UIC School of Theatre and Music Annual Report

2020 2021

ANNUAL R E P O RT

DIRECTOR’S REPORT 2020–2021 required creativity, fortitude, and faith from faculty, staff, and students alike.

After the spring and summer of 2020, when a global pandemic and a racial justice reckoning demanded and directed our attention, we turned toward the fall with common purpose and got to work. Classes, rehearsals, and performances were adapted to online formats.

And, by exploring the limits and the possibilities of remote technologies and online systems, faculty and staff carved out new ways of learning, making, and performing together.

All pushed through myriad challenges to make the most of learning in Zoom rooms over many months. It was frustrating, exhausting, and lonely at times. It was also exhilarating and revelatory in moments. Likewise, self-reflection along with individual and community learning inspired and encouraged us to engage in the difficult and important work of considering how to address structural racism in the arts and our own programs. Many hours of workshops, meetings, and informal discussion resulted in an inaugural Antiracism Commitment and Action Plan which outlined our commitment to increase Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty and staff in our school, to strengthen resources for BIPOC students and faculty, to develop protocols for reporting and responding to bias, and to evaluate and change our curriculum. We began this work together in earnest; we look forward to continuing, safely, in person together next year.

Best, Christine Mary Dunford Director UIC School of Theatre and Music

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MISSION The School of Theatre and Music (STM) provides innovative, rigorous, and comprehensive academic and performance programs as part of our diverse, urban context. Our programs develop practical knowledge, cultural sensitivity, intellectual resourcefulness, and imaginative daring in emerging artists and scholars. We connect students to Chicago’s abundant, vibrant theatre culture and to the city’s dynamic jazz and classical music networks.

EQUITY DIVERSITY INCLUSION The School of Theatre and Music engaged in a series of conversations that began to address structural racism in the arts and how we educate and train students in our own programs.

In response to these conversations, STM developed and ratified its inaugural Antiracism Commitment and Action Plan. In the plan, we pledged to increase Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) faculty and staff, strengthen resources for BIPOC students and faculty, develop protocols for reporting and responding to bias, and evaluate and change our curriculum. To help lead these initiatives we welcomed James McNally as the STM Associate Director for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and formed the STM Antiracism Advisory Committee (STM AAC). The STM AAC aligns its work with the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts (CADA) Diversity Committee and STM Department of Theatre and Department of Music equity, inclusion, and antiracism efforts.

DECOLONIZING CURRICULA As part of our commitment to decolonizing our curricula and programming, STM faculty overhauled core course syllabi, renamed most core music courses to acknowledge their position within Western Music, and developed new curricular offerings as a means of centering historically underrepresented groups and topics.

CLIMATE SURVEYS AND BIAS REPORTING Central to our work was the development of an official process for reporting and responding to bias. This process, which integrates UIC’s Bias Reporting Tool, gives members of the STM community clear guidelines for how to voice concerns if they witness or experience prejudice or discrimination of any form. We also launched our first Equity and Inclusion Climate Survey, results from which will be shared with current students, faculty, and staff at the beginning of AY22. Finally, we also developed a framework for a new section of the STM website: the STM Equity Hub. All of these changes were developed in consultation with elected student, faculty, and staff members of the STM Antiracism Advisory Committee (STM AAC) and the Office of Diversity.

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PERSONNEL

30

20

18

7

Full Time Faculty

Adjunct Theatre and Music Faculty

Private Instructors

Full Time Staff

NEW FACULTY AND BRIDGE TO THE FACULTY SCHOLARS We will welcome five new faculty colleagues to STM whose work will be central to our mission in AY22.

Monty Cole, MFA, is an award-winning theatre and film writer-director and teacher from Oak Park, IL, and has workshopped and directed new plays and re-imaginings of classic texts with companies across the country.

Xiomara Cornejo, PhD, is a Salvadoran American theatre director, designer, dramaturg, playwright, and arts activist from Compton, California.

Profs. Cole and Cornejo join the faculty as part of UIC’s Bridge to the Faculty Postdoctoral Fellowship for Diverse Faculty, which is designed to recruit underrepresented scholars with the goal of transitioning them to faculty members after two years.

Johari Jabir, PhD., an accomplished musician and scholar whose research focuses on the intersection of race, religion, gender, and music in the United States, has an appointment in BlackStudies and recently accepted an affiliate appointment in Music.

Liza Calisesi Maidens, DMA, is a choral conductor whose research centers around the expansion of the choral canon and social justice. Dr. Calisesi Maidens is our new director of choral activities.

