Alumni Spotlights

Chip Chalmers

Chip Chalmers, BFA Acting 1976

Chip Chalmers is a veteran director of film, television, and theatre with more than 100 credits including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Miami Vice, Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills, 90210. In addition to his helming, Mr. Chalmers has worked as a production coordinator, 2nd Assistant Director, and 1st Assistant Director on nearly 1000 episodes of prime time television programs including Miami Vice, Trapper John, MD, The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team, and Dynasty. Mr. Chalmers returned to his alma mater to join The Film School after 30 years of living and working in Hollywood. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America, and a magician member of The Academy of Magical Arts at Magic Castle where he is recognized for his wonderful sleight of hand.

Darren Bagert

Darren Bagert, BFA Music Theatre 1992

Darren Bagert is a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, currently behind the productions of My Name Is Asher Lev, a new American Play based on the best-selling novel, and PICNIC by William Inge, with a star-studded cast in association with the Roundabout Theater Company.  He produced The Best Man (2012) on Broadway, which starred James Earl Jones, Angela Lansbury, John Larroquette, Eric McCormack, Candice Bergen, John Stamos, Cybill Shepherd, and Kristen Davis.  Darren produced and directed the single, most successful evening in Lincoln Center's history:  An Evening with Ralph Lauren, hosted by Oprah Winfrey.  He was behind the revival of Guys and Dolls, which was nominated for the Tony Award. His second Tony Award came from producing Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY. He also was the producer of the award-winning revival of Sweeney Todd staring Patti LuPone (Nominated for 2006 Tony Award for Best Revival of Musical; winner of Tony Awards for Best Direction of a Musical and Best Orchestrations; winner of 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical). Mr. Bagert also produced Frozen (2004 Tony Nominee for Best Play); Long Day’s Journey Into Night (winner of 2003 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play; and the 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play); Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (2001 Tony Award Nominee for Best Revival of a Play and 2001 Drama Desk Award Winner for outstanding Revival of A Play).

Sean Daniels

Sean Daniels (BA Theater Alum 1995)

Sean Daniels is the Associate Artistic Director and a Resident Director of Actors Theatre of Louisville. He is also an Associate Artist of Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY, and the former Artistic Director and co-founder of Dad's Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia.

Recently, he served as the Associate Artistic Director of California Shakespeare Festival. His work at Cal Shakes has earned him Bay Area Critics Circle and Dean Goodman Choice Awards for Best Direction and Production, and Nicholas Nickleby was named among the “Top Ten of 2005” by every major Bay Area newspaper. Sean has been named “One of the top fifteen up and coming artists in the U.S.,” and “One of Seven People Reshaping and Revitalizing the American Musical” by American Theatre Magazine. He serves on the national board of the Young Nonprofit Professional Network.

Suzanne Friedline

Suzanne Friedline (BFA Acting Alum 1991)

Suzanne hails from the south, but is happy to now be a settled, full-fledged, California resident. She studied acting at Florida State University, The Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, under a merit scholarship and The Goodman School of Drama, in Chicago. Last year, she had the marvelous opportunity to study Shakespeare with Alfred Molina for a 13-week workshop. Consequently she has worked all over the world.

She recently portrayed “Vicky Martin” in the independent film A DAY WITHOUT A MEXICAN directed by Sergio Arau, starring Yareli Arizmendi and Carlos Gomez. She was in the campy MURDEROUS CAMOUFLAGE, directed by Tom Kiesche, the feature film NEWSBREAK starring Michael Rooker, and was in the 2-part mini series ANNE FRANK, where she was the voice of the character Bep. Suzanne worked on UNDERCOVER BROTHER, AMERICAN FAMILY, and many other features and TV shows as voice talent... [Learn more]

Davis Gaines

Davis Gaines (BA Theatre Alum 1976)

Davis Gaines has performed the Phantom in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera more than 2,000 times on Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Chosen by Hal Prince and Andrew Lloyd Webber to play the leading role in the world premiere of Whistle Down the Wind. Mr. Gaines’s television credits include CHICAGO HOPE, VERONICA’S CLOSET, BODIES OF EVIDENCE, and MURDER, SHE WROTE. He has sung on 30 cast recordings and compilation albums as well as two solo CD’s, Against the Tide and All My Tomorrows: Songs of Sammy Cain. Gaines is currently appearing as Hannibal Lecter in the musical parody, Silence! the Musical on stage at The Hayworth Theater, Los Angeles, CA follow this link for more information about the show and to see the promotional videos featuring Davis

Suzan Zeder

Suzan Zeder (PhD Theatre Alum, 1978 & Grad Made Good,2001)

Dr. Zeder has been recognized nationally and internationally as one of the leading playwrights for young and family audiences in the United States. Her plays have been produced in all 50 states by professional, university and community theatres. Her work has also been seen in Canada, England, France, Switzerland, Greece, Israel, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Zeder is a four-time winner of the Distinguished Play Award by the American Alliance of Theatre and Education and has served as a panelist and site reporter for the National Endowment for the Arts and Theatre Communications Group. In 1998 she was inducted into the College of Fellows of the American Theatre. In 2004 she co-authored a book, The Spaces of Creation: The Creative Process of Playwriting, with her husband, movement specialist, Jim Hancock. In addition to her writing, Dr. Zeder heads the playwriting program at the University of Texas at Austin where she holds an Endowed Chair in Theatre for Youth and playwriting and teaches with the James A. Michener Center for Creative Writing.

