Melody Donais is a Drama: Design major with a minor in Dance, specializing in stage management and choreography, and the 2016 recipient of the School of Drama Senior Capstone Award. With the support from the School, Melody is producing and directing Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis.

The show runs March 31 thru April 3 in room 218 of Hutchinson Hall, and features a creative team of current students—James Melnick, Levi Perez, Max Kerwien, Mairin Hackett, Emma Broback, and Jake Israel—and alumni—Taige Kussman (BA ‘15) and Jonathan Shue (PATP ‘14).

Here, Melody shares with us some of the process and challenges in creating her production of 4.48 Psychosis.

Can you tell us a little bit about the play?

4.48 Psychosis...

Skip Mercier is half-way through his second quarter as senior lecturer in design at the UW School of Drama. In addition to his teaching responsibilities, he keeps an active professional career in scenic, costume, and puppet design. Skip recently answered a few questions about his work and teaching experience at UW.

You have two shows up in New York City right now. Can you tell us a little about each of them?

Old Hats by Bill Irwin and David Shiner with music by Shaina Taub, directed by Tina Landau, opened at Signature Theatre on February 18. It is a modern vaudeville with the “clowns” Bill and David transforming into different characters for each sketch. They are in competition for Shaina’s attention who drives the show with songs and...

Thorn Michaels (third-year lighting design graduate student) finds it easy to relate to Sasha, the central character in Melissa James Gibson’s Brooklyn Bridge, being co-produced by UW Drama and Seattle Children’s Theatre and opening next month.

“It’s a beautiful show, with an adult message.” says Thorn. “Growing up an only child with a single mother, like Sasha, I battled with loneliness. What I love about this play is that she learns to look to the people around her and in them finds support and community that is greater than the insular nature of the old-fashioned family.”

Thorn is the show’s lighting designer—- her thesis production—- and it’s a bit of a homecoming for her. She started taking classes at Seattle Children’s Theatre when she was 12, including studying directing with Brooklyn Bridge director...

There are people who come into this world that shine a light.

We all have those people in our lives, that certain teacher, or mentor, or friend who took the time to see us and through their guidance and support opened up doors of possibility for our own personal growth.

Sarah Nash Gates was that person for so many people. When we lost her to cancer on Friday evening, it felt as though a radiant and beautiful light was extinguished. But, what happened in the hours that followed was extraordinary. People from all over the country took to sharing their stories. They were paying tribute to this woman who made time for them and, in ways both large and small, altered their trajectory. Sarah’s light was glowing brighter and more majestic than ever!

To say that Sarah had a profound impact on the School of Drama and the Seattle theatre community does not do her justice. For more than thirty years, Sarah served our community as an educator, a mentor, a leader, a designer...