PILL HILL

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Director Notes -

“What Happens to A Dream Deferred?” That is a question that these characters may ask themselves in this ten (10) year span of their lives.  They can be any of us really.  We procrastinate and find ourselves unable to advance to the next level in our lives from time to time. How do you handle such a time in your life?  Sometimes seeing a live play gives us answers, ideas, choices that we can make to do things that have us stuck in a rut or unsure of what to do, especially when it comes to relationships.  These characters are there for one another with support for each other.  But as we see some of us need more, but we are not always able to give more.  Most times we must get out of our own way and MOVE. Know that if you take one step, the universe will take you on the rest of the journey to living out your dreams.  My hope is that you may be able to move towards YOUR dreams, into the next BIG thing(s) that awaits you. Enjoy the production!

Chalethia Williams -

A Note From The Chair

Welcome to the University of Montevallo! I am so grateful that you have joined us for our first production of the semester, Pill Hill. I am honored and incredibly excited to be stepping into the role of Chair for the Department of Theatre. My number one goal as I begin this journey is to continue the success of our previous chairs, Emily Gill and Dr. David Callaghan, so that we may spark the passion for learning and continue to train artists for the 21st century.

We offer exceptional undergraduate B.A. and B.S. programs and BFA programs in Acting, Tech & Design, and Musical Theatre. Students can expect a well-rounded education in all of these areas. Our programs build on a long-standing tradition that melds intensive professional training in performance and production with an outstanding liberal arts education. Our faculty are committed to meeting our students needs and providing our students with a first-rate education.

We are also committed to laying the foundation needed to improve our student’s feeling of belonging and strengthening the culture of inclusion within our department. Our faculty, both full time and adjunct, worked with Birmingham artist and activist T. Marie King this Fall to broaden our awareness of what diversity means and deepen our understanding of inclusion. With T. Marie’s guidance, we gained new tools and strategies to become more empathetic educators. We know we have work to do. We plan to continue that work as a department through continued workshops and training but more importantly in the actions we take. Presenting shows like Pill Hill that center the Black experience and center Black voices, diversifying our faculty and staff, and the creation of a Theatre Diversity Committee are just some of the ways we are committed to prioritizing inclusion and diversity within our department.

I am so proud of the production will see tonight. It is such an honor to have Chalethia Williams direct this piece and share her artistry. I cannot imagine a more perfect play to share with you as our first production this season. It is a prime example of the passion, honesty and commitment that you can expect from us and our students. Thank you for your support of the University of Montevallo Department of Theatre. We are very grateful you are here and hope you enjoy the show. 

Michael Walker, Department Chair

Cast

Creative Team

Crew

Post Show Discussions

We will host post-show discussions after the following performances of Pill Hill.  We hope you'll stay and talk with us!

Thursday, October 5

Discussion moderated by Dr. Maxine Williams, University of Montevallo Assistant Professor of African American Literature and African American Studies

Friday, October 6

Discussion moderated by Dr. Latofia Parker, University of Montevallo Associate Professor of Graduate Counseling and featuring special guest Jacques Austin of Brother Let's Talk.

Saturday, October 7, 7:30pm

Discussion moderated by Dr. Latofia Parker, University of Montevallo Associate Professor of Graduate Counseling and featuring special guest Marc Raby of Encore Theatre

Sunday, October 8

Discussion led by special guest Marc Raby of Encore Theatre

Meet the Company

Brandon Byrd

Joe

Brandon Byrd is a Junior BFA Acting Major from Cottondale, AL. He’s grateful to have made it this far in his college journey. He would like to thank his Lord & Savior almighty, his family, college family, and the cast & crew of Pill Hill for making the experience an enjoyable one! Shoutout to Michael Walker, Marcus & Jen Lane!

Romeo Grant

Scott

Romeo Grant is a sophomore here at UM majoring in Theatre Arts. He was in Montevallo’s most recent play, TARTUFFE (Damis). PILL HILL is his second show here and he hopes you enjoy.