Sylvia Hillyard Pannell

Sylvia Hillyard Pannell (MFA Theatrical Design Alum 1970)

Costume design and the history of clothing and fashion are Professor Pannell's specialties. She has been the costume designer for the Asolo State Theatre and the Carl Ratcliff Dancers, as well as for ABC-TV and Twentieth Century Fox films. In the summer of 1987, several of her costume designs were part of an invitational exhibit in Prague. Among her numerous professional activities are as President of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and the Book Review Editor for Scene Design and Technology. She has also served on the joint commission on musical theatre of the National Association of Schools of Music and of Schools of Theatre. She is co-author of Varieties of Theatrical Art, and other shorter publications. Among the organizations to which she has presented papers are the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the United States Institute for Theatre Technology, and the American Theatre Association. Ms. Pannell is listed in Who's Who of American Women. She is the holder of two major university awards: the Special Beaver Teaching Award and the Creative Research medal.

Steve Rothman

Steve Rothman (MFA Theatre Management, 1974 & BS Speech/Theatre Education, 1972 Alum)

Steve returned to his long time home of Los Angeles in May 2001 to begin his duties as The Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance at California State University Los Angeles where he also serves as the program’s Artistic Director.

Best known by Southern California theatergoers as the founder and artistic leader of the revitalized Pasadena Playhouse, he has also served as the Artistic Director of the Sacramento Theatre Company as well as the Producing Director of Pennsylvania Center Stage

His numerous Directing credits include Orphans and Of Mice and Men (Deaf West Theatre), Echoes and Room Service (Pasadena Playhouse), Sockdology, Stag at Bay and Greater Tuna (Asolo Theatre Company), California Schemin’, Camping With Henry and Tom, Dracula and Hometown Heroes (Sacramento Theatre Company), To Kill a Mockingbird, A Walk in the Woods and Peccadillo (Geva Theatre), The Comedy of Errors (Illinois Shakespeare Festival), Charley’s Aunt (Utah Shakespearean Festival) and God’s Man In Texas for Florida Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse In the Park, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. He has had the privilege of directing many world premiers including Father, Son, and Holy Coach (Santa Monica Playhouse), The Scandalous Adventures of Sir Toby Trollope (San Diego Rep), Sparky and Fitz starring Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson (George Street Playhouse) and Gilligan’s Island: The Musical (Chicago’s Organic Theatre). For television, he spent two seasons directing episodes of THE NEW WKRP IN CINCINNATI....

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Steven L. Sears

Steven L. Sears (BA Theatre Alum, 1980 & Grad Made Good 2006)

Steven began his professional career as an actor. On advice from a casting director, he decided to try writing a script. One and a half years later, after a life of never considering writing as a viable career option, he was on the writing staff of RIPTIDE, a TV series for NBC. Since that entry into the world of Television Writing in 1984, he has gone on to Staff Write, Story Edit and Produce such shows as STINGRAY, THE A-TEAM, JJ STARBUCK, THE HIGHWAYMAN, FATHER DOWLING MYSTERIES, SWAMP THING and RAVEN. He has also written for shows such as HARDCASTLE & McCORMICK, SUPERBOY, THE HOLLYWOOD DETECTIVE, JESSE HAWKES, HARDBALL, GRANDSLAM, WALKER-TEXAS RANGER, as well as Television Pilots, Features, Interactive and animation. He was the Executive Producer on the feature “The Last Perfect Wave”, the Co-Executive Producer of the hit syndicated Series XENA-WARRIOR PRINCESS, and the Co-Creator and Executive Producer of the Columbia/TriStar Television Series SHEENA.

Dan Markley

Dan Markley (BA Alum 1983)

Dan Markley co-produced Stomp, Damn Yankees (1994 Tony Award Nominee for Best Revival of a Musical and 1994 Drama Desk Award Nominee for Outstanding Musical Revival); On the Waterfront, The Vagina Monologues, Lifegame, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas; was Associate Producer of Oleanna. Dan is the principal owner of 37 Arts in New York City, which houses three new theatres and the Baryshnikov Arts Center.