Where can I go with a Theatre Arts degree?
We see many people come through University Theatre program that lead many different lives. Many of them keep in contact with our faculty. Most of our Alumni utilize this degree in many branches of life.
If you pursue a degree in Theatre Arts at University of Oregon, here are a few careers that such degrees have been utilized in.
Project Consultant at Portland Internetworks
Native/Indigenous Audience Development Associate at Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Site Operations Liaison at Eugene Saturday Market
Videographer at University of Oregon
Senior News Reporter
Recruitment Specialist at University of Oregon
Elementary School Teacher
Costume Dresser at Universal Studios Hollywood
Administrative Assistant/Receptionist
Decor Installer at West Coast Event Productions,Inc.
Arts Administrator
Electrician
Lab Assistant
Lawyer
Keep Reading For A Closer Look at Some of Our Outstanding Alumni!
Heidi Schreck, ’94
After graduation, Heidi spent time teaching English in Siberia. After this she was a journalist in St. Petersburg, Russia. After this she came to Seattle, Washington to pursue acting and writing. She is playwright and star of Broadway show What the Constitution Means to Me. The show is a partial autobiography from her days debating as a teenager. She is also known for writing Grand Concourse, and writing with shows I love Dick, Nurse Jackie, and Billions. She has performed Off-Broadway in a number of shows. She has been nominated for two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Actress in a Play. And has been Nominated for two Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. She has won two Obie Awards for performance. Here is a link to an interview with Heidi about What the Constitution Means to Me and a link to the webpage for the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEpANNfu9uA
https://constitutionbroadway.com/
Melody Bates, ’95
Amidst the terrible challenges we are facing, I have some wonderful news to share: Original Works Publishing has just announced the publication of my first full-length play, R & J & Z
If ever there were a time for a play set against the backdrop of a plague, in which love conquers all in a battle for the future of the world…it seems like that time is now. Here is the play’s page on OWP,: https://www.originalworksonline.com/r-j-z
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Photo Credit: IMDB Photographer: Michael Seidle
Skye Fitzgerald, MFA Directing ’97
Kaitlin Olson, ’97
Best known for her role as Deandra “Sweet Dee” Reynolds on the hit TV show It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Kaitlin Olson, BS ’97, studied theater at the UO. Memorable college moments include a muddy rollerblading incident outside Villard Hall and getting divested of her fake ID at the campus bar Rennie’s Landing. An enthusiastic Ducks fan even before the football team hit its stride, she and her costar husband, Rob McElhenney, are supporters of the university. It’s Always Sunny celebrated its 10th season this year.
Michael Govier ’00
Photo credit- AnimationMagazine.net. Michael is on the left.
Check out Michael Govier’s interview with Damian Foley (UO Communications) where he details his journey from UO Theatre Arts student to Oscar Winner!
Theatre Arts Senior Instructor also reflects on Michael’s time in the department!
Michael Govier’s and Will McCormack’s film won a 2021 Academy Award for Best Short Film.
Sean Andries, ’05
Excerpt from Around the O:
It’s been a breakout year for Jana Schmieding.Star of the Peacock network’s hit show Rutherford Falls, the Lakota Sioux Native is shattering the glass ceiling and making room for Indigenous creatives in the entertainment industry. As an activist, comedian, actor, writer, and former teacher, Schmieding is changing how Natives are represented in Hollywood.
If this is the first you’ve heard of the alumna, who graduated in 2005 with a degree in theater arts, it won’t be the last.
“I’m getting ready to exercise my voice in different ways and on different levels,” Schmieding says.”
Click Here: For the Full Around the O “Native Voice, Jana Schmieding, Rutherford Falls” Article
Link to Interview with the “Duck Stops Here”: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2k79FHwCiMefa94TtyF22U?si=58f41e940c994553
Marissa Neitling, ’07
A double major in mathematics and theater arts, Marissa Neitling, BS ’07, delved into the Portland theater community—appearing in productions for Broadway Rose Theatre Company and Artists Repertory Theatre—before pursuing graduate school at Yale. She has appeared on The Last Ship, and will play a seismologist in the new film San Andreas, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Barbie Wu, ’11
She/Her/Hers
Born and raised in Taiwan, Barbie discovered her passion for acting in 2003 as an exchange student in Eugene. After earning her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre from the University of Oregon, she received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Southern Methodist University in 2014. She is a collaborative artist, educator, director, and the education manager at Artists Repertory Theatre and was featured in Today Is My Birthday Audio Drama, Better Maybe, Magellanica Audio Drama, A Doll’s House, Part 2, Everybody, and Magellanica. Her other credits include The Break (Long Distance Affair, a co-production of Juggerknot Theatre and PopUP Theatrics), Renaissance: Technically! (Portland Center Stage), The Wolves (Portland Playhouse), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Anonymous Theatre Company), The Mermaid Hour (Theatro Milagro), Barbie’s directing credits are being the associate director for Today Is My Birthday Audio Drama and the upcoming productions of The Great Leap and Peerless.
