Scene - Summer 2021

SUMMER 2021

MAN WITH THE PLAN Tanase Popa (D&P ’06) becomes indispensable behind the scenes of hit TV shows.

ALSO A new residence hall and building upgrades revitalize the living and learning environment at UNCSA.

Mission critical: UNCSA prepares students for an industry transformed by the pandemic.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Despite a global pandemic, UNCSA safely presented a dynamic performance season throughout the 2020-21 academic year. Full of creative and diverse offerings, the season inspired audiences near and far as they tuned in virtually to discover how students continued to power creativity and bring their art to life. To watch a curated selection of performances, visit uncsa.edu/ondemand.

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1. Fourth-year drama student Zion Jang performs as Harpagon in “The Miser,” presented outdoors to a socially distanced campus audience in the spring. 2. Second-year film student Summer Sierra Girson prepares to light a scene for a cinematography class. 3. Fourth-year contemporary dancers Allyson Williams, Alexi Broman and Elena Gimenez prepare for a scene at Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter for the Larry Keigwin-choreographed “Waiting in the Wings” dance film. 4. Drama and Design & Production students collaborated to present one of the only in-person performances of the season: a devised piece, “Inheritance: A Work in Progress,” mounted at The Historic Brookstown Inn last fall. Audiences sat in the outdoor courtyard and watched the performance take place behind the hotel windows.

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Photos by Blake Ellis, Peter J. Mueller and Wayne Reich

Fletcher Fellows perform one of two salon opera double bills livestreamed from the Stevens Center this year.

Letter from the Chancellor

Photo by Wayne Reich Cover photo by Pari Dukovic Back cover photo by Peter J. Mueller

Dear UNCSA Community, WELCOME to the second annual issue of Scene, the UNCSA magazine. This issue comes to you at a particularly poignant time as we conclude a school year like no other; celebrate the successful completion of the Powering Creativity comprehensive campaign; and honor the many accomplishments our talented students, faculty, staff and alumni achieved against all odds.

When I wrote this letter at this time last year, the world as we knew it was about to shut down.

Stages went dark, students went home, classes went virtual, and live audiences were no more.

The past year has been the most challenging in memory for many of us, but I am proud that on campus and off, our UNCSA community has met those challenges and continued to thrive.

The stories you will read within our magazine are a testament to the grit and creativity fostered at UNCSA. It is inspiring to read about alumni like Tanase Popa, the subject of our cover story (see Page 9), and so many others who have found a way to flourish even during these difficult times for the arts and artists.

Here at UNCSA, due to careful planning and intensive work from our faculty and staff, we brought our students back to campus in the fall to embark on a year of hybrid instruction informed by industry-standard protocols to keep our campus safe. Despite masks and Plexiglas, we continued to innovate to bring a performance season to audiences near and far through livestreamed opera and music, filmed theater and dance, virtual film screenings, and more (see Page 16 for more about our pivot during COVID-19).

Despite the constraints of the pandemic, UNCSA also continued to move forward. We announced three new art school deans and an interim dean of Liberal Arts, building a solid team under the leadership of Provost Patrick Sims (see Page 5). UNCSA remained near the top of national rankings, underscoring the continued excellence of our school’s training.

And in a year marked by issues of social justice coming to the forefront, UNCSA has been called to recognize our role in enacting change, and we have completed important equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB) work resulting in recommendations and a new EDIB vision statement (see below).

In a very exciting indicator of a strong future ahead, we completed our first comprehensive campaign in decades by raising $75,164,637 (more than $10M above our original goal). We are grateful to our donors who have propelled our campaign to success, and especially to our generous alumni who were such an integral part of that achievement. The campaign’s triumph will allow UNCSA to continue to train young artists for today’s world and provide opportunities for those who might otherwise not have them.

As we look ahead to the end of this pandemic, we know that we have all been indelibly changed, and that the landscape for the arts and artists will look different as we emerge from this transformational time. If the experiences throughout this pandemic have taught us anything, it is that we have to be both prepared and flexible.

Our next Strategic Plan will do just that as we map a new five-year path for our future. We will share that with you as it takes shape.

For now, I hope that wherever you are and however the pandemic has affected you, your connection to this unique community of artists helped you along the way. I look forward to seeing you back on stage, screens, theaters and concert halls very soon.

Brian Cole Chancellor

At UNCSA, we strive to create a safe environment — one that allows people from all walks of life to thrive. Doing so demands that we commit to an explicit and continual process of identifying and dismantling systems and practices of bias, exclusion and oppression. Education and art-making can be transformational forces for change, and we are working so that change leads toward justice.

UNCSA EDIB Vision Statement 2

SHORT TAKES

Here, O’Neill reflects on his high school years at UNCSA and shares some of his triumphs and trials on his journey as a musician.

On his time at UNCSA… It was a structured, rigorous high school program, which I’m so grateful for. For string players, especially, I think it’s really important that you get your technique and your repertoire solidified in high school. All those hours in the listening library, all those great LPs … gave me that foundation, that complete immersion in music.

VIOLIST

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ichard O’Neill (H.S. Music ’97) has had a big year: The violist became a member of the renowned Takács Quartet and won his first Grammy — the realization of two musical dreams and the culmination of hard work and persistence over a career spanning two decades.

O’Neill lives in Boulder, Colorado, where he performs and teaches as part of the award-winning Takács Quartet, ensemble-in-residence at the University of Colorado. In March, he won the Grammy for best classical instrumental solo for his performance of Christopher Theofanidis’ Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra with the Albany Symphony conducted by David Alan Miller. He’s only the second violist to win in that category, after Kim Kashkashian in 2013.

These successes reflect O’Neill’s unwavering devotion to his craft. They follow a list of other performance and teaching accomplishments, including a 13-year stint with the popular South Korean chamber ensemble DITTO, which he founded in his mother’s home country.

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...and learning from failure A lot of my life has not come at first try. It’s not like I dig into something and then I win it. Like my job right now with Takács; I auditioned in 2004 or 2005 and I didn’t get the job. My Grammy nod — I had two other nominations, in 2006 and 2011, and didn’t win. I’ve taken failure and viewed it as an opportunity so that, hopefully, if I make it to the next chance, I’ll have learned and gotten better.

Photos courtesy of CREDIA International

Sound bite: Richard O’Neill

On taking chances…

For a large part of my life, I could compare my success to stepping right up to the edge of the cliff. You have to take the biggest chance. And you have to look at why you’re taking that big chance — you love it more than anything, you have a passion that burns day and night, and you want it more than anything. And for me, I want to be a musician more than anything. I really believe that if you put what you love first, if you steer your ship in that direction, you might not end up exactly at the port of destination, but you’ll be doing what you love.

Short Takes

Student spotlight: Jo Hatcher A

lot can happen in four years of film school at UNCSA. See Jo Hatcher’s resume for proof.

The 2021 graduate of the undergraduate directing program entered the School of Filmmaking thinking she wanted to be an actor and knowing she loved telling stories. She’s leaving with several short films in her portfolio, an internship at Cannes and a coveted Sundance Screenwriting Intensive Fellowship under her belt.

