Anne Militello
Earlier this month, Dean of CalArts’ School of Theater Travis Preston announced the 2011-12 school year’s new faculty members and appointments.
Obie Award-winning lighting designer Anne Militello has been appointed as the school’s new Head of Lighting Design . A renown theater and architectural lighting designer and fine artist, Militello is also a veteran concert designer, most notably for recent tours for Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, The Decemberists and Robert Plant.
Roger Guenveur Smith
Actors Roger Guenveur Smith and Andrea LeBlanc will join the Acting Program faculty. LeBlanc is a founding member of Blank‐the- Dog productions, a Los Angeles and New York- based theater ensemble. Smith has starred in many theater, television and film projects, including Ridley Scott’s 2007 film, American Gangster.
Gina Belafonte will create a new facet of Audition/Showcase in an effort to increase CalArts’ commitment to professional preparation and development . She has a multifaceted career that includes directing, acting and producing for theater, film and television. Belafonte co-starred with Michael Chiklis in the television series, The Commish and produced the 2011 Sundance selection Sing Your Song, a documentary about her father, Harry Belafonte.
Video artist and director Peter Flaherty will head the Video for Performance specialization. Flaherty’s work has been exhibited in theaters, galleries and museums worldwide. His recent large‐scale video installation, Pass Back a Revolver, premiered at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.
Two longtime faculty members, Carol Bixler and Ellen McCartney, will assume new roles within the school’s administration.
Bixler has been named Producing Director of the School of Theater and will continue her duties as head of the Producing Program and Producing Director for the Center for New Performance. McCartney, head of the Costuming Program and the Robert Corrigan Chair in the School of Theater, will now serve as the Director of Design and Production.
Above is an excerpt from Roger Guenveur Smith‘s Obie Award‐winning performance in A Huey P. Newton Story.