Jordan Hall

Charlie

Jordan Hall is a Junior BFA Acting major and excited to bring this story to UM with this talented cast. You may have seen him in past UM productions such as RENT (Collins) and ANON(YMOUS) (Pascal).

Paul Hall

Tony

Paul Hall has been doing theater since the beginning of 8th grade in Simmons Middle School through Hoover High School. Favorite credits include NURSING HOME (Geno), FAIRY TALE UNIT: LAW AND ORDER (Jack, Pig #3, Doc, & Robin Hood), THE ADDAMS FAMILY JR. (Lurch), THE BLENDER (Snatcher 4), THE EXPERIMENT (Dr.Soles), LOCKED IN (Doug), and XANADU (Ensemble).

Nick Johnson

Ed

Nick Johnson is a senior theatre major from Montgomery, AL, proud to be playing the role of Ed. This will be his third production at Montevallo ANON(YMOUS) (Ignacio) and TARTUFFE (M. Loyal). Nick has also been in or worked on plays such as THE WIZ and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. He plans on working in both film and television in the future. Nick thanks his supportive friends and family.

Tyler Rice

Al

Tyler Rice was born and raised in Birmingham, AL and has been on the acting scene for about 5 years now. He discovered his passion for acting when he was 13 years old and performed in his first theater show in his sophomore year of high school. 2 years after that, he won Best Solo Male Pre-Contemporary Actor in the State of Alabama at the 2021 Walter Trumbauer Theater Competition. He’s also spent two summers attending the On The Set Film Camp held in Birmingham where he was involved in the making of two short films alongside other Hollywood actors!

Chalethia Williams

Director

Chalethia Williams is an Adjunct Theatre, (my first adjunct position was in 2002, while working at American Village) Chalethia directed Stickfly, Spring 2021 the first production in the Song Center for the Arts. I am the former Coordinator of Theatre at Miles College. She is an actress (member of AEA), Director, Writer, Workshop Instructor, Arts Educator and all things “Artsey”. Chalethia has a Master of Fine Arts degree from Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL and a B.A. from St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX. After completion of an Apprenticeship at the Alley Theatre in Houston, TX, I returned to Birmingham, AL (1986). My first performance when she returned home, was at the Terrific New Theatre (Sondheim’s You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow) where she is currently a Board Member since 2006. Chalethia performed/worked on many of the local stages here in Birmingham from 1986 - 1993. I earned my Actor Equity Association card with the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, where my acting credits included Trojan Women, CROWNS and Gee’s Bend. Recent acting credits include Dearly Departed and Steel Magnolias (both at Encore Theatre and Gallery located in Roebuck Springs, a suburb of Birmingham. Other acting roles include Savannah Disputation, Ruined and various voiceover work. She served as Director/Administrator for the Academy of Fine Arts Summer Drama Camp. She has worked as an Outreach Storyteller at North Birmingham Library. Chaletha has taught classes at UAB, Lawson State Community College and Spelman College in Atlanta I am a founding member of Onyx Agency, Inc. TV credits include The Rosa Parks Story with Ms. Angela Bassett Cecily Tyson and The Conviction of Kitty Dodds with Veronica Hamel and Kevin Dobson.

Malachi Eisenberg

Props Designer

You may have previously caught Malakai's work in past Montevallo productions, such as the onstage posters in Punk Rock Girl, and other various items in Tartuffe. This is his debut as tech leadership and he is more than excited to work on this show.

