DTC Announces New Members of Brierley Resident Acting Company

Dallas Theater Center Artistic Director Kevin Moriarty today announced two new members of DTC's Diane and Hal Brierley Resident Acting Company – Kieran (Michael) Connolly and Tiffany Hobbs.

"Michael and Tiffany are talented actors whose work has graced the DTC stage in several of our Signature Productions during the past few years," says Moriarty. "Together they will be strong additions to our Resident Acting Company, bringing their breadth of experience and talent to our stage. Their appointments also serve as a sign of our continued desire for The Acting Company to change and develop over time, thus remaining an active creative source of new ideas, energy and experiences for the artists and our audience."

Both Connolly and Hobbs have strong ties to SMU Meadows School of the Arts, where DTC has an ongoing collaborative relationship. As associate professor and former head of the acting program, Connolly has been one of Hobbs' teachers for the past three years, during which time she was a student in the MFA acting program. "Their appointments are a testament to the depth of the faculty and student talent at SMU and a sign of the thriving partnership between DTC and SMU," says Moriarty.

Connolly appeared in DTC's recent production of Next Fall and last season's Dividing the Estate. "Michael brings to the company an impressive depth and range of theatrical experience, great passion for the power of theater to impact lives, immense classical skills and over 30 years of teaching experience at the university level," says Moriarty.

"When Kevin offered me a place in the Brierley Resident Acting Company, I felt surprised, challenged and invigorated: surprised that he and DTC would consider me; challenged because I know the high caliber of the actors who already comprise the company and the directors who guide their work; and invigorated because working with DTC will take me to so many new places," says Connolly. "All I can do now is work as hard as I am able with my new, gifted colleagues to continue advancing the work we do."

He is joined by former student Tiffany Hobbs, who graduated from SMU's MFA acting program this month. She has appeared on DTC's stage in Cabaret and A Christmas Carol, both in the 2010-2011 season. Hobbs is joining The Acting Company for a 2-year appointment and will fill the position Abbey Siegworth is vacating. "Tiffany's wide-ranging talents include her ability to move easily from the classics to comedy and drama, her captivating charisma on stage and her strong musical theater skills," says Moriarty.

"I could not be happier to be offered such a wonderful opportunity with DTC," says Hobbs. "After spending the last three years in intensive acting training at SMU, I am looking forward to applying the valuable knowledge, skills and confidence my education has afforded me in a professional atmosphere and developing beyond what I have already achieved."

José Bowen, dean of the Meadows School of the Arts, believes in the importance of community collaboration and is excited for the opportunities DTC's Brierley Resident Acting Company provides.

"We are thrilled to be continuing and strengthening our partnership with the Dallas Theater Center," says Bowen. "Kevin Moriarty really understands the multiple benefits of this kind of collaboration. Together we are working to make Dallas a city of great opportunities for artists to live and work."

In addition to Siegworth, who was the first to fill the 2-year residency for an SMU MFA graduate, Cedric Neal and Matthew Gray are also leaving the company. Neal is currently in New York continuing his work on Broadway in Porgy and Bess and Gray has accepted a creative position with a global marketing and communications agency. Connolly and Hobbs' appointments will bring the company to nine members. DTC is in the Early Stages of a national search for a tenth company member, who will contribute to DTC's new efforts to explore the work of Latino playwrights and increase outreach efforts in the Latino community.

Moriarty formed DTC's Brierley Resident Acting Company in 2009 to develop and nurture professional actors within the community, expand DTC's artistic profile, and create ongoing collaborative relationships. "Great acting is at the center of all great theater," Moriarty says. "The members of the Brierley Acting Company are vital to our artistic success and our relationship to the community." Company members are Hassan El-Amin, Kieran (Michael) Connolly, Chamblee Ferguson, Tiffany Hobbs, Liz Mikel, Lee Trull, Sally Nystuen-Vahle, Christina Vela and Steven Michael Walters.

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