Session 1, April 15: Jared Mezzocchi '07, award-winning projection and multi-media designer and director, discusses his work and his new book, “A Multimedia Designer's Method to Theatrical Storytelling.” Jared began his experimentation fusing live theatre and film right here on campus; he shows segments from his earliest work, performed both at the PepsiCo and Blackbox theatres, through his most recent professional work in New York, Washington, DC, and throughout the world. He is also head of the Projection Design Track in the MFA Theatre Design Program at University of Maryland, College Park.
Session 2, April 22:
John Power '96, Senior Vice President for Casting at Warner Brothers Television in Hollywood. John discusses his beginnings as a theatre actor and stage manager at the Quick Center and how that prepared him for his successful career as a casting director and executive. What DOES a casting director do and how does he do it? John will be sharing stories and images from various TV shows he has launched, including
Riverdale,
Pretty Little Liars, and
Claws, and also addresses the state of the industry under COVID-19.
Session 3, April 29:
Danny Williams '04, Senior Director of Finance and Administration for The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City, discusses "The Business of Show Business." Danny is in charge of the $60 million annual budget that has fueled the beginnings of much of America’s most powerful new theatre―
Hamilton,
A Chorus Line,
Hair,
Sweat,
Fun Home―and inspired revivals of the entire Shakespeare canon. Danny takes you from his theatrical beginnings at Fairfield University to Westport Country Playhouse, where he had the privilege of appearing in
Our Town, starring Paul Newman, and finally to his illustrious work at the Public Theatre where his prowess for crunching numbers supports the brilliant artistic director, Oskar Eustis. Danny also discusses the effects of COVID-19 on the non-profit theatre industry where this summer, for the first time ever, Free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park has been cancelled.
THEATRE FAIRFIELD PRESENT—Spotlight on Titus Andronicus―3 sessions
Session 4, May 7:
Carlin Fournier ’22 discusses how a 20-year-old man in the prime of his life takes on the formidable title character, a 65-year-old military hero who is "done"? Carlin performs three monologues from the show and takes you inside his actorly process of figuring out who Titus is and how to portray this deeply troubled character who is a mass of contradictions: heroic and vengeful, proud and caring, formidable and vulnerable. The segment also features terrific rehearsal footage taken by fellow actor/videographer, Park Lytle ’22.
Session 5, May 14:
Kierstin Jones '21 performs several monologues and discusses the unique challenges of playing Aaron, the brilliant, charming, yet dastardly Black moor in Titus Andronicus. We're joined by Dr. Rachelle Brunn-Bevel, Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, to discuss Shakespeare's extraordinary villain and how we interpret him then and now. Although Aaron is the second largest role in the play (exceeded only by the title character) how do we justify presenting a murderously evil black male character to contemporary audiences in the wake of #BlackLivesMatter? And how does Kierstin, a 21st-century African American woman, confront playing not only Aaron's evilness but his maleness?
Session 6, May 21:
Focuses on Dashing Stage Combat, featuring Megan Beauregard ('21) and Kiersten Bjork ('21), women actor-combatants who play the swashbuckling and dastardly evil brothers Chiron and Demetrius in Titus. They are joined by our fight choreographer and intimacy director, Dan Burke, to discuss how to "act the fight" as well as the multiple challenges these actors had to face playing despicable male characters who do terrible things to women. We also see some great video, thanks again to Park Lytle, of Megan and Kiersten in exciting dual machete fights.