Brittany Dorris, ’13
“2013 alumni here! I am still happily living in Eugene, and fulfilling my life goal of both teaching elementary school and continuing my theatre life outside of school! I went on to receive a Master’s degree in Education and have been teaching 5th grade in Eugene since completing UOTeach in 2014. I continue to perform locally and have gotten to wear the costume Sandy Bonds made for me in 2009 for Big River four more times in other Eugene period plays!”
Tiffany Rose Thomas, ’13
Tiffany was always technically minded, but when she got to the UO, she felt she needed to find an outlet for her creative side, too. She found a perfect meld of both in scenic design: the artistic possibilities of the design process mixed with the precision of building a set was just right. And as she honed her eye for design in the physical world, she was preparing herself for a career she might not have been able to predict. Post-graduation, she landed a job at Disney—initially reviewing artwork, then working her way up to designing online games, including helping to produce a Star Wars augmented reality headset and experience. Now, she works in Sweden designing mobile games for industry giant King, the makers of Candy Crush. Tiffany may have traded in her hammer and paintbrush for software and code, but she kept that perfect blend of technical know-how and creative freedom.
Thomas Steven Varga, ’14
“Since 2014 I moved to Southern California after being accepted as one of UC Irvine’s 8 annual Master of Fine Arts acting students. Since completing my MFA, I have worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival performing and teaching as part of their School Visit Program, performed as a company member of Orange County’s New Swan Shakespeare Festival for the past 3 seasons, and joined the acting faculty at both Cypress College and the Actor’s Studio of Orange County / Seven Pillars Acting Studio. I currently live in Los Angeles and have begun transitioning into the film industry. So far I have appeared as a guest star on several television shows, many independent short films, as well as a feature film. I also teach and coach private students in the LA area.”
Chris Fuglestad, ’14
“I graduated UO in December 2014 with degrees in International Studies & French. I was involved in productions of The Crucible, Landscape of the Body, and Pride & Prejudice while I was at UO. I’m in San Antonio working in international education, but I’ve done a lot of regional theatre work including productions of Hunchback of Notre Dame, Avenue Q, and Ragtime, and I’ve also been in a French film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Hope everyone is well back on campus.”
Margot Glaser, ’16
“Since graduation, I worked as Prop Master for a handful of shows at Oregon Contemporary Theater and as Assistant Production Manager at the Trinity Shakespeare Festival in Fort Worth, Texas. I am currently the Resident Properties Designer at The Phoenix Theater Company in Phoenix, Arizona.”
Ben M. Jones, ’17
Christian Mitchell, ’18
Since graduating, I’ve been working hard at pursuing theater. Right now I work with a nonprofit called Rogue Pack where I teach improvisation and storytelling to at-risk youth. I’m in Portland, auditioning all I can and every now and then getting fortunate enough to get a callback, mostly through Shakespeare shows! Right after graduating I did an internship with an improv team in Scotland at the Edinburgh Frings Festival, where I saw some of the most amazing immersive and improvisational theater I’ve ever seen. While I work at Starbucks during the day and audition at night, I still find time to take acting classes and write as much as my brain can produce. If you aren’t currently working, you have to make the work! I hope to get an MFA eventually, and to act full time. Here’s to the current and future students of the UO Theatre Department. You’re all capable of great things!
Katie Dumolt, ’18
Since graduation, Katie has gone off to do a lot of things, but no theatre as of yet. In 2017, she started her own business, Unicorn Yarn Co., where she uses her design skills learned at UO to create collections of yarn and knitting patterns. Not long after, Katie had the privilege of being the featured artist in Twig’s Fiber Arts Gallery. Being able to fearlessly jump into a new project with unfamiliar materials or themes is a skill she is proud to have developed during her time in the UO Theatre Department. Katie has also spent several years working as a substitute teacher, middle school being her favorite age group to work with.
Colleen Rooney, ’20
“I graduated in 2020 with a BS in Theatre Arts and Anthropology, focusing in stage management and archaeology respectively. As a University Theatre stage manager, I worked on Mother Courage and Her Children, Avenue Q, Tartuffe, and the digital Or Not to Be project. Currently, I work at Oregon Contemporary Theatre in downtown Eugene, but I am looking to connect within and beyond the Pacific Northwest, especially to alumni in the Chicago area! Right now, I am interested in supporting or mentoring young adults on their journeys in the arts and academia. If any stage managers out there would be interested in chatting about what you’re up to and how you moved forward after graduating, I’d love to grab a digital coffee! ”
Call to TA Alumni: We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to post-graduation and would be happy to post your accomplishments here! If you’d like to be included on this page, please email: uotheatrearts@gmail.com with short bio and a recent picture.