Emily Gill

Costume/Makeup/Hair Designer

Emily Gill is currently the Director of the Malone Center For Excellence In Teaching and Associate Professor of Theatre specializing in Costume Design. She comes to UM from earning an MFA in Drama from the University of Georgia (2007), a freelance design career in Atlanta as well as an internship at the Seattle Repertory Theatre (2000-2001). Emily earned a BA in English and Theatre Performance and Design from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida (2000). In addition to primary costume and makeup design duties at UM, Emily designs costumes and make-up effects for Southeast area regional theatres, including City Equity Theatre's production of Peter and the Starcatcher (winner Broadway World Birmingham 2015 Best Costume Design of a Local Play or Musical); Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Bloody Bloody AndrewJackson for theDANE. Emily is a frequent attendee and participant in the Prague Quadrennial Design Exposition, and a member of the inaugural cohort of Odyssey Works’ Experience Design Certification Program (with financial support from UM Faculty Development). Locally, Emily is on the Board of Directors of the Montevallo Arts Council as well as the Montevallo Artwalk Coordinator. “Most of my day is moving from a meeting about Core Learning Outcomes and successful retention rate statistics to looking at a student’s “witch face” sculpt before molding to dropping in on some other students boiling braiding hair in a pot of dye as part of an experiment, to finally meeting with students to discuss their academic and career goals. Where else but UM would I be able to do all that? Where else would all my diverse, interdisciplinary interests be possible without question?” www.emilygilldesigns.com

Maya Mackey

Sound Designer

Maya Mackey is a Senior at the University of Montevallo. Maya is excited to work on Pill Hill as Assistant Sound Designer! She has worked on sound for shows like The Wolves at the Alabama School of Fine Arts! On stage, Maya has been seen in the University of Montevallo's "Tartuffe", "Ugly Lies the Bone", and "Anon(ymous)". She wants to thank the cast and crew for their hard work!

Bart Pitchford

Technical Director

Bart Pitchford is an Assistant Professor of Theatre History and Directing at the University of Montevallo. Bart earned a PhD in Performance as Public Practice from the University of Texas at Austin. Previously, Bart was the artistic director of Canopy Theatre in Austin, TX where he received multiple grants from the city of Austin’s cultural division to produce theatre by resettled refugees and military veterans. In this capacity, Bart produced Mawlana by Syrian television and film star Nawar Bulbul and Dionysus in America by Jenny Pacanowski in collaboration with Thinkery and Verse from New York City. Bart also served as the Austin, Texas site coordinator for the nationwide veteran arts program, The Warrior Chorus from 2016 to 2019. This project, which was founded by Aquila Theatre out of NYC, was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and focused on helping military veterans tell their stories. Bart has served as technical director of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Grass Valley Shakespeare Festival, Foothill Theatre, and Northwestern Missouri State University. Bart has also designed sound locally for The Best of Enemies, Ugly Lies the Bone, and Anonymous and nationally for Apocalypse Radio, Enter a Woman, Pretty Enough, The Sound of Music, Peter Pan and many other shows. At the University of Montevallo Bart has directed Ugly Lies the Bone and Anon(ymous), which won the Broadway World Birmingham Regional Best Play award for 2022. Bart’s other directing credits include All in the Timing, Zastrozzi: The Master of Discipline, The Bacchae, Cowboy Mouth, and Zoo Story. Bart has also worked in various capacities at the University of Texas, Young Abe Lincoln, Moonlark Theatre, Theatre West Virginia, Wing and Groove Theatre, and Blue Jacket. Bart also spent six years as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army as a Psychological Operations Sergeant including deployments to Iraq, Yemen, and Pakistan. During his career in the military, Bart received two Meritorious Service Medals and one Joint Services Commendation Medal. Additionally, Bart writes and speaks extensively about the intersection of theatre, war, and the military. Some of Bart’s invited speaker engagements include Howlround Military and the Arts Convergence, Great River Shakespeare Theatre Festival, and Texas Creative Forces Arts and Military Conference. Bart’s publications include multiple essays and articles in American Theatre Magazine, Theatre Topics, and chapters in the books Performance in Militarized Cultures (2017) and Arabs, Politics, and Performance (Expected Publication in 2023).

