51茶馆

Daniel Alexander Jones

Hailed by听Backstage Magazine听as 鈥渁 true theatrical original,鈥� by听American Theatre Magazine听as an artist whose work will 鈥渃hange American stages for decades to come,鈥� and by the Public Theater as 鈥渁 boundary breaking visionary,鈥� artist Daniel Alexander Jones is not one to follow the rules. Although Jones is a playwright, a performer, a recording artist, and a director鈥� rather than conform to just one genre or role鈥� he says that 鈥渆nergy is [his] true medium.鈥�

In 2000, Jones received the inaugural grant from听Creative Capital听which 鈥渟upports innovative and adventurous artists through funding, counsel, and career development services.鈥� He was later granted the 2005听Herb Alpert Award in the Arts听which is 鈥済iven annually to five risk-taking mid-career artists [who are] respected for their creativity, ingenuity, and bodies of work.鈥� In 2015 he received the听Doris Duke Award听which honors artists 鈥渨ho have demonstrated artistic vitality in their work and a deep commitment to their field,鈥� as well as the听Art Matters Grant听which 鈥減rovides fellowships to individual artists working with social issues and experimenting in form.鈥� Jones was a 2016听United States Artist Fellow, which 鈥渃elebrates artists who have significantly contributed to the creative landscape and arts ecosystem of the country.鈥�

Jones鈥� critically-acclaimed original work,听Black Light, is part of听American Repertory Theater鈥檚 19-20 Season听and will be performed in Cambridge, MA at OBERON September 19-29, 2019. Commissioned by Joe鈥檚 Pub and produced by the Public Theater in 2017,听Black Light听is described as 鈥渁 spiritual revival for turbulent times. Jomama Jones invites us to the Crossroads to contemplate what we must choose at this moment in our own lives, in our civic relationships, in our country, and our world.鈥� Jones describes Jomama as his 鈥渁lter ego,鈥� and has created three other original performance pieces for her:听An Evening with Jomama,听Radiate,听and听Night Flowers. Jomama has also recorded five albums of original songs. In an interview with听MPR News听(Minnesota Public Radio), Jones explained how Jomama appeared to him as a fully formed being: 鈥溾��she arrived in a way that was very different from the other kind of characters that I鈥檝e performed or written鈥�It was an energy that was very big, extremely clear, and distinct from me.鈥澨�New York Magazine听affirms that 鈥淛omama [moves us] to go from Black Light back out into daylight with our senses somehow both sharpened and softened: more able to hear others [and] more able to see ourselves.鈥�

Jones鈥� other original performance works include听Phantasmatron,听Hera Bright,听The Book of Daniel,听Bel Canto,听Earthbirths,听Clayangels,听Duat,听An Integrator鈥檚 Manual, and听Bright Now Beyond, among others. Jones is a former Core Writer of the听Playwrights鈥� Center, and from 2003-2010 he was a Resident Playwright with听New Dramatists. He has written essays and conducted artist interviews for听HowlRound Theatre Commons. And he is currently working on a book of creative nonfiction called听WAVES (A Manual for Bearing Light), which 鈥渃hronicles his journey through a series of powerful lessons learned from pivotal mentors, places, and moments in time. Resonant with the call and response of Blackness, Queerness, Experimentation, Lineage, and Transformation, the book offers evidence of lives lived beyond binaries and boundaries鈥︹��

Jones did his undergraduate study at Vassar College (1991) in Africana Studies with a focus on literature and the arts, and graduate theatre study at Brown University (1993). He is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre at Fordham University where he teaches playwriting, solo performance, and theatre history.

The October 1st DeVoy Perspectives on Theatre Series lecture will focus on challenging the conventional 鈥渞ules鈥� of theatre; Jones will speak about the process for his experimental projects, and the value of having a diverse array of artistic mentors, particularly women and people of color. The lecture will be followed by an artist Q&A session.

Marcus Gardley

Award-winning Playwright Marcus Gardley to give lecture at Boston College in DeVoy Perspectives on Theatre Series

Playwright Marcus Gardley will give a lecture in the Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV Perspectives on Theatre Series on听Thursday, October 11, 2018. The event will start at听7:00pm in the Robsham Theater Art Center.

