In our usual tradition, the department of Theatre and Dance will be adopting those less fortunate to help out this holiday season.  Though we tried to narrow it down to one organization, due to equal interest, we found both a senior citizen center and no-kill shelter that will truly appreciate our support this holiday season. 

Polk County Humane Society (PCHS) is a No-Kill organization that, with the help of foster homes, provides temporary housing and care for dogs and cats.  And with their new shelter facilities opening the first week of November, they will have a greater than ever need for supplies to care for animals they previously had to turn away. In addition to the shelter, PCHS will continue to bring the dogs to the Springfield PetsMart on Saturday mornings to participate in the adoption clinic.  The new shelter is just one reason why Polk County Humane Society is excited to be adopted by the Theatre & Dance Department for the holiday season.   

Northwood Hills Care Center is situated in rural Humansville, Missouri.  Northwood Hills has served the Humansville community for twenty years providing inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, return-to-home programs, and the highest level of senior health care. The staff at Northwood Hills Care Center strives to make tomorrow better than today for the residents they serve, and that is why they are overwhelmingly appreciative of our efforts to gather comfort items that some of their senior residents are missing out on. 

To support one or both of these organizations, please see the donation lists posted outside Angie's office (CRA359).  The collection boxes will remain there from November 1st until December 10th (last day of classes).  She will then transport the items to each facility.  There will also be cards to sign for the Northwood residents. 

The Wanderer

Theatre for Social Change will be performing their final performance entitled "The Wanderer" for the Rivendale Institute of Learning Students on Tuesday, December 8th, at 12:30pm in Carrington Auditorium.

The show will be using some film that they create along with live acting. Please come and help celebrate the diversity of theatre for social change and the production it engenders. Hope to see you there!

The Wanderer follows a young boy who doesn't fit in at school. When he is walking home he finds a door in the middle of a grassy area and decides to see what's on the other side. When he walks through he finds a world completely different from his own. The show follows him on his adventures in this new world.

Did you have a question for the cast or crew of Miss Julie or I Love You Because? Now is your time to ask!

The talkback for Miss Julie will take place this Wednesday, October 28th, 5:00-5:45 PM, in Craig 206.

The talkback for I Love You Because is TENTATIVELY scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 5th, from 5:00-5:45 PM, in Craig 206. (We will have confirmation of the date and time in next week's TAD.)

Join us for a discussion about each show, the process, and the product. Snacks will be served.

  Tickets for Art in Motion, the 2009 Spring Dance Concert, are on sale now!

Missouri State's touring children's theatre, In-School Players, will be presenting their show, Ozarks Tall Tales, in the Plaster Student Union Theatre on Thursday, April 2, from 1:30-3:00 PM. The event is free and open to the public, and will include a talkback.

The In-School Players are a 7 member cast of Missouri State University students who travel the local elementary school circuit to bring live theatre performances to children. The cast presents a performance consisting of stories, poems, and song.

For more information, please contact Michael Frizell at MichaelFrizell@MissouriState.edu.

The 2nd UTD Chili-Feed of the semester will take place on Tuesday, March 10th, from 11:30 AM-2:00 PM. The first round went incredibly well, with UTD raising over $100 within 30 minutes! This time, we're making it a little more interesting - it's an official competition! For $1, you will get a sample of each chili and may vote for which you think is the best. For an extra $2, you get a full bowl of your favorite plus cornbread and soda galore. Once again, all proceeds will go to the Clint Overstreet Scholarship. And of course, there will be an awesome prize for the winner!

For more information, please contact Addie Barnhart at Barnhart421@MissouriState.edu.

Kevin Rich will be holding a workshop, "Taking the Reins: Creating Your Own Opportunities," centered on providing ideas

and motivation for those first few years out of college. It will be held on Friday, March 13th, in Carrington Auditorium, from 12:00-1:50

ALL THEATRE & DANCE Majors are invited to this FREE Workshop. If you are not enrolled in THE 398/THE 498, PLEASE RSVP to Stacy Joyce (stacyjoyce@missouristate.edu) if you plan to attend and what time you will be joining us.

Following is a list of primary topics:
1. The Audition
2. Alternatives to the Audition: Original Work, Adaptations and Public Domain, Childrens' Theatre
3. Finding Your Playground: Fringe Festivals, Theatre Spaces, Coffeehouses, Church Basements, Schools
4. Once You Have Their Attention, How To Keep It
5. Pathways: LA, New York, Everywhere Else
6. More Pathways: Graduate School, Grants, Unions, Sideline Careers
7. Ten Things To Do Before You Graduate
8. The Importance of Self-Ignition Part 2: 2:00-3:50
Q& A with Kevin and some one on one monologue coaching.

Kevin Rich works as an actor, director, and educator in the Chicago-Milwaukee area. He's an active member of the Actors' Equity Association and the Screen Actor's Guild with over ten years of professional acting experience for such companies as Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Shakespeare & Company, Portland Center Stage, San Jose Rep, and Yale Rep, as well as film and commercial television. He is a member of the adjunct theatre faculties at Carthage College & UW-Parkside, and was named Milwaukee Shakespeare's National Endowment for The Arts Education Associate for their 2008/9 season. His company, Rich Workshops, has created custom-designed theatre workshops for both teachers and students (elementary, high school & college levels) nationally. This summer, he will be playing Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream and the title role in Richard III at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival. Kevin received a BA in Theatre from Grinnell College and an MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama.

  Tickets for A... My Name is Alice are on sale now!

Announcing the Missouri State Theatre & Dance 2009-2010 Season!

This season will include:

-Miss Julie by August Strindberg
-I Love You Because... by Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham
-Macbeth by William Shakespeare
-Evangeline Drowning by Kurt Heinlein
-The 2010 Spring Dance Concert
-The Cradle Will Rock by Marc Blitzstein

SPRINGFIELD — Dr. Bob Willenbrink has been named head of the Missouri State University Department of Theatre and Dance effective July 1, 2009. Since 2002, he has been the Chair and Professor of Theatre in the Department of Communication and Theatre and in 2004 he was named the W. Paul and Lucille Caudill Little Endowed Chair of Theatre at Morehead State University.

"Bob brings a wealth of experience as both an administrator and an artist," said College of Arts and Letters Dean Dr. Carey Adams. "I know he will make significant contributions to the university and the community as well as to the Theatre and Dance Department."

"During my time on campus, I was very impressed with the commitment and vision of the administration, the dedication of the faculty and the enthusiasm of the students," Willenbrink said. "MSU is a prestigious institution and it will be an honor to work with so many quality people in the Department of Theatre and Dance, the College of Arts and Letters and the University.”

Willenbrink will succeed Mark Biggs, Associate Professor of Media, who is serving a two-year term as acting department head.

DR. BOB WILLENBRINK holds the Ph.D. in Theatre from Bowling Green (Ohio) State University. He began his academic career at Hazard (Ky.) Community College and for many years served as Chair and Director of Theatre at the University of Central Arkansas. While there, he created the Youth Theatre of Central Arkansas, was the national director of the ARC Performing Arts Institute for disabled artists, and was the founder of ACTS, a theatre troupe for disabled performers.

Throughout his career he has directed over 80 productions of various styles and genres at numerous venues. A former chair of Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region VI, he is a member of the Kentucky Humanities Council board of directors and serves as a director and first vice-president of the board of the Jenny Wiley Theatre in Prestonsburg, Ky. He serves as the director for the Kincaid Regional Theatre in Falmouth, Ky. and received the 2008 Distinguished Creative Production Award at Morehead State University.