J. Marc Quattlebaum

Scenic Designer

J. Marc Quattlebaum is a Birmingham based scenic designer and artist. Born and raised in South Carolina, J. Marc made his way to Birmingham via theatres in Detroit, Washington, DC, and Jackson, MS. Recent scenic designs include: Stay Awake, Treasure Island, Inside Out, and The Emperor’s New Clothes for Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Matilda Jr. for Red Mountain Theatre, and RENT for The University of Montevallo. Upcoming scenic designs include: Pagliacci for Opera Birmingham and Mr. Chickee’s Funny Money for Birmingham Children’s Theatre.

Caleb Stroman

Lighting Designer & Scenic Charge Artist

Caleb Stroman is an assistant professor of theatre and lighting designer. He was previous an assistant professor of theatre and resident scenic and lighting designer at Susquehanna University in Central Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching and designing in Pennsylvania, he has designed in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa. Most recently he was the lighting designer for a new adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble. He was the resident lighting designer at Millbrook Playhouse for several summers and most recently designed Camelot, Jersey Boys, and Rent. His professional and academic work can be found on his portfolio website: www.calebstroman.com

Piper Holley

Stage Manager

Piper Holley is a Sophomore Tech and Design Student from Cleveland, MS. This is Piper's third production with the University of Montevallo. Piper is thrilled to be Stage Managing again after a full summer of Assistant Stage Managing at the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, NC. Piper would like to thank their friends and Uncle for their support, kindness, and help. Piper would like to thank Professor Jen Lane for her support in this process.

Taylor Kenty

Assistant Stage Manager

Taylore Kenty is a young artist, born and raised in Birmingham, AL. Kenty has found a love for telling stories anyway that she can. Through that she discovered the art of acting. She aspires to tell stories of the unseen and unheard while also giving her audience the freedom to be present in the world of the pieces she plans to work on. Being able to be well verse using her skills in all areas of theatre is very important to her. Kenty is thrilled to be able to do that by Assistant Stage-managing in this production of Pill Hill.

Reagan Parrott

Assistant Stage Manager

Reagan Parrott is in her third year at the University of Montevallo .This is her seventh production with the University of Montevallo and her fourth time being an Assistant Stage Manager. It is her 9th position within the department. She hopes you will love this production as much as she does.

Jazmine Miller

Production Assistant

Jazmin Miller is BFA Acting Major at the University of Montevallo! She has been a part department productions of Punk Rock Girl as Wardrobe Crew and the Stage Manager of Elemeno Pea! She wants you to know that she's extremely excited to be working in Pill Hill and she hopes you enjoy the show!

Levi Crist

Costume Design Assistant

Levi Crist is a Senior Costume Design and Technology major at the University of Montevallo. They have worked on numerous productions at the university, including award-winning Anon(YMOUS) and A New Brain. In their final year at Montevallo, they are grateful for the opportunity to work as the Costume Design Assistant for Pill Hill and the chance collaborate with so many amazing people!

Eboni McCoy

Light Board Operator/Lighting Design Assistant

Eboni McCoy is from Montgomery, AL. She is a sophomore majoring in Theatre and Art. Eboni is currently studying lighting design. Her favorite part about theatre is watching the colorful lights dance across the stage. As she develops her art skills, she hopes to use her knowledge in art and theatre to create awesome lighting designs for musicals and plays. 

Ivan Taylor

Makeup, Hair, Wig Design Assistant and Run Crew Lead

Ivan Taylor is a senior at the University of Montevallo. You may have seen her work previously in Ugly Lies the Bone or Anon(ymous). Ivan would like to thank Emily Gill and Kyle Everett for their hard work, sharing their knowledge, and giving me this opportunity.

PeiLi Basher

Makeup, Hair and Wig Design Assistant and Run Crew Lead

PeiLi is a second semester freshman, who got their start by working makeup and costumes on the 2023 Gold Side show. She then went to help with makeup and props of the Spring production Tartuffe.

Jayla Bester

Marketing Manager

Jayla Bester is from the great city of Atlanta, Georgia. She is a B.S. in theater major and a junior here at the University of Montevallo. She has been doing theater for many years and found a love for tech once she entered college. Jayla wants to thank God who is the head of her life, as well as her supportive family and friends who have been with her along the way.

