Pendleton Award for Outstanding Contributions Jamie Lew Ava Greenwald Memorial Award for a Graduate Actor Francisco Pryor Garat Ritchie Spencer Memorial Award for a Graduating Designer Victoria Tam John Ritter Award for Comic Performance Will Tranfo David Dukes Acting Scholarship for Junior Students Synnove Eriksen Jade Johnson Dance Leadership Award Tonatiuh Elizarraraz Outstanding Dance Concert Choreographer Award Neaz Kohani Sara Mardem-Bey
Commencement 2013 “We are as free as we CONTINUED FROM COVER allow ourselves to be. And allow yourself. In art, there is no division between right and wrong – only moments: fleeting, ungraspable, but palpable moments,” the technical direction graduate said. She continued: “And in these moments, remember that while we are artists, we are also people. We make mistakes, only we culminate them into art. We learn from them and we grow. So make them. Make a new mistake and know that you will, and that you did, and that you’re probably better for it.” Urging them to only lose themselves in the music and the art, Koenig concluded her speech with a fitting surprise for the class: an impromptu
| Summer 2013
Award recipients and presenters at the celebration on May 10.
Bill White Faculty Recognition Award Mary-Joan Negro Stanley Musgrove Award for Outstanding Creative Talent Peter Cameron
James and Nony Doolittle Awards for Graduating Seniors D.J. Blickenstaff Emma Bramble Drew Connick Joe Kennedy
Jack Nicholson Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Actors Adrienne Visnic Peter Mitchell
SDA rendition of the “Harlem Shake” meme, based on the droll dance video that went viral on YouTube. As the final student speaker, graduate program representative Yolanda Sinclair reminded the class of local problems like discrimination and oppression, and that they, as artists, could promote social change on a global scale. “Our education here at USC has equipped us with these tools of artistry, which we can use to touch lives. There are seven billion lives in this world. How many will you touch with care?” she asked. Sinclair, who received a Master of Arts in Applied Theatre Arts, has worked as an artistic ambassador with marginalized communities locally and internationally to promote personal and social change through theatrical means. “We are all artists, and it’s our responsibility as
artists to be free of deceit, to provoke thought, encourage dialogue and challenge what we have been told is impossible and just. Our work commands attention and has both revelatory and transformative capabilities – which gives us the capacity to envision that which is not, so that we can imagine and achieve that which we desire. It gives us tools so that we awaken our senses and opens the doors to our imagination. It allows us to empathize with human experiences that we have never shared but can stand in coalition with and work towards liberation,” she said. The ceremony concluded with an insightful message from commencement speaker, renowned playwright, screenwriter and librettist David Henry Hwang as he encouraged students to have a healthy skepticism of the industry and to recreate theatre in their own image. CONTINUED ON BACK COVER
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Awards. Other decorated works include FOB, Golden Child, Yellow Face and Chinglish. He is currently the Residency One playwright at New York’s Signature Theatre Company, which will premiere his newest work, Kung Fu, in 2013-14. For his numerous accomplishments, Hwang was presented with a Doctor of Literature from President C.L. Max Nikias at the Main USC Commencement Ceremony earlier that morning.
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “Going into the theatre means that you have made a decision on some level to remake the theatre. It’s not enough simply to be part of that. The task of being a theatre maker means that you, on some level, want to make a revolution in the theatre,” he explained. Hwang is best known as author of the highly acclaimed play M. Butterfly, which received Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and John Gassner
“To describe David as a major American dramatist is an understatement,” Puzo said. “David has taken issues surrounding ethnicity and identity, and woven them into plays that, by being deeply honest, transcend their specificity and they become universal.” At the SDA ceremony, Hwang discussed the state of theatre – more specifically the imbalance of for-profit and not-for-profit entities, and the need for change. He explained that although garnering ticket sales, critics and audiences is desirable, it is only the icing on the cake. “The work that you do from your heart is more likely to attract attention and help your career because that’s what people respond to when they don’t know you otherwise. They respond to feeling something new, authentic, truthful, uniquely you,” he said. Closing his speech, Hwang reminded the graduates: “Now, this is the moment when your faculty, your teachers, your mentors hand what they know to you, and it’s your job to take that and make it your own. So congratulations, go forward and create a new theatre in your own image.”