Guest Artists

Each year the Department of Theatre and Dance invites several guest artists to campus. Some are visiting alumni who share their expertise as members of the Alumni Speakers Bureau. Others are invited academicians and theatre/dance professionals. For more information about Department activities, consult our Calendar of Events and Special Events Archives.

Spring 2008

David Magee

Brown Bag Lunch, Tuesday, March 25, 12:30–2:00 in WIN 1.108.

David Magee's first screenplay, Finding Neverland, directed by Marc Forster and starring Johnny Depp, went on to be nominated for seven Academy Awards, including one for Best Adapted Screenplay. Magee's script was also nominated for the Golden Globe, the Broadcast Film Critics Award, the BAFTAs, the Humanitas and the London Film Critics Award. His second film, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, with Frances McDormand and Amy Adams, opened this March in theatres nationwide. (Upcoming projects include an as–yet untitled film about the murder of Kenyan naturalist/filmmaker Joan Root for Working Title Films, to star Julia Roberts.

Magee originally studied theatre directing and design and worked for several years as an actor in regional theatres around the country. He supported himself by building sets for off–Broadway theatres, cropping up on soap operas and doing extensive voiceover work. Along the way, he narrated several audiobooks, which led to the opportunity to write the abridgements of novels. Over the course of five years he wrote the audio abridgements of more than 80 books before deciding to try his own hand at writing.

Barrack Evans

Brown Bag Lunch, Tuesday, March 25, 12:30-2:00 in WIN 1.108.

Barrack Evans has recently become the managing director of the New York theatre company THE NEW GROUP after 11 years as General Manager of the SECOND STAGE THEATRE. He has worked for over 20 years in not–for–profit theatre beginning with the DORSET THEATRE FESTIVAL in his hometown of Dorset, Vermont, where he is still on the Board of Trustees. Barrack is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Off–Broadway League of Theatre and Producers and serves on the voting committee of The Lucille Lortel Awards, which hands out annual awards for outstanding achievement Off–Broadway. He is the president of the Association of NonZ–Profit Theatre Companies.

Barrack also likes to design theatres, and is a partner in the consulting firm, Mind's Eye Consultants. The Charles R. Wood Theatre in Glens Falls, New York was completed in 2004; and received a design award in the project category from the American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter. His Broadway credits include: Black and Blue, Aspects of Love, Metamorphoses and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Matthew Lawler

Brown Bag Lunch, Tuesday, March 25, 12:30–2:00 in WIN 1.108.

Matthew Lawler has made his living as an actor in New York for more than ten years. He has performed on Broadway, Off–Broadway, and regionally. In addition, he has worked extensively in television including guest work on all the New York soaps, The Sopranos, Hope and Faith, Law & Order SVU, and several episodes of Law & Order (known to NY actors as “the Mothership”). His film credits include The Jimmy Show with Ethan Hawke, Anything But Love with Eartha Kitt, Nowhere to Go But Up with Audrey Tatou, Filmic Achievement (where he was the recipient of the “Best Comedy Performance” from The Jackson Hole film festival), Slippery Slope with Laila Robbins, Mr. Gibb with Tim Daly as well as many even more obscure independent features. Also, he has done a number of short films including the lead role in The Surprise Party for HBO films directed by Sam Mendes.

The majority of Matt's income is derived from commercial work . He has shot nearly 100 on–camera commercials and he has been a part of 2 Clio Award winning spots. Later this spring, TBS will feature a spot of Matt's in their “Funniest Commercials of All Time” special. Matt has also done many voice–overs, industrials, and print jobs.

Lawler is also a founding member of the award–winning rUDE mECHANICALS (the NYC mechs, not to be confused with the Austin mechs) and currently serves as the theater company's producing artistic director. Some of the company's past productions include Largo DeSoloto by Vaclav Havel (Harold Clurman Award for Top Ensemble) and Endgame by Samuel Beckett, as well as US premieres of A Mouthful of Birds by Caryl Churchill, The Flu Season by Will Eno (2004 Oppy Award), and a New York premiere of Valparaiso by Don DeLillo (NY Times Best of Off–Broadway).

Lawler holds an M.F.A. from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, and a B.A. in English from The College of the Holy Cross.

Guest Artist Archives