Dear Friends of Drama,

The coming of the Autumn season is an exciting time around here. With the start of the new academic year, we welcome new and returning students into our classrooms, studios, and theatres, and kick off a new season of performances and events. This Fall is particularly exciting as we begin our 85th year as a School of Drama and we look ahead, as our mission states, to developing innovative and courageous artists and scholars poised to be the creative leaders of tomorrow.

In this newsletter, you’ll read about some of the compelling and dynamic examples of this work we’ll be showcasing right around the corner. I’ll mention here that in November, we begin our season with OMNIA BREAK ROOM, a world premiere production created from scratch by Professor Adrienne Mackey and a cohort of current students. Our second show, opening in December, They Don’t Pay! We Won’t Pay!, part of our Producing Artists’ Laboratory, takes on corporate greed, unjust distribution of wealth, global crises, and political spin, all through Dario Fo’s incomparable satire and farce.

Stay tuned for more information about our inaugural Ignite New Works Festival in April, featuring original works by members of the School of Drama and the wider arts community at UW. This quarter, we convened a student advisory board for the festival and will be getting out information soon on the process for submissions and performance dates.

Lastly, let me say what a joy and an honor it has been to step into my new role of Executive Director of the School of Drama. Since I began my term in July, I have been meeting with students, faculty, and staff, and am amazed more than ever by the excellence and richness of our art and scholarship, by our award-winning teachers, by our fantastic undergraduate and graduate students, and by the generosity of our supporters.  

Happy Fall everyone!

Scott Magelssen

Executive Director