Hatcher, born in Jacksonville, Florida, and raised in Concord, North Carolina, fell in love with directing, in part, because it harnesses some of her innate abilities. “I have natural leadership skills, and I’ve always been a writer,” she says. “Directing is a great mechanism for that.”

She was initially wait-listed, but once she got into the filmmaking school, Hatcher was determined to make the most of her experience.

“What I love about UNCSA is that it’s a playground,” she says. “And if you learn to play, you can get so much out of it.” During her first three years, she did just that. She was a crew member on the senior thesis film “No Sanctuary” during her first year. The documentary film, produced by Moriah Hall (B.F.A. Filmmaking ’18) and Emmilee Millhouse (B.F.A. Filmmaking ’18) and directed by Nathan Knox (B.F.A. Filmmaking ’18), was recognized by TheWrap ShortList Film Festival. In her second year, she wrote and directed the short film “Shelter,” which has been recognized at multiple festivals and earned the 2020 “Emerging Grit” award at the Indie Grits Film Festival. Between her second and third years, she interned at the Cannes Film Festival. In her third year, Hatcher served as head resident assistant (R.A.) in the college residence halls and associate vice president of the UNCSA student organization Artists of Color.

Photos by Daniel Brown

goal and my drive are not “ My about winning an Oscar or being the biggest, best director in the world. My goal is to continue to uplift and tell stories that I’ve never seen before.

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The fruits of all that labor — that drive and desire to squeeze the most out of her time at UNCSA — came in her fourth year, when Hatcher earned the Sarah Graham Kenan Scholarship of Excellence, completed her senior thesis film, “Jazmin,” and began the journey of cultivating her script for “Hard Feelings” as part of the ninth annual Sundance Screenwriters Intensive. She also earned support for “Hard Feelings” in the form of a 2021 Student Artpreneur Grant, a merit-based award that helps fund the creative work of graduating UNCSA students each year.

Her year, like everyone else’s, was also touched

by COVID-19, which affected the production of “Jazmin,” written before the pandemic. Hatcher says she was able to stick to the true essence of the film, though, as “a love letter to Black women.”

To produce the film safely, she cut the number of characters and adjusted her signature realistic aesthetic to a more colorful and surreal style that includes animation.

She sees that ability to adapt as another valuable skill set. And the lockdown in the spring of 2020 gave her time to aim high. It was then that she applied for the Sundance Intensive.

Getting into the Sundance program was a major accomplishment, as the Intensive is typically limited to screenwriters already working in the field.

Hatcher was the youngest fellow selected and the only current undergraduate student. The fellowship included a two-day writers’ workshop in March and continued guidance from established writers as screenwriters refined their scripts. Hatcher has seized the opportunity to absorb the knowledge of her peers and continue working on what ultimately motivates her: telling stories about Black women.

“My faith and my work ethic push me to be the best creator that I can be,” she says. “My goal and my drive are not about winning an Oscar or being the biggest, best director in the world. My goal is to continue to uplift and tell stories that I’ve never seen before.”

— by Corrine Luthy

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Short Takes

Backstage: Patrick Sims EXECUTIVE VICE CHANCELLOR AND PROVOST, UNCSA

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atrick J. Sims began his tenure as executive vice chancellor and provost at UNCSA last August, bringing a breadth of experience as an artist, educator, diversity champion and senior administrator.

Coming from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), where he served as deputy vice chancellor for diversity and inclusion and the Elzie Higginbottom Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer, Sims is also a professor of theater with a 20-plus-year career in teaching, and the first African American in UW-Madison’s Department of Theatre and Drama to rise through the ranks and achieve the title of full professor. He founded the Theatre for Cultural and Social Awareness, an interactive theater-based training model that dramatizes sensitive subject matters for universities, corporations and nonprofit organizations in the United States.

Q:

You have a background in theater. Does this influence the way you approach the job of provost?

It influences not only the way I approach the role of provost, but how I lead as an administrator. As artists, you learn to work with all walks of life. You learn how to communicate and talk to people. And you have to be able to read a room. Those are invaluable skills that I’ve been able to develop through the theater. I often say that I approach leading as though I’m directing a play. I very much believe in the spirit of collaboration, which is not always a way of engaging in senior leadership circles — it’s something that we sometimes take for granted in the arts.

Q:

Your first year at UNCSA was marked by the

COVID-19 pandemic, and a renewed national focus

on social justice issues. What did you learn?

I learned how resilient our community is and how dedicated our faculty and staff are to supporting our students in the work that we do. With social justice issues, there are natural synergies that the arts can provide as portals into these discussions — that’s what my own creative research tried to address. In the arts community, we often assume we are welcoming and inviting to all. That’s not the case for all people. The events of the spring and summer of 2020 have created the “aha” moment in ways that would not have been possible before.

We have a lot of work to do on the EDIB front, but as long as you have a willing coalition you can do some really exciting things.

Q:

Do you feel there is a particular value to the arts in

creating social change/justice?

Absolutely. With the arts, we can distill the most complex ideas into what makes us “us” — the ability to empathize and feel and connect with another person’s lived experience. I often say, you’ve got your head, heart and soul. If we’re firing well on the first two, a person can feel like they can bring their own being to bear and have a sense of belonging, accomplishment and value. The soul part of that equation is the culmination of all of the above without apology. I think the arts can help society achieve this trifecta in ways very few other experiences can.

Do you have a favorite playwright or play?

I am a big fan of Athol Fugard, the South African playwright.

He was pushing the boundaries and understanding of the construct of race in apartheid South Africa. Being white, he was interested in challenging the status quo and how we think about race. I’ve just been fascinated by his work. I’m also a big fan of Suzan-Lori Parks. I was an undergrad at Yale when she was an artist-in-residence. She has been described as “dementedly brilliant.”

I think that’s a perfect description. If you read her work, you have a visual experience. You see her wordplay with language on the printed page. To hear her work, you have a different auditory experience. Just brilliant. I could go on about August Wilson. For me he’s our Black Shakespeare. Some would say, “He’s no Black Shakespeare — he’s August Wilson!” And I agree with that too!

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Photo by Wayne Reich

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Short Takes

Student spotlight: Venus Fischer S

Photo by Wayne Reich

tarting college during a global pandemic might be overwhelming to some, but Venus Fischer has taken every twist and turn in stride. “I’m constantly blown away by how lucky I am to be here,” says the first-year School of Drama undergraduate student. “It’s so much better in every way than what I was expecting this year to be like.”

Fischer, who came to UNCSA from Brookville, Ohio, began her UNCSA experience a little differently from most: She was selected to appear in HBO Max’s “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020,” and spent her first weeks at school filming herself for the show.

The documentary follows seven students from across the country as they share their experiences and responses to the challenges of 2020. The project’s creator was none other than Broadway veteran Laura Benanti, whose viral #SunshineSongs initiative on social media was the inspiration for the project.

Before filming began, the production team met with Fischer virtually for several weeks. With the help of students and faculty from the schools of Design & Production and Filmmaking, footage was filmed in two parts: a Zoom interview with Benanti, from Fischer’s dorm room; and a musical performance, from Agnes de Mille Theatre. “It showed me what our school can really do,” she says.