Described by the New Yorker as 鈥渢he heir to Federico Garcia Lorca, Luigi Pirandello, and Tennessee Williams,鈥� Gardley鈥檚 plays have been produced at some of the country鈥檚 most renowned theaters such as Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Lincoln Center Theater, and Yale Repertory Theatre, among others.

In 2009 Gardley was named one of 鈥�50 to watch鈥� by听The Dramatist听magazine. He is the recipient of the PEN/Laura Pels award for Mid-Career Playwright (2011), which honors a 鈥減laywright whose literary achievements are vividly apparent in the rich and striking language of his or her work.鈥� He is a former United States Artists James Baldwin Fellow (2012) for Theater and Performance, which recognized him as one of 鈥淎merica鈥檚 most accomplished and innovative artists.鈥� He was also the 2011-2012 Aetna New Voices Fellow at Hartford Stage which provides 鈥渁n artistic home for important playwrights of diversity and color.鈥�

Gardley鈥檚 work- which often centers on African American history and allegory- 听challenges audiences by tackling complex social and political issues. He views his work as a form of activism, and has stated that he 鈥渃an鈥檛 tell a story if there isn鈥檛 a political point.鈥� In a 2015 interview with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Gardley affirmed that 鈥淲hat I intend for [the plays] to do, is cause conversation. From that conversation, [I hope] people are not only inspired to see more theater, but also inspired to do things in their community, so that the work is actually causing a spark for change.鈥�

Winner of the 2010 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, a nominee for the Steinberg New Play Award, and a nominee for the Charles MacArthur Award for Best Play, Gardley鈥檚 play听Every Tongue Confess听depicts intergenerational tales of loss and redemption in the town of Boligee, Alabama by intertwining biblical stories and events from the town鈥檚 own history. In 2014, his play听The Gospel of Lovingkindness听won the Black Theater Alliance Award (BTAA) for best play/playwright. Inspired by true events,听鈥�Lovingkindness听is a drama about faith, family, and loss at the hands of gun violence.

In听The Road Weeps, The Well Runs Dry, the myth, folklore, and history of the Black Seminole people emerges in the first all-black U.S. town in Wewoka, Oklahoma. Following its premier run at South Coast Repertory Theatre,听The Road Weeps鈥μ�had a national tour and听became a finalist for the 2014 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History, which honors 鈥渁 new play or musical each year that enlists theater鈥檚 power to explore the past of the United States, and to participate meaningfully in the great issues of our day through public conversation.鈥�

Gardley鈥檚 play,听The House That Will Not Stand, which recently opened off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in July 2018, earned him the 2014 Will Glickman Playwright Award and was a finalist for the 2015 Kennedy Prize. Regarding the world premiere production of听The House That Will Not Stand听at Berkeley Repertory Theater, Artistic Director, Tony Taccone, stated: 鈥淢arcus鈥� unique voice- at once lyrical, rigorous, and humorous- gave us a look at a little-known part of our history, and the result was compelling and illuminating.鈥�

His recent work, Black Odyssey, which blends Greek mythology and African-American folklore to form a new vision of Homer鈥檚 8th听Century classic, received nine Excellence in Theatre Award nominations from the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, and won seven Theatre Bay Area awards (including 鈥淥utstanding Production of a Play鈥� and the 鈥淐reative Specialties鈥� award for Gardley鈥檚 adaptation of Homer鈥檚听Odyssey) for its August 2017 West Coast premiere production at California Shakespeare Theater.听Black Odyssey听will have its Boston premiere in April 2019, co-produced by Central Square Theater and听The Front Porch Arts Collective, 鈥渁 black-led theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theater.鈥�

The Front Porch Arts Collective Executive Director (and this year鈥檚 Rev. J. Donald Monan S.J. Professor in Theatre Arts), Maurice Emmanuel Parent, and his professional partner, Front Porch Artistic Director Dawn M. Simmons, started the non-profit in early 2017 with an opening season that included a 7-part reading series of Gardley鈥檚 plays, including the works听The House That Will Not Stand,听Dance of the Holy Ghosts, and听Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi, among others. "Marcus Gardley鈥檚 work is both relatable and sublime,鈥� says Parent. 鈥淗e blends magical realism with the particulars of the Black experience in a way that is impactful to members of our community and speaks to the essential humanity of all people.鈥�

Wayne Wilderson 鈥�89 & Maile Flanagan 鈥�87

Actors听Wayne Wilderson 鈥�89 & Maile Flanagan 鈥�87听will give a joint lecture about their journey from Boston College to thriving careers in television and film on听Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 7:00pm听in the Robsham Theater Arts Center on 51茶馆鈥檚 Chestnut Hill campus.

