University of Memphis Department of Theatre & Dance

We just got a (virtual) postcard from Olivia Mittag, Senior Entertainment Design and Technology major with emphasis in Stage Management!

"I’m spending the summer working at Nashville Children’s Theatre, the oldest children’s theatre in the country! As interns, we help teach week-long theatre camps of different age groups anywhere from 4 to 18 years old, playing games and making crafts and adapting story books into short onstage works that we present at our sharings at the end of every week. As part of my specific intern contract, I also got to spend the first three weeks of our summer stage managing a fully supported production of Honk, Jr, a musical based on the story of the ugly duckling, with our Kids Company production camp (ages 8-11). I’m having a wonderful time introducing so many young people to the world of theatre and seeing how much joy and excitement they find in everything!"

Two upcoming productions featuring some University of Memphis Theatre and Dance folks!

Realization Theatre presents:

Speed-the-Plow by David Mamet
With KT Cotten, Kinon Keplinger, and Nathan Thomas
Directed by Chris Cotten
June 23 - June 27 at Theatre South

john & jen
Music by Andrew Lippa, Lyrics by Tom Greenwald
Book by Tom Greenwald and Andrew Lippa
With Logan Bass and Zoe Vales
June 24 - June 28 at Theatre South

Tickets: https://cur8.com/projects/RealizationTheatre

There's still time to sign up for the 2026 Summer Dance Camp at the University of Memphis Department of Theatre and Dance!

Our Youth Dance Camp offers young dancers an engaging opportunity to explore a variety of dance styles in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Led by our talented faculty and student mentors, campers will grow their skills, build confidence, and make lasting friendships—all while experiencing the joy of dance on a collegiate campus.

Whether your child is a first-time dancer or has years of experience, this camp is designed to meet them where they are and help them thrive.

Please complete the registration form below to reserve your spot— https://tinyurl.com/3ada7bay

We can't wait to dance with you this summer!

The Department of Theatre and Dance gratefully thanks our amazing Costume Shop Manager Kathleen Kovarik for her years of service. She'll be relocating before the fall semester begins and we wish her best of luck in her future endeavors! 💙

We love hearing from our Theatre and Dance students about their summer work! Here's a postcard from Landon Graham, a Junior Musical Theatre major and Dance minor.

"This summer, I am a Resident Young Artist at Ohio Light Opera in Wooster, Ohio. The town is quaint in north-eastern Ohio’s Amish Country. Walmart even has parking for horses and buggies! I moved in on May 21. Rehearsals started the next day. We are learning multiple shows at once and working really hard to have a great summer festival series. Six shows run from June 13 through August 2. I have been cast in five of six productions; The Merry Widow is my “off show.” Our daily schedule includes rehearsals from around noon to 10:00 PM, with breaks for meals. We may not be called to every rehearsal, but we spend a lot of time in rehearsals each day. We often rehearse more than one show in a day. I am doing a lot of dancing. I started in Musical Theatre as a dancer, so it has taken me back to my roots. I love it! I have danced with baseball bats and done choreographed push-ups this summer! Oddly enough, I have done these things before, but it always amuses me. This experience has been amazing. Though I can’t wait to see my family, return to UofM for my junior year, and start preparing for our production of Rent, I will be sad to say goodbye to Ohio."

How's your summer going? We just got a postcard from Molly Honshell! She's a Junior Entertainment Design and Technology major with an emphasis in Stage Management. 💙

"This summer at Peach State Summer Theatre I am an ASM for their season, Anything Goes and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. We rehearse Tuesday-Sunday from 8:30 am - 10:30 pm with a few hours breaks in between! I am assisting in running the shows from backstage and coordinating the rehearsal process.

Being down in Southern Georgia has been great so far, PSST is a wonderful company and they are also the official musical theatre of the State of Georgia which is super cool. Being in the room with so many talented artists has been awesome, I am working alongside some Broadway designers and Off-Broadway performers. We are getting ready to open Anything Goes soon, and we've only be rehearsing for five days now! I am specifically doing props tracking for the shows this summer, and it's been a lot of fun.

It's been so fulfilling to take what I've learned in the classroom at Memphis and apply it to a new place. Missing Memphis so much, but Valdosta is pretty cool also!"

The Department of Theatre and Dance costume shop is looking to hire a stitcher to help with our first show of the 2026-2027 season, Clown Bar!

Duration: August 24 - September 11, 2026
Pay: $18 an hour
Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday

If interested, please email your portfolio and resume to Kenann Quander at [email protected]

A sampling of production photos from our stunning season closer The Night Witches by Rachel Bublitz!

Photography by Sean Moore

Director: Kaylea Jo Egnor
Choreographer: Neile Martin
Scenic Designer: Julia Kowalski
Lighting Designer: Anthony Pellecchia
Costume Designer: Lyz Rieger
Sound Designer: Rowan Sullivan
Assistant Director: Dylan Whiteaker
Assistant Choreographer: Katye Baker
Technical Director: Michael O’Nele
Producer/Director’s Advisor: Holly L. Derr
Production Manager: Amy Salerno Hale
Stage Manager: Jayce Morse
Assistant Stage Managers: Miles Goble, Molly Honshell, Cade Jett
Scene Shop Manager: Claire Carvajal
Lighting Console Operator: Klair Soukup
Production Electrician: Chloe Smith
Assistant Costume Designer: Caelan Ingram
Wig Stylists: Margaret Andrews, E. Blaha, B’lynn Evans,
Casey Gurlen, Caelan Ingram, Olivia Mittag, Jayce Morse, Lyz Rieger
Costume Shop Manager: Kathleen Kovarik
Costume Shop Staff: Margaret Andrews, E. Blaha, B’lynn Evans
Wardrobe Crew: Erin Clark, Caelan Ingram
Audio Engineer: Samantha Mejias Zigmant
Audio Engineer 2: Lyz Rieger
Sound Desk Operator: Samantha Mejias Zigmant
Props Coordinator: Mollie West
House Manager: Max Robinson

Scenes from Emerge: New Student Dance Works
April 3 - 4, 2026

Photography by Photo and Video

One Last Time - Senior Piece
Dancers and Choreographers: Morgan Doss, Giovanny Gorostieta, Adriyana Hester, Excellence Hinds, Erin McKee, Breanna Oliver, Niya Taylor
Light Design: Drew Hamby, Lyz Rieger, Chloe Smith
Sound Design: Samantha Mejias Zigmant
Technical Director: Claire Carvajal
Artistic Director: Holly L. Derr
Production Manager: Amy Salerno Hale

Scenes from Emerge: New Student Dance Works
April 3 - 4, 2026

Photography by Photo and Video

Perspective
Choreographer: Excellence Hinds
Light Design: Elliott Norton
Sound Design: Samantha Mejias Zigmant
Costume Design: Margaret Andrews
Technical Director: Claire Carvajal
Artistic Director: Holly L. Derr
Production Manager: Amy Salerno Hale
Dancers: Kamita Faison, Erin McKee, Libby Morrison, Markela Thomas, Taylar Townsend