Since the documentary’s December 2020 release, the busy student has connected with viewers on social media. “I’ve had a lot of people reach out to me, especially a lot of trans students, which I’m so thankful for,” says Fischer, who is transgender. “It’s cool to see your work impacting other people.”

Fischer, who shares some of her personal journey as a trans woman in the documentary, has felt comfortable in her own skin inside the classroom at UNCSA as well. She points to a dance class with Drama faculty member Krisha Marcano as a highlight of her year.

Students were given an assignment called the Heritage Project to tell the story of their heritage through dance. “I worked with two friends, and we put together a 10-minute celebration of ballroom culture,” she explains. “It’s a staple in the trans experience and in the Black queer experience, so it was wonderful to share with people who didn’t know anything about it.... It was exciting to see Krisha dance and celebrate with us.”

Watch Venus Fischer in “Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020” on HBO Max.

The class, along with many others, was delivered through a hybrid instructional model due to COVID-19 — with some students in person in a studio and others attending from their dorm rooms. Classes have been inventive instead of limiting, says Fischer. “It’s amazing how much we’ve been able to do. We engaged in more on-camera training than ever before.” This included greater access to guest artists like acclaimed on-camera acting coach Bob Krakower and seasoned motion-capture fight director Michelle Ladd.

Fischer is eager to take the new techniques she has acquired and apply them during her second year in the program. “Second year is a lot about implementing the things you’ve learned into the real process,” she says, adding that she and her classmates will have the opportunity to begin working with the directing faculty in the fall.

As she reflected on the end of her first year at UNCSA, one word came to mind: appreciation. “The perseverance of the students, faculty and staff has been such a gift,” she concludes. “I’ve grown in every way imaginable. I feel like the pandemic has offered us this weird release to reconnect with what is really important to us. I’m so much more grateful, and I realize what I’ve taken for granted.”

— by Hannah Callaway

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Short Takes

Q:

If you could tell UNCSA students one

thing to be aware of as they begin

looking for work, what would it be?

Say “yes” to everything — “yes” to web series, “yes” to play readings, “yes” to going to see that independent film.

Q:

Ask the expert: Tiffany Little Canfield CASTING DIRECTOR WITH THE TELSEY OFFICE

What do you look for when you’re

considering new actors for a role?

Is there any particular skill or trait that stands out?

Confidence! And a strong artistic point of view. I love when a new actor comes in to meet me and isn’t seeking my validation, but is working with me more as a peer or colleague.

Q:

What’s the biggest change you’ve

seen in the industry as the result

of COVID-19, and how can new graduates prepare for it?

The biggest change has been the use of virtual auditions and callbacks. I’m not sure how or when things will go back to normal. I’d say right now, the best investment you can make is good internet and an Ethernet cable.

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Photo by Emma Lotter

s a casting director with The Telsey Office, Tiffany Little Canfield (B.F.A. Drama ’00) has cast everything from commercials to Broadway shows, and from television shows to operas, including projects like “This Is Us,” “Mary Poppins Returns” and “Fosse/Verdon.”

Her recent work has included casting for the film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In The Heights”; the upcoming live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”; and the new Hulu comedy series “Only Murders in the Building,” with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Canfield discovered her career somewhat unexpectedly while working as an assistant on Baz Luhrmann’s production of “La Bohème” on Broadway, shortly after landing in New York City. In both her work as a casting director and during her time as a UNCSA student, she says, she has found one of the most critical aspects in determining an artist’s future to be when they realize there is, or could be, a place for them in the industry.

Here, she taps into her expertise (and experience as a School of Drama directing student) to share some quick advice for those just getting started in their careers — particularly during the pandemic — and, perhaps, in search of their place.

If you could go back to your time as

a new School of Drama graduate, is

there any advice you’d give yourself?

No one’s path is the same and there isn’t one definition of success. Find your bliss!

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Short Takes

Standing Ovation COMMENCEMENT FOR THE CLASSES OF 2020 AND 2021

Photos by Wayne Reich

U

NCSA graduates passed second base and into their lives as professional artists at the school’s first-ever commencement in a ballpark on Saturday, May 22 at Truist Stadium, home of the Winston-Salem Dash. After traditional in-person ceremonies were canceled due to the pandemic last year, UNCSA invited the university class of 2020 to join this year’s ceremony. The ballpark provided a large outdoor venue that allowed for social distancing.

Stephen McKinley Henderson, a 1972 graduate of the UNCSA School of Drama who has worked on stages throughout the United States, abroad, on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in television and film, spoke at both high school and university ceremonies, delivering remarks that touched on the power of creative expression in these fractured times.

“Our purpose as artists is not to lift ourselves.

It is to lift the art and thereby lift us all,” the celebrated actor and alumnus told UNCSA graduates. “I beg you young artists to accept your role as alchemists of empathy, sorcerers of empathy, magicians of empathy.”

“There is a great civility to citizens gathering in museums, concert halls, opera houses and theaters. Gathering not knowing what political or religious affiliation the person standing or seated next to them might have — each experiencing creative expressions through their own personal lens to the same performance of fine art in the same moment,” he said.

“At a live performance, joyous laughter and unexpected tears unite an audience across all racial, cultural and gender divisions,” continued the Tony Award-nominated actor, who has appeared in five films that have been nominated for Academy Awards for best picture.

Henderson said he agreed to speak at Commencement because of a principle instilled in him as a student at the School of the Arts: “the secular divinity of the arts: the service dimension.

“In the 1970s the America I was living in seemed hostile toward me. I came to this campus and found a greater America than I was living in,” he said. “That generosity and hospitality moved from friendship to kinship, and I found family in every ensemble I was a part of.”

Henderson told graduates, “You are the essential workers whose workplace has been closed for a dangerous length of time. Our country needs your service, just as this state and this nation need this secular monastery, UNCSA, of which you are now honored alumni.”

Chancellor Brian Cole, who presided over both high school and university commencement ceremonies, and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Patrick J. Sims presented Henderson with an honorary doctorate of performing arts during the university commencement ceremony.

are the “ You essential

workers whose workplace has been closed for a dangerous length of time.

Our country needs your service.

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— by Lauren Whitaker

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MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

by Kristopher Tapley 9

TANASE POPA SPARKS SUCCESS BEHIND THE SCENES OF HIT SHOWS LIKE “POSE” AND “AMERICAN CRIME STORY”

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Photo by Pari Dukovic

2006 B.F.A. graduate of the School of Design and Production in stage management, Tanase Popa is a Peabody and AFI award recipient as well as a five-time Emmyand Golden Globe-nominated television and film producer.

NOW an imperative cog in acclaimed producer Ryan Murphy’s film and television empire — which has spawned network TV’s “Glee,” cable TV’s “Pose,” the “American Horror Story” anthology series and films like Netflix’s “The Prom” — he has quickly risen through the ranks, building his career on a foundation that was laid at UNCSA nearly two decades ago.

