The Chicago production of a play written and directed by Dr. Matt Foss and designed by Stephen Sakowski, both associate professors of theatre at The University of Toledo, has won six out of the seven nominations it received for the prestigious 2020 Non-Equity Jeff Awards.

Similar to the Tony Awards in New York, the Jeff Awards recognize Chicago’s top theater each year.

“This is the first time a production that began in this department has ever gone on to a professional version and several professional awards,” said Dr. Edmund Lingan, professor and chair of UToledo’s Department of Theatre and Film. “We are extremely proud of Matt Foss and his team.”

“All Quiet on the Western Front” won for Best Production of a Play and for Best Ensemble —two of the top awards in Chicago theater each year. Two UToledo alumni, Austin Rambo (Theatre 2019) and Bianca Caniglia (Environmental Science and Women’s Studies 2018), were part of the Chicago production’s ensemble cast.

The production also was won awards for Best Choreography (Leah Urzendowski) and Sound Design (Dan Poppen).

Sakowski received the award for Best Lighting Design of the year, and Foss the prize for Best New Work.

Dr. Matt Foss, associate professor of theatre at The University of Toledo

Foss adapted Erich Maria Remarque’s historic novel “All Quiet on the Western Front” for the stage, and it premiered at The University of Toledo with a student cast in fall 2018 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, the war in which the novel is set.

The professional premiere of the play featured a unique collaboration between The University of Toledo co-producing the production with Red Tape Theatre and the Greenhouse Theatre Center — two professional companies in Chicago. UToledo’s support resulted in an extension of classroom learning in a professional setting, with Sakowski and a number of former students also participating in the project. The opening of the production culminated in a showcase event highlighting the UToledo College of Arts and Letters’ commitment to the arts, student experiences and innovation.

In 2019, the play received the Kennedy Center’s David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, recognizing the year’s outstanding new work premiered at a college or university.

More information about the 47th Annual Non-Equity Jeff Awards can be found at jeffawards.org.

Dr. Matt Foss, and cast members from his play, “Faithful Friends” (left to right) Sarah West as Julia, Erik Pearson as Valentine, Emily Hawkins as Silvia, and Crabbe as Himself

Dr. Matt Foss, an assistant professor of theatre with The University of Toledo Department of Theatre and Film, wrote and directed a play that was originally intended to be performed live and taken on the road to elementary schools. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic shutting down performances, he had to successfully translate the production to the online performance space and lesson plan to help those learners now at home. The play premiered online today.

Foss originally created the play, “Faithful Friends: An Adaptation of the Two Gentlemen of Verona,” in late January and has been working with the company’s staff and leadership to build the interactive modules and workshops that accompany it over the past week. The work was created for PreK-6 grade students and to tour to elementary schools. It was created in partnership with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (MSIP), a theatre he has worked with in the past, and its Montana Shakes! program, an elementary school outreach tour seeks to make Shakespeare and other classic works accessible to young people.

Scene from the online production of “Faithful Friends” by Dr. Matt Foss, assistant professor of theatre at The University of Toledo

“Working with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks was a foundational experience early in my career. They provide free and public art across the mountain west and their mission relates closely to what I have found and seek to do here in Toledo” says Foss.

Four of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ teaching artists, who are safely quarantined together, filmed the play and created lesson plans through the interactive learning platform FlipGrid. To convert the project to online, Foss enlisted the help of UToledo film student, Jarrett Cunningham.

