Peck School Theatre Professor Rebecca Holderness Honored as 2013 Zelda Award Finalist

Associate Professor of Acting Rebecca Holderness will be honored next month for her work in regional theater and how "the national arts landscape was transformed by (her) artistry, passion, and courage." Ms. Holderness is one of four finalists for the Stage Director & Choreographer Society "Zelda Fichandler" Award and will be recognized at the annual awards ceremony, held November 4th in Cincinnati, Ohio, "for amplifying and boldly invigorating the performance scene in Milwaukee."

Ms. Holderness, an accomplished director/theater professional and professor, is determined to challenge boundaries and take risks. Her interest in young professionals has stimulated her desire to reach beyond the world of academia to create opportunities for creative endeavors in Milwaukee.

Holderness recently recounted her experience moving to Milwaukee in 2005, and described finding "The ghost of Milwaukee. With it's industrial past shutting down, leaving swaths of the city empty, the real estate crash, and the decline of unions; the ghost represents a fear of risk."

When she was new in her position at UWM and working to create a BFA program in theatre, she encountered theater students looking for a voice and a desire to tell their stories. This, combined with her passion for theater connected to community, to the human story and to responsive change brought to Ms. Holderness questions that shaped her work:

• How do we model access and experimentation in the theater?
• How to we enliven empty buildings and failing neighborhoods?
• How do we keep our artists in Milwaukee?
• How to we fight segregation and isolation?

Ms. Holderness' work within UWM continues to integrate the broader community into the educational experience. She has transformed her New York "Holderness Theater Company" into the Milwaukee based organization The Battery Factory (TBF), a cultural reactor, bringing professionals from arts and business together with those just entering these fields of endeavor. TBF powers new arts opportunities and strives to better integrate the performing arts into all communities. On November 20, under Ms. Holderness' direction, Les Liaisons Dangereuses will open on the Mainstage at the Peck School of the Arts.

Please direct media inquiries to Ellen Friebert Schupper, Director of Marketing and Community Relations at 414-229-6771 or schupper@uwm.edu.

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