Jonathan Villela, DMA, will join us as a guest conductor for several weeks in the fall 2021 as he completes a postdoctoral fellowship with the Luce Scholars Program in Japan.

Monty Cole

Xiomara Cornejo

Johari Jabir

Liza Calisesi Maidens

Jonathan Villela

STUDENT ENROLLMENT (FALL 2020) 219

121

98

21

12

Degree Students

Theatre Degree Students

Music Degree Students

Music Minor Students

Theatre Minor Students

2020–2021 GRADUATING SENIORS

46

30%

21%

13%

11%

BA Theatre and Performance

BFA Acting

BMUS Performance

BA Music Business

9%

9%

7%

BA Music

BA Theatre Design, Production and Tech

BMUS Jazz Studies

OUR STUDENTS 35%

31%

18%

5%

White

Hispanic

Black/African American

Asian

5%

4%

1%

Multi-Race

International

Unknown

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NON-DEGREE STUDENT PARTICIPATION General Education Courses

Ensembles

4,674 students from 84 majors across campus took a theatre or music general education course.

43% of students in our ensembles were non-music degree students.

Our Ensembles: • Chamber Choir

TOP 10 MAJORS

• Percussion Ensemble

• Chamber Music Ensemble

• Pop Rock Band

• Jazz Combo

• Symphonic Band

• Jazz Ensemble

• University Choir

• Jazz Workshop

• Vocal Jazz Ensemble

Liberal Arts - Undeclared

17%

Computer Science

12%

Biological Sciences

9%

Psychology

6%

Criminology, Law, and Justice

5%

Mechanical Engineering

3%

• Mariachi Fuego

Accounting

3%

• Orchestra

Finance

3%

• Pep Band

LAS Pre-Health/Pre-Science

3%

Biochemistry

2%

Other

37%

• Wind Ensemble • Women’s Choral Ensemble

SCHOOL OF THEATRE AND MUSIC SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED •

Chicago Bar Association Award

•

•

Clifford Lipman Memorial Award

José Riojas Memorial Scholarship

•

Ross M Gentile Scholarship Fund

•

Louie Frank Scholarship for Piano

•

Michael Gross Acting Award

•

Joy and Bob Harnack Award

•

•

Music Performing Arts Award

Trudy Abarbanel Scholarship

•

Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award

•

UIC William F Raffeld Award SAUIC

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INCOME AND EXPENSE $3,871,955 TOTAL INCOME

$3,210,528 STATE FUND $468,725 EARNED $192,702 OTHER

$3,921,017 TOTAL EXPENSES $3,279,499 PERSONNEL $290,489 THEATRE AND MUSIC PROGRAMMING $244,437 GENERAL OPERATING $57,292 OTHER $44,000 COVID-RELATED $5,300 EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION WORKSHOPS $0 (SUSPENDED DUE TO COVID-19) YOUTH PROGRAMS

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OUR DEGREES BFA Acting

Students gain conservatory-style training in a liberal-arts setting through our BFA in Acting, working closely with world-class faculty from Tony Award-winning theatres.

Students take six semesters of voice for the actor and six semesters of movement for the actor. Eight semesters of acting culminate in a semester-long audition class taught by casting directors from the Goodman Theatre and Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

BA Theatre and Performance

Students take advantage of a wide range of courses across the discipline and focus study through three tracks: general, performance and authorship. The program allows for both flexibility and focus in the study of theatre.

BA Theatre Design, Production, and Technology

Students develop a strong foundation in theatre through core courses then deepen their study in the area of design that interests them. Courses are offered in acting, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, make-up design, set construction, costume construction, stage management, directing, playwriting, and contemporary performance. All students graduate with a portfolio.

BA Music

Students study music while developing a strong liberal arts foundation. They take core music courses and four terms of private instruction while playing in music ensembles and taking advantage of over 200 other disciplines at UIC. Some BA Music students pursue a double degree.

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BA Music Business

Students combine music study with courses from UIC’s College of Business Administration in accounting, marketing, and finance.

They complete up to two internships in Chicago’s music industry and develop essential business and music knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a career in this ever-expanding field.

BMUS Performance

Students pursue advanced study in piano, voice, guitar, and orchestral instruments.

Students have access to Chicago’s most outstanding artist-teachers and develop their musicianship through regular master classes with acclaimed guest artists, and multiple performance opportunities with the many ensembles.

BMUS Jazz Studies

Students develop the tools for a professional career in jazz and related fields of contemporary music. They receive weekly coaching from top Chicago jazz musicians, jazzcentric coursework in theory, and arranging, and performance opportunities both on and off campus.

