Theatre & Dance Newsletter

Failure: A Love Story

The new season first brought audiences the whimsical play Failure: A Love Story. Written by Philip Dawkins, the production explored the inevitable nature of time through both humor and heartache. Students were charged to inhabit people of the 1920s but also clocks, animals, and even a gramophone. All in ninety minutes, the show offered a vibrant start to the season by reminding us what it feels like to live, love, and lose. The play was directed by Jonathan Herbert, marking his first mainstage production with the department, with Mati Romagnoli (’27) serving as stage manager. Rob Eastman-Mullins designed the set, guest artist CJ Barnwell designed the lights, and Lara Ianni served as fight choreographer. Student contributions were central to the production as well: Maggie Payne (’26) designed costumes, Carly Galbreth (’27) designed sound, Ziqi Huang (’27) designed props, and Xinqing “Tracy” Xie (’28) served as assistant director. With the show’s many musical moments, Hannah Reynolds (’26) worked as music director, and dancer Kenley McClure (’27) provided choreography.

Background image features Taylor Nisbet, Lauren Veldhuizen, Hannah Reynolds, Ethan Anderson, Nola Adepoju, Allison Sweeney, and Casey Salzman. Photo Credit: Nick Fantasia

Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery

With opening night falling on the spooky day of Halloween, Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery was the perfect show to take the second slot. The classic whodunnit novel was brought to life in a comedic yet cleverly suspenseful production. Originally written for five performers, the department expanded the cast to eight, many of whom played multiple characters, tackled multiple accents, and embraced deliciously heightened roles. The play was directed by J.K. Curry and stage managed by Ziqi Huang (‘27). Designers included Dahlia Al-Habieli (scenic), CJ Barnwell (lighting), Alice Burton Barsony (costume), and David M. Greenberg (sound). Faculty members Michael Kamtman served as fight choreography and Leah Elyce Roy as accent and vocal coach.

Background photo features Nola Adepoju, Annika Seth, Anjali Mazurek, and Senya Li. Photo Credit: Bill Ray III

Fall Faculty & Guest Artist Concert

This year’s Fall Faculty & Guest Artist Concert beautifully showcased a wide range of styles across its seven dances. Faculty choreographers included Nina Maria Lucas Rice, whose piece explored the joy that comes from dance; Chris Martin, who crafted a lovely, synchronized, and airy trio; Sam Shapiro, with a mix of spirited ballet numbers; Christina Soriano, whose contemporary piece was driven by the individuality of each dancer; Tina Yarborough Liggins, who contributed an upbeat work that played with movement in heels; and new faculty member Chelsea Hilding, whose choreography explored containment and featured live musicians. Guest choreographer Enrique Rosario also presented a beautiful and charged three-person tap number set to classical music. Karsen Green costume designed and guest artist Haley Brown lighting designed while Margaret Williams (‘26) served as stage manager.

Guest choreographer Enrique Rosario is an international professional tap dancer, choreographer, and instructor based in North Carolina. A 2018 YoungArts winner and mentee of Sarah Reich, Enrique has performed with Dorrance Dance, Reverb Tap Company, and at venues including the Joyce Theater and The Ryman. He currently serves as tap director at InMotion Dance Center and as an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University and UNC Greensboro.

Background photo features dancers from Tina Yarborough Liggins's "Pump THRU". Photo Credit: Bill Ray III

Student Productions

Orion

This year, Anthony Aston Players’ annual show was Matthew McLachlan’s Orion. With a small four-person cast, three of whom were first year students, the play explored tough relationships at the start of adulthood with humor. The play was directed by Maya Roth (‘26) and stage managed by Jane Ivey Johnson (‘27). Carly Galbreth (‘27) served as lighting designer, Gabby Miller (‘26) as scenic designer, Alyssa Cheng (‘26) as costume designer, and Liwen Zhang (‘27) as sound designer.

