Faculty
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Performed on Broadway, Featuring Professor Michael
Riha as an Assistant Set Designer
Theatre Alumni and Faculty Receive 2022 Artists 360 Award
The Mid-America Arts Alliance recently announced the recipients of its 2022 Artists 360 Awards, recognizing 26 top performing, visual and literary artists from across Northwest Arkansas — including Department of Theatre alumni Kholoud Sawaf and Na'Tosha De'Von, and faculty members Karen Castleman and John Walch.
Playwright John Walch's Work Featured in 'BrainWorks: The Theatre of Neuroscience'
Work by John Walch, assistant professor and head of the M.F.A. program in playwriting, is featured in the PBS series, BrainWorks: The Theatre of Neuroscience. >Watch on PBS.org now.
Head of Playwriting, John Walch's play TransAtlantic receives a workshop production at TheatreSquared and Crystal Bridges June 16-23, 2017
In an epic-scale comedy that spans two continents - and two centuries - the true story of the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable spins brilliantly into a tale of unexpected romance. When Meg, a customer service fixer for Habanero's restaurant chain, discovers an ancient message in morse code, she launches into a wild, woolly journey back to the birth of global communications in distant County Kerry, Ireland, with her cheeky techno-geek son in tow.
Circumference of a Squirrel by John Walch, Head of Playwriting, plays in Chicago Jan 13- Feb 26, 2017
An Inner tube, a bagel, a donut, a lifesaver, a holiday wreath, a tire-swing, a cycle of abuse; circles, and at the center of them all sits an enigmatic squirrel. Orbiting that squirrel is Chester, a self-described "rodentophobe" who spins the outlandish, funny, and bruising tale of growing up with a father who developed a rabid hatred for squirrels that eventually infected every aspect of his life. Pursued by memories of his father's intolerant legacy, Chester is pulled into the black hole at the center of his own life, unsure of how he will break free from the darkness that encircles him.
"Quite marvelous" - Time Out Chicago
Professor Clinnesha Sibley will curate this year’s keynote address for the 18th Annual Recommitment Banquet
Monday, January 20, 2014, Fayetteville Town Center, Fayetteville, AR, 7:00pm
Professor Clinnesha Sibley will curate this year’s keynote address for the 18th Annual Recommitment Banquet. She will be directing a play from her anthology, King Me: Three One-Act Plays Inspired by the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In lieu of a speech, her play, Bound by Blood, will be performed by 2nd year MFA Director Brandyn D. Smith and 1st Year MFA Actor Britney Walker-Merritte. 2nd Year MFA Costume Designer Nicole Thompson will also make an artistic contribution to the presentation. Past keynote speakers for the recommitment banquet have included community leaders such as Mayor Lioneld Jordan, vice president of diversity and leadership development at Tyson Foods Inc., global chief diversity officer and senior vice president at Walmart Stores Inc., as well as people who participated in the 1963 March on Washington in D.C.
This event is hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Council. Their purpose is to promote awareness, education, and unity throughout the Northwest Arkansas community. All Northwest Arkansas residents and communities are encouraged to participate and contribute to the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Life and Legacy.
Amy Herzberg has been named national Co-Chair of The Craftsmen of Dionysus
Amy Herzberg has been named national Co-Chair of The Craftsmen of Dionysus: A Society of Acting Teachers. This new organization aims to identify best practices in the classroom and beyond; serve as an advocacy and support network, fostering both personal and institutional collaboration, development, and discussion; and examine current issues in the field of theatre education.
Theatre Professor’s Play Chosen for Denver Festival
A play written by Clinnesha D. Sibley, assistant professor of theatre in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has won the Athena Project’s 2012 Plays in Progress Series held in June and July. Sibley’s Tell Martha Not to Moan was chosen from six new works written by female playwrights featured in the series. Beginning in March of 2013, the play will have a three-week run featuring nine shows at the Aurora Fox Theater in Denver, Colorado.
No Detail Too Small ~ No Idea Too Large
It’s one of the oldest stories on Broadway: talented guy from the hinterlands succeeds on the Great White Way only to discover what is so special about home. Michael Riha reprised this story in 2011 when he spent one harried month as the assistant designer for a Broadway play and a Met opera.
Theater and the Human Heart
As an undergraduate piano performance major, Amy Herzberg spent many hours practicing alone. But because she enjoyed the collaborative efforts of theater, Herzberg decided drama was something she “couldn’t live without.” She describes her involvement in theater as having no true “beginning” but rather as something that “just was.” Since then, the University of Arkansas professor of theatre has been actress and director for several plays, including Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Doubt and Cabaret.
MFA Graduate and Faculty Memeber Clinnesha Sibley Starts AAT
Clinnesha's involvement in Fayetteville’s burgeoning arts community inspired her to establish the African-American Theatre Group (AATG), which is Northwest Arkansas’ first and only company committed to staging the stories of African-American culture and tradition. Through the AATG, Clinnesha provides touring opportunities for local performing artists and presents Theatre/Playwriting workshops to underserved thespians.