“Man behind the curtain” is a little overworn, but it’s applicable, not merely for the backstage quality of Popa’s creative partnerships, but also for his tendency to avoid press. With Murphy,

he has played a vital role in seeking out talent for a wide array of projects. In 2019 alone, Popa personally worked with the Emmy-winning mogul to bring on 78 directors for 78 episodes of television. He also helped create and curate the company’s Half Initiative, which is focused on mentoring underrepresented voices. For “Pose,” he has helped extend opportunities to more than 300 transgender men and women hired as cast and crew on the series thus far. All of it while remaining out of the spotlight.

“I don’t want to be the one doing it. I want to be the one behind the scenes putting it together,” Popa says. “I never looked at myself as someone who was creative in the sense that I need to write or be a director to put the pieces together that way. I always loved finding the right people for the right project.”

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MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN

“ It gives you

a full-circle feeling, like everything you’ve learned and worked for is paying off. ”

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BEFORE Popa’s road to Hollywood ran through UNCSA, he was an immigrant in Florida, already with an incredible story to tell. He didn’t meet his father, who had spent Popa’s youth traveling the world trying to get the family out of Communist Romania, until he was five years old. They ultimately settled in Jacksonville, where Popa grew up and where he came out as gay at a young age.

As a survival instinct, he says he sought out the theater community. “I needed to do something so I could protect myself and be around other people who might be gay,” he says. “Theater became a family and a place I could focus and not get in trouble.”

He started out studying acting in middle and high school, but admits he was not very good at it. During his junior year, a connection to the Florida State Thespian Festival opened the door for Popa to find his footing and zero in on a potential career when he organized and executed the festival for 6,500 students. That led to an offer to stage manage a community theater production of Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off,” notorious for its practical complexities. “I said yes, not really knowing what a stage manager was,” Popa admits.

“I loved it and loved the logistics of it. That’s when I was like, ‘Maybe I could pursue this as a career.’ I started thinking of it as a business.”

After that first flurry, as he headed into his senior year of high school, Popa learned about the then-North Carolina School of the Arts. He set his sights on the School of Design and Production with a stage management focus, but those early passions didn’t fade. Popa was always drawn to the craft of acting, so he audited directing courses taught by former dean of the School of Drama Gerald Freedman to better understand how to work with actors. He even added to his arsenal of resources by taking on foreign-language classes like Italian and German.

“Tanase always presented himself authentically. If he didn’t understand something, he wouldn’t pretend he did,” says Pamela Knourek, co-director of the UNCSA costume design and technology department, who was a mentor to Popa and also helped him secure a life-changing internship at the Santa Fe Opera, in scenic northern New Mexico. “He would ask the questions so he would understand it. If he was supposed to sweep the floor, he was going to sweep the floor the best he could. That’s a wonderful thing to see in somebody who can stay in the present and see how this could help them later. You could see that in Tanase early.”

Popa was moving at such a clip that he completed nearly all of the credits required for his B.F.A. before his senior year. During that last year, he spent some time in New York as an intern at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, working in revered dancer Judith Jamison’s office.

(That particular stint would come in handy years later, when Murphy would be scouting New York locations for a dance studio for “Pose.” Popa knew just the place.)

By the time Popa returned to New York after graduating college to begin work on the Broadway production of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” it would be fair to say he had fully arrived.

“I kind of got fast-tracked to being a union company manager within nine months,” Popa recalls of his time in the Big Apple. “I was an intern, and then a production assistant, and then an assistant to a general manager, and an apprentice company manager.”

His early adulthood begins to read like a list of milestone markers flying by.

At 21 years of age, fresh out of college, Popa was already moving through the two-year apprenticeship program of the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers (ATPAM) with folks 10 or 20 years older than him. Next came touring experience, as he managed “Wicked” in San Francisco for two years. Before long, an inevitable bridge to the film business materialized: For three years, Popa worked as a senior assistant to Darla Anderson and Lee Unkrich

at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville California. But he didn’t see a lot of opportunity for growth, given the extended timeline for animation projects.

He needed more hustle and bustle.

POPA eventually met with one of the producers in Ryan Murphy Productions, who saw potential for the eager recruit. Not unlike the move

Photos courtesy of Tanase Popa

from “Wicked” company manager to assistant at Pixar, Popa would be taking a step back to join Murphy’s team, but it was one he was willing to take in order to go forward. So he packed up and moved to Los Angeles. Soon, a professional split between Murphy and an executive producer led Popa to a fork in the road. He had not worked directly with Murphy yet, but he wasn’t going to miss his shot.

“I ended up emailing Ryan and said, ‘We haven’t formally met, but I’ve been in the office and I know you’ve heard of me from other producers and writers,” Popa recalls. “The reason I left my previous job was to come work with you and be a part of the cultural impact that you make.’

He responded really quickly and said, ‘I want that, too. Let’s set up a time to talk and make that happen.’”

At that point Popa was working on FOX’s “Glee.” Murphy then brought him onto a massive undertaking for FX, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” Unsurprisingly, as soon as an opportunity to prove his value showed itself, Popa was on the spot.

The miniseries was to be a 10-episode dramatization of the 1995 Simpson murder case.

The use of “playback,” such as news programs of the era that would need to appear on television sets in different scenes, was a crucial element of

an indispensable quality that Knourek says she recognized way back in Popa’s UNCSA years.

“Sometimes you feel like there are some people who do their job like they are psychic,” she says. “To be able to know to find the answer before the question is ever asked; I think that’s just intuitive within him.”

When we talked, Popa was finishing the third and last season of “Pose” in New York. Working during COVID-19 has been a new challenge, but one he and his team have been able to adjust to given how quickly the film and television industry adapted. Popa is in a unique position to get a bird’s-eye view of industry standards, as he works on a variety of Murphy productions for different studios, from Netflix to Disney.

The biggest challenge, Popa says, might be the creative one. The production environment today is quite clinical, so for a show that is so much about family and community, it’s been particularly hard for the actors to find their zones, he explains. But Popa is trying to think on his feet, pushing for intimacy where possible so that the actors can still feel creative without things feeling stiff. Most importantly, he continues to strive for opportunities for inclusivity in front of and behind the camera, and his hustle does not go unnoticed.

“Mentorship goes hand-in-hand with opportunity,” says Billy Porter, the Emmy-winning

from making pivotal casting suggestions, like Patti LuPone in Netflix’s “Hollywood,” to transitioning raw talent to film careers, like author Janet Mock. It’s a skill set that took root at UNCSA because of the school’s intimate setting, which geared everyone toward healthy competition and finding their strengths. Popa says the school fostered a potent supportive environment, and that is something he tries to pay forward to this day.

“It gives you a fullcircle feeling,” he says, “like everything you’ve learned and worked for is paying off.”

the production. It would just be green screen on the set, filled in later with visual effects, but the context was often important for the actors, so someone had to keep track of it. Popa volunteered to lead the team in breaking down the scripts accordingly. He had already gotten a jump on it, in fact.

“We broke down two scripts with an entire team in 45 minutes, from something that nobody knew how to address, and it was just putting on my stage manager hat,” Popa says. “After that, Ryan just kind of found me invaluable and I just grew through the company really fast.” It’s

star of “Pose.” “Tanase has the resources to put the money where the mouth is and create true, significant change. I have watched him as he’s nurtured the new and unbridled, as well as also being a calm in times of storm for us old-timers, too…. His job’s ephemeral nature makes it very difficult to describe. All I can say is, Tanase is the full embodiment.”

