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Current Drama Students  “In the Spotlight”
Q & A with Kyle Gettelman, 3rd year MFA in Technical Direction...

1- Age: 27

2- Year in School: 3rd Year MFA Candidate

3- Hometown: Hartford, WI

4- Why UVa.? After student teaching to complete my undergraduate degree, I decided to look into graduate schools.  My undergraduate mentor, Ken Stofferahn, also a graduate alumni of UVa, suggested UVa for Technical Direction and put me in contact with LaVahn Hoh.  After looking at several programs across the country, I decided that UVa was the best fit for me.  And now, here I am.

5- Major/ Minor/ concentration: Technical Direction

6- U.Va. Drama resume: Technical Direction: Ubu Roi, The African Company Presents Richard III, Defying Gravity;Props Master: Hedda Gabler, Hair;Sound Design: Twelfth Night.

7- Best thing about U.Va. Drama: The opportunities that have been made available through Drama Department Fellowship awards to travel to and get backstage tours at Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas and Walt Disney World in Orlando.  By taking advantage of these opportunities, UVa Drama has shown that though there are many career opportunities in traditional and educational theatres, there are as many, if not more, opportunities with nontraditional theatre organization such as these companies.

8- Worst thing about UVa. Drama: The loss of all of the trees around the outside of the Drama Building.

9- Favorite UVa. Class: Script Analysis with Betsy Tucker.  This was the best class that I have taken at UVa.  It was hard, it kicked my butt, and as my wife will attest to, it gave me more than a few headaches, but I learned so much and really enjoyed the way Betsy challenged us.

10- What are you most excited about for the Spring 2008 semester? I look forward to sound designing Songs for a New World.  (Oh, and of course, graduating!)

11- What did you do this summer and over winter break? This last summer, I served as the Production Manager and Technical Director for the Ash Lawn Opera Festival, an outdoor opera festival here in Charlottesville.  We produced Roger and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and Puccini's La Boheme.  Over winter break my wife and I visited friends and family in Michigan and Wisconsin—there was lots of snow...it was great!

12- Post-UVa. goals? I am considering careers with organizations such as Walt Disney World and Cirque du Soleil or with a theatrical equipment installation firm.