Theatre School at DePaul University Welcomes New Faculty Ricardo A. Bracho and Ernie Nolan

The Theatre School at DePaul University has announced that a national search has led to the appointment of Ricardo A. Bracho as the Visiting Multicultural Faculty Member for the upcoming academic year. Also, a national search was conducted for an Assistant Professor position in the Theatre Studies department. This full-time, tenure track position was accepted by Ernie Nolan, who has been teaching, directing, and mentoring in various capacities at the school for three years.

With these additions to the faculty, The Theatre School renews its commitment to offering its students world-class training in all disciplines of the theatre.

"Ricardo Bracho makes an excellent addition to our community," says Dexter Zollicoffer, Diversity Advisor for The Theatre School, "His body of work is interdisciplinary and unique, and at the school he will collaborate with faculty, staff, students, and the DePaul community in a variety of capacities."

Born in Mexico City and raised in Los Angeles, Bracho has had a twenty-year career as a playwright, educator, essayist, producer, and dramaturg. His plays, including THE SWEETEST HANGOVER, SISSY, A TO B, MEXICAN PSYCHOTIC, PUTO, and NI MADRE, have been produced in California and New York, and have been developed and read nationally.

"I feel strongly about theatre: that it is intrinsic to democratic dialogue, that it can transform lives and communities," says Bracho. "I am particularly excited about having an artistic home at The Theatre School, because the intention of my work, in many ways, parallels the school's vision and values."

Bracho has participated in the NEA/TCG Residency Program for Playwrights, Mabou Mines Resident Artists' Suite, UCSB Summer Theater Lab, and was Visiting Artist/Scholar at UCSB's Center for Chicano Studies. He has received grants, commissions, and awards form the Creative Work Fund, Brown University, Magic Theatre/Exploratorium Museum, UC Santa Barbara, and the Center Theater Group, among others. His poems, essays, and play excerpts have been published in IN YOUR FACE, BEHIND OUT BACKS/SUMT'N TA SAY, ENCYCLOPEDIA, CAST OUT, CORPUS ANDVIIRGINS, and in GUERRILLAS Y LOCAS. He has also worked extensively in the fields of harm reduction, drug policy/research, HIV service and analysis, and Lati@, gay men of color, and lgbt youth of color organizing with Proyetco ContraSIDA Por Vida, LLEGO, the Harm Reduction Coalition, the H.I.P. H.O.P. Project (Health in Prison, Health Outta Prison) and Fierce!, among others. He has taught theatre and creative writing in university and community settings, and has also worked as an art director, producer, editorial and development consultant, and co-writer on independent film and video projects. As a producer, dramatrug, and curator, he has assisted in both the development and world premieres of work by Cherrie Moraga, Brian Cauman, Jonathan Ceniceroz, Donald Jolly, and the group shows BLACK WOMEN: STATE OF THE UNION and PnP: PARTY IN PLAYS. Bracho is currently working on further versions of THE MEXICAN AS TOLD BY US MEXICANS (a collaboration with Virginia Grise), an adaptation of Jack London's THE MEXICAN which follows a young boxer aligned with the Mexican Revolution. The play will receive a workshop production at The Theatre School in the fall.

"Ernie Nolan's work as a mentor, educator, and director is so valuable," says Lisa Portes, Artistic Director of Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences and Theatre School faculty member; "He brings his professional experience as a director, choreographer, and playwright into the classroom and theatre, and his dedication to reimagining stories for young audiences is only strengthened by his dedication to his students."

As Producing Artistic Director of Emerald City Theatre in Chicago, Nolan created the ECT Playground - a process to develop new TYA works, and hold numerous Emerald City directing credits. He is also a resident artist of The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, MO. At The Theatre School, Nolan has directed THE BFG, THE GIVER, THE WITCHES, and will direct A WRINKLE IN TIME in fall 2012. He recently made his off-Broadway debut as a choreographer with LUCKY DUCK at the New Victory Theatre. As a TYA playwright his work has been featured both nationally and internationally. Nolan currently serves on the Illinois Theatre Association Board of Directors and is the Vice President of Theatre for Young Audiences USA. He represented the United States as an official delegate to the 17th ASSITEJ World Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmoe, Sweden last May. He holds his MFA in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University, and his BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan.

The Theatre School at DePaul University educates, trains, and inspires students of theatre in a conservatory setting that is rigorous, disciplined, culturally diverse, and that strives for the highest level of professional skill and artistry. A commitment to diversity and equality in education is central to our mission. As an integral part of the training, The Theatre School produces public programs and performances from a wide repertoire of classic, contemporary, and original plays that challenge, entertain, and stimulate the imagination. We seek to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of our university community, our city, and the profession.

 

 

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