The Next Century
2004-2005
Fall began with the BFA-Actor Training Program senior mainstage production of Our Country’s Good directed by Kenneth Mitchell. Joe Dowling, Artistic Director of the Guthrie, stated in the program note that “this program will aim to create a new generation of actors whose passion for theatre will match those who have graced our stage for so many years.” The scenic obsession on the production was a huge sail that covered ¾ of the Thrust deck designed by MFA Tom Burgess. Amy Kaufman’s costumes were a wonderful complement to the action as was Sarah Schilling’s soundscape. Peter Shaffer’s Black Comedy followed in the Proscenium directed by guest Joel Sass with Luverne Seifert assisting on movement and choreography. Dance 
Revolutions was the title for this season’s UDT featuring “Relished”-premiere (Hannah Stilwell), “Inlets 2” (Merce Cunningham with Karen Eliot as reconstructor), “Frozen Mommy as a Boy”-premiere (Tere O’Connor), and “This Bleeding Heart…” (Carl Flink). The X fall season began with Red, Black, an Ignorant: The War plays Part One directed by Wade Hollingshaus, followed by a workshop production of Free Hummas directed by Katie Howard. Brooke Jackson’s production of Portrait of Dora opened in early November and Christina Akers original musical The Mockery was presented in the Thrust to conclude fall. Fall semester also involved us in the “Art and Commitment Conference in December featuring discussion with/about and performance by Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Pauline Olliveros.
Spring semester brought puppetry to the mainstage. After a fall semester creative period, ARTiculations: a puppetry cabaret opened in the Xperimental to enthusiastic audiences. Curated by
Michael Sommers, the production was fashioned by individual puppeteers who wrote and created their own scripts and stages. A pastiche of styles utilized everything from overhead to Linnebach projectors, moving floors in front of static backgrounds, magic doors, a crank, and a mobile “proscenium” that revealed and concealed everything with the help of a mysterious stilted character who controlled it all. The production began in the lower lobby with a gigantic puppet war between good and evil and was followed in the theatre by “Feet Left Off Pavement” (Elliott Durko Lynch), “Outside the Box” (Nicole LeDuc), “The Legend of Two-Ton Tony” (Aaron Radatz), “Le Beau Voyage” (Molly Diers, which had many of the older generation flashing back to Hitchcock’s The Birds), “de:compose” (Nikki Schultz), “eπi=∅”(Joanne Jongsma), and “Organ Play” vignettes (Kristin 
Abhalter). Next came a powerful staging of The Laramie Project in the Thrust directed by guest Bonnie Schock. This play about the murder of Matthew Shepard in Wyoming brought many conversations to the campus and among them a symposium with a keynote address by Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, entitled “How Is It Here?” The audience was invited to get to know a little bit about the people seated around them and share common experiences prior to the production and then continue building dialogue after the production. A lobby installation by the Coalition for a Respectful U featuring the images and voices of U of M students and employees sharing their perspective on the campus climate for GLBT people accompanied the production.
The X introduced us to the idea of a 24-hour theatre project. Held the first weekend of spring semester, students gathered Friday evening and received assignments – to write a play, design it, hang lights, seek costumes, act, direct, etc. After an all-night stint of writing creativity, the team gathered Saturday morning, rehearsed and executed the design, and the play opened at 8:00 that night in the Arena. A very successful endeavor by all accounts. The rest of the spring season included Religious Pretense directed by David Jennings in the Arena, Silence choreographed by Ben Rasmussen in the X, and As It Is in Heaven directed by Jessie Glover in the X. The year-long season had truly been “all over the building”.
Summer brought The Importance of Being Earnest back to the Showboat with alum Jon Cranney directing. Anita Ruth arranged the music and Zoe Sealy did the choreography. Alum Rick Polenek was invited to design scenery and MFA Rebecca White concluded her thesis project with a stylish and exquisite set of costumes.
Several faculty comings and goings took place this year. Chair Kobialka was on leave and Lance Brockman graciously agreed to fill in. Carl Flink joined us as an Associate Professor and Head of the Dance Program. Maggie Bergeron joined the dance office staff to assist Nora. Luverne Seifert came onboard as Head of the BA performance program in theatre as Kent Stephens left us to journey east to New England. Kari Margolis found upper New York State and was gone in fall to build a place for her company in the Adirondacks. Marge Maddux began phased retirement; Maria Cheng and Zoe Sealy and Linda Shapiro flat-out retired. And Stephen Kanee retired sort-of (well officially, he did), but as with many of our retired faculty, we see them often and again as teachers and colleagues for a class or two or a production or two, now and then.
2005-2006
Awaits completion…and reunions…..and memories. Come and help us make some!
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