This year, the UA School of Theatre Arts joined forces with the School of Media Arts and the School of Theatre, Film and Television was born. And what do you do on birthdays? You celebrate, of course.
On Friday, the College of Fine Arts is hosting an event called Fusion in hopes of initiating their new school in style. Fusion is a collaborative, one-night-only show. Bruce Brockman, the director of the School of Theater, Film and Television, explains that the event “”will be filled with musical theater performances (as well as) student film work, and we also have some really exciting special guests coming. It’s a great program, and we hope people will take advantage of it.””
Fusion will take place at the historic Fox Tucson Theatre. Special guest performances include Ben Veeren, Greg Kinnear and Scott Stuber. The evening will be emceed by Emmy Award winning producer/writer Peter Murrieta.
If these names don’t sound familiar, maybe this will ring a bell:
Ben Veeren is a legendary Broadway star and actor most famous for his role as African slave Chicken George in the miniseries “”Roots.”” Veeren also acted in the 1979 film “”All that Jazz.”” Not only is he a notable performer, but in 2000, Veeren received an Honorary Doctorate from UA.
Greg Kinnear is also a UA alumnus. He starred as Richard Hoover (the father) in “”Little Miss Sunshine,”” which won two Academy Awards. Kinnear will also be acting side by side with Katie Holmes in his next project, the History Channel’s mini-series “”The Kennedys.””
Aside from being another successful UA alumnus, Scott Stuber is also a well-known producer who worked for Universal Pictures for years and recently signed a five year contract with Universal Studios. You might recognize his work in the production of “”Role Models”” and “”You, Me and Dupree.””
Peter Murrieta created the critically acclaimed TV show “”Greetings from Tucson.”” As a native Tucsonan who attended the UA, the show is based on his own experiences. Recently, Murrieta has been recognized for outstanding children’s programming for his work in Disney Channel’s “”Wizards of Waverly Place.””
With an event like this, the School of Theatre, Film and Television is sure to start things off with a bang. “”It is exciting to have a number of industry luminaries, some of whom are university alumni, come to Tucson to help us celebrate the merger,”” said Jory Hancock, the dean of the College of Fine Arts.
It may seem like mergers aren’t always a good thing. But between the School of Theater Arts and the School of Media Arts, many faculty members feel that the collaborative effort will be advantageous. “”I think all the faculty see the value in merging these two programs together,”” Brockman said. “”We’re seeing lots of common ground, and I think everybody’s really quite excited about the possibilities.”” Such possibilities include a new MA degree that combines elements of both theater and media arts.
Brockman added that Fusion will help demonstrate how harmoniously the two schools and disciplines work together. “”It’s as much a celebration of all the various activities that the students at the school are involved in as a celebration of merging the two schools together,”” he said.
Fusion will showcase the many possibilities that students have now that two interrelated disciplines have joined forces. Likewise, since the event will show off notable names in the industry, students can expect to be inspired. After all, the UA prepared these famous alumni for greatness. So can’t we expect the new, doubly influential school to provide even more opportunities for future students?
