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 Faculty Summer Institute, University of Illinois Carolyn Blackinton attended the annual Faculty Summer Institute at the University of Illinois.
Faculty Summer Institute (FSI) is a 3-day conference for higher education instructors and other professionals. Participants come from Illinois state universities, community colleges, private institutions, and out-of-state universities.
FSI offers presentations, workshops, and hands-on training involving the latest technological advances in education. Participants may choose to exclusively follow one of three tracks, or attend any session in any track. The tracks all correspond to this year’s theme: Learn & Lead.
 Motherhood, Royal George Theatre, Lincoln Park
Melody Betts, MFA acting 2009, is performing in Motherhood at the Royal George Theatre in Lincoln Park.
 Chicago, Cortland Repertory Theatre, summer 2011 It’s official. Chicago directed by Bill Kincaid, professor, Theatre & Dance, at Cortland Repretory Theatre in Cortland, NY, has won the Best Production of the Season Award and Kerby Thompson, who played Billy Flynn in that production, received the Best Actor award as well. There are only three categories (production, actor and actress) and CHICAGO won two of them!
From an earlier post:
Nominations have just been announced for the Syracuse Area Live Theatre awards, which recognizes three categories: Production, Actor and Actress. The two shows that Bill Kincaid directed at Cortland Repertory Theatre last season received a rather remarkable 5 out of 17 nominations in those three categories, as follows. And it should be noted that Bill also starred in the two-person play SOUVENIR.
Both CHICAGO and SOUVENIR were nominated for Production of the Season.
Rin Allen (CHICAGO) and April Woodall (SOUVENIR) were both nominated for Actress of the Season.
Kerby Thompson (CHICAGO) was nominated for Actor of the Season.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Palace Theater in Syracuse on Sunday, May 20. The ceremony is open to the public and tickets may be purchased through the Syracuse New Times.
Read more about the nominations at broadwayworld.com
From Beyond the Bell Tower:
 "Fonzo the Fiddler" is just one of the puppets in a troupe owned by WIU alumnus David Quesal, of Macomb. The troupe performed in Chicago in April as part of the National day of Puppetry Festival. MACOMB, IL – Since 2010 Western Illinois University alumnus David Quesal has been taking his puppet troupe to national performances, most recently in November.
Quesal, who graduated from WIU in December 2009 with a bachelor of arts degree in acting and a minor in broadcasting, has been performing for local birthday parties, community celebrations and special events since 2005. Within the last two years Quesal has moved his act to the national stage, traveling to Cincinnati (OH), Atlanta (GA) and Chicago (IL) for auditions and puppetry festivals.
In November, Quesal took several of his puppet characters to a puppetry festival in Angola (IN). At the festival, David used his fiddler puppet, “Fonzo,” to perform a fiddle pantomime to a Celtic fiddle tune.
A woman in charge of The Chicagoland Puppetry Guild saw Quesal’s performance and asked him to bring that act to The National Day of Puppetry Festival in Chicago (IL).
This annual event happens April 28 at The Irish American Heritage Center.
This will be David’s second time attending this festival, but this the first time The David Quesal Puppet Troupe will perform one of its regular puppet shows there.
 Enron, production photo , MFA directing 2011, received high praise for his role as the production assistant in the production of Enron for Timeline Theatre in Chicago this spring.
Actors and designers alike are unanimous in their praise of Zachary Roberts—aka “The heroic Zachary Roberts” and “The wonderful amazing Zachary Roberts”—whose duties as the sole “production assistant” include keeping track of the constantly-moving wardrobe and props during the show’s running time.
Roberts responding with equally high praise for the actors.
“It would be impossible without this generous and collaborative ensemble,” admits Roberts, “They are always finding ways to help me during the show—opening doors, holding curtains and carrying props—especially at the end of act one, when I run across the basement twice and then have to prep the lobby for intermission. It’s a whirlwind, yes, but it’s also become a lot of fun, too.”
Read the whole review in Theatre in Chicago.
 WIU Alum Drew Kopas as King Louis XIV in "Las Meninas" Drew Kopas, MFA acting 2008, has had a successful run in “Las Meninas” at Rep Theatre at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.
Kopas played King Louis XIV in the play by Pulitzer prize winning playwright Lynn Nottage.
 Jeannie Marlin as The Lady with All the Answers Jeannie Woods who performs as Jeannie Marlin completed a successful run as Ann Landers in The Lady with All the Answers. The play which was performed as part of the Starry Night Theatre season was directed by graduate directing student Brooke Edwards.
Bill Kincaid shared alumni info a while ago. Some of these productions have ended but it still good to know that theatre alums are working!! Theatre and Dance alums stay busy!
CJ Langdon (BFA ‘10) is appearing in TEA AND SYMPATHY at the Artistic Home in Chicago.
Nathan Grant (MFA ‘10) is an understudy for the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s production of TAMING OF THE SHREW.
Glen Wall (MFA ‘09) will tour this summer with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks.
Colin Wasmund (MFA ‘09) is appearing at Provision Theatre in Chicago, in their production of THE FOREIGNER.
 Pictured above are the University Dance Theatre students from WIU who performed "Multiverse" for a festival gala in late March. From left are Allie Christopoulos, Anna Themanson, Kate McClelland, Tracy Kocinski, Kelsey Peters, Kimmie Nott, Erin Norlie, Allison Greene, Alicia Culbertson, Jill Nigh and Isaac Jankowski. From University Relations:
MACOMB, IL – Competing against 20 Midwest colleges and 35 dance works, the University Dance Theatre (UDT) from Western Illinois University was selected to perform “Multiverse,” a piece choreographed by Professor Candace Winters-March, at the American College Dance Festival Association’s (ACDFA) regional conference, held at Missouri State University, March 21-25.
“All pieces are judged by a panel of three adjudicators. The judging is objective and anonymous – they only know the title, composer of the music and the year it was first performed”, Winters-March explained.
The judges’ comments for “Multiverse” included “order from chaos kept appearing and re-appearing”, “rich vocabulary and richly performed,” “the essence of the piece was just dance, beautiful, beautiful dance” and “a perfect piece in every way.”
“Multiverse,” along with 10 other dance pieces, was then selected from 35 dances to perform a second time in the culminating gala performance, on the final evening of the four-day conference. The contemporary dance piece abstractly explores ideas of a parallel universe, chaos into form, and the cycle of death and re-birth.
Read more.
 Brooke Edwards, Best Actress in a Play, Kevin Kline Awards Yeah for Brooke Edwards, current MFA graduate student in directing, for receiving the St. Louis based Kevin Kline Award for Best Actress in a play.
She won for her performance in Danny and the Deep Blue Sea which was directed by WIU theatre professor Ray Gabica.
Cheers to Brooke on this great honor.
Read more.
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