"I was on stage as a freshman, initiating projects as a sophomore, performing under world class directors, and getting the invaluable experience of creating a budgeted show from beginning to end with my senior project. I have found that this experience was exceptionally unique." - Stacy Cobalt (1997), Actor, Performance Artist and I.A.T.S.E. Local 16 Stage Hand
LaVelle Wilson (1999) and Tom Möse (2000) played in What Now Mama! playing at The Haugh Performing Arts Center on September 16th 2000. What Now Mama is a Gospel play about a strong mother who believes that the Lord will intercede in her family’s life. She is aware of the trick that Satan tries to use to divide the family but she refuses to let him. This God fearing mother endures a lot of trials and tribulations. She holds fast to her faith. She believes that the Lord will save her husband and family. This Gospel play has created such a spirit filled message to all who have had the pleasure of being in the audience.
Elizabeth Pietrzak (1991) and Tom Möse (2000) lighting the show for Godspell, jointly produced with Inland Valley Repertory Theatre and Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Claremont. Elizabeth has also been busy this summer designing Annie Jr., See How they Run, and yet another Godspell, for Brickhouse Theatre in San Dimas. Tom joined the team doing carpentry work as well.
Audrey Wilson has been teaching dance and body conditioning in Orange County with her company Audrey's Body Conditioning and Dance. She is Orange County's first certified Pilates® Instructor. Check out her web page at www.audreydancing.com.
Cory Cofer (1997?) has been performing with the Los Angeles National Poetry Slam team and has gained a strong following. He is currently continuing at ULV with a degree in Education.
at left: Cory Cofer with Nicole Mhoon performing in A Dream Play.
Nicole Isaacson-Hill studied at ULV in Spring 1996. Nicole accepted a directing apprenticeship at the Croatian National Theatre from 1998-1999 assisting Steven Kent on the Croatian premier of Death of a Salesman (also, scenography by Dr. David Flaten). Since then she has worked with A Traveling Jewish Theatre Apprenticeship Program to create The Golden Bird, an original work, and directed Edward Albee's Three Tall Women in March-April 2000 for The Futurists Theatre Company in Ashland, Oregon. She recently completed a literary internship at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and is a graduate of Southern Oregon University. She plans to continue to pursue a career in directing and dramaturgy.
at left: poster of Three Tall Women
directed by Nicole Isaacson-Hill
produced by Justin C. Lockwood
featuring original artwork by Randy Pijoan
On October 2, 1999, Jim Tittle (1995) married his ULV sweetheart Kimberly Tanaka (1994), both seen to the left in full makeup for Haunted House 1993 and in production during Spring 1992. Jim had previously been working as a digital special effects coordinator for Centropolis Effects, a company doing effects for television and motion pictures. He worked on productions such as: ID4, Flubber, Contact, Conspiracy Theory, Godzilla, The Faculty, Thirteenth Floor, Stuart Little and End of Days. Recently Jim has taken a new position as a Digital Special Effects Producer at a company called VisionArt. Additionally, he and new wife Kimber have started their own production company called Elyod Productions.
Nathan Hamilton (1995) began working steadily immediately after graduation by teaching dance and by singing and dancing at Riverside Civic Light Opera and Griswold’s Candelight Pavilion, playing lead roles in 42nd Street, The Music Man, A Chorus Line. Since then he has been to Taipei, Taiwan with DisneyFest, toured with Princess Cruise Lines through Turkey, Greece, Italy, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Phillipines, Indonesia, Australia, and various ports in Africa; he designed and built sets and props for Knott's Scary Farm, joined several tours around the country and now played a supporting role on Arthur, A Live Adventure, a pilot which ran on PBS. He plans on entering the year 2000 by starting a production company, Theatmosphere.
above: Nathan (lower right) on page 16 of the Princess Cruise 2000 brochure.
below: Lil Big Foot, designed and created by Nathan for Knott's Scary Farm '98
Bringing Visions to Life
An International Youth Theater Project in Bosnia-Hercegovina at
Mostar's 20th Annual International Youth Theater Festival
at left: Sonja Kuftinec, Scot McElvany (1995)
Bringing Visions to Life, a performance project from August 9th to 31st, 1999. Twenty participants, ages 16-20, were invited to take part in a theatrical performance that brought together the perspectives and styles of other young performers from Bosnia-Hercegovina, Germany, Great Britain, Yugoslavia and United States. Once assembled in Mostar, Bosnia-Hercegovina the group was trained and lead through various forms of theatrical development by Scot McElvany ('95) and Sonja Kuftinec. Twice over the last three years Mr. McElvany and Ms. Kuftinec have directed performances for the festival in Mostar, as well as various other pieces throughout Bosnia-Hercegovina. They have worked with amateur and youth theater projects in the United States, Romania, Hungary, Great Britain and Germany.
Throughout August the group engaged in discussions, workshops, and rehearsals in order to create an original performance to premier at the festival. Workshops developed around issues of Unity and Division. Mostar itself plays an important role as a symbol with overlapping meanings: War, Unity, Division, as well as representing new life and culture developement.
The group had three weeks to get to know each other, to find their own ways of expression and to get used to different forms of theatrical presentation. Games supporting group dynamics and the transfomation of individual experiences into scenes were parts of the workshops. Further on in the process, scenes dealing with cultural differences as well as perceived prejudices were added and some of them became part of the performance.
Amy (Spillan) Meier (1991) and Bill Meier (1991) are passing on the theatre tradition to their daughter, Victoria, who performed with the BP Youth Theatre in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Buena Park last December. Amy says, "She's having a great time. It's only the children's chorus, but she does sing and dance." Bill has been working as a freelance costume designer (returning to ULV to design The Marriage in 1997) and at Knotts Berry Farm in the costume department since 1992.
Charles O’Connor (1993), is auditioning for and acting in independent films in the Los Angeles area. Check out his work in this quicktime movie or in this quicktime movie.
email your theatre alumni news to pietrzak@ulv.edu
or snail mail to:
Theatre Department News,1950 Third Street, La Verne, CA 91750
S. Baker Eatmon (1998), is a multi-purpose person living as an artist, building scenery, doing flyers, working on movies as a second second, having moved up from production assistant, intending to move up to 1st A.D. and produce his own projects. He has worked for the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills Playhouses.. Eric Mulholland (1995), has worked for several seasons as a performer with the regional children’s theatre group, The Imagination Machine, where he will also be directing some of the children’s theatre performances. He performed at the Split Summer Festival in 1996, and continues auditioning in pursuit of his career as an actor. He recently was part of the Knightsbridge Theatre's Amadeus. Liz Castro (1986) most recently has been working on the editing team of Star Trek Voyager TV series. Jeanne Van Blankenstein (1986) has been pursuing an MFA in acting at The University of Georgia. Her first semester had her playing such roles as Kristen in Miss Julie, Mdm. Pennelle in Tartuffe and Lysistrata in Lysistrata. Jeanne has also done a variety of film, TV, and commercial work in LA, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Jeanne has returned to SoCal with a completed MFA and a four month gig in Lanesboro, MN.
News for Fall 1998:
email your theatre alumni news to pietrzak@ulv.edu
or snail mail to:
Theatre Department News,1950 Third Street, La Verne, CA 91750
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