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UCI's Creative EngineUCI's Creative Engine
Through art, dance, music and drama, UCI artists push boundaries and fuel innovation By Christine Byrd This winter, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts will treat audiences to riveting performances and thought-provoking exhibitions, all of which are the result of a thriving creative engine...
Broadway Visions Come TrueBroadway Visions Come True
UCI Dance alumni Justin Keats and Amy Quanbeck share their skills during a masterclass homecoming By Isabella Granqvist and Mia Hammett At UCI, the Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) Department of Dance does one thing exceptionally well: turn talented, eager undergraduate dance majors...
Living the DreamLiving the Dream
M.F.A. student Blake Elliott returns to UCI after following career aspirations in New York City By Christine Byrd For students dreaming of a career in theater, nothing beats working on a New York City stage. Just ask second-year M.F.A. student Blake Elliott, who returns to UCI this winter...
A Name to RememberA Name to Remember
M.F.A. candidate Mary Hill stars as Biddy Mason – and hopes you’ll remember them both By Christine Byrd Unlike many of her peers who were on stage from the time they were little, Mary Hill didn’t find her way to the theater until college. In fact, her pursuit of the arts resulted from a happy...
A RevelationA Revelation
Ariyan Johnson teaches hip hop, jazz and healing to her dance students By Christine Byrd Ariyan Johnson is used to being ahead of the curve. First as a pioneer of East Coast hip hop and as an actor and, since coming to UCI in 2020, as a scholar, too. This year, she is one of seven UCI junior...
Arts Advocates: Dr. Steven M. SorensonArts Advocates: Dr. Steven M. Sorenson
DIVERSITY CHAMPION Q&A with Dr. Steven M. Sorenson Dr. Steven M. Sorenson is a radiologist and arts advocate. He serves on the board of directors for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Dr. Sorenson is also the president of the Ibex Foundation...
Marlaina Owens Is An Operatic Force to Reckon WithMarlaina Owens Is An Operatic Force to Reckon With
The Fulbright scholar on privilege, Paris and the paired criticisms of being ‘too much’ By Mia Hammett A classical singer, actress and performer, Marlaina Owens has the pleasure of adding “2022-23 Fulbright Scholar” to an already extensive set of professional arts experiences. Owens...
Made in CaliforniaMade in California
The arts and education helped new dean Tiffany Ana López reimagine her own life By Christine Byrd For Tiffany Ana López, joining the Claire Trevor School of the Arts as dean is a double homecoming. Both a return to her native California and to the public higher-education system that shaped...
UCI Drama alum scores critical praise for horror thrillerUCI Drama alum scores critical praise for horror thriller
Ryan Imhoff, M.F.A. Acting ’11 and New Swan Shakespeare Festival alum, has written and directed the award-winning horror film Fresh Hell, which has won Best Feature Film at four film festivals dedicated to the horror genre. “This film was created on a string and a prayer by a group of...
Artful Summers
‘We Need More’ of Taylor Fagins‘We Need More’ of Taylor Fagins
The UCI Drama alum shares more about his journey to become an American Idol It’s nearly 10 p.m. on the third straight day of filming, and Taylor Fagins, ’17 is the final contestant to audition for American Idol’s celebrity judges. He sits down at a grand piano — an instrument he plays but...
Arts Advocates: Mary Gilly & John GrahamArts Advocates: Mary Gilly & John Graham
BARD BOOSTERS Q&A with Mary Gilly & John Graham Mary Gilly and her husband, John Graham, professors emeriti of marketing, are passionate about theater and the dramatic arts. They have been loyal supporters of the New Swan Shakespeare Festival since its founding in 2012. They became...
The Maestro Has Left the BuildingThe Maestro Has Left the Building
Dr. Stephen Tucker, 22-year music director for the UCI Symphony Orchestra, reflects on his time at CTSA By Matt Coker Stephen Tucker’s accomplishments would not only fill the orchestra pit but the entire Hollywood Bowl. The professor and Robert and Marjorie Rawlins Chair of Music teaches...
Shakespeare, ReunitedShakespeare, Reunited
This, this! No more, you gods! Your present kindness Makes my past miseries sports. – Pericles By Christine Byrd Pericles’ joy over being reunited with his family after years apart may resonate with actors and audiences when Pericles, Prince of Tyre and The Comedy of Errrorrs (note the...
Arts Advocates: Matt BaileyArts Advocates: Matt Bailey
ARTS ENTREPRENEUR Q&A with Matt Bailey Trained as a fine art photographer, Matt Bailey blended artistry with entrepreneurship throughout his career — from opening a tattoo shop in Albuquerque to co-founding a software company serving photographers. Bailey went on to earn an M.B.A. from...
Catalyst for InnovationCatalyst for Innovation
Art students get creative outside gallery walls By Christine Byrd After more than a year away from campus due to the pandemic, Claire Trevor School of the Arts students were thrilled to get back into studios and in-person classes in fall 2021. For the five student leaders of the Catalyst...
Taking a BowTaking a Bow
By Christine Byrd One of the most satisfying parts of my tenure has been raising awareness of the way in which arts are radically interdisciplinary. Stephen Barker’s career is hard to pin down: He has been a dancer, actor, director, creative writer, translator, critical theorist and, for...
Alumnus Skyler Gray is changing the industry, one production at a timeAlumnus Skyler Gray is changing the industry, one production at a time
By Mia Hammett Alum Skyler Gray (B.A. Directing and Stage Management, ’11) continues to push the boundaries of new play development. Having entered UCI as a music theater major, Gray’s academic and professional career inevitably evolved to recognize his desire to advocate for creators,...
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