Roses Fading

For her honors project, senior Hannah Reynolds expanded a play that began as a 20-page script for her sophomore playwriting class into a 74-page, 90-minute play. In mid-October, she entered the second phase of the project by casting five students who, for a few hours each week, gathered to read the play including any new scenes and offered suggestions to help develop the work. With support from Carly Galbreth (’27), who served as both production manager and lighting designer, the show was presented as a staged reading on December 3rd, followed by a talkback. Roses Fading follows a young woman named Rose who, while on a hike, becomes trapped in a mysterious town where time seems to stand still. The town’s residents are slowly losing their memories, and with each forgotten moment, they risk disappearing entirely. As Rose navigates this eerie, surreal place, she encounters people whose hidden connections unfold throughout the story. The play blends humor, melancholy, and a touch of the fantastical, and Hannah hopes to continue developing the work in the future and see it produced elsewhere.

Across the Pond: Theatre Abroad

This fall, fourteen students had the opportunity to study abroad in London, led by Associate Professor of Design & Production Kevin Frazier. The program also was accompanied by alumnus Evan Souza (‘24) who was the trip’s International Program Assistant.  In Introduction to Design and Production, students explored everything from creating masks inspired by the seven deadly sins to designing costumes for their own London-themed gods and goddesses. The students also got the opportunity to learn more about stage management from Wake theatre alumnus Lily Wieland (‘19) who currently serves as an assistant stage manager for Hadestown on the West End, and even got the chance to have a backstage tour and meet with the cast. Other backstage tours were held at the Royal Opera House, National Theatre, and Victoria & Albert Museum Theatre Costume Exhibit. In Modern English and Continental Drama and the London Stage, students sharpened their critical analysis by seeing ten productions—five together and five independently—and writing journals reflecting on their experiences. Together, they saw Twelfth Night at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Bacchae at the National Theatre, Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noël Coward Theatre, and The Maids at the Donmar Warehouse.

Background image of the Thames and London. Photo Credit: J.M. Stowers

Faculty Spotlight

Rob Eastman-Mullins

Professor of Design & Production Rob Eastman-Mullins was recently recognized by his alma mater, the University of Mary Washington, with the Distinguished Alumnus Award—an honor reserved for graduates who have made exceptional contributions to their fields and communities. He graduated summa cum laude with a self-designed major in theatre management, and the award celebrates the remarkable career he has built since: as a worldwide award-winning scenic, lighting, and costume designer; artistic director for the U.S. submission to the 2027 Prague Quadrennial; founder of the aWAKEn International Scenic Design Competition; advocate for design innovation; and, of course, a dedicated professor here at Wake Forest. Learn more here.

Christina Soriano

Reynolds Professor of Dance and former Vice Provost for the Arts and Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Christina Soriano, recently completed her MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute. The 12-month program equips arts leaders with practical skills and innovative strategies to navigate today’s complex creative landscape. Soriano was also a finalist for the Global Arts Prize, which recognizes organizations taking innovative approaches in the arts. Her NeuroArtsLab was on The Global Arts Prize, Legacy Award Shortlist for integrating neuroscience, aging research, and the arts to support older adults.

Alumni Spotlight

Katharine McEnery Pittman

For nearly eleven years, Katharine McEnery Pittman (’07) has brought Martha Washington to life at Colonial Williamsburg, the nation’s leading living-history destination. A theatre major and history minor, Pittman uses the research, performance, and storytelling skills honed at Wake Forest every day as she interprets one of America’s most influential women. After extensive archival study and training, she debuted as a young Martha Washington in 2016, a role that now includes crafting historically informed scenes, riding horseback through the historic area, and engaging thousands of visitors with the nuances of 18th-century life. Pittman’s work blends rigorous scholarship with dynamic performance, making early American history accessible, complex, and even more fascinating. Read more in Wake Forest Magazine’s Web Exclusive.

Drew Droege

Playwright, comedian, and actor Drew Droege (‘99) continues to make a fearless mark on the Off-Broadway scene. His latest comedy, Messy White Gays, now running at the Duke on 42nd Street, extends the sharp satirical universe he built with his previous hits Bright Colors and Bold Patterns and Happy Birthday Doug. Featuring a five-person ensemble (including Droege himself), the play explores a couple who murders their boyfriend on a Sunday morning but then quickly realizes they must hide the body in preparation for a brunch. Having studied Theatre and English at Wake, Droege has built a career defined by comedic precision and bold storytelling. Check out the site for Messy White Gays here.

