This summer we had three PhD students who defended their dissertations. Le’Mil Eiland defended his dissertation, “"The Black Archives: Fugitive Histories on the Run" and this year, he is an Assistant Professor of Theatre History at Illinois State University. Andrea Gunoe defended her dissertation, "March of Militarism: Contemporary Nationalism Through Military Spectacle" and is a limited term Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University. Chris Staley defended his dissertation, ““What’s the Point? Multipodal Orbits in the Suzuki Method of Actor Training” and he is starting a position as Assistant Professor of Movement at Texas Tech University. Congratulations to Le’Mil, Andrea, and Chris!
This year, we are welcoming two new PhD students:
Natasha Cole is a first-year graduate student in Theater and Performance Studies. She received an A.M in Theater and Performance Studies at Washington University in St. Louis and a BFA in Theatre Arts (Performance) from Hofstra University. Her work explores the intersections of devised theater, disability studies, and queer and feminist studies.
Guilherme Meletti Yazbek (he/him) is a Brazilian theatre artist and scholar with a diverse range of professional experiences. He has worked in various roles in the theatre field, including directing, acting, and producing. Additionally, he has expertise in facilitating pedagogical and creative processes in improvisation/composition, movement-based, and devised theatre.
Yazbek's current research interest revolves around exploring the relationship between movement (body) and architecture (space) in both artistic and daily life situations. In the field of performance studies, he is particularly interested in the relationship between queer bodies and urban space. In terms of education, Yazbek completed his MA in the Performing Arts program at the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP) in 2022. His interdisciplinary research, which incorporated elements from both performing and visual arts, focused on the theatre production of Brazilian visual artist Laura Vinci. Prior to his MA, he obtained a BA in Performing Arts with a concentration in Theater Direction from USP in 2010. During his undergraduate studies, he had the privilege of learning from esteemed figures such as Antônio Araújo, Cibele Forjaz, and Maria Thais, among others.
Continuing Student News
Karim Chebli's summer in Lebanon was filled with a flurry of creative projects that showcased his talents in various roles. He successfully executed two shows that highlighted his skills both on and off the stage. The first production, titled "Fled," was staged at Zoukak's Theater Company. Karim co-wrote and co-directed the piece, in addition to taking on an acting role.
The second project, "In the Blink of an Eye," Karim not only co-wrote and co-directed but also played a significant role as a producer. He meticulously designed the set and wardrobe, contributing to the overall visual and thematic elements of the piece. 5000 audience members experienced the performance. In addition to his work on the stage, Karim also shared his expertise through workshops at the American University of Beirut and Zoukak Theater Company. These workshops focused on Devising and Ethnodrama, areas that aligned closely with his academic pursuits at the University of Pittsburgh.
Frederick Miller enjoyed a busy summer working as a freelance dramaturg on musicals at various theaters, including Music Theatre Wichita, Allenberry Playhouse, the Forestburgh Playhouse, and the Legacy Theatre. Highlights include Ragtime, Cats, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Sound of Music, Young Frankenstein, The Addams Family, and Bullets Over Broadway. Additionally, he was the script writer for the Wonderful Town 70th Anniversary Concert at 54 Below in New York City. In July, Frederick produced and starred in his play Headspace at the inaugural Harrisburg Fringe Festival in Harrisburg, PA to rave reviews.
Payne Bannister had their proposal for their article “Masquerading Resistance: The Parasitic Tactics of the Mandrake Balls” accepted to a special section called “Drag v. The Law” in Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism. They were a recipient of the Humanities Engage Summer Immersive Fellowship and able to work with the Pittsburgh Queer History Project. They helped with metadata on archival materials, research grants and funding opportunities, and their ongoing MS89 screening series. They also performed in drag at one of the events, so they infused their research with praxis in a fun and public-facing way. They are currently on the steering committee with the American Theatre Archive Project and their proposed working session for the upcoming ASTR conference was approved, so they are collaborating with Ken Cerniglia to co-convene a working group titled “Theatre Archives as a Site of Hope: American Theatre Archive Project Workshop”.
Alison Mahoney presented a paper “Staging Freak Performers in a New Disability Theatre: John Belluso’s Traveling Skin” at the IFTR conference. They also moderated a virtual panel “The Praxis of Care: Performing Access Intimacy and Asserting Aesthetic Agency in Intersectional Dance Communities” at ATHE. She visited the UIC Century of Progress World’s Fair Archives to conduct research on the Midget Village. They also completed a Humanities Engage Summer Immersive Fellowship with Film Pittsburgh working on their ReelAbilities Disability Film Festival
Victoria LaFave defended her dissertation prospectus this past May and began archival research for the project at Harvard's Houghton Library with the support of a visiting research fellowship. She was also elected American Theatre and Drama Society Graduate Student Representative.
Liz Kurtzman taught the summer Intro to Performance class and worked as a graduate student assistant for the American Theatre and Drama Society’s virtual First Book Bootcamp in July. This year she holds a Pre-Doctoral Mellon Fellowship in support of her dissertation research.