Wayne Wilderson, actor and comedian, hails from Minnesota and received his B.A. in Theatre Arts from Boston College. After graduating from 51茶馆 in 1989, he attended Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC, the only accredited training conservatory associated with a Broadway theatre. He is a longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), which represents approximately 160,000 actors, dancers, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists, and other media professionals.

A veteran of the 鈥渟mall screen,鈥� Wayne has made听guest appearances on some of TV鈥檚 biggest hits, such as听The Office,听How to Get Away with Murder, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, The Middle, Two and a Half Men, Private Practice, CSI, Frasier, Seinfeld,听and more than 30 other TV programs.听He is perhaps best known for his recurring role in Season Five on听Veep, for which听he was nominated for a SAG award听for 鈥淥utstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series鈥� (2012).

Wilderson has appeared in the films听Evan Almighty, Independence Day, and Disney鈥檚听Space Buddies,听among others. He is also a frequent commercial actor, having appeared in national commercials for听Fruit of the Loom听(portraying the purple grape cluster!),听MasterCard, Reebok, Yahoo!, Toyota,听Chevrolet, Sealy, and PlayStation Portable, among several others.

Julie Burros

The Boston College Theatre department is thrilled to announce that Boston鈥檚 Chief of Arts and Culture,听Julie Burros, will give a lecture in the Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV听Perspectives on Theatre Series听on听Thursday, April 21, 2016. The event will start at 7:00 pm in Fulton Hall, room 511.

Appointed by Mayor Martin Walsh in December 2014, Ms. Burros has been steadfastly planning Boston鈥檚 cultural future as the primary advocate for the arts community. Burros was instrumental in launching听Boston Creates, Boston鈥檚 cultural planning process, which will create a blueprint for arts and culture in the City. Over the past year, Boston Creates has been engaging residents, visitors, and stakeholders to help local government identify cultural needs, opportunities, and resources and to think strategically about how these resources can help the community to achieve its civic goals. A primary goal of Boston Creates is to make Boston鈥檚 arts and culture ecosystem stronger, more accessible, more sustainable, and more diverse. The announcement of the City鈥檚 official cultural plan is expected in June of this year.

The 2016 DeVoy Perspectives on Theatre Series lecture, entitled听Boston Creates: A Vision for the Arts, will focus on the role of City government in cultural planning and how the work of Boston Creates will impact the City鈥檚 cultural future which includes thousands of students, many of whom will go on to contribute to Boston鈥檚 vibrant creative community.

鈥淏oston has so many cultural programs in need of the kind of recognition and support that Julie Burros will give them,鈥� says Crystal Tiala, Chair of Theatre at Boston College. 鈥淚t is encouraging that our city now has a steadfast advocate for the arts and for arts education. The potential for Boston鈥檚 cultural landscape to grow and change over the next ten years is truly exciting.鈥�

One of Burros鈥� latest ventures was launching a new artists-in-resident program (Boston AIR), which connects local artists and City employees who work together to promote creative thinking about municipal government. The artists will work alongside a group of liaisons from city agencies, including: Public Works, Veterans' Services, Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Education, Women's Advancement, and the Boston Police Department, among others (cityofboston.gov). Other projects Burros overseas include public art installations, exhibits in City Hall, the听Mayor's Mural Crew, and more recently, the operation of the historic Strand Theater in Dorchester.