“I’ve been teaching myself to edit as fast as I can the past week, but Jarrett was able to work remotely and close my learning and ability gap to help get the performance out to students and their families as quickly as possible”

The play and lessons will be available on Montana Shakespeare in the Parks’ YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBdb7l5OuPc. Teachers who want to use the Flipgrid materials at https://flipgrid.com/montanashakes will need to have an account on the app. More information can be found on the MSIP website: https://www.shakespeareintheparks.org/

Cast and Production Crew

• Samual Cheeseman……………Proteus
• Emily Hawkins……………………..Silvia
• Erik Pearson………………………..Valentine
• Sarah West…………………………..Julia
• Crabbe……………………………….…Himself

Written and Directed By Matt Foss

Special Thanks to: Our Student Volunteers who submitted videos -Paul Heitt-Rennie and Montana PBS -Christus Collegium

PRODUCTION TEAM

• Claudia Boddy…………….Costume Designer
• Stacy Hostetter……………Properties Designer
• Matthew Foss……………..Sound Designer
• Gordon Carpenter…………Technical Director
• Anna Neikirk……………….Production Manager
• Jesse Mooney-Bullock……Puppet Designer
• Jarrett Cunningham……….Video Editor
• Katherine Norman…………Education Director
• Sarah Stanek………………Stage Manager
• Emily Cowles………………Stitcher

Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation has released the results of a study developed in conjunction with the Center for Regional Development and Bowling Green State University that shows the true power and impact of Ohio’s creative industries. The report proves that Ohio’s creative industries are much more than regional amenities. In short, they are powerful economic engines. Key findings from the report show that the arts in Ohio have experienced significant growth in the past few years and now account for more than $41 billion in economic activity while supporting nearly 290,000 jobs annually. Additionally, the arts and creative industries generate over $4.5 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue annually.

Some TOLEDO highlights of the report:

• The creative economy generates $831 million in the Toledo MSA,
• It supports 12,065 jobs and supplies more than $466 million in wages and proprietor income,
• Advertising and public relations lead the creative industries. The sector is responsible for $183 million dollars and supports 944 jobs in the Toledo MSA,
• Museums, historical sites, zoos, and parks – direct impact = $79,210,422
• Ornamental and architectural metal work manufacturing- direct impact = $39,911,247
• Performing arts companies- direct impact = $35,285,152
• Independent artists, writers, and performers- direct impact = $27,508,446

To download the full report and to see more on the impact of the arts in Toledo, visit
https://www.artsimpactohio.org/toledo/

Scene from “The Lady Vanishes” directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The University of Toledo Department of Theatre & Film will present a series of classic movies projected from 16mm film. Commercial films across the U.S. and shown locally are digitally projected in today’s world. These classic films will be shown as they were intended—on actual film. Please join us. The films will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the UT Center for Performing Arts, Room 1039.

Below is a list of the films in the series.

Fall 2015
1. Friday September 4th
The Lady Vanishes directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1938, 96 minutes, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave

2. Friday October 2nd
Seven Samurai directed by Akira Kurosawa, 1954, 207 minutes, starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima

3. Friday November 6th
His Girl Friday directed by Howard Hawks, 1940, 92 minutes, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell

Spring 2016
4. Friday February 5th
Breathless directed by Jean Luc Goddard, 1961, 90 minutes, starring Jean-Paul Beimondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger

5. Saturday, March 19
Student Filmmaker’s Showcase
The best of student films chosen in juried competition

6. Friday April 1st
Stagecoach directed by John Ford, 1939, 96 minutes, starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine

Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students, faculty, staff, alumni, seniors and members of the U.S. military. Tickets include complimentary soft drink and popcorn. Advance tickets are available through the UT Center for Performing Arts Box Office (M-F 12-5 p.m.) and one hour prior to show time. The Center for Performing Arts is located on UT’s main campus at Towerview West and West Rocket Drive.

A still from Holly Hey’s film “the dumdum capitol of the world”

Congratulations to Associate Professor Holly Hey, who screened her film The Dum Dum Capitol of the World at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the Athens Film Festival, and the Queens World Film Festival.

A brief synopsis: The Dum Dum Capitol of the World (Holly Hey, 2014) 21 minutes.
An experimental documentary that contemplates landscape, home, memory, queerness, and time. The project illuminates social constructs about sexuality, self, and human instinct. Visible and latent hostilities directed towards queerness surface.