Degree Programs
Current Students
Marie Brown
Originally from Massachusetts, Director Marie Brown received her B.A. from The University of Puget Sound, where she was a double-major in Theatre Arts and Music. While in the Pacific Northwest, Marie worked as a teaching artist at Coyote Central, Director of Tuck's Friends Foundation, and Co-founder/Artistic Director of The Infinite Monkeys Festival, all groups that serve children through the arts. Marie's directing credits include The Spinning by Dashell Milligan, Medusa's Tale by Carol Lashoff, Big Love by Charles Mee, and Seeking Refuge by Kate Baker, all in Washington. Marie's work also includes composition for piano (two film soundtracks and counting), sound, costume and set design for stage, and occasional photo shoot direction (in addition to her own photography). Marie trained as an actor with the SOMA ensemble, is the recipient of grants from the Ella Lyman Cabot Trust and the Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, and is the recipient of an endowed presidential scholarship in the theatre arts here at Texas. Since joining the M.F.A. Directing program at The University of Texas at Austin, Marie has served as the assistant director on Maria Irene Fornes's Fefu and Her Friends, and director for Diana Son's Stop Kiss. She lives in Austin with her husband, Craig, and their daughter, Morgan.
Halena Kays
Luke Leonard
LUKE LEONARD is originally from Houston, TX and has lived in New York, NY since 1995. He has worked in theater and film as an actor, director, writer, producer and cinematographer. As a playwright his work has been described as “somewhere between the domains of Beckett and Shepard” (Salomon, C. The Village Voice). In 1999, with the help of his wife and friends, Luke transformed a street-level garage in DUMBO, Brooklyn into a performance venue and opened DUMBO Theatre eXchange (DTX) where he wrote, directed, acted in and produced six of his plays: Bony and Poot (1999); Untitled, 1985 (1999); Movement Stolen From Joseph Chaikin's “Firmament” That We're Probably Doing Wrong Anyway (2000); Derelict Play (2001); Disposable Play No. 2 (2001), and Broadway (2001). The venue was a platform for both theater artists living in DUMBO and artists outside the community to produce new works. From May 2000 to April 2001, 11 evenings of theater and 30 productions were produced. Also in New York, Luke studied acting and directing with American theater director, Joseph Chaikin, trained in Viewpoints with SITI Company, and directed plays for avant-garde playwrights, Mac Wellman and Jeffrey M. Jones, among others. He attended Sam Houston University in Huntsville, TX, and graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.F.A. in Acting. Luke served as Director of Photography on the feature film, Urchin (2007), and wrote, directed, acted in, produced and edited his short (30 min.) film, Antiquated Play (2007). He is a member of Actors' Equity Association, The Dramatist Guild of America, Enemy Film, and the Screen Actors Guild.
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