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THEATRE AT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN!

Opportunity and Excellence

"Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit. We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts." - Aristotle

Applying that to theatre, we become Actors by acting, Designers by designing and Directors by directing. It is such a simple concept that it may seem obvious. After all, excellent musicians become excellent by combining scholarly work and rehearsal with performance. Athletes learn the game, practice and compete. Scientists study, make assumptions and test those assumptions in the laboratory to advance the understanding of their field.

As Theatre Artists, we seek to expand our understanding of what it is to be human and live in the world through a liberal arts curriculum. We learn theories and methods of how to communicate the essence of literature and the craft of creating theatre through theatre coursework. We work at bring our education, training and experiences to the performance laboratory of the stage where we test our assumptions, make connections, perfect our skills and occasionally may experience the unique interaction where we touch other humans and share an ephemeral moment of Art.

We offer a strong curriculum and many opportunities to deepen students understandings of how to create engaging, vital theatre for contemporary audiences.

Mission Statement

The Nebraska Wesleyan University Theatre Arts program provides courses of study as well as cocurricular activities to prepare majors for careers in theatre and to provide aesthetic education for students engaged in becoming liberally educated.

The program provides both specialized training and a broad background in theatre. Majors are prepared to pursue graduate study, to be certified for teaching, or to pursue professional positions in theatre arts. Coursework in Theatre Arts includes the study of history, criticism, performance and technical production, taught in lecture, studio, and workshop formats.

Each season includes a carefully developed series of major productions which represent diverse scope, style and form, as well as a variety of student and faculty-directed laboratory productions in which all Nebraska Wesleyan students are encouraged to participate.

The Theatre Arts program also provides the opportunity for all students to develop their understanding of art forms and to become appreciative audience members and avocational participants in theatre arts through the teaching of general education courses and the presentation of a wealth of production opportunities.

READ ON AND MEET OUR WONDERFUL FACULTY!

Jay Scott Chipman

Jay Scott Chipman, PhD
Director of Theatre, Director, History & Theory
jsc@nebrwesleyan.edu

Jay Scott Chipman is Associate Professor of Communication and Theatre Arts at Nebraska Wesleyan University having just completed his eleventh year of teaching. He holds a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Performance Studies from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and an M.A. in Speech Communication from Louisiana State University. Currently he serves in the capacity of Director of Theatre at NWU as well as Chair of the University’s Fine Arts Division and voting member of three NWU faculty committees: Curriculum Committee, Executive Committee, and University College Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee.

Dr. Chipman teaches the two Theatre History classes as well as dramatic literature courses such as Play Reading, Multicultural Theatre, and Masterpieces of Dramatic Literature. He also works with students who want to be secondary teachers and helps to mentor students in the directing program. Having a related interest in film, Dr. Chipman also teaches Film Appreciation, Gender and the Art of Film, and International Cinema and is working with other NWU faculty to develop a film studies minor. For the past six years he has also taught in NWU’s Liberal Arts Seminar program for first year students offering such topics as: Anime, Radical Shakespeare, Sex Symbols in US Culture, Vampires and Popular Culture, and Stand-up Comedy and Contemporary US Culture.

A passionate supporter of experimental drama, site-specific production work, non-traditional performance styles, women’s writing, and multicultural and international studies, Dr. Chipman strives to maintain a niche for avant-garde work at NWU. Recent productions he has directed include: Josephine The Mouse Singer; View of the Dome; Hamletmachine; The Donkey Show; The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged); Polaroid Stories: and Dark Ride. He will direct Caryl Churchill’s Far Away and House of Bernarda Alba for the 2005-2006 NWU Theatre season.

Jack Parkhurst

Jack Parkhurst, MFA, SSDC
Production Manager, Director
jlp@nebrwesleyan.edu

Hey, I’m just a guy who likes to do Theatre. I’ve been in it most of my life and the great has certainly out-weighed the ‘oops, that was a bad idea’! Besides Theatre, I like to ride my Harley, my street rod (old, fast, slightly altered car), and my Jeep. But most of the time, I keep busy doing my real passion – Theatre. For a more “formal” look, you can read the stuff below I’ve had to write for others. It’s a bit stodgy, but I hope you’ll forgive me.

