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Alumni 
Beth Lopes Directing ‘Atlas Pit’ at the Working Stage Theatre

Beth Lopes (MFA 2011) is directing Atlas Pit, a new play by Alex Burkart. The play runs from September 30 – October 23, 2016 at The Working Stage Theatre in Los Angeles. LINK.
 
Summer Shakespeare: A critic's take on the secret to theatrical success

By Charles McNulty, Theater Critic August 16, 2016 Summer Shakespeare. These words can strike fear in the heart of a reluctant theatergoer. Yes, the plays are supposed to be good for you. But semiprofessional productions in which the artistic company...
 
Shakespeare Invades OC This Summer

... But the Shakespeare that ought to get the pulse of any Shakespeare-lover truly pulsing can be found in the county's most unique theater: the New Swan, a portable, 16-ton, three-level, steel-and-wood cylinder stationed on the campus of UC Irvine...
 
On Theater: UCI brushing up its Shakespeare

For a fellow who's been pondering whether to be or not to be since the 16th century, "Hamlet" certainly still gets around, especially around Orange County. Shakespeare's greatest tragedy is currently being offered at three countywide venues — Costa Mesa'
 
Theater setting gives the Bard that extra something

New Swan Shakespeare Festival's fifth season is featured in the Daily Pilot. (Photo by Paul R. Kennedy)
 
THR Ranks the 25 Best Drama Schools for an MFA

There are enough schools offering master's degrees in the performing arts to fill every page of this magazine — about 17,000 students get an MFA degree a year. Of course, a lot of those diplomas aren't worth the parchment they're printed on, much less...
 
The Top 25 Undergraduate Drama Schools Ranked

Aspiring thesps can follow in the footsteps of some of the industry's biggest stars, who got their start at these top programs.
Alumni 
The Collective to Open 2016-17 with ‘THE HAMLET PROJECT’ - Round VII

May 13, 2016 The Collective, a new Chicago Theatre Company, opens its 2016-17 season with its seventh installment of THE HAMLET PROJECT, directed by Riley McIlveen and Assistant Directed by Omer Abbas Salem. The Collective is dedicated to gender-, color-, and age-blind casting. The cast and crew...
Faculty 
Drama Professor Receives Top Billing

Drama Professor Receives Top Billing May 5, 2016 In 1965, Robert Cohen, a young dramatist intent on gaining a tenured professorship, faced a choice between offers from UC Berkeley or the fledgling UC Irvine, sprouting amid cow pastures and orange groves. He chose the latter. “It was close to the...
Alumni 
David Golbeck cast in ‘The Big Meal’

David Golbeck (BA 1981) was cast in The Big Meal at the Chance Theater in Anaheim, California. The show runs April 21, 2016 – May 22, 2016. LINK.
Alumni 
Sepideh Moafi Booked a Role in Notorious

Sepideh Moafi (MFA 2013) has booked a series regular role opposite Daniel Sunjata and Piper Perabo in ABC’s drama pilot Notorious. LINK.
Alumni 
Ben Jacoby Stars in Beautiful-The Carole King Musical

Ben Jacoby (MFA 2012) has been tapped to take over the role of "Barry Mann" in Broadway's production of Beautiful-The Carole King Musical. LINK.
Alumni 
Alan Mingo Plays Lead Roll in Kinky Boots on Broadway

Alan Mingo, Jr. (MFA 1998) is set to take over the lead role of "Lola" in the Tony Award winning musical Kinky Boots, on Broadway. LINK.
 
“Clybourne Park” Debuts Sunday and Unapologetically Mirrors Racial Tensions

If the purpose of theater is to hold a cracked mirror to society, then UCI drama’s latest production unapologetically reflected ugly truths, as Bruce Norris’ “Clybourne Park” premiered last Saturday at Claire Trevor’s Robert Cohen Theater. Actress...
Alumni 
Teresa K. Pond Named Producing Artistic Director

Teresa K. Pond (MFA 2003) has been named Producing Artistic Director for the Cyrano’s Theatre Company in Anchorage, Alaska. Teresa previously served as the Producing Artistic Director of Millbrook Playhouse in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. She also served as Executive Director of Anchorage Community...
 
From LOST to Claire Trevor: Leslie Ishii Fights Racism in Clybourne Park

LOST actress Leslie Ishii crossed the color line when she and her family became the first Asian-Americans to settle in an all-white Seattle neighborhood in 1959. Now, over 4 decades later, Ishii continues to defy the status quo as the first woman of...
Faculty 
Legendary actor William Needles dies at 97

William "Bill" Needles, former professor of Drama and one of Canada's best-known Shakespearean actors, has died at age 97. Needles served as an acting teacher at the University of California for a number of years and was a mentor to hundreds. "Perhaps the greatest of his many talents was his gift...
 
Care/Cure/Corruption: What it and Why it Matters

What do care, cure and corruption all have in common? Yes, they all start with C, but they are also the three tenets of the Drama Department’s 2016 season: “Care/Cure/Corruption” (CCC). The Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) brands each season...