LEFT: Friend and collaborator Billy Porter has worked with Popa on “American Horror Story” and “Pose.”

THE TERM Popa often comes back to for himself is “connector.” He sees his role as a conductor for creatives, moving the pieces around to maximum success. It plays itself out in many different ways,

RIGHT: Veteran actress Patti LuPone has worked with Popa on a number of Award-winning television shows.

•

Kristopher Tapley (B.F.A. Filmmaking ’04) has covered the film and television industry for 15 years, with bylines at Variety, The New York Times, Netflix Queue and The Times of London. He now works as a writer and a consultant in Los Angeles.

CENTER: Popa and Ryan Murphy celebrate the success of “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” at the 2018 Emmy Awards.

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Taking charge of success FROM BROOKLYN TO ELKIN, UNCSA ALUMNI FORGE THEIR OWN ENTREPRENEURIAL PATHS

A

s a young girl in Brooklyn, New York, alumna Dwana Smallwood knew she was a dancer, but she never dreamed she would become a business owner. “The language I speak is dance,” says the dancer, choreographer and educator who founded Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center in the neighborhood where she grew up. The word “entrepreneur” didn’t register, even as she designed and sewed T-shirts, created custom dolls, and braided hair to pay for dance classes.

T. Oliver “Tim” Reid (B.M. Music ’93) was practically born performing in Gastonia, North Carolina. While at UNCSA, he had enough savvy to supplement his classical voice degree with dance and acting classes to create his own customized training program for musical theater. “It’s part of my DNA,” he says. “I have to be creative, and I have to be a strong leader.”

Louis Jeroslow (B.F.A. Design & Production ’95) arrived at UNCSA with a wide range of interests developed through arts magnet schooling in Miami, Florida. While Design and Production focused his future, his insatiable desire for knowledge set the stage for an extraordinarily varied career, from Blue Man Group to winemaking.

Since discovering theater in a sixth-grade writing assignment, Sean Murray (B.F.A. Drama ’89) nurtured a goal of becoming an actor. After earning his degree, he spent the next 14 years collecting accolades as an actor, director and producer. Determined to take ownership of his career trajectory, Murray and his husband, Bill Schmidt, formed the award-winning Cygnet Theatre in San Diego, California, near where Murray grew up.

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While their experiences are unique, these four alumni share characteristics that are common among successful entrepreneurs, according to Iris Cole, who teaches a course for the new academic minor in entrepreneurship that is offered by the Division of Liberal Arts. These characteristics include vision; creativity; people, team and partnership building; resiliency; and a growth mindset, she says. And the alumni agree that those traits — if not born at UNCSA — were definitely nurtured in the conservatory environment.

After studying in the contemporary dance program at UNCSA, Smallwood became a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for 12 years. During that time, she appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” after which she was asked by Oprah herself to become the architect of the dance program at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. She spent four years there. While in South Africa, Smallwood had an “aha” moment that led to the next phase in her career. “That was where I came closer to finding my purpose,” she said. Smallwood felt called to give back to the neighborhood she had grown up in by opening her own dance school. “Brooklyn had given so much to me. And I wanted not just to give back but to say thank you. I’m not sure where I would be if that neighborhood had not supported my dreams.”

In 2013, after returning from the Winfrey Academy, Smallwood followed her vision by establishing a nonprofit organization and then searching for a facility in Brooklyn. After one look at a 4,000-squarefoot loft with soaring ceilings, skylights and huge windows, she knew she had found her creative home. “I knew this had to be an arts space,” she says of the former stone-and-granite business. “I knew I could build a space here where kids could feel safe, be free from bullying and relax in the lobby.”

Photos courtesy of George Burns, Sean Murray and T. Oliver Reid

by Lauren Whitaker

Smallwood recalls helping organize an international tour for the School of Dance while at UNCSA. Advanced dancers learned how to assemble dance floors and to set up lights, and then traveled to Europe, taking classes and performing alongside their peers in Germany, England and Scotland.

“I was gathering all the things needed, pulling all the details together. You have to be prepared for anything and be ready to change on a dime,” she says. “I went so many places I never thought I would go, and met so many people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

She says that was good training for starting a business. “Nothing is ever what it seems. So you adjust, you adapt.”

REID started flexing his entrepreneurial muscles while a student, connecting with peers and campus leaders to organize, finance and produce an allstudent production of “Little Shop of Horrors.”

Since graduating, Reid has spent 20 years on Broadway, most recently in the Tony Awardwinning “Hadestown” and “Once on This Island.”

He also created and produced his own cabaret show, “Drop Me Off In Harlem.” Now he is flexing those same entrepreneurial muscles as a founder of Black Theatre Coalition, aimed at removing the “illusion of inclusion” in American theater. The coalition works to reshape the ecosystem for Black theater professionals who have been marginalized by systemically racist and biased ideology.

Dwana Smallwood helped to develop the dance program for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

Reid says he never thought of the performing arts as anything but entrepreneurial. “It requires all the skills you have as a performer — music, dancing, acting — plus people skills and communications, being able to fundraise and express your ideas to get attention,” he says. “UNCSA is great for that because there are so many people with different skills and knowledge, some of the brightest minds.”

While Jeroslow focused on Design and Production’s lighting program, he took extra classes in welding, technical direction, set construction and drawing. “I took every class they would let me into,” he says. “I wanted to absorb everything I could fill my head with.” His driven pursuit of knowledge fueled a career that has encompassed — often simultaneously — touring with rock bands; building and managing show components for Blue Man Group; flipping houses; teaching helicopter pilots; and making wine as a partner at Elkin Creek Vineyard, creators of award-winning European-style wines in North Carolina’s Piedmont region.

Jeroslow says UNCSA was instrumental in teaching him problem-solving and collaboration, two critical skill sets of an entrepreneur. “You have to leave your ego at the door in a collaborative environment,” he says. “Everyone is bringing ideas to the table, and the point is to find the best outcome for the project.”

AT UNCSA, Murray learned to be versatile. “We weren’t taught just one way of working.

We were given a lot of different options,” he says. “I left with a lot of threads I then wove together to find my own way.”

As an actor in training, he was required to learn about costume design, set construction, lighting and other crafts. “I loved it,” he said. “Not everyone did. I couldn’t get enough, and now, 20 years later, I tap into those skills every day.”

He also learned to take risks, which helped him take the leap to found Cygnet Theatre. “It was terrifying. We had no idea what it would take, but we took a deep breath and we went for it,” he says.

Cygnet has grown from a startup theater organization in a strip mall storefront with an annual budget of $20,000 to an organization with a 246seat theater in the arts district

CENTER: T. Oliver “Tim” Reid performs at an opening night gala for the New York Cabaret Convention.

BOTTOM: Sean Murray stars in “On the 20th Century” at Cygnet Theatre.

