Douglas Lowry earned his bachelor of music degree in theory and composition in 1974 from the University of Arizona. He went on to earn two master’s degrees from the University of Southern California in Trombone performance (1976) and orchestral conducting (1978). He is now Dean of the Eastman School of Music, recently ranked No 1 in the nation. Lowry says, “I am honored to be asked to serve the Eastman faculty and its many constituents as its new dean,” said Lowry. “I look forward to working with the entire Eastman community to further enhance the school’s presence in the international theater of music.”

Jon O'Brien, a 2007 Media Arts graduate, has been hired by Fox as a Production Assistant for post-production of the film, "The Dark is Rising." The job opportunity came about because of a highly competitive internship that took place at Twentieth Century Fox. The internship was made possible by UA alum and Hanson Film Institute Industry Council member John Kilkenny, Senior Vice President, Visual Effects, Twentieth Century Fox. The placements at Fox are part of the advanced internships offered through the UA School of Media Arts Internship Program, under the directorship of Dr. Mary Beth Haralovich. O'Brien is the third alum to complete an internship that led to a job at Fox.

Gary Mauer, who received a BFA in Musical Theatre in 1989, recently played the title role in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway while the current leading man was on vacation. He is back to playing the role of Raoul, a nobleman and patron of the opera, and currently holds the record for performing that character more than any other actor on Broadway (over 1,500 times). Other Broadway and national tour credits include Les Misérables, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Show Boat.

Melissa Lone, who received a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2000, recently joined the cast of Mary Poppins (ensemble) in her Broadway debut. Previous credits include national tours of Beauty and the Beast, Mamma Mia! and 42nd Street.

Ben Crawford, who received a BFA in Musical Theatre in 2005, just made his Broadway debut in Les Misérables playing the part of Courfeyrac, the factory foreman, and Brujon, one of Thenardier’s gang members. For a month he alternated playing the role of Javert, the inspector, with another cast member until the new lead arrived. In addition to his current roles, he is also understudying the lead roles of Javert and Jean Valjean. Previous credits include Oliver!, Carousel, White Christmas, Oklahoma!, and Assassins.

Jessica James Lansdon, second year MFA student in Visual Communications, was selected to attend the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in summer of 2007. Founded in 1946, Skowhegan is an intensive nine-week summer residency program for emerging visual artists.

1,685 applicants competed for sixty-five residency spots this year. This rate of acceptance made Skowhegan one of the most competitive residency programs in the country. Jessica has returned, and reports being deeply effected by the experience; which invigorated her practice as well as her approach to art making.

NALIP Film Crew on Campus

The Los-Angeles-based National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) conducted their 5th Annual Latino Producers Academy from Aug 7-17 in Tucson with the support of School of Media Arts and the Hanson Film Institute.

In addition to supporting NALIP through the use of its digital video editing equipment and computer resources, the School and Institute provided faculty and staff expertise as well as student interns and workers to the production teams and workshop facilitators throughout the Producers Academy.

Students from the School of Media Arts were chosen to act as production interns and producers assistants for the intensive ten-day professional development workshops. The NALIP assistants work beside industry experts, filmmakers, actors, and producers from Los Angeles and elsewhere.

Photo by Alex Gonzalez

Three very talented undergraduate BFA students, Ryan McIntosh, Alex Gonzalez and Nicole Soloway were recipients of the 2007 Western Photographic Historical Society College Scholarship prize for Arizona undergraduate students.

The $5000 scholarship is only awarded to three Arizona colleges and university students pursuing a career in photography or related field. Students were judged on the quality of their portfolios, academic achievement, goals, and work ethic. Since its inception eleven years ago the Western Photographic Historical Society College Scholarship has never been awarded to a student in the Photography program at the University of Arizona. We are very proud to announce that all three awards went to our students this year.

Dancers’ Consortium (Dancers’ Consort), an independent UA student run organization, enhances the quality of life for dance majors and gives the students valuable experience in the areas of administration, fundraising, and philanthropy.

Each year Dancers’ Consort members provide logistical support for the School of Dance’s annual Arizona Jazz Dance Showcase (AJDS). The group also supports the fall and spring productions of Last Chance to Dance (LC2D), fun packed evenings of student choreography. Members also act as mentors and buddies for incoming students, and the group organizes informal social events like pool parties and potlucks for members.

In May 2007, Dancers’ Consort raised $2,000 for scholarships. Stella Amblade, Becca Henderson, Dallas Williamson, Stephanie Brooks and Ellery Baum were the 2007 Dancers’ Consort Scholarship awardees.

School of Media Arts faculty member Yuri Makino won the Best Director Award at the Reel Sisters Film Festival for her short film ALMA. ALMA was also screened at Cine Cuauhtemoc Pan American Film Festival in Houston on September 24, No Festival Required in Phoenix on October 7, and Film Nuit A La Paper Heart in Phoenix on October 10. ALMA will be screened at Cine Sin Fin in Los Angeles on November 6 and the Phoenix Museum on January 13, 2008.

