Exterior of Hutchinson Hall at University of Washington

The Through Line - Spring 2014

Welcome to the second issue of our newly envisioned academic e-newsletter, The Through Line. On a quarterly basis, The Through Line will keep you informed of the work being done by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

In this edition, we give you an in-depth look at our PhD program in theatre history, theory and criticism. Meet Professor Odai Johnson, head of the PhD program, as well as alumna Lisa Jackson-Schebetta. Spring quarter also marks two important departmental events – the undergraduate main stage production and graduation. This year, our undergraduates are led by Tony-nominated director Wilson Milam in Vaclav Havel’s The Beggar’s Opera. And on the occasion of their graduation, two MFA students sit down to reflect on the past three years.

We hope you’ll enjoy learning more about our students and our programs, and we welcome your thoughts, questions, and suggestions. Please get in touch with us at: katrinae@uw.edu.

Training Scholars - Interview with Professor Odai Johnson

Professor Odai Johnson came to the University of Washington School of Drama because he wanted to work with doctoral students. As head of the PhD program in theatre history, theory and criticism for nearly a decade, Professor Johnson has seen the range and promise of the program expand, while keeping the focus on the program’s strengths and emphasis on training scholars. He quotes the poet E.E. Cummings to summarize his scholarly outlook: All… Read more

April 09, 2014

Intellectual Risk Taker - Lisa Jackson-Schebetta

Lisa Jackson-Schebetta doesn’t remember exactly what she said at her first UW ASTR dinner. Since 2007 – her first year in the PhD program at the University of Washington School of Drama – Dr. Jackson-Schebetta has attended every annual dinner hosted by Professor Odai Johnson, head of the PhD program, during the American Society for Theatre Research conference. “I know what I’m going to say in Baltimore, though,” Jackson-Schebetta told me when I asked her how she has answered Professor Johnson’s… Read more

April 09, 2014

Two MFA Students Take a Look Back

On the eve of their graduation, MFA candidates Michaela Petrovich (Costume Design) and Pankaj “J” K. Jha (Professional Actor Training Program) sat down to reflect on their grad school experiences, Seattle, and what’s next. J: What has Seattle given you that no other place could have? Michaela: The range of people and the range of personalities, collaborators, and friends that I’… Read more

April 09, 2014

Guest Director - Wilson Milam

This month, our undergraduate acting students take to the main stage in the UW School of Drama’s production of Vaclav Havel’s The Beggar’s Opera. In the capable hands of guest director Wilson Milam, the cast of 19 is working through Havel’s absurdist and potent script. “It’s a joy to come back to Seattle, and to bring my outside experience to the work here with these young actors and designers who are defining their course in life and… Read more

April 09, 2014

Alumni News - Spring 2014

Several of our PhD alumni participated at the Mid-America Theatre Conference in Cleveland, OH from March 6-9, including Lisa Jackson-Schebetta (PhD 2010, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh) who co-chaired the Theatre History Symposium, and Tamara Underiner (PhD 1997, Associate Dean for Research at the Herberg Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State… Read more

April 09, 2014

Spring Quarter Events and Classes

Highlights from our Spring 2014 Quarter Include: Lecture by Esther Kim Lee, April 11 The Center for Performance Studies presents a lecture with visiting scholar Esther Kim Lee, The Theatricalized Body of Bruce Lee in David Henry Hwang’s ‘Kung Fu.’ Professional Actor Training Program (PATP) Showcase Tour After beginning in Seattle… Read more

April 09, 2014