• From Center Stage to Scenic Design: Guest Jo Winiarski discusses her transition from an undergraduate acting student at NYU to finding her true calling as a professional set designer and television art director.
• The Architecture of Repertory Theater: A deep dive into the physical mechanics of managing three distinct productions within the exact same theatrical footprint, featuring the logistical triumph of the She Loves Me turntable.
• The Core of Pure Creativity: A warm reflection on the internal drive to build and create, the external inspirations that spark artistic innovation, and why a simple black ink pen and a white notebook remain the ultimate creative tools.
• Functionality and Safety First: Why serving the structural needs of the script and ensuring physical safety on stage forms the unpretentious baseline for successful visual storytelling.

Connect with SUU APEX & the Uta Shakespeare Festival:

• Discover upcoming speaker events at suu.edu/apex
• Book your tickets to the USF 65th anniversary season at bard.org

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Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

• A Journey Built on Shared Discovery: Guest Alan Muraoka traces his roots from a Southern California latchkey kid seeking structural camaraderie to winning the historic UCLA Carol Burnett musical theater scholarship.
• The Invisible Engine of Musical Comedy: An inside look at balancing complex choreography and rapid character pacing under the tight engineering constraints of repertory festival tracking.
• Balancing Slapstick with Sincerity: How refining performance notes to track the vulnerability and heartache of historical characters like Nigel Bottom creates a deeper, more impactful audience experience.
• The Modern Mandate for Authentic Representation: Reflections on building spaces of profound emotional safety and introducing generation-defining milestones of intersectional visibility.

Connect with SUU APEX & the Uta Shakespeare Festival:

• Discover upcoming speaker events at suu.edu/apex
• Book your tickets to the USF 65th anniversary season at bard.org

***

Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex

• Blending Art and Acting: Guest Bill Black shares how his background as a childhood actor, visual painter, and early sewist blended perfectly to build a lifelong career as a theatrical storyteller.
• The Fundamentals of Design: A breakdown of the five core skill sets required of a senior costume designer, emphasizing script comprehension, human psychology, design fundamentals, and collaboration.
• From Sketchbook to Flat Pattern: A look at the advanced dimensional mathematics required by drapers and hands-on production crews to translate simple lead pencil mock-ups into complex historical garments.
• The Invisible Support of Wardrobe: Why a highly successful costume shouldn't distract the audience, but rather quietly support the actor's vulnerability and internal journey through structural adaptation.

Connect with SUU & The Festival:

• This episode is part of a collaboration between SUU Eccles APEX and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Discover upcoming speaker events at suu.edu/apex
• Book your tickets to the 65th anniversary season at bard.org

***

Eccles APEX Website: https://www.suu.edu/apex