I have been very fortunate in educational theatre. Each of us comes to where we are from a different place. It takes many experiences to make a cohesive ensemble. Although my passion has always been in educational theatre, I have been fortunate enough to have directed both Equity and non-Equity professional productions. I believe this contact has kept me in touch with the “real world”. The experience has also been beneficial to students because of the contacts I have made while working professionally as well as keeping me fresh. Side note: I do have many former students out there working and it’s so much fun to see them succeed!

I use this one a lot when doing workshops: Jack Parkhurst is a Professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. He taught for many years in secondary schools where he was fortunate to direct five musicals on the main stage at the International Thespian Conference. For the last several years he has been teaching Acting and Directing at the University level. He has taught in medium, large and small university settings. Jack directs professionally, is a member of the Directors Union and regularly responds for both the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival and the Educational Theatre Association. He has provided countless workshops at state and national conferences. So, there you have it. A brief moment of introduction – feel free to contact me!

Joan Korte

Joan Korte, MFA
Director, Acting Coach, Movement & Voice
jkorte@nebrwesleyan.edu

Joan Korte is an Assistant Professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She teaches acting, movement and other performance based classes with an emphasis in vocal production and dialects. In addition to performance classes, Joan shares her passion for theatre with her Theatre Appreciation classes. She also serves as the acting coach for the theatre students in the department, helping then with specific acting problems.

A skilled actor, director and designer, Joan is a regular respondent for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She has provided numerous workshops at regional and state conferences.

Last season, Joan directed Tartuffe, performed the role of Catherine in Proof and designed costumes for A Streetcar Named Desire and Proof.This season Joan will direct Three Sisters. Before coming to Wesleyan, Joan worked as an actress in New York and Denver.

Michael Reese

Mike Reese, MFA
Scenographer, Technical Director, Acting Director of Theatre
mreese@nebrwesleyan.edu

Michael Reese is the resident Scenographer and Technical Director for Nebraska Wesleyan University Theatre. Mike came to NWU in 2003 after teaching at Augustana College and Kansas State University. Michael teaches courses in Technical Theatre, Scenography, Scenographic Techniques, Software Tools for Theatre, Approaching Scenography, Theatre Appreciation, Scene Painting, Stagecraft and other design/technology related courses.

Michael has designed professionally for Utah Festival Opera Company, Theatre in the Park in Kansas City, Children’s Theatre Company of Sioux Falls, Emmy Gifford Children’s Theatre, The Carlson Center and Ohlone Summerfest. His scenic design work has been exhibited at the Kennedy Center as well as internationally at the Prague Quadrennale.

In addition to designing for the theatre, Michael collaborated with noted Czech scenographer Jaroslav Malina on an exhibit of a digital landscape of the American southwest. Images of the Southwest was installed at Kansas University, San Francisco State University, and DAMU in Prague. In 2000 Michael collaborated with Mark Reaney, founder of the Institute for Exploration of Virtual Reality (ieVR) at Kansas University, in creating virtual reality theatre art as part of the Virtual Reality Halloween at the Rialto hosted by the Internet II consortium.

Wendi R. Zea

Wendi Zea, MFA
Costume Designer & Technologist
wzea@nebrwesleyan.edu

Wendi R. Zea is currently Costume Designer and Shop Supervisor at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She earned her MFA in Costume Design at Kent State University after designing at theatres in such diverse locations as New York, Vermont, and Tennessee, to name just a few. Favorite designs include Caucasian Chalk Circle, The Winter’s Tale, The Wild Party, The Belle of Amherst, and The Secret Garden.

NEBRASKA WESLEYAN CLOSES THEATRE SEASON WITH FAIRY TALE MUSICAL

Nebraska Wesleyan University will close its season with the musical of fables, Into the Woods.

The Pulitzer Prize-honored show by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine blends familiar fairy tales with the story of a childless baker and his wife who catalyze the action of the story by attempting to reverse a curse on their family in order to have a child. To reverse the curse and “live happily ever after,” they journey through fables like Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. In doing so, they learn what happens after “happily ever after.” For instance, what does one do with a dead giant in the backyard?

Performances are scheduled for May 1-3 and May 7-10 at 7:30 p.m. and on May 4 at 2 p.m. All shows will be held in McDonald Theatre, 51st and Huntington Ave. Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens, and $7.50 for youth under 12 years. For tickets, call the box office at 402.465.2384.

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