ONLINE PUBLIC PERFORMANCES This year faculty and students applied technical skills such as filmmaking, video editing, audio engineering, and animation to produce our season in online formats. Our digital theatre and music season reached audiences from around the world.

Theatre Season

Theatre productions included REVERB, a new work written by UIC alumni Karla Corona, Alex Hohnsen, MarieAnge Louis-Jean, Khameron Riley, and Phia Ringo, co-created by faculty member Lydia Diamond, and directed by Jessica Fisch; Love’s Labour’s Lost by William Shakespeare, directed by faculty member Richard Corley, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, directed by Tasia Jones, and Da Mixtape, curated and directed by JQ + Jax of The Q Brothers Collective.

Learn more about our 2020–2021 theatre season and watch our online performances here: https://www.uictheatreandmusic.live/

Music Season

Student musicians performed in outdoor and video recorded concerts. Fall 2020 concerts included performances by our Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Chamber groups. Spring 2021 concerts included performances by the UIC Jazz Ensemble, UIC Orchestra with UIC Choirs, and the Wind Ensemble with Symphonic Band. Students also produced new digital compositions and streamed them on our YouTube channel.

See our Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band Concert here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms2bzVv_vvY

Special Performance – Songs of Hope

In the fall of 2020, the University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen commissioned our Mariachi Fuego and UIC Chamber Choirs to record a special performance as part of a University of Illinois “Songs of Hope” initiative established to inspire and give hope to students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Watch the videos here: https://theatreandmusic.uic.edu/newsdetails/849/826

YOUTH PROGRAMS The August Wilson Monologue Competition, a free educational program for students grades 9–12 that celebrates the work of African American playwright August Wilson, was featured on a new Netflix documentary, Giving Voice starring Viola Davis, Denzel Washington, and Stephen Henderson and with appearances

by UIC Theatre faculty Derrick Sanders and student Cody Meredith. The documentary follows the journey of six student actors auditioning for the prestigious August Wilson Monologue Competition. The Chicago Chapter of the Competition, co-founded

by UIC Professor Sanders, is a partnership between the Goodman Theatre, the League of Chicago Theatres, and UIC. Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=82N4-Qa-hWs

The UIC Jazz Fest continued its annual tradition of hosting masterclasses and clinics with world renowned jazz masters through a new online format. This year’s Fest hosted four special guest artists: trombonist Michael Dease, guitarist Dave Stryker, trumpeter Marquis Hill, and Grammy award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling. Over 400 students and community members participated in our online masterclass series.

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NEW AND EXCITING

José Riojas Memorial Scholarship

In February, STM announced the creation of the José Riojas Memorial Scholarship, established by Leticia L. Gonzalez to honor the memory of the late Professor José Oliver Riojas, former Director of Bands at UIC’s College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts.

Michael J. and Linda L. Anderson Scholarship in Choral Music

The scholarship was established by Professor Emeritus Michael J. and wife Linda L. Anderson to make education more affordable for students studying choral music in UIC’s School of Theatre and Music (STM) at the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts at the University of Illinois Chicago.

Presidential Initiative on Expanding the Impact of the Arts and Humanities UIC will welcome MacArthur Foundation Fellow Luis Alfaro for a semester-long residency, titled “‘Are You Listening?’: Tragedy, Trauma, and Therapy—Mental Health in Latinx and BIPOC Communities” as part of the Expanding the Impact of the Arts and the Humanities initiative. The initiative

was launched by University of Illinois System President Tim Killeen to enhance and celebrate the arts and humanities at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and University of Illinois Springfield (UIS). The project, led by UIC School of Theatre and Music Director Christine Mary Dunford and Head of UIC Classics and Mediterranean Studies Young Kim, intends to showcase the transformational impact of the arts and humanities, and to draw other artists and audiences to the UIC campus. Alfaro has written numerous plays that have been produced around the country. While the project will be based at UIC, we plan for its reach to extend both into the city of Chicago and to the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign and University of Illinois Springfield through engagement events.

Facility Upgrades

One of the silver linings of this year was the ability to make much needed repairs and renovations to our facilities. We made repairs to the roof on several buildings including UIC Theatre building, L285 and L060. The project began in the fall of 2020 and was completed during the summer of 2021. Our new roof will further prevent leaks, prevent damage to equipment and instruments caused by Chicago’s often unpredictable weather.