ALMA won an Award of Excellence in the Independent Short Film category at the 2007 Accolade Competition, "Best Narrative Film" at the University Film and Video Association Conference Faculty Juried Screenings, and The Ledo Matteoli Award for Best Immigrant Story at the 2007 Humboldt Film Festival.

School of Media Arts faculty member Beretta E. Smith-Shomade was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to conduct research and lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Smith-Shomade will conduct research on traditional Yoruba religious practices as well as the mediated Christian impulse in contemporary Nigeria. She will also teach two graduate-level classes on the media.

Currently, Smith-Shomade's scholarship focuses on the intersections of race, gender, class, generation, and sexuality within visual culture. She published the book "Shaded Lives: African-American Women and Television" with Rutgers University Press in 2002. Forthcoming in October of 2007 is Smith-Shomade’s historical and cultural study of Black Entertainment Television titled: "Pimpin Ain't Easy: Selling Black Entertainment Television."

School of Theatre Arts faculty member Harold Dixon has been touring the country with Ella, the new musical about the life of Ella Fitzgerald. He plays her manager, Norman Granz. Dixon created the role here in Tucson with the Arizona Theatre Company, working with director, Rob Ruggiero, playwright, Jeffrey Hatcher, and Tina Fabrique, who plays Ella. Subsequently, he performed this role at the Asolo Repertory Theatre in Sarasota, Florida, and at San Jose Repertory Theatre in California.

Dixon is now on hiatus, and is back at the School of Theatre Arts teaching classes and directing Candide. In December, he will rejoin the Ella company for a two month run at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. From there, he will go on to the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and the Cincinnati Playhouse. There are plans for additional venues after that, but nothing has been formalized.

Thomas Cockrell, Nelson Riddle Endowed Chair in Music and Director of Orchestral Activities, traveled to Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu and Bucharest, Romania in May. In addition to conducting a concert with the Filarmonica Transilvania in Cluj, he laid the groundwork for a possible alliance between the UA School of Music and conservatories and professional orchestras in those cities. This is an initiative of the newly established James E. Rogers Institute for Orchestral and Opera Conducting, which will welcome its first class of conductors in August 2008.

Upon his return from Romania, Cockrell and his wife, Yvonne Creanga, traveled to the Interlochen Arts Camp for their second year of conducting and teaching. The summer camp is affiliated with the venerable Interlochen Arts Acedemy, now in its 80th year and a recent recipient of the National Medal of Arts.

Art and Visual Culture Education faculty member Elizabeth Garber, former visiting scholar G.E. Washington, and graduate student Alina Campana taught a summer institute for teachers in Santa Cruz County to integrate the arts and community across the curriculum. Teachers in the institute created idea maps and improvisational dances; participated in panel discussions with community members and artists; engaged in an online discussion with Mat Schwarzman, co-author of Beginner's Guide to Community-based Art and; visited Tumacácori to consider the relationship between place, history, the environment, and the arts; and created arts-based presentations of their integrated curriculum ideas. The curriculum ideas presented involved music and community across the border, environment and art, and math and art.

School of Theatre Arts faculty member Bobbi McKean helped create educational internship partnerships with professional theatres across the country for three undergraduate theatre arts education students this past year.

During 2007, Christina Culligan worked with the Lexington Children's Theatre, Elyse Tussey interned with the Arizona Theatre Company’s (ATC) Summer on Stage program, and Moriah Flagler served as an intern with the Drama School at Seattle Children’s Theatre (SCT).

Culligan states that her internship was “a life changing experience! I learned about myself as a teacher, an artist and a person.” Flagler confirmed that her internship “opened my eyes to the possibilities in theatre education and helped me see what I might want to do after getting my theatre education degree.” Tussey remarked her internship with ATC "was a very exciting opportunity to work with professionals in the theater field."

The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved the name change from 'Department' to 'School' of Media Arts. The College of Fine Arts is now comprised of five professional schools. The outstanding national and international record of Media Arts faculty as well as the excellent outcomes of Media Arts graduates over the last several years underscores the quality of the school and new standing.

Media Arts is also being honored with the Peter W. Likins Inclusive Excellence Award for the 2006-2007 academic year. The Inclusive Excellence Awards (IEA) recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated a significant contribution toward enhancing the academic distinction of The University of Arizona by creating a diverse and inclusive community.

This year, Arizona Theatre Company honored The University of Arizona School of Theatre Arts with the 2007 Georgy Award. The Georgy Award is presented annually to recognize the significant impact that certain individuals or organizations have had on ATC and on the arts in Arizona.

For 10 years, the School of Theatre Arts and Arizona Theatre Company have successfully partnered together, creating many outstanding programs designed to give young aspiring actors opportunities for growth. Each season, UA students perform and understudy roles in ATC shows with amazing success. Talented School faculty members also serve as actors, combat instructors, dialect coaches, and designers for ATC productions.