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TAKING CHARGE OF SUCCESS

Louis Jeroslow is co-owner of Elkin Creek Vineyard.

work of new playwrights, particularly writers from underrepresented populations. Cygnet has offered online readings of new plays

by Black and Asian writers. “We weren’t going to do something just to be doing something,” he says. “We were only going to do something that was meaningful to us and supported our vision.”

Passion was also the lifeline for Smallwood’s organization. “I watched institutions and businesses devastated,” Smallwood says. “I was fearful, but I could not embrace that as my fate.” With classes moved online and her dream “surviving, but on life support,” she turned again to the neighborhood that had always supported her. Parents and donors came through, and she was able to eventually open her doors for hybrid instruction, retaining her staff of 14. She has spent the year writing grant proposals at the rate of two per week, creating videos to market her programs, and planning for the next emergency.

A sigh of relief — both hesitant and triumphant — is in her voice as she asks, “Did I just make it through that?”

There is no hesitation for Jeroslow in describing how he and his many ventures have survived. “UNCSA gave me the tools I’ve needed to meet any challenge,” he says.

“That’s been the case all along, and it’s true now.”

•

NEW MINOR OFFERS TRAINING IN ARTS ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In today’s increasingly complex and competitive economic environment, possessing the ability to identify, create and execute entrepreneurial ideas that are outside of the traditional performance space is crucial. UNCSA undergraduates can now minor in arts entrepreneurship, gaining the tools, resources and confidence to create opportunities for themselves in the shifting landscape of the arts and entertainment industries.

The 15-credit-hour minor — the first of its kind at UNCSA — is designed to provide students the opportunity to explore and gather experience in a variety of areas related to the business aspects of the arts, including personal finance, basic business and economics, negotiation skills, and developing an entrepreneurial mindset and spirit. Graduates will also benefit from learning how to seek funding for new creative endeavors from both traditional and nontraditional sources.

More information at uncsa.edu/minor

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Photo courtesy of Louis Jeroslow

and a budget of $3 million. “When you produce something yourself, you are responsible for its success,” he says. “You can’t blame someone else if it doesn’t succeed, but you don’t have to wait for someone else to approve what you are doing or making.”

Like artists and entrepreneurs across the globe, these alumni faced a big problem in 2020: how to keep their dreams alive during a pandemic that caused so many organizations to cancel, suspend or severely curtail operations for more than a year.

Conservatory-instilled resilience helped them pivot and power through.

With performance opportunities limited and his passion fueled by the death of George Floyd, Reid focused on his Black Theatre Coalition (BTC), determined that when Broadway reopens, there will be opportunities for all. “There were no Black general managers working on Broadway when it shut down,” he says, adding, “Less than one percent of Black artists working in theater will make it to Broadway.”

Through its apprentices, fellowships and workshops, BTC advocates for inclusive hiring practices on Broadway and throughout professional theater and is working to make sure that artists of color are ready when opportunity knocks. Reid’s five-year plan calls for a 500% increase in Black performers working at the top level of their fields.

Across the country, Murray has used the past year to indulge one of his passions: supporting the

Watch “The Nutcracker” on film at uncsa.edu/nutcracker

Accelerating change

Photo by Peter J. Mueller

UNCSA TRAINS STUDENTS FOR AN INDUSTRY TRANSFORMED BY COVID-19

by Hannah Callaway

Z

oom rehearsals. Hybrid classes and distanced studio spaces. Masked faces. Pint-sized call sheets and sparsely populated stages. This is not what you’d expect at a conservatory offering handson training for the next generation of artists and creative innovators. Until now.

During 2020-21, the COVID-19 pandemic cast a formidable shadow over the world, the effects of which will be felt for years to come. UNCSA is at the intersection of two deeply uprooted industries: arts and education. After a spring semester that pivoted to virtual learning, UNCSA was one of few conservatories of its kind to be able to bring students back to campus for in-person training.

How could the university find a way to allow a nowdivergent community of students, faculty and staff to return to campus safely?

“THE ARTS are facing a new paradigm,” says Chancellor Brian Cole. “Our mission is to train our talented students for professional careers in the arts. That mission has remained the same, even though the way we do it is different.”

Indeed, almost everything is different. Faculty and staff worked tirelessly to invent ways to continue delivering conservatory training at the highest level, despite the limitations presented by the pandemic.

Community health standards, including mask wearing and social distancing in and out of the classroom, were adopted across campus. Each arts school adapted safety protocols from their field to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff — protocols that closely reflected the way the arts industry itself was changing to survive.

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The School of Filmmaking’s protocols, for example, mirror those of the film industry, which include the addition of a COVID-19 compliance officer on all film sets. The new procedures allowed students to continue to make films safely. Fourth-year cinematographer Willow Longbrake jumped at the opportunity to fill the new role.

“It allowed me to train and learn more about the virus and the precautions to prevent spread,” says Longbrake. On set, the compliance officer is tasked with checking in crew members, taking temperatures and monitoring the crew to ensure everyone follows protocol. “Being able to make films with my peers is something I am grateful to have been able to continue doing this year,” she says. But there were challenges to overcome.

Scripts were reworked, schedules adjusted and all films had to be shot on campus. Third- and fourth-year films premiered in virtual and drive-in screenings, instead of in a theater or on the typical annual trip to Los Angeles.

“Those challenges pushed my peers and me to use our creativity to the best of our abilities to make films,” Longbrake says, adding that the most fun part of collaboration this year has been the students’ collective excitement to create. This excitement has permeated the (clean, scrubbed) campus, from film soundstages to dance studios to Watson Hall.

The School of Music’s A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute confronted significant challenges, as the CDC early on deemed singing a high-risk activity for transmission of COVID-19. But the program found creative ways to adapt its classes, rehearsals and mainstage performances. Leasing a downtown office space allowed the small program to build security and comfort, says André Peele (B.M. Music ’11, H.S. Music ’07), a Fletcher Fellow who completed a Professional Artist Certificate through

the institute this year. Meeting rooms with glass walls were converted into practice rooms. A singer could perform inside the room, unmasked, while a teacher stood outside to give instruction. The space was also convenient to the Stevens Center, where winter and spring operas were performed for virtual audiences.

Both operas were double billed with shorter selections, minimizing the number of performers onstage at a time. The School of Design and Production prioritized safety for cast and crew.

Health screenings were completed upon arrival, and zones were assigned to avoid too many people congregating in one area. “There was definitely a sense of isolation,” says Peele, explaining that performers were confined to their dressing rooms when not onstage. “I was in the second show, and never saw the first one. I could hear it, but not see it,” he adds. “We couldn’t see our colleagues performing because the house had to remain empty.” Still, “There are so many artists who can’t perform in any capacity,” says Peele.

“But we could.”

The Fletcher Institute also continued its educational outreach program, a pillar of the institute that introduces opera to elementary school-age children. Instead of visiting schools in person, Fletcher Fellows have performed their short program, “Beethoven Rocks,” among Plexiglas partitions — livestreamed from Watson Hall to students in their classrooms. Finding a creative way to continue the outreach program was of paramount importance, according to Peele.

“The older you get, the more you look back and recognize the people who helped to get you to where you are as an artist,” says Peele. “You’re always planting seeds for future artists. It’s important. I’m glad we’ve been able to continue our outreach.”