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Technology Upgrades During the pandemic we made significant upgrades to our classrooms including: •

Smart classroom equipment in our five major rehearsal spaces (both Theatre and Music) L060, L285, L280, L467, L454.

•

Updates to most active classrooms for AY22 to facilitate lecture capture and streaming with the Echo 360 platform.

•

New audio production software in our Mac Lab, including Ableton and Protools.

•

Upgrades to projectors, screens, amplification systems, and touchscreen technology.

•

Faster wired internet speed in our Mac Lab.

•

Updated network jacks in all active classrooms.

•

New digital mixing and monitoring technology for Jazz and Pop classes.

•

Remote setups in all 14 practice rooms to facilitate remote lessons.

•

New wireless microphone systems for Theatre.

•

New cameras and immersive audio and video.

•

New broadcasting and streaming technology to link rehearsal rooms for expanded capacity.

RECRUITMENT AND MARKETING STM restructured recruitment activites to adapt to the challenges of the pandemic. For example, a Virtual Resource Library was launched to allow prospective students to view and learn about STM offerings remotely.

Marketing

Our Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns raised awareness of our programs and connected students and parents to recruitment staff. By implementing Google display ads, we had an increase of over 22,000 clicks this year from last year, with nearly 4 million impressions.

Website Redesign

We continued on a website redesign to improve student and community navigation and access online resources. The new website is slated to launch in the Spring of 2022 and will include rich media, an improved events calendar, an updated news and announcements page, and an updated menu for easy access to information on all of our programs.

STUDENT AND ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS Chassion Rice, BA Music Business 2022, participated in the competitive Warner Music Group (WMG) Classroom Series internship. Rice had the opportunity to hear from music business industry professionals on their career journeys and what led them to WMG, and to-participate in professional development workshops.

Wendy Madrigal, BA Theatre Design Production and Technology 2021, was the stage manager for Goodman Theatre’s Zulema written by Dolores Diaz, co-directed

by Henry Godinez, and Marcela Muñoz with music direction by Victor Pichardo. The play was made possible in partnership with Chicago Park District, DCASE, Chicago Latino Theater Alliance and the National Museum of Mexican Art.

Jaegen Ellison, Monet Felton, Sonya Madrigal, and Zach Sabitt, recent BFA graduates, are Teaching Artists with Project STAGE, an NSF-funded partnership between UIC’s College of Education (STM faculty Rachelle Tsachor) and Chicago Public School teachers. The teaching artists cultivate science knowledge through theatrical and embodied ways of learning in Chicago neighborhood elementary schools and their surrounding communities, helping children explore science intertwined with social issues through enactments and embodied experiences of science positioning them as leaders of social change.

Jerluane “Jay” Jenkins, BA Theatre Performance 2019, was featured in the Chicago Reader for Black Magic, her stage play turned screenplay at Perceptions Theatre Company.

Read the article here: https://bit.ly/35oLD01

Paul Raci, UIC theatre alumnus 1972, received an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor in his role as Joe, a deaf mentor to main character Ruben in Sound of Metal.

Raci was an interpreter for his deaf parents growing up and said, “Sound of Metal benefited from the authentic and complex portrayals of the deaf community.”

Read more here: https://deadline.com/2021/03/sound-of-metal-oscars-paul-raci-academy-diversity1234714611/

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FACULTY IN THE FIELD Elbio Barilari, music faculty, was featured in one of the world’s most respected blues publications, Back to the Roots. In the article, “The ‘New’ Delmark Records,” Elbio Barilari and partner Julia A Miller discuss how they have revamped the Chicago based record label.

Read the article here: https://delmark.com/

Christine Mary Dunford, STM Director, in collaboration with WBEZ 91.5 Chicago, starred in the Lookingglass Theatre Company audio play, Her Honor Jane Byrne by J. Nicole Brooks.

Learn more about Her Honor Jane Byrne here: https://www.wbez.org/pressroom/coming-this-thanksgiving-lookingglass-theatre-company-and-wbez-chicago-present-theworld-premiere-audio-play-of-her-honor-jane-byrne

Mariana Gariazzo, music faculty, was named president of the Chicago Flute Club Board of Directors. Gariazzo also launched a virtual series initiative titled “Fluting with the Stars,” featuring a diverse roster of emerging and established artists around the world.

Ryan Ingebritsen, music faculty, presented his paper “Kinesthetic Empathy in Remote Interactive Performance: Research into Platforms and Strategies for Performing Online” at the ACM International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI).

