UC IRVINE: Now in his seventeenth year with UC Irvine's
Drama Department, Cliff teaches graduate and undergraduate
classes in Script Analysis, Stage Design, and Collaboration,
plus a special year-long Development of Theater series
that examines the role of performance and production
in cultures around the world. He also initiated a class
in Gay Theater, his seventh new course for the university,
again exploring art as a record of cultural history.
(1991-present)
CORNERSTONE INSTITUTE: Working with community residents
and with students from across the nation, Cliff was a
guest artist and assistant to Education Director Deb
Piver and Artistic Director Bill Rauch at the inaugural
Cornerstone Institute in Lost Hills, California. He has
continued to consult with the Institute's directors and
to guide top students into this exceptional program.
(2004 - present)
Arts Administration
Cliff is a member of the National Advisory Circle of
Cornerstone Theater Company, one of the nation's leading
intercultural, community-based arts organizations. He
has also served two terms on the company's Board of Directors,
and as a member of their Executive Committee has helped
to guide the company's long-range planning, initiate
a significant endowment fund, and support its work with
diverse community partners. (1998 - present)
At South Coast Repertory Cliff developed and ran Nexus,
a new works program. Part of the theatre's literary department,
Nexus commissioned writers and led collaborative workshops
to generate new cross-cultural American theater. With
Nexus Cliff also produced Laughter of the Children
of War by Club O' Noodles, the nation's first Vietnamese-American
performance company. (1993-1996)
Direction
Romeo
& Juliet, by William Shakespeare, adapted and
directed by Cliff Faulkner, with text direction by Phil
Thompson, musical direction by Dennis Castellano, choreography
by Valerie Rachelle, and fight choreography by Christopher
Villa. Created in response to the United States' attacks
in Afghanistan and Iraq, this production drew upon Latin
sacred music, Italian canzone, Motown, and Hip Hop to
underline the universal cost and futility of hatred and
revenge. (2004)
Nagasaki
Rain, by Cliff Faulkner, Deidre Sklar, Jeff Takacs,
and students at UC Irvine. Initially inspired by oral
histories of Nagasaki citizens following the bombing of
their city during World War II, this collaborative performance
project was developed soon after September 11, 2001, and
quickly became a more global response to crisis, reflecting
the disparate views of eighteen participants from seven
different nations. (2002)
Bullwhip
Days, created by Cliff Faulkner, Sylvia Turner, and
students at UC Irvine. This multi-ethnic ensemble collaboration
was based on James Mellon's collection of WPA oral histories
that documented the experiences of people born and early
raised as slaves in America. (1999)
Search
for the Sacred Heart, by Jeff Takacs. This solo performance
addressed American working class life by juxtaposing mid-twentieth
century songs of the common man set against the final
speeches of Alabama governor George Wallace. (2002)
Additional
UCI work includes a staging of Split, by Michael
Weller (1999), and a table reading of Kaintuck,
by Jeff Takacs (2001).
Stage Design
South
Coast Repertory: As Resident Designer, Cliff designed
scenery and costumes for more than seventy productions
at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California. Working
closely with Martin Benson and David Emmes, Artistic Directors
of this Tony Award-winning theatre, and with guest directors
such as Mark Rucker, Lee Shallat Chemel, and Libby Appel,
Cliff has created designs for new plays and the classics,
as well as for selected special events. (1978-2000)
The
Old Globe: As a guest artist at The Old Globe in San Diego,
Cliff has designed scenery for twelve productions in three
different spaces, including two works directed by Artistic
Director Jack O'Brien and four directed by guest director
Julianne Boyd. (1978-1994)
Oregon
Shakespeare Festival: At the Festival's previous second
home in Portland, Oregon, Cliff created the settings for
Glengarry Glen Ross, directed by Phil Killian,
as well as for their King Lear, directed by Richard
Seyd and featuring Mr. Sidney Walker. (1991-1992)
Los
Angeles and Points West: Other Southern California work
includes designs for the Pasadena Playhouse, the Westwood
Playhouse, the Matrix, and the Mayfair Theatre. In addition,
Cliff's work was a part of the 1990 Festival of Arts in
Singapore.
Art Direction
As
a consulting Art Director, Cliff has provided designs
for special events, parades, and stage productions seen
in North America, Europe, and Japan. Clients include Disneyland,
Universal Studios, and the special events firm Jani International.
Working with founder Robert F. Jani, Cliff created designs
for the visit of H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth to Vancouver,
British Columbia; the opening and closing ceremonies of
the 1984
Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; and the American Pavilion
of Austria's World Conference on the Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space.
Fine Arts Commissions
Individual
and corporate projects include fine arts work in portraiture,
collage, illustration, and mixed-media painted photographs.
(1986-present)
Education
1974:
Bachelor of Arts, Phi Beta Kappa from Allegheny College,
Meadville, Pennsylvania
1976: Master of Arts, Dean's List, and Outstanding Graduate
Award from California State University, Long Beach
Credentials and Awards
1976
Community
College Instructors Credential from the Board
of Governors, California Community Colleges
1995
UC
Irvine's Celebration of Teaching Award
1998
UC
Irvine's Excellence in Teaching Award for Drama
Voted by graduating seniors the Outstanding Professor
from the School of the Arts.
2000
Voted
by graduating seniors the Outstanding Professor
in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
2001
The
UC Irvine Chancellor's Award for Excellence in
Fostering Undergraduate Research.
2002
Voted
by graduating seniors the Outstanding Professor
in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
2004
Voted
by graduating seniors the Outstanding Professor
in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
2005
Voted
by graduating seniors the Outstanding Professor
in the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.
Plus
Thirty-seven production awards
from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Drama-Logue
Magazine, L.A. Weekly, Frontiers Magazine, and
the Dance Resource Center of Greater Los Angeles.
(1979-1996)
And last but not least
The
Bob Z (Robert Zentis) Lifetime Achievement
Award from the Los Angeles Drama Critics
Circle. (1997)
CORNERSTONE INSTITUTE: Working with community residents
and with students from across the nation, Cliff was a
guest artist and assistant to Education Director Deb
Piver and Artistic Director Bill Rauch at the inaugural
Cornerstone Institute in Lost Hills, California. He has
continued to consult with the Institute's directors and
to guide top students into this exceptional program.
(2004 - present)
South
Coast Repertory: As Resident Designer, Cliff designed
scenery and costumes for more than seventy productions
at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California. Working
closely with Martin Benson and David Emmes, Artistic Directors
of this Tony Award-winning theatre, and with guest directors
such as Mark Rucker, Lee Shallat Chemel, and Libby Appel,
Cliff has created designs for new plays and the classics,
as well as for selected special events. (1978-2000)
1984
Summer Olympics in Los Angeles; and the American Pavilion
of Austria's World Conference on the Peaceful Uses of
Outer Space.