As the Mayor鈥檚 cabinet-level commissioner for the arts, Burros plays an essential role in the future of Boston鈥檚 theater scene, leading decisions as wide-ranging as affordable artist housing, resources for sustainable funding for non-profit companies, renting City spaces for rehearsals and performances, and working with the leaders of the Huntington Theatre to find the company a permanent home. When asked by听The听Boston Globe听in February 2015 what her 鈥渘umber one鈥� performance choice would be, Burros responded: 鈥�...between an opera or a concert, a poetry reading or a gallery opening, or a play-- I鈥檓 almost always going to choose the play.鈥�

Before arriving in Boston, Burros worked for 15 years as the Director of Cultural Planning for the City of Chicago鈥檚 Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events with the intention of 鈥渂uilding on the arts community that was already there, and moving it forward鈥� in order to make Chicago a major cultural destination. While there, Burros led the creation of the Chicago Cultural Plan, which was awarded the 2013听Burnham Award for Excellence in Planning听for 鈥渧isionary planning efforts with demonstrated results in the Chicago metropolitan region鈥� from the Metropolitan Planning Council (metroplanning.org). Her leadership in Chicago also included the 2009听Burnham Pavilions in Millennium Park, which featured architectural exhibits designed by artists from London and Amsterdam. Additionally, Burros worked for more than a decade as a Chicago Architecture docent, developing and conducting tours and serving as an interpreter of Chicago鈥檚 architecture and history.

Ms. Burros is also familiar with university life, having taught for 13 years as an adjunct faculty member teaching Cultural Policy in the Theatre School at DePaul University, and Metropolitan Planning and Development at DePaul鈥檚 Graduate School of Public Service. She earned her M.S. in Urban Planning from Columbia University, completed the Career Discovery program in Urban Planning at Harvard University, and received a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

Julie Burros is the third speaker in the Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV Perspectives on Theatre Series, a program made possible by a generous gift from the DeVoy family. The series brings leading professionals and major creative forces in the arts to Boston College on an annual basis to share their experience and their vision with the campus community and with interested alumni and members of the greater Boston arts community. The inaugural DeVoy lecture was presented in April 2014 with American theatre visionary, director, and author听Anne Bogart, followed by Tony nominated Actor and humanitarian,听Bryce Pinkham, in March 2015.

Bryce Pinkham

Chestnut Hill, MA (October 30, 2014) The Boston College Theatre department is pleased to announce that Broadway actor and Tony Award Nominee,听Bryce Pinkham, will give a lecture in the Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV听Perspectives on Theatre Series听on听Monday, March 23, 2015. The event will start at 7:00 pm in the Robsham Theater Mainstage.

A stage and television actor, Pinkham is currently starring in the title role in the Broadway production of听A Gentleman鈥檚 Guide to Love and Murder, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical. Starting in February 2015, he will play the role of Peter Patrone in the Broadway revival of听The Heidi Chronicles听alongside听Mad Men听star, Elizabeth Moss.

During his visit, Pinkham will be a guest artist for two Theatre department courses, and his evening lecture will focus on the life and career of a Broadway actor, and the importance of creating educational and social change through the arts. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Pinkham is the second speaker in the DeVoy Perspectives on Theatre Series, a program made possible by a generous gift from the DeVoy family. The series brings leading professionals and major creative forces in theatre and the performing arts to Boston College on an annual basis to share their experience and their vision with the campus community and with interested alumni and members of the greater Boston arts community. The inaugural DeVoy lecture was presented in April 2014 with American theatre visionary, director, and author Anne Bogart.

鈥淏ryce Pinkham is a gifted artist and devoted humanitarian,鈥� says Crystal Tiala, Chair of the 51茶馆 Theatre department. 鈥淎t the stage door after a performance of听A Gentleman鈥檚 Guide鈥�听Bryce not only took the time to greet his fans but also made his way through the crowd to give special attention to a child in a wheelchair sitting on the sidelines. That is how I always picture Bryce: a beautiful mix of talent, kindness, and joy. It is that model I hope our students will follow.鈥�

Pinkham鈥檚 acting credits include the original Broadway cast of听Ghost: The Musical听in 2012 and听Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson听(2010, debut). He has performed at Lincoln Center Theatre, the Guthrie Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, as well as in Shakespeare in the Park鈥檚听Love鈥檚 Labour鈥檚 Lost听(2013). He has also been seen on television in episodes of听The Good Wife听and听Person of Interest. In the past six years he has shared various New York stages with the likes of six-time Tony Winner Audra McDonald, five-time Tony nominee Keli O鈥橦ara, Oscar winner Anne Hathaway, and three-time Tony nominee Kate Burton. He is also a faculty member at New York University鈥檚 Meisner Studio.

