FacultyNews

FACULTY NEWS, Fall 2002

Revised: May 2003

Opening Night,
by Robert Hoppe

Dan La Penta, Chair	Jim Bazewicz	Buzz McLaughlin
Rosemary McLaughlin	Joe Patenaude	Cheryl Clarke
Lucy Ann Saltzman	Chris Cerasso	John Pietrowski
Sue Ann Estevez	Laura Dougherty	Damon DiMarco

DAN LAPENTA, Department Chair

2002-2003 marks Dan's 12th year as Chair of the Theatre Arts Department
(minus the two semesters he was on sabbatical during that time and the
semester he was in London in '98). This year is one heavy in
administrative duties, as besides being chair of the department, Dan is
also chairing the college's Faculty Advisory Committee on International and
Off-Campus Programs and is serving a second stint on the CLA Dean's
Council.

And of course, there are still a lot of last minute decisions to
be made as the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts nears completion. Dan
will probably be taking a year off from directing, devoting his energies to
the impending move to the new building and those other sometimes tedious
duties. All is well with the LaPenta-Paran household. With Madeleine in
her junior year of HS now, we're beginning to get into college search
mode. As of now, no plans to come to Drew ... which is probably fine with
daughter and father!

Hope as many alums as can will return for the grand opening of the Young
Center, whenever that is. We'll let you know as soon as we do; keep posted
to CHEEKIE NEWS!

Back to the top.

JIM BAZEWICZ

Jan 2003
[Jim is hard at work-- what else is new?-- getting things organized to move theatre operations to the new Dorothy Young Arts Building. Since the last time he officially checked in, Jim was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure. Hooray! Lucky us!}

========
2/21/01
    Not much designing happening this semester as I am teaching two sections of Thea 25 (intro to technical Theatre) which is keeping me hopping. I am also running the Scene Painting class again as well as overseeing students on Theatre Semester.
    My band The Hester Street Troupe is in the studio working on our third album which we hope to complete by early summer.
    We are still troubleshooting plans for the much anticipated new arts building which will be breaking ground in the Spring. Keep your eyes open for updates as that progresses.
Daughter Emily is 8 months old as of this writing and she is just the
most charming little flirt!
    Tiffany is still a massage therapist here at Drew and pounding the audition trail in NYC. She is also doing some work for a dot-com company in NYC.

.
Back to the top.

CHERYL CLARKE
10/01
Cheryl is new to Drew this year. She's teaching dance and choreography.
Back to the top.

Back to the top.

BUZZ McLAUGHLIN

Nov, 2002
Buzz's play SISTER CALLING MY NAME opens January 15 at the new Harold
Clurman Laboratory Theatre in New York City. The production will inaugurate the new space, which is a part of the Stella Adler Studio on West 27th Street. The play features Tom Oppenhiem, Artistic Director of the Adler Studio, Kate Bloomberg, and Bo Carre. Ticket info to follow. TRANSCENDENCE, Buzz's newest play, will be workshopped at Art Within Theatre Co. in Atlanta in June.
His book, THE PLAYWRIGHT'S PROCESS, is currently in it's second printing.
But it's the time with the grandkids that tops it all. He's started on a book titled, HUNTING LIONS: THE JOYS OF GRANDFATHERING, although it may take a while to finish because almost all his spare time is spent stalking wild beasts with his three fearless comrades in the woods

behind his house.

Back to the top.

ROSEMARY McLAUGHLIN

May 2003
Gave a talk on Paterson Falls at the New Jersey Historical Society in Newark. Was honored by Student Activities with the Faculty Recognition Award. Have been recommended for tenure with promotion to associate professor. Have just cast Waiting for Godot, which will be performed here Oct 8 - 11. Laurie and I are working on another production for that same month. Details to follow!

Jan 2003
So nice to have the break between semesters to write... and travel and pack and move things into the New Arts Building! Whoo-hooo!

Spring 2003, I'll teach Theatre History II (Thea 110) and Advanced Directing (Thea 145) and continue working on Paterson Falls.

9/02
Spent the summer doing research for a new play, PATERSON FALLS, which has been commissioned by Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, with funding from the NJ State Council on the Arts, which issued the project a "Citation for Excellence". Doing a reading of THE RAW AND THE COOKEDout at SUNY Stony Brook, by invitation of Debbie Daiddone (CLA 2001) who is in the MFA program there. Sherman-Asher Publishers have published a new edition of WRITTEN WITH A SPOON, an anthology which includes a number of my poems and recipes (!)

This semester, teaching a first year seminar, THEATRE AND THE VISUAL IMAGINATION, THEA 109/Theatre History 1 and the brand-new THEA 111/Theatre History 3, which covers the 20th Century. Also filling in for Wendy Kolmar as adviser to Womyn's Concerns. Busy semester!

Back to the top.

JOE PATENAUDE
2/21/01
In early February, Joe directed Edward Allan Baker's NORTH OF PROVIDENCEfor a Member's Project at Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York. On Monday, March 5th at 3:00pm, the Acting?Directing Lab he works with at E.S.T. is presenting a version of Richard III. Joe's acting in four scenes (including a stint as Richard), and directing as well. E.S.T. is located at 549 West 52nd Street, between 10th & 11th. The Richard Project will be performed in the Sixth Floor studio. Reservations are not neccessary, so come on down!
.
Back to the top.

LUCY ANN SALTZMAN
       This semester: three beginning speech classes and, at the seminary, "The Lively Word" as I continue to encourage seminarians to read and still keep their congregations awake. Next semester at the seminary, I will again be teaching a class called "Spirit and Truth in Theatre"... what's that? We see plays, read plays, and talk about the spiritual themes. I'm looking for plays in NY and NJ for us to go see sometime February through April. Any suggestions? For reference, my definition of "spiritual theme" is pretty broad. (Last year we saw Wit, Fugard's Blood Knot, and Rosemary McLaughlin'sVoices Carry, plus others.)
            Still hanging out at Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey every day of the week except Tues.and Thurs. Last year's first subscription season was a great success. All three of our productions were on The Star-Ledger's "Best Plays" list, with Radium Girls taking the top honor. Barbra Streisand's movie company has strong interest in this script . . . so fingers crossed for playwright
Dolores Whiskeyman.
            This year we're opening with a musical revue. Surprise! It's a pet project of Artistic Director Joseph Megel. Other productions: a drama Criminal Acts by Kim Merrill and "Free Market: the Working Project" ... a coproduction with, appropriately, The Working Theatre. The latter, ten short plays on a common theme, commissioned by the two theatres and written by 10 different writers.And there are 4 concert readings, countless roundtable readings, and festivals of student plays as well. Lots going on.
If you're an actor, send your photo and resume to our producer Bob Carr, PTNJ, 33 Green Village Rd. Madison, 07940.And we also cast fromMichelle Ortlip's office in NYC... For either mention your Drew connection in giant letters.
   Those of you with scripts, should check Dramatist Source Book.. Or our web site for directions regarding submissions.. I know that you send a synopsis and sample, but check details.
            Oh, yes... Simon and I are grandparents, Alexander Gray Saltzman, born March 7. He's definitely Alexander the Great.
Back to the top.

Back to Cheekie News.

###