Watch the presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs23zeCiubs

Claudia Lasareff-Mironoff, music faculty, joined the the Pyrenean String Quartet with UIC faculty Paula Kosower and violinists Rika Seko and Kate Carter. The ensemble celebrated Adolphus Hailstork’s 80th birthday and played works by Jamaican composer Eleanor Alberga and Peruvian composer Gabriela Lena Frank. The performance was hosted by Fulcrum Point New Music Project.

Watch their performance of Shostakovich Quartet No. 8 here: https://youtu.be/7Yn2EmeWnLk

James McNally, music faculty, published two articles in the peer-reviewed journals Ethnomusicology and Twentieth-Century Music. “Between Tribute and Transformation: Negotiating the Expressive and Ethical Dynamics of Experimental Afro-Brazilian Song” discusses the experimental transformation of Afro-Brazilian musical heritage and its implications in the broader African diaspora.

Read it here: https://doi.org/10.5406/ethnomusicology.64.3.0473 “The End of Song: Improvisation as Social Critique in Brazil” addresses an emerging phenomenon in which Brazilian popular musicians have begun to depart from popular song (canção popular) in favor of free improvisation in response to rising authoritarianism.

Read the full abstract and article here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/twentieth-century-music/article/abs/end-of-song-improvisation-as-social-critique-in-brazil/8E0052E43E5A1CC8D2E9D3691156713

Collette Pollard, theatre faculty, co-produced the Merritt Summit Series, a collection of events that aim to bring theatre design and creative communities together. This virtual convention gathered designers, technicians and production folks in a series of virtual conversations.

Learn more about future events and the Merritt Summit Series here: https://buff.ly/3dKTNFN

Ruth E. Rosenberg, music faculty, has an article titled “Perfect Pitch: 432 Hz Music and the Promise of Frequency” published in the spring issue of the Journal of Popular Music Studies (33, no.1). This ongoing research on musical tuning and online discourse about frequency, and wellness trends has most recently been funded by UIC’s CADA Dean’s Research Prize (Feb. 2021).

Read it here: https://online.ucpress.edu/jpms/article/33/1/137/116319/PerfectPitch432-Hz-Music-and-the-Promise-of

Zvonimir Tot, music faculty, released his new album Sarabande Blue. The album features original music for acoustic guitar and string quintet, a jazz and concert music crossover. The band personnel include Zvonimir Tot (acoustic guitars, composition); Carmen Kassinger (violin); Lisa Fako (violin); UIC faculty Cheryl Wilson (viola); UIC faculty Paula Kosower (cello); and Rob Kassinger (double bass).

For physical CD’s and download visit https://www.zt-music.com/buy-music Rachelle P. Tsachor, theatre faculty, co-authored the chapter “Exploring Movement” in Integrative Rehabilitative Practice, (May 2021). The book is the first complete guide for rehabilitation professionals seeking to engage a whole-person, biopsychosocial, and mindbody medicine integrated approach to care. IRP acknowledges the complex inseparability of biological, behavioral, psychosocial, spiritual, and environmental influences. The book covers both the theoretical foundations of IRP and applications to practice in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, yoga therapy, speech and language therapy, and many other professions.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Foundations-Whole-Person-Care-Health-Professionals/dp/1787751503

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ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS •

Eòlia Conservatory of Dramatic Arts

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Grant Park Music Festival

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ApprenticeChorale

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PianoForte Chicago

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Bella Voce

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Steppenwolf Theatre Company

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Lookingglass Theatre Company

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League of Chicago Theatre

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Goodman Theatre

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Chicago Philharmonic Society

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National University of Ireland Galway

2020 ADVISORY COMMITTEE Stephen Burns Founder and Artistic Director Fulcrum Point New Music Project Sheila J. Chapman Arts Volunteer Steppenwolf for Young Adults Alumni Board Member Silk Road Rising

Mary Jo Papich Co-Founder/ Past President Jazz Education Network Fine Arts Director - Retired Niles and Northwest High Schools Nancy Plax Director of Community Outreach Connecting4Communities

Paula E. D’Angelo Consultant

Nick Rabkin Arts Research and Consulting

Meredith Dincolo Dancer Master Teacher & Coach/ Artistic Consultant

Scott Silberstein Co-founder and Executive Producer, HMS Media, Inc.

Betsy Ingram Producer Director of Finance & Operations, KoboTech Inc.

Janet Carl Smith Former Deputy Commissioner Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Donna Milanovich Executive Director The Chicago Philharmonic Society

Willa Taylor Director of Education and Community Engagement, Goodman Theatre

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