Kyle Everett

Costume Shop Manager

Kyle is in his third year as a member of the faculty here at the University of Montevallo. After Graduating from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) in 2005, Kyle entered the world of regional theatre as a stitcher at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, Alabama. Over the course of his almost 20 year professional career, he has worked with The Santa Fe Opera, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, and most recently, La Jolla Playhouse in La Jolla, California, where he had the pleasure of working on the world premiere of Diana, the Musical. While Kyle has had a few of his pieces appear on various Broadway stages, working on Diana, the Musical led to one of the highlights of his career: having a costume he constructed be photographed to appear in the pages of Vanity Fair magazine. Kyle is thrilled to have been able to have this opportunity to create with and educate the eager and talented students of this department, and he looks forward to the future and many years of successful collaborations with them and the members of the faculty here at the University of Montevallo.

Jen Nelson Lane

Production Manager

Jen has worked as a stage manager, arts administrator, and theatre educator for more than 25 years. She received her BA in Theatre from Louisiana Tech University and her MFA in Stage Management from the University of Alabama/Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Jen spent 3 years as Resident Stage Manager at Cornell University before moving to NYC. Her New York credits include the Broadway productions of The Rivals and The Light in the Piazza, both for Lincoln Center Theatre; 2 seasons with New York Classical Theatre as Stage Manager and Associate Producer; New York Shakespeare Festival, Mirth Theatre Company, Epic Theatre Ensemble, and East Coast Artists. Regionally, she has worked for Birmingham Children’s Theatre as Director of Production, Theatre West Virginia, Perseverance Theatre (Juneau, Alaska), and others. Jen spent several seasons as Production Stage Manager for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival where favorite shows include The 39 Steps, Dracula, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, 6 world premiers and 15 workshops as a part of the Southern Writers Festival. She has taught Stage Management and Arts Administration as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Alabama, Samford University, Troy University, and the University of Montevallo. She is a proud member of Actors Equity Association. In her rare pockets of spare time, Jen can be found on the beach hunting for seashells with her husband Marcus and their son, Dean.

College of Fine Arts Faculty and Staff

Steve Peters, PhD

Dean of College of Fine Arts

Christine Soria

COFA Administrative Assistant

Andrew Fancher

Director of Operations

Theatre 

Faculty and Staff

David Callaghan

Professor of Theatre

Kyle Everett

Instructor of Costume Technology/Costume Shop Manager

Emily Gill

Associate Professor of Theatre

Jen Nelson Lane

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Marcus Lane

Associate Professor of Theatre

Bart Pitchford

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Caleb Stroman

Assistant Professor of Theatre

Michael Walker

Chair, Associate Professor of Theatre

Jennifer Hartsell

Accompanist and Music Director

Kristi Carter

Administrative Assistant II
 

ADJUNCT FACULTY

Amy Murphy

Voice Lessons

Chalethia Williams

Acting for Non-Majors, General Education

Joanna Hardy-West

Dance

JJ Butler

Dance 

Shannon Mahr

Dance

Paul Renzi-Callaghan

General Education

Hannah Rice

General Education

Special Thanks

Jeanette Waterman, Theatre Tuscaloosa, Becky Freeman, Actor's Charitable Theatre , Bart Pitchford, Will Harrell, Marcus Lane, Caleb Stroman, Julia Jones, Andrew Fancher, Brandye Parrott of Little Caesars Pizza, the students of the Applied Theatre classes, Dr. Maxine Williams, Jacques Austin, Dr. Latofia Parker, Marc Raby.

COMING SOON

Join us for our upcoming productions!

SONDHEIM TRIBUTE REVUE

November 16-19

Discover Shelby County Theatre

DIRECTING 3 FESTIVAL

November 29, 4pm

Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre

EURYDICE

March 7-10

Discover Shelby County Theatre

PIPPIN

April 18-22

Michael and Sue Meadows Black Box Theatre