TROY News Center

TROY – Troy University will shine the spotlight on drama and dance in July for its Summer Spotlight programs.

Hosted by the College of Communication and Fine Arts and the Department of Theatre and Dance, four camps take place during the month, beginning July 8-12 with Spotlight on Dance for ages eight through 12. Julie Mulivihill, a choreographer, professional dancer and teacher currently based in Georgia, will serve as the camp’s guest artist.

July 14-19 is Summer Spotlight’s Creative Drama Camp for ages four – 13. Participants here for this camp will spend a week studying acting, movement, storytelling, stagecrafts, and playwriting. Carson Butterworth, a graduate of Georgia College and State University, will serve as this camp’s guest artist. An actress and teacher, Butterworth holds a master’s degree in art education and an undergraduate degree in theatre.

Rounding out the month is Summer Spotlight’s Performance Intensive and Tech Theatre Intensive July 12-27.  For high school and college students, the intensives provide an all-star experience and focused training in dance, theatre and technical theatre.

Serving as guest artists are:

• Dean McFlicker, the award-winning VP of Primetime Special Projects at NBC, who has worked on hit shows Smash, The Voice, America's Got Talent, and many more.  He's an accomplished choreographer and performer whose work is international.

• Jeremy Rich, who is currently casting the hit musical The Book of Mormon and has served as Global Casting Director for Disney.  He has worked in the stage and film industries for many years, and is currently based in Los Angeles.

• Tommy Newman, a TROY alumnus, is a musical theatre writer and composer and the winner of the Cole Porter ASCAP award among many other honors.  His work is in development in New York City and across the country.

Additionally, Theatre and Dance faculty members Quinton Cockrell, Chris Rich, Mike Schafer and Tori Lee Averett, Spotlight’s director, will also conduct classes at all three Summer Spotlight offerings.

“This is our fifth year with this program and every year it gets bigger and better,” said Averett, a TROY alumna, adjunct faculty member and musical theatre teacher in Georgia.

“Virtually all ages of students from pre-K through college students can benefit from Summer Spotlight,” she said.

For more information, or to register, call the Department of Theatre and Dance at 334-808-6142, email Lee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or visit the department online at www.troytheatre.org.

Anna Maria Mollica, left, of Alabaster, and Baine Ellis, of Cataula, Ga., rehearse with other members of the cast of the Troy University Department of Theatre and Dance’s Performance and Technical Theatre Intensive, a part of the department’s Summer Spotlight series, last summer. The pair were part of high school and entering freshmen students who participated in the camp, one of four hosted by the Department of Theatre and Dance in July.

Troy University’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present the Broadway musical “Chicago” on stage at the Trojan Center Theatre Feb. 28 through March 2. Nightly shows will begin at 7:30 p.m.

The story of murder, greed, corruption, violence and exploitation is Broadway’s longest running American musical. Tickets for the show are $10 or $5 for TROY students with a valid student ID. The Trojan Center Box Office is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at www.troytheatre.org.

Directing TROY’s production is Assistant Professor Roy Hudson with choreography by Assistant Professor Tracy Gilland-Shillabeer.

Grace Bailey, a junior theatre major from Bonifay, Fla., will play the role of Velma Kelly, a vaudevillian on trial for killing her cheating husband and sister. Kara McDowell, a senior theatre major from Pelham, will fill the role of Roxie Hart, a wannabe vaudevillian who is sent to jail for killing her ex-boyfriend after a spat. Quade Sewell, a junior theatre major from Stone Mountain, Ga., will portray Billy Flynn, the lawyer for the two who wins sympathy by making celebrities of his clients.

The remainder of the cast includes:

Nick Stella, a sophomore theatre major from Tuscaloosa, as Amos Hart, Roxie’s husband;

Marissa Mena, senior theatre education major from Pelham, as Matron;

Shane Murphy, a senior theatre major from Montgomery, as Mary Sunshine;

Monica Bates, a senior athletic training major from Wapakoneta, OH, as Annie, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Mary Catherine Chambliss, a junior theatre education major from Cataula, Ga., as Liz, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jordan Gulledge, a junior theatre and dance major from Montgomery, as Mