School of Theater Virtual Alumni Panel: Stage Artists
BACK ON THE BOARDS: The Return to the Stage After COVID-19 and In Step with the BIPOC Movement for Racial Justice and Equity
OHIO School of Theater alumni working in the live stage theater industry—from actors to set designers to playwrights—gather to reflect and discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted their professional life and how the intersection of the pandemic and the BIPOC movement has manifested for them individually as artists.
Watch our first School of Theater alumni panel featuring prominent alumni in the TV and Film industry.
Conversation navigators
Sharath Patel
Sharath Patel, BFA '03, was raised between Appalachia and India while spending the following years studying across Europe and New England. Before arriving in the Pacific Northwest, he spent nearly a decade as a lead sound designer in New York City. Sharath recently completed a year-long Visiting Assistant Professorship at Reed College and co-led the Light and Sound Training Program in Vietnam in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Consulate, and World Learning Inc. He has previously served as a lead designer, guest artist, instructor, or lecturer at Yale, Fordham, Columbia, Willamette, Ohio, Portland State, and Butler Universities.
EB Smith
As an actor and director specializing in classical and new dramatic work, EB Smith, BFA '04, has a particular interest in exploring issues of diversity and inclusion through live performance. Smith is know for The Beast (2009), King John (2015) and The Merry Wives of Windsor (2020).
Panelists
Aaron Carter
Currently Aaron Carter, MFA '05, is a story editor on All Rise for WBTV/CBS. He wrote or co-wrote 4 episodes in the show’s inaugural season. Previously, Aaron was as a staff writer on The Red Line for CBS/WBTV/Berlanti.
Aaron’s writing focuses on the intersections between race and faith, and is inspired by his lifelong interest in circus, magic and sci-fi. His plays have been produced and developed at Roundabout, Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, TimeLine, and the Lorraine Hansberry Theater, among others. His play Gospel of Franklin was in the 2019 Roundabout Underground reading series. His adaptation of the Walter Dean Myers novel Monster was produced at Steppenwolf. His latest play, Possession, uses ghost story structure to explore racial identity and legacy. Aaron previously worked as an Artistic Producer at Steppenwolf Theater Company where he supported projects such as Pass Over by Antoinette Nwandu, and The Minutes by Tracy Letts.
Sana Selemon
Sana Selemon, BFA '17, is an actor, dialect coach, and teaching artist hailing from Columbus, Ohio. Her BFA in acting and minor in Sociolinguistics has fueled her passion for accents and the world of language. Based in Chicago, Sana has worked with BoHo Theatre, Pegasus Theatre, American Blues Theatre, Definition Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, Pride Films and Plays, First Floor Theater, and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA. She recently has been named executive director of BoHo Theatre. Selemon directed its latest virtual cabaret, The Pursuit of Happiness: A BoHo Exploration of Freedom, featuring 17 BIPOC artists sharing their relationship with freedom. The work is available on BoHo's website and platforms until the end of 2020. www.sanaselemon.com
Reginald Edmund
Reginald Edmund, MFA '09, is currently the Founder and Managing Curating Producer for Black Lives Black Words International Project. Inspired by #blacklivesmatter, this project gives voice to some of the most contemporary political black writers from both the US, Canada, and the UK, asking them to explore the question 'Do black lives matter today?'. In addition, he is a Resident Playwright at Tamasha Theatre in London, England and an Alumni Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists Theatre, an Artistic Associate at Pegasus Theatre-Chicago, and an Artistic Patriot at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, he was also a ‘10-‘11 Many Voice Fellow with the Playwrights’ Center. His play Southbridge was runner up for the Kennedy Center’s Lorraine Hansberry and Rosa Parks National Playwriting Awards, and most recently named winner of the Southern Playwrights’ Competition, the Black Theatre Alliance Award for Best New Play, and the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award. His nine play series titled ‘The City of the Bayou Collection’, include Southbridge, Juneteenth Street, The Last Cadillac, and All the Dying Voices were developed at esteemed theaters including Pegasus Theatre-Chicago, Deluxe Theatre, Actors Theatre of Charlotte, Bush Theatre (UK), Boston Court @ Theatre, the Landing Theatre, the Playwrights’ Center, and The National Theatre (UK). Reginald Edmund received his BFA in Theatre-Performance from Texas Southern University and his MFA in Playwriting from Ohio University.
