News from Theatre!

Theatre majors secure sought-after summer jobs in their field! Thirty-eight GTA theatre majors from both Brenau and Gainesville State College attended The Southeastern Theatre Conference in March, 2007 to explore more training through workshops, to audition for professional performance work, and to interview with companies from around the country for technical theatre work. Excitingly, the following students have already signed contracts for these professional experiences:

• Derrick Ledbetter (EWC, ’07) has accepted a position in the Young Company of Cincinnati Shakespeare, where he will play multiple roles in their season for the coming year in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Jennifer Trippe (WC ’07) will be serving as Lighting Designer and Master Electrician for the second year in a row at Highlands Playhouse in Highlands, NC.
• David Johnson (EWC ’09) will be playing “Curly” in the musical OKLAHOMA! with Discoveryland USA, the national home of the show, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
• Allie Payton (WC ‘08) will playing the lead role of “Kate” in KISS ME, KATE at Highlands Playhouse in Highlands, NC.
• Tiffany Towns (WC ’08) has been hired as a Wardrobe Assistant for the Seaside Music Theatre in Daytona, Florida.
• Caity Johnson (WC ’08) will be working as a Scenic Artist at Central Piedmont Summer Theatre in Charlotte, NC.
• Claire Guy (WC ’08) will also be working as a Scenic Artist, but with Flatrock Playhouse, the State Theatre of North Carolina. Also at Flatrock Playhouse this summer will be Marissa Druzbanski (WC ’10) and Christian Morris (EWC ’10), who have been accepted into the Playhouse’s acclaimed Acting Apprentice program.
• Zechariah Pierce (EWC ’09) will be acting with Georgia Shakespeare in Atlanta, as a member of their Intern Company.
• On a side note, former Brenau University student Amelia Hammond, daughter of Brenau faculty Jim and Gay Hammond will also be acting this summer on the Georgia Shakespeare stage.
• In Theatre Alumni news, Chandra Owenby Hopkins(WC ’05) and Boone J. Hopkins(EWC ’04) complete their MFA’s in Theatre Pedagogy with emphases in Dramaturgy and Directing/Acting, respectively in May and have already accepted teaching assistantships from the University of Kansas in order to begin pursuing their PhD’s in theatre this Fall. Cliff Smith (EWC ’04) has been accepted into the University of Southern California, where he will begin work on his MFA in Acting this Fall. Christina Owens (WC ’03) completes her MFA in performance with the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, CA in May. We are very proud of these theatre majors, and congratulate them all!