Kyle Haden

A fellow 1999 Wake Forest graduate, Kyle Haden (‘99) is an accomplished artistic leader, director, educator, and Equity actor. He currently serves as the Senior Associate Professor of Acting at Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama and leads ColLABo, the school’s production development incubator, where he serves as its Artistic Producer. Haden is recognized for his impact on new play development. He is an Artistic Associate and former Artistic Director of the Ashland New Plays Festival in Oregon, where over a dozen plays went on to have nationwide premieres. Haden also led the 2016 Women’s Invitational where one of the winning plays Cost of Living won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. Beyond his directing and artistic leadership, Haden serves as a Senior Coordinating Producer with the Black Lives, Black Words International Project and is a member of artEquity’s BIPOC Leadership Circle. Read more at his Carnegie Mellon bio page.

Organizations Around Campus

Anthony Aston Players

Anthony Aston Players had a packed semester. Beyond their work in Scales, the club placed second in the campus-wide philanthropic event Hit the Bricks, raising funds for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. They also kickstarted the new “Welcome Home Brunch” during Homecoming Weekend, an event designed to connect current theatre students, faculty, and alumni right in the Scales lobby. Halloween brought their annual Haunted Tunnels, themed this year as Twisted Toyland, which transformed the tunnels between Babcock and Luter into an immersive haunted toy shop. In addition to their programming, AAP pledges to help raise donations in response to recent cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Dramatic Literature Club

The Dramatic Literature Club celebrated its first year on campus with a full and thoughtful semester of programming. Members read and discussed several plays, including The Crucible, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and John Proctor is the Villain. Their conversation on the latter featured a special visit from theatre faculty member Karsen Green, who originated the role of “Shelby” in the play’s first workshop. The club also attended the North Carolina Black Repertory Company’s production of Ossie Davis’s Purlie Victorious and met with the cast afterward—one being Wake Forest theatre alumnus Elliot Lerner (‘12). Additional events this semester included a National Theatre watch party of Frankenstein, as well as group outings to A Motown Christmas and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?.

Can’t Stop the Beat

Also celebrating its first year, Can’t Stop the Beat, Wake’s musical theatre dance club, learned choreography inspired by “A Lovely Night” from La La Land and showcased it at the Club Dance Showcase.

Lost in Translation

Lost in Translation had a standout semester both onstage and in the community. They performed at the Harvest Moon Festival, Parents’ Weekend, and the Club Dance Showcase, bringing high-energy covers and vibrant choreography to each event. This fall also marked their annual LIT Showcase, featuring guest performers from NC State and Salem College. Beyond performances, LIT expanded its campus presence with its first collaborations with the Korean American Student Association, hosting game nights and a meet-and-greet.

Momentum Crew

Momentum Crew kept campus moving this semester with performances at Parents’ Weekend, Project Pumpkin, the Club Dance Showcase, and the LIT Showcase. In addition to their live shows, the team also filmed their annual fall video which spotlights their choreography, creativity, and signature blend of hip-hop and contemporary styles.

Spring Events

We have several productions scheduled in our spring semester. Below is a list of events.

• Old Times by Harold Pinter. Directed by Cindy Gendrich. February 6-8 & 12-15, Ring Theatre.
• Studio Series presents a one-act double billing. Barn Wood and Blue Roses by Jacquelyn Priskorn, directed by Abby Parr ('26) and The Son by Rachel Leopold, directed by Callie Wittmann ('27). February 27-March 1, Ring Theatre.
• Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill: The Musical by Cody Diablo, Glen Ballard, and Alanis Morissette. Directed by Stephen Wrentmore. April 3-4 & 8-12, Tedford Stage.
• Spring Student Choreographic Concert. Directed by Tina Yarborough Liggins. April 23-26, Tedford Stage.

For more information about productions next semester, please visit our website or follow us on Facebook or Instagram. We hope to see you at the theatre!

If you're in the Winston-Salem area and are interested in ballet classes (either for children or yourself), be sure to check out the Community Ballet website for class details!