Laura Jacqmin
Laura Jacqmin, MFA '07, is a Los Angeles-based writer for television, video games, and the live theater. She's currently a writer/consulting producer for the forthcoming Peacock/NBCU/USA series "Joe Exotic" (based on the Wondery podcast). Previously she was a writer/co-executive producer on the forthcoming Netflix series "One Piece" (based on the long-running manga series by Eiichiro Oda). She wrote for all three seasons of the acclaimed EPIX series "Get Shorty," starring Chris O'Dowd and Ray Romano. Her first feature film "We Broke Up" (co-written with Jeff Rosenberg), starring William Jackson Harper and Aya Cash, recently wrapped production. Selected plays: Residence (40th Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actors Theatre of Louisville); January Joiner (Long Wharf Theatre); Dental Society Midwinter Meeting (Williamstown Theatre Festival); Ski Dubai (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Look, we are breathing (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble). Other TV: "Grace and Frankie," "Lucky 7." Video game credits include "Minecraft: Story Mode" and "The Walking Dead: A New Frontier" (both with Telltale Games), "Life 2.0" (FoxNext/Fogbank), and the forthcoming sequel to the acclaimed hit "The Wolf Among Us" (Telltale Games/Ad Hoc). She's a winner of the Wasserstein Prize and a co-founder of The Kilroys.
Edward Pierce
Edward Pierce, MFA '95, is a Tony® Award nominated designer and operates a NYC-based design studio specializing in the production design of Broadway, touring, and international live stage productions.
Notable productions include: the TONY® Award nominated scenic design for the revival of Angels in America; the TONY® Award winning scenic design for the hit musical Wicked with Eugene Lee [all Worldwide productions]; international design adaptation and supervision for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera – World Tour and Love Never Dies; international design adaptation and supervision for Billy Elliot.
Broadway scenic designs for Amazing Grace, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and The Other Place; lighting design for the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire; Alice By Heart (Off-Broadway); NBC’s variety show Maya & Marty; the Broadway presentation of Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It; Universal Kid’s Emmy-nominated daytime series Sprout House; the national tour of The Gazillion Bubble Show; Pope Benedict XVI Pastoral Visit to New York – the Mass at Yankee Stadium; NBC’s Primetime Upfronts at Radio City Music Hall; designs at the McCarter Theater for Bathing in Moonlight, Piano Lesson, Baby Doll, Five Mile Lake, and Antony & Cleopatra; The Long Red Road (Goodman Theatre), The Lark (Stratford Festival), Hughie with Brian Dennehy; and Tell Me on a Sunday (Kennedy Center).
Design supervision for the Best Musical Broadway Revival of Pippin; the Broadway scenic design for 9 to 5 – The Musical; the Broadway scenic design for Boublil & Schönberg’s The Pirate Queen; Bright Star; Chaplin; Glengarry Glen Ross; Dead Accounts; The Homecoming; You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush; the TONY® Award winning lighting design for Disney’s Aida; the lighting design for Ragtime (TONY® nomination); the lighting design for Cabaret (TONY® nomination); the designs for Bring in ‘da Noise / Bring in ‘da Funk and The Tempest.
Edward represents designers as a trustee on the Executive Board of the United Scenic Artists Local 829 Union and supports the industry as a member on the Advisory Board of the American Theatre Wing and the Tony Award Administration Committee. Edward balances his professional life with the joy of raising three children with his wife in New Jersey.