Brett J. Banakis recently teamed up with longtime collaborator and Fashion Designer Rachel Antonoff, designing sets for her fall/winter collection look book photo shoot. Brett is beginning work on a new musical, Renascence, based on the life and poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay, with poems set to music by Carmel Dean. Renascence is set to have its world premiere with the Transport Group this fall, co-directed by Jack Cummings III and Dick Scanlan. Brett is continuing work as International Scenic Supervisor on NYC and Worldwide productions of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with Set Design by Christine Jones. Brett continues other collaborative work with Christine Jones: they are co-designing a new musical, The Cher Show, based on the life of - and featuring the music of - Cher. They are also working on a new production of La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera, directed by Michael Mayer, with costumes by Susan Hilferty.
M.L. Geiger just closed Draw the Circle and Until the Flood at The Rattlestick Theatre. Until the Flood goes to Milwaukee Rep, The Goodman Theatre in Chicago, and ACT Theatre in Seattle over the next three months. X, or Betty Shabazz v. The Nation is running at St. Clement's for another two weeks (student tickets are $20). The play is an imagined trial of the nation of Islam for Malcolm X's assassination by Marcus Gardley. Also, she is about to tech Three Wise Guys for TACT at The Beckett Theatre, a fun romp with projection by Dan Scully ’07 and scenery by Jason Ardizzone-West ‘12, which runs through the end of March. Come on down!
Susan Hilferty’s designs are now onstage for An Ordinary Muslim at New York Theatre Workshop and Uncle Vanya at the Old Globe. She is designing La Traviata at the Met, which, though it opens in December 2018, is in production now. She is currently working with alumni Christine Jones ‘92, Brett Banakis ‘10, Jason Ardizzone-West ‘12, Ilana Breitman ‘16, Mark Koss ‘13, Tricia Barsamian ‘07, Sarita Fellows ‘08, Dina Abd el-Aziz ‘15, Meriwether Snipes ’13, Amith Chandrashaker ’12, Lap-Chi Chu ’98, and Glenna Ryer ’13.
Constance Hoffman is currently in dress rehearsals for Verdi's Don Carlos at the Washington Opera D.C.
She is also in the early stages of designing the three Mozart/DaPonte Operas, The Marriage of Figaro, Cosi Fan Tutti, and Don Giovanni, for the San Francisco Opera.
Christine Jones is currently working on the NYC production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child along with Brett Banakis ‘10. She is also designing La Traviata for the Metropolitan Opera's 2019 Season, and has recently begun a new project - The Cher Show - which she will co-design with Brett Banakis. Christine is also designing an adaptation of Cyrano, with music by the band The National, to be workshopped this summer.
Andrew Lieberman is working on several projects: A new opera about Alzheimer’s Disease for Opera Philadelphia, Il Trionfo del Tempo et Disinganno for Royal Danish Opera, The Three Sisters for Ekaterinburg State Opera, Het Hout for Toneelgroup Amsterdam, and Luisa Miller for Oper Wuppertal. He opens Don Carlo at Washington National Opera this month, along with fellow faculty member Constance Hoffman.
Ed McCarthy spent part of February in Greenville, South Carolina working as lighting director for a taping of Steve Martin and Martin Short’s tour to be seen on Netflix later this year.
Chris Muller continues as Art Director for the central pavilion for the Dubai 2020 World Expo. He is busily designing a mechanical fish puppet theater. He has begun design work on a silent film.