Contemporary dancers adjust to wearing masks and working within a floor grid during their class with Kira Blazek-Ziaii.

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FACULTY and staff at UNCSA called upon their best creative skills to preserve performance opportunities for students during the pandemic, despite the inability of audiences to gather in person.

Performances were presented to audiences worldwide through livestreaming and on-demand video, creating filmed versions of dance and theater, and using the state-of-the-art camera system previously installed in the School of Music’s Watson Hall.

During the fall semester, the School of Drama presented Shakespeare’s “Henry V” in the style of an old-fashioned radio play, updated for today’s digital world. “We’re a very visual culture now,” says voice and text faculty member Sara Becker. “This was a way to go back and put words and language first.”

Actors were never in the same room at the same time.

All rehearsals and recordings were conducted over Zoom, then files were delivered to the sound design team to add background sounds and environmental context. “It’s a play about war,” says Director of Sound Design Jason Romney.

“The actors talk and they fight.

We created the sounds of

Photos by André Peele and Wayne Reich

ACCELERATING CHANGE

Fletcher Fellow Kameron Alston (M.M. Music ’22) rehearses safely from behind a glass-walled conference room with professor Marilyn Taylor.

battle. We had to think about where the characters are. What’s the acoustic signature of where they are? What are the sounds?”

The performance offered students a new challenge of emotionally connecting with audiences only through sound and audio. “With an established and dramatic play like ‘Henry V,’ our students not only embraced the fact that they were creating a theatrical environment,” says sound design faculty member Lindsay Jones, “but they continued the tradition of immersing an audience so completely in a story that they suspended their disbelief and sat on the edge of their seats in the listening experience.”

the reaction more genuine,” she explains.

Each role onstage or on set was different from those in previous years. The School of Filmmaking joined to support the production for the first time.

The willingness to adapt and create a new work for film paved the way to success. Expanding to a digital format garnered the production’s largest audience in its 55-year history. The film was viewed more than 116,000 times throughout the holiday season, including a series of broadcasts on PBS North Carolina. The virtual Opening Night Scholarship Benefit, during which the “Nutcracker” film premiered, raised $255,394 in net funds for student scholarships.

“ Those

challenges pushed my peers and me to use our creativity to the best of our abilities. ”

“HENRY V” premiered in November, while students in the schools of Dance, Filmmaking, Design and Production, and Music were bringing to life an ambitious retelling of the beloved UNCSA “Nutcracker,” presented for the first time on film. Directed by Interim Dean of Dance Jared Redick and choreographed

by Dance faculty member Ilya Kozadayev, the 2020 “Nutcracker” is an example of the ingenuity, perseverance and passion of the UNCSA community.

High school ballet student Emma Cilke performed the role of Clara, and embraced the task of developing her character for film. “I enjoyed working with a different mindset,” she says. Unlike other performances, her “Nutcracker” approach centered on conveying the storyline for a film audience. “As dancers, we train to emote our reactions to an audience far away. When putting a camera up close to your face, it’s different to make

THOUGH “The Nutcracker” was arguably the largest collaborative undertaking of the year, all schools incorporated some degree of filmed work into their curriculum or performance calendar. For contemporary dance faculty member Kira Blazek-Ziaii, teaching dance on film was a continued passion. “With video, you can only get better by doing. A lecture doesn’t serve you,” she says. Blazek-Ziaii worked with third-year dancers to create a new work, “Pretender,” in the fall. Though the project was scaled back over time, it provided an excellent study for students to experiment with dancing on film. “You feel more conscientious about asking people to give more energy or more time during COVID,” says Blazek-Ziaii, who initially intended for the piece to be twice as long.

“Everyone has a lot going on.”

This mindfulness served her well when advising senior contemporary students in the Pluck Project. Together, they spent the spring semester preparing to present a virtual showcase of their work. “I consider Pluck to be like a small, collaborative company would be outside of school,” says Blazek-Ziaii. “What are those small companies doing?

How can we learn from them?”

Ultimately, students elected to perform choreography onstage to keep the production as similar as possible to the New York City showcase they would have presented before the pandemic.

“They’re wearing the hats of dancer, choreographer and cinematographer,” says BlazekZiaii. And they’re embracing the challenge. “I’ve seen some maturity coming forward; a lot more gratitude. They’re aware that other schools have stayed fully online.”

GRATITUDE is a common theme when reflecting on a wildly different school year.

Much was lost, but much was gained. And as we peer around the corner at the upcoming year, there’s an eagerness to jump in and get to work creating art together once more.

“If I can emphasize one thing,” adds Blazek-Ziaii, “it’s my desire to teach these kids how to be scrappy. … We always learn through doing, which is what I appreciate about this school.”

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TOP: Rendering of the new residence hall

CENTER: Alex Ewing Performance Place BOTTOM: Semans Arts and Administration Building

A campus evolution I

f you haven’t been to UNCSA for a while, you might be surprised to see the campus looking a little different these days. Despite the pandemic, UNCSA has been able to move ahead this year with several projects to improve the living and learning environment: a brand-new residence hall, a longtime landmark reimagined and critical upgrades to an important performance space.

“Enhancing the living and learning environment was one of five comprehensive campaign pillars and an objective of our Strategic Action Plan,” said Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Michael Smith, who oversees the division responsible for the campus buildings and grounds. “Succeeding at our mission of training the most talented artists for the global entertainment industry requires a substantial investment in the facilities and technology that enable our expert faculty to prepare students for the real world.”

Smith continued: “Even though we’re more than a year into a global pandemic, we continue to make extraordinary progress on several major construction projects at UNCSA. Our new state-of-theart residence hall will be transformational for our campus community and help us attract and retain talented student-artists. The beautiful new Semans Arts and Administration Building (formerly the Semans Library) utilizes a centrally located facility more productively. And the soon-to-be completed Alex Ewing Performance Place renovation upgraded production aspects for our students to industry standards and will enhance the patron experience.”

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NEW AND RENOVATED SPACES MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY’S STUDENT ARTIST

by Marla Carpenter

NEW RESIDENCE HALL PROJECT

Architectural rendering by LS3P Photos by G. Allen Aycock and Wayne Reich

Est. Completion: November 2021 Occupancy: January 2022

UNCSA will soon be opening its first newly constructed residence hall on campus in almost 40 years, a modern facility that will invigorate the residential environment for current and future students.

The new residence hall will be a community-focused living space designed specifically for studentartists, offering the privacy of suitestyle living with two double or single rooms and in-suite bathrooms. At five stories high — the tallest building on campus, with a view of downtown — the hall will incorporate two wings connected by a breathtaking glass bridge. It will accommodate approximately 450 students.

Modern amenities of the hall will include lounges and study areas on every floor, community kitchens, and multiple game areas. Also on-site will be a central laundry facility and an Aramark Provisions on Demand (POD) store.

“The new residence hall will be a welcoming and inviting place where students can study, socialize and relax, conveniently located next to their academic classes and arts studios,” said Vice Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Tracey Ford.