In addition to his rigorous performance schedule, Pinkham works on a number of art and social responsibility projects. He currently serves as the Executive Director of听Zara Aina听(a Malagasy phrase that means 鈥渟hare life鈥�), a company he co-founded in 2012 with fellow Broadway actor, Lucas Caleb Rooney, to help children in developing countries expand their capacity for achievement through theatrical performance and storytelling. He is also a recurrent collaborator with听Outside the Wire, a theater company that uses performance and a variety of other media to address pressing public health and social issues, such as combat-related psychological injury, prison reform, and domestic violence. Recent projects with Outside the Wire have been in Kuwait, Guantanamo Bay, and Japan.

A proud Boston College Alumni in the Communication and Theatre department鈥檚 Class of 鈥�05, Pinkham went on to earn his MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. Soon after graduating from Yale, Pinkham was identified by the Leonore Annenberg Foundation as one of a limited number of 鈥渆xceptionally talented鈥� actors and was awarded the prestigious and highly selective Leonore Annenberg Fellowship for the Performing and Visual Arts (2012). Up to 10 Arts Fellows are selected each year with the goal of helping individuals in their early career become successful so they may someday serve as leaders in their field.

Anne Bogart

Chestnut Hill, MA (April 1, 2014) -- The Boston College Theatre department is pleased to announce that stage director, educator, essayist, and theatre visionary Anne Bogart will give the inaugural lecture in the Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV Perspectives on Theatre Series on Wednesday, April 30, 2014. Bogart's presentation鈥攖itled "What's the Story: the role of storytelling in the theater of the 21st century and beyond"鈥攚ill take place at 7:00pm in Gasson 100 at the center of Boston College's main campus.

Anne Bogart is one of three Co-Artistic Directors of the SITI Company, the innovative ensemble theatre that she founded with Japanese director Tadashi Suzuki in 1992.听 The SITI Company's mission focuses on the creation of original theatre work, professional performance training, touring nationally and internationally, and collaborating with leading artists and writers from other disciplines. Bogart has directed the vast majority of SITI Company creations, including three productions seen in the Boston area:听The Trojan Women (After Euripides)听(2013) and听Caf茅 Variations听(2012), both presented by ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage, and Marivaux's听La Dispute听(2003) at the American Repertory Theatre, for which she received the Elliott Norton Award for Outstanding Direction.

Bogart and the SITI Company's most recent project is听Steel Hammer, a collaboration with Bang-on-a-Can composer Julia Wolfe and four playwrights based on the folk legend of John Henry.听听Steel Hammer听received its world premiere at the Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival of New Plays in March 2014.

Bogart is also a Professor in the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where she heads the MFA graduate program in Directing, and the author of several widely read books about creativity and theatrical process, including听And Then You Act听(2007),听The Viewpoints Book听(with Tina Landau) (2004), and听A Director Prepares听(2001).

Anne Bogart is the inaugural speaker in the new Matthew R. DeVoy and John H. DeVoy IV Perspectives on Theatre Series, a program made possible by a generous gift from the DeVoy family of Newton, Massachusetts. The series will bring leading professionals and major creative forces in theatre and the performing arts to Boston College on an annual basis to share their experience and their vision with the campus community and with interested alumni and members of the greater Boston arts community.

"There is no better person than Anne Bogart to launch the DeVoy Perspectives on Theatre series," says Scott T. Cummings, Chair of the Boston College Theatre department. "As director, teacher, author, and instigator of collaborative conversations, her influence on the American theatre is profound and wide-ranging. What she is thinking about is always of interest."

Bogart's DeVoy lecture at Boston College is based on her forthcoming book from Routledge,听What's the Story: Essays about art, theater and storytelling, which is due for release within days of her talk at 51茶馆. In chapters with such one-word titles as "Spaciousness," "Heat," "Error," and "Sustenance," Bogart explores how contemporary theatre artists can renew their connection with the primal impulse to tell stories as a way of making sense of the world. Her thoughts derive from her extensive reading in neuroscience, sociology, and performance theory, as well as her 35 years of practical experience as a theatermaker.

Bogart's distinguished career in the American theatre has included a year as the Artistic Director of the Trinity Repertory Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island (1989-90); a term as President of the Theatre Communications Group (1990-92); and teaching appointments at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the University of California, San Diego. She is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, the Rockefeller Fellow from the USA Artists Foundation, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Career Achievement Award from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, two Obie Awards, and a Bessie Award. She is a graduate of Bard College (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.).