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Alumni Gazette

THEATER AND BEYONDNow Playing: ToddX Alumni of the International Theatre Program take center stage for an inaugural showcase of River Campus graduates who now have roles in the performing arts, media, and leadership.
toddxCLINICAL CAPTURE: Motion-capture specialist Noshir Dalal ’03 leads a workshop in Spurrier Hall this spring as part of ToddX, a series of events featuring alumni who took part in the International Theatre Program as students. (Photo: Matt Wittmeyer for the University of Rochester)

How do you get on the stage—or behind the scenes—of a Broadway production? Or land a role in front of a television camera? Or have your likeness appear in a video game?

It’s not just practice, practice, practice. Getting experience with Rochester’s International Theatre Program is also a good place to start.

That was the message from a group of theater alumni who spent a weekend on campus this spring as guests of ToddX, a series of workshops, master classes, panel discussions, and other events designed for graduates to share their experiences and advice with current students.

Organized by Nigel Maister, the Russell and Ruth Peck Artistic Director of the International Theatre Program, the inaugural session included alumni who work in stage and screen performance and technology, new media, business brand development, and military leadership.

The 2019 lineup included:

Noshir Dalal ’03, a professional stunt actor and motion capture artist whose credits include Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man PS4, and Call of Duty, Black Ops 3. He also works in TV and film and does voice work.

Jeff Englander ’10, a lighting programmer who has worked on such Broadway productions as Three Tall Women and Cabaret and has enjoyed a multiyear tenure with the Santa Fe Opera.

Liz Femi ’02, an actor and writer who has a recurring role on the forthcoming Netflix series Ratched. She also appears in Love, a Netflix project coproduced by Judd Apatow, and has had other roles on TV productions, including NBC’s Parks and Recreation.

John Fulbrook III ’93, a designer and multiplatform branding expert and former creative director at Simon and Schuster, who has also had roles at the Martin Agency, Collins, and other brand identity firms.

Patrick McMenamin ’01, an executive producer with BuzzFeed News, who helped launch HuffPost Live and is a former producer for ABC News and Fox Business.

Mark Perlberg ’78, the president and CEO of Oasis Outsourcing, who serves on the boards of the Minneapolis-based Playwrights’ Center and the nonprofit theater company Palm Beach Dramaworks, where he is cocreator and executive producer of the Master Playwright Series.

Actor and singer Andrew Polec ’12 (KEY), who played the role of Strat in the original London production of Bat Out of Hell: The Musical, for which he won the Joe Allen “Best West End Debut Award.” He’s also appeared in notable productions of The Fantasticks, The General from America, and Troilus and Cressida.

Broadway and TV costumer Alex Rozansky ’11, who was the wardrobe supervisor for The Band’s Visit, which won the 2018 Tony Award for “Best New Musical.” She also has been a wardrobe assistant for NBC’s The Today Show and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Naval Cdr. Jean Marie Sullivan ’99, the commanding officer of the USS Whidbey Island. Among her many roles in the US Navy, she has served as a speechwriter for the director of Women’s Policy and Chief of Naval Personnel and special assistant to NATO Joint Force Command Naples.

Producer Becca Weiss ’10, the artistic director of Spicy Witch Productions, where she oversees the artistic operations of the nonprofit repertory company and spearheads its writer-in-residence program.