Though first- and second-year college students must live on campus, Ford said she anticipates that even thirdand fourth-year students will want to live there due to its central location.

Following the demolition of Bailey Street Apartments, built in 1984, construction of the new residence hall officially got underway last summer on that site.

Since UNC System schools do not receive state funds for new housing, the $46 million new residence hall will be a self-liquidating project, which means that it must be paid for by funds raised through student housing fees. UNCSA identified a new residence hall for college students as a priority in its Strategic Action Plan in 2015 and its Campus Master Plan, approved in 2017.

The new residence hall was designed by LS3P, which has offices in North and South Carolina and Georgia. The construction manager is Metcon, a Native American-owned business (Lumbee) founded in 1999 in Pembroke.

SEMANS ARTS AND ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (SAAB)

ALEX EWING PERFORMANCE PLACE

Completed: July 2020

Est. Completion: Fall 2021

With students, faculty and staff enjoying a brand-new library for the 21st century that opened in 2015, the building that housed the previous library was reimagined to provide 30,000 square feet in the heart of campus for students, faculty and administration.

The comprehensive renovation, begun in March 2019, added practice rooms, seminar rooms, conference rooms and multipurpose spaces; about a dozen School of Dance and School of Drama faculty offices; a recording studio; and offices for senior administration, including the chancellor, provost, chief of staff and general counsel. Floor-to-ceiling windows and landscaping in front of the building create a striking centerpiece for the campus.

“SAAB is more than a beautiful ‘new’ building; it’s also practical. Due to enrollment and program growth, we were bursting at the seams, but this renovation provided critical new space for students,” Vice Chancellor Smith observed.

“Another accomplishment of the renovation was to bring senior administration to the center of campus and make them much more visible,” said Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management Steve Martin.

“The facility also gives the university a dedicated event, reception and meeting space on the third floor, with a balcony,” Martin said. “We’ve never had anything like that before.”

The design and production of live theater has changed enormously since Alex Ewing Performance Place opened more than 30 years ago, and critical upgrades to our main on-campus performance space were long overdue.

“We were thrilled to be able to proceed with the renovation that is necessary to give our students the best possible learning experience in a facility that reflects current industry standards,” Smith said.

Upgrades were made to both the Gerald Freedman and Catawba theaters, including replacing obsolete theatrical lighting and the installation of AV equipment.

In the Freedman Theatre, the proscenium, or ring, walls were demolished, and the stage was extended on both the left and right, reducing the seating capacity. New seats, carpeting and paint were added to the theater, and finishes were refreshed throughout the facility, to improve the audience experience. Additionally, building maintenance items, such as repairs to the roof and the HVAC, were made.

The project was funded in part by a $5 million gift from beloved late Chancellor Emeritus Alex Ewing, for whom the facility is named. The lead gift in the university’s comprehensive campaign was one of the largest in the school’s history. Other funds came from the Connect NC Bond Act of 2016.

THE SAAB was designed by Szostak Design of Chapel Hill, the architect of record for the Durham Performing Arts Center. Davie Construction of Advance was the general contractor.

At a total cost of $8.5 million, the renovation was funded by the Connect NC Bond Act of 2016.

The original Semans Library opened in 1978 and was named for the late Dr. James H. and Mary D.B.T. Semans, founders and former trustees of UNCSA.

Virtually tour Alex Ewing Performance Place and Semans Arts and Administration Building at uncsa.edu/build.

THE DESIGNER of the $8.8 million project was Vines Architecture of Raleigh, and the contractor was Bar Construction Company of Greensboro.

ON THE HORIZON: THE STEVENS CENTER The long-awaited renovation of the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem remains the university’s top capital priority, with funding approval making its way through the legislative process. The historic landmark, which serves as the largest learning laboratory at UNCSA, is an economic driver for downtown Winston-Salem, and a cultural destination for both residents and visitors. Goals of a renovation are to preserve and enhance opportunities to use the Stevens Center as a classroom, improve the experience of patrons and partner organizations who use the facility, and improve safety and aesthetics of the exterior through façade repair.

•

For more information about supporting the living and learning environment at UNCSA, including naming opportunities, contact Interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement Richard Whittington at 336-770-1372 or whittingtonr@uncsa.edu.

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POWERING CREATIVITY: THE CAMPAIGN FOR UNCSA With more than $75 million raised to date, Powering Creativity: The Campaign for UNCSA is the single largest fundraising effort in school history and has had a transformative impact on students, faculty, staff and the community.

FUNDRAISING

Goal

Exceeded

$65 million

115 % IMPACT SCHOLARSHIPS $35,877,326

INNOVATION $25,479,310

OVERALL

$75,164,637

FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT $6,681,578

FACULTY $5,542,959

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT $1,583,464

As of 6/23/2021

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDE:

Writing the next chapter in the history of UNCSA

More than 70 new endowed and currentuse scholarships created and dozens more expanded.

More than $5.5 million raised from UNCSA alumni.

The renovation of the newly renamed Alex Ewing Performance Place.

New endowed professorships in the schools of Drama, Design & Production, Music, and the Division of Liberal Arts.

F

ive years ago, UNCSA began a comprehensive fundraising effort to generate philanthropic support for our next generation of artists — our first campaign in decades and the largest ever undertaken by our university.

With a lead gift from beloved Chancellor Emeritus Alex Ewing, Powering Creativity: The Campaign for UNCSA began quietly in 2016 and launched publicly in September 2019, having raised nearly $54 million of its $65 million goal. Since then, the campaign has far exceeded that goal and has concluded with more than $75 million raised.

“Every gift received toward Powering Creativity expands access to the immersive instruction UNCSA provides,” says Chancellor Brian Cole. “These donations support world-class faculty, fuse artistic vision with emerging technologies and

techniques, enhance our facilities, and build bridges between our campus and the wider community.”

Former Vice Chancellor for Advancement Edward J. Lewis III, who now leads the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts after six years at the helm of our school’s fundraising effort, says, “UNCSA is a remarkable place full of outstanding students, faculty, staff and administrators who are constantly looking for ways to infuse the world with artistry and creativity.

I am grateful to our selfless donors for continuing to build the future of the arts by empowering our artists of tomorrow.”

We thank every supporter who made Powering Creativity a resounding success.

You are fueling the artistic and educational journeys of our emerging artists and ensuring the continued success of our university.

There are still many ways to support Chancellor Cole’s vision and shape the future of human expression. Visit uncsa.edu/giving to learn more or contribute today.

An endowed professorship supporting guest artists.

The creation or expansion of initiatives and programs such as the Institute for Performance Innovation, the Choreographic Institute, the Media and Emerging Technology Lab (METL), and the Animatronics M.F.A. program.

Nearly 19,300 gifts made by more than 10,000 unique donors.

Forty-one new planned gifts totaling $12.5 million.

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1533 SOUTH MAIN ST. WINSTON-SALEM, NC 27127-2738

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 1 Winston-Salem, NC

Brennan Martinez ’20 A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute

CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RENOWNED A.J. FLETCHER OPERA INSTITUTE This fully-endowed program provides high level training for future operatic artists. Learn more at uncsa.edu/fletcher20.