The University of Nebraska at Kearney, Department of Music, Theatre, and Dance is pleased to introduce its Zoom Spotlight Sessions. With this series, we hope to explore the many facets of Theatre and Dance (performance, design, management, etc.) through Zoom conversations and mini-workshops presented by industry professionals. These Zoom Sessions are open to UNK students and others from near and far who may be interested in learning more about the art we are so passionate about.
To register for a Zoom session, please click the link in the session description. Once your registration has been received, you will be forwarded a Zoom link to the appropriate session. Please note: some Zoom sessions have a limited capacity and UNK Theatre & Dance students will be given priority in filling those sessions.
David Krupla will discuss how to develop and utilize effective paperwork for lighting design. He will also touch on how to create renderings for lighting design.
David is currently the Lighting Director for The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, and Resident Lighting Designer for The Studio Theatre at Tierra Del Sol located in The Villages, Florida.
Previous design credits include: Neighbors: A Fair Trade Agreement and Assassins (The Studio Theatre Tierra Del Sol), King John and Hamlet (Nebraska Shakespeare), She Loves Me, Hansel & Gretel, Iago’s Plot, Dream Girls, and In the Blood (University of Illinois), The Skin of Our Teeth, Twelfth Night and The Crucible (Cuyahoga Community College), These are the Times workshop production (Cleveland Public Theatre), The World Goes Round (Porthouse Theatre), Ragtime, Cloud 9, and 4.48 Psychosis (Kent State University), and Next Fall (Weathervane Playhouse). He has worked with such companies as Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Nebraska Shakespeare, Near West Theatre, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, The Santa Fe Opera, and Great Lakes Theatre. David holds an MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA from Kent State University. T o see and learn more visit www.davidkrupladesigns.com
Susan Schuld will offer an introductory session on how to find, learn, and speak different dialects and accents.
Susan Schuld has been acting, vocal coaching, and teaching nationally for over 25 years. She is an assistant professor of Voice, Speech, and Accents/Dialects for the Department of Theatre and Dance and the University of Florida. Previous teaching faculties include: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Virginia Commonwealth University, The Actor's Studio at Pace University MFA program, Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts, NYU Tisch School of the Arts CAP21, Circle in the Square, Maggie Flanigan Acting Studio, The Linklater Center, University of Northern Iowa, and serving as the Director in Residence at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, UK for Mason Gross School of the Arts in 2003-2004. Regional acting and vocal coaching credits include: American Players Theatre, Hippodrome Theatre Company, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Henley Street/Richmond Shakespeare, Playwrights Horizon’s NYC, Mile Square Theater, Amphibian Productions, Colonial Theater, Childsplay AZ, and the Berkshire Theatre Festival. M.F.A in Acting from Rutgers University, Designated Linklater Teacher, Certified Teacher of the Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and Certified Teacher of the National Michael Chekhov Association.
Kally Duling will conduct an audition workshop, including suggestions for picking songs and monologues, as well as what to expect of your audition processes beyond college.
Kally began acting at the age of nine when she got drug along to an audition at the Lincoln Community Playhouse with her older brother, Michael. Despite her quiet and shy nature, her giant glasses won the director over and she was cast as a moon rabbit in the renowned production of The Man in the Moon. Since then, she’s been hooked. Kally received a BFA in Acting as well as a BS in Education from Nebraska Wesleyan University and moved to New York shortly after graduation. She has worked at some of the country's most celebrated regional theatres including George Street Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Alliance Theatre, Fulton Opera House, Bay Street Theatre and several others. She can be heard on video games and toys for both Scholastic and Fischer Price. Her TV work includes One Bad Choice on MTV and The Goodwife on CBS. One of the highlights of her career was appearing in the Tony winning musical, Fun Home on Broadway as well as the national tour. Her newest (and favorite) role is Mom to Winnie Rose Noth.
Kyle Garrelts (a UNK Theatre alumnus) will be describe his experiences in alternate entertainment including music festivals, sporting events, and theme parks.
Kyle Garrelts has worked in entertainment professionally for 12 years in numerous positions across multiple branches of the industry. He started his journey with receiving a BA in Theater from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2013. He spent a few summers participating in summer stock theatres from Michigan to Montana, in the roles of Carpenter, Scenic Designer and/or Technical Director, before deciding to attend graduate school in California. Kyle graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2016 with an MFA in Technical Direction. He has worked in over 10+ states in a wide variety of positions from Carpenter to Site Supervisor, from Designer to Technical Manager, and many more. Kyle considers himself lucky to be able to explore different aspects of entertainment including theater, production/fabrication shops, live televised events, music festivals, and theme parks. He is fortunate for the journey that his career has taken him on, and he is excited to see what comes next. Some of his favorite projects include Universal Studios Hollywood "Halloween Horror Nights" (3yrs), Lightning in a Bottle Music Festival (2 yrs), and USH New Year's Eve 2018.
Rick Sordelet, considered the top fight choreographer in the country, will be conducting a virtual fight choreography workshop.
Rick Sordelet’s credits include 44 Broadway productions, including Disney’s The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, The Little Mermaid, and Aida. He has staged the fights for the opera Cyrano de Bergerac starring Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House, and the LaScala in Milan, Italy; and for over 40 productions on five continents. Film: The Game Plan starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Dan in Real Life starring Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche; and Hamlet starring Campbell Scott. He served as the chief stunt coordinator for Guiding Light and staged the fights for First Jedi, a CD-ROM for George Lucas. Rick received the Lucille Lortel Award for Sustained Excellence in 2007. He teaches at Yale School of Drama, The New School for Drama, and The Neighborhood Playhouse. He is a company member of The Drama Dept., a board member of The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, and the author of the play Buried Treasure. He is married to actress Kathleen Kelly and has three children: Kaelan, Christian, and Collin.
Tracy Armagost will be conducting a resume workshop where she will accept resumes from participants in advance and review them during the session. She will also discuss the process of interviewing with the Santa Fe Opera. This workshop will include additional guests from Santa Fe Opera: Mike Ortiz (Technical Director), Kim Buetzow (Costume Workshop Supervisor), and Randy Lutz (Properties Director).
Tracy is currently the Production and Recruiting Coordinator for the Sante Fe Opera located outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her main responsibilities at SFO include the programming and recruiting for the Apprentice Program for Technicians and facilitating the hiring for the seasonal production Staff. Tracy feels that one of the most rewarding parts of her job is meeting students from all around the United States and continually being inspired by their enthusiasm. In 2014, Tracy was honored to be awarded a Kennedy Center Gold Medallion for her dedication to KCACTF and Region V.
Thank you for your interest in our Zoom Spotlight Sessions! If you would like to suggest topics for future sessions, we encourage you to send an email to unktheatre@unk.edu.
