UA Theatre and Dance Season Kicks Off

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— These students come to The University of Alabama ready to perform—ready to meet or exceed high expectations. And they plan to pursue their dreams as thousands of people look on and cheer.

But they wear no pads, and their uniforms aren’t crimson. They won’t be celebrating touchdowns or kicking extra points. But they came to UA to pursue their passions and hone their talents. These are the students of the department of theatre and dance.

The department opens its 2013-2014 season with the play “Book of Days,” beginning Monday, Sept. 30-Friday, Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, October 6 at 2 p.m. in the Allen Bales Theater.

And the dancers and choreographers aren’t far behind: The Alabama Repertory Dance Theatre’s  Fall concert runs from Tuesday, Oct. 1-Thursday, Oct. 3 each night at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in the Morgan Hall auditorium.

These fall runs are a chance to see young performers before they move on to larger roles in the entertainment industry. Within the last decade, the University has begun to produce more and more working actors, dancers and choreographers. The reason for that growing success is simple.

“We set a standard for our students,” said Cornelius Carter, professor and director of UA’s dance program. “We do not deviate from that standard. And, frankly, we have students who are coming in now who are ready to meet those standards and make the sacrifices that are needed in order to have professional performing careers.”

Though the program is demanding, students take a great deal away, said senior dance major Maci Arms, a Nashville native who is leaving to pursue a dance career in New York following her May graduation.

“The faculty here has taught me so much—about performing, about being professional,” she said. “I know when I leave the program here, I will be prepared.”

That preparation is key for dancers, actors, directors and choreographers. The goal—one the University is meeting with regularity—is to churn out performers who make their living on the stage.

“If we’re not preparing students to really be able to pursue performing as a career, we aren’t doing our jobs,” said Seth Panitch, UA associate professor and director of the Master of Fine Arts and undergraduate acting programs at UA. “Just like the law school is turning out graduates who are ready to begin their careers in law, that’s what we should be doing here—getting these students ready to pursue their careers.”

And now performers who have attended or graduated from UA litter popular TV shows, headline with mega-star Tom Hanks or appear in film or on-stage musicals. Success—much like Alabama football—has become the norm.

“To borrow a phrase, I think ‘it takes a village’ to have a successful department, much in the same way it takes a village to produce a highly regarded theatrical or dance production,” said William Teague, professor and chair of theatre and dance. “We have a rich history. Marian Gallaway and Allen Bales, founders and builders of the program, were nationally recognized as leaders in the theatre world in from the late forties through the late seventies.

“Ed Williams and John Ross continued their tradition of excellence to the present day, and our current faculty members are all caring, talented artists and teachers who will take us into the future,” Teague said. “On the student side, our numbers and quality have increased along with the overall increase here at UA.  We now have more talented, smarter and focused students than I think anyone (me included) could have ever imagined 10 years ago.”

“Book of Days” follows Ruth Hock, a mild mannered bookkeeper for the local cheese factory, who has just been cast in the latest community theatre production as Joan of Arc. Learning to channel Joan is tough enough, but when murder is suspected, she begins her own pursuit of truth. Life in small town Missouri will be challenged as lies and truths are separated like curds and whey.

Second year MFA Directing Candidate Matt Davis makes his directorial debut at UA with this show. Cast members include Miranda Rivas, William Rowland, Adam Vanek, Naomi Prentice, Andrea Love, Anthony Haselbauer, Taylor Schaefer, Michael Vine, Kiliam Afzalirad, Alex Karr, Tyler Spindler, Sam Hardy and Matt Gabbard.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through the department’s website at www.theatre.ua.edu, or by phoning the box office at 205/348-3400.

ARDT performances include African dance choreographed by Carter, ballet staged by Rita Snyder, UA associate professor of dance, and Ping Guo, UA assistant professor of dance. Tap is choreographed by Stacy Alley, UA assistant professor of musical theatre and dance, and modern dance by guest choreographer Jane Weiner.

As a visiting professional, Weiner was impressed with UA’s program.

“I have been absolutely blown away by this department. Cornelius, Sarah, Ping and Lyndell have been incredible,” she said. “The talent and the open-mindedness here have been something that I was not expecting, and I cannot say enough about this department. There is an eagerness to learn.

“Also the gratitude and generosity from the company is something I have never seen on this level,” Weiner said. “The dancers are incredibly talented, and they want to be here. They want to learn from me and are so appreciative of my time. This has been a wonderful experience.”

Tickets for the ARDT Fall performance are $12 for students, $15 for UA faculty/staff and seniors, and $18 for adults. Tickets are available through the department’s website at www.theatre.ua.edu, by phoning the box office at 205/348-3400, or tickets can be purchased at the door.

The University of Alabama department of theatre and dance became a unified department in 1979. For the past 34 years, UA theatre & dance has produced student and faculty directed, performed and designed work. UA theatre & dance cultivates the next generation of performing arts professionals through comprehensive undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Visit theatre.ua.edu.

UA’s theatre & dance department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships, Truman Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.