Author: Nick Rallo

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Theatre

Light Talk Podcast Attracts Lighting Designers from Around the Globe

Left to right, Light Talk hosts Steve Woods, SMU Meadows; David Jacques, California State University Long Beach; and Stan Kaye, University of Florida.

By Mary Guthrie

You know you’ve got a good thing going when your brand-new podcast gets 7,000 downloads within three months. And the subscribers are tuning in from all over the world. And you get an invitation by the world’s biggest lighting convention, LDI, to live-stream your podcast at their next conference, which will be attended by 13,000 lighting designers from over 80 countries. It’s then when you realize your lighting design colleagues had been waiting for a podcast exactly like Light Talk to come along.

Steve Woods, professor and head of stage design in the M.F.A. Theatre program at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, is one of the show’s three hosts, collectively called “The Lumen Brothers.” Inspired by the light, fun and entertaining tone of NPR’s of Car Talk, Woods and fellow lighting pros David Jacques (California State University Long Beach), Stan Kaye (University of Florida) and their guests hold forth — or, according to Woods, “rant, muse and pontificate” — on the latest developments in the world of live entertainment and architectural lighting design. The seasoned professionals share their considerable experience and perspectives and offer shop talk and advice to professional lighting designers and students.

Light Talk caught the ear of LDI (Live Design International) and featured the show and its hosts in an article on the LDI website, saying “The format is like a fireside chat. These three guys are pretty funny, their lighting anecdotes and kernels of information interspersed with personal ramblings …” Light Talk, says the article, “… is a cross between Lake Wobegon and Greater Tuna, with a 45° lighting angle, lighthearted banter, and some nuggets of serious info infused. Listen in to Light Talk. You’ll be amazed or amused, and might even learn how to make a really good pot roast!”

You can hear their free podcasts on the Light Talk website or tune in through iTunes.

Learn more about SMU Meadows Professor and Head of Stage Design Steve Woods

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Theatre

Watch: The Student-Made Teaser for SMU Theatre’s The Rep

Scene from the 2014 performance in SMU Theatre’s The Rep

Every year in SMU Meadows Division of Theatre, three contemporary American plays are presented in rotation over a two-week period. It’s called “The Rep,” and it’s a staple of the student experience in our theatre program.

To tease the shows, Meadows student Marcus Piñon created a two-minute teaser:

Continue reading “Watch: The Student-Made Teaser for SMU Theatre’s The Rep”
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Dance

Watch This Exciting Teaser for the 2017 SMU Senior Dance Concert

Early in May, the SMU Division of Dance will present their annual spring show that features work straight from the student’s minds. It features works choreographed and produced by the senior class of 2017.

Before the show, check out this excellent teaser from former Meadows student Ace Anderson. The SMU Senior Dance Concert is five bucks for reserved seating, and students who are rushing may earn free admittance. The shows run Thursday, May 4 through Sunday May 7. Find our SMU Meadows calendar for complete listings.

Buy Tickets

Check out the teaser:

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Note

SMU Guildhall Ranked Number One in World for Game Design

The Princeton Review’s 2017 list honors SMU Guildhall as best of 150 international programs

SMU Guildhall has risen to the top spot among the world’s best graduate game-design programs in The Princeton Review’s eighth annual report, published Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

At No. 1, SMU Guildhall ranks above the No. 2 Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy at UCF. Other schools in the top 25 include the University of Utah, Rochester Institute of Technology, USC, NYU, Drexel, Abertay University (Dundee, Scotland), DePaul, Michigan State, Ohio State, MIT, the University of Malta in Msida, and the University of Pennsylvania.

In addition, SMU Guildhall ranks higher than two other top-25 graduate programs in Texas: the University of Texas-Dallas (No. 14) and Texas A&M (No. 17).

“Becoming the No. 1 graduate game-design school is a tribute to faculty with deep experience, bright and motivated students, a robust network of successful alumni, stellar industry support, cutting-edge curriculum, and a commitment to continual improvement,” said SMU Guildhall Director Gary Brubaker.

The Review determined its rankings based on its 2016 survey of 150 institutions in the United States, Canada, and abroad that offer game design coursework and/or degrees. The 40-question review asked schools to report on everything from academic offerings and faculty credentials to graduates’ starting salaries and employment experience. Curriculum, faculty, facilities, career services, and technology were all among criteria The Princeton Review weighed to make its selections.

The Princeton Review’s reporting partner, PC Gamer magazine, will include a section on the top schools in its May 2017 issue, available on newsstands March 29. It will feature information on degree programs, class offerings, events, prominent professors, and alumni.

The Princeton Review developed its “Top Schools to Study Game Design” project in 2009 with assistance from a national advisory board that helped design the survey instrument and methodology. Board members included administrators and faculty from respected game design programs, and professionals from some of the top gaming companies.

About SMU Guildhall

SMU Guildhall is one of the premier graduate video game education programs in the United States. Founded by industry icons in 2003, the program has graduated over 600 students, with alumni working at more than 200 video game studios around the world. Classes are taught by industry veterans who have produced numerous top-selling game titles. The Guildhall is an industry-driven program with high standards of admission.

SMU art majors who are pursuing a B.F.A. are eligible to apply for a two-part B.F.A./M.I.T. (Bachelor of Arts/Master of Interactive Technology) program in partnership with The Guildhall at SMU. The 5½ year program offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Meadows School of the Arts and a graduate professional certificate or a Master of Interactive Technology degree from The Guildhall.

Applying to The Guildhall at SMU

For students wishing to combine their SMU Meadows B.F.A art degree with the M.I.T. at The Guildhall at SMU:

  • First, you must be dually admitted to SMU and the Division of Art. See Art Admission Page for application guidelines.
  • During your freshman year you must take Foundations: ASAG 1300, 1304, 1308, and 1312.
  • By Sept. 1 of your sophomore year, you must declare your major as a B.F.A. in Art at SMU Meadows and then set meetings with both the Division of Art advisor and a Meadows degree counselor to review your degree progress.
  • In your junior year, begin working on portfolio requirements outlined on The Guildhall website.
  • In the summer before your senior year, before July 1, apply to The Guildhall online.
  • Once accepted, you will spend the second semester of your senior year, plus an additional 18 months, at The Guildhall at SMU-in-Plano.

Read more for information about requirements for the B.F.A. in Art degree.

Read more about the academic programs at The Guildhall.

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Ignite Arts Dallas Meadows Prize Photos We Love

15 Can’t Miss Photos from Public Works Dallas’ The Tempest

tempest shakespeare smu
Photographer Kim Leeson captured the groundbreaking, participatory theater project

Dallas Theater Center and SMU Meadows / Ignite Arts Dallas, in association with the AT&T Performing Arts Center, presented a musical theatre production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, a community participation project conceived by Lear deBessonet and directed by Kevin Moriarty, with book, music and lyrics by Todd Almond.

Photographer Kim Leeson was on set to capture the moving moments. These are our favorite shots.

Continue reading “15 Can’t Miss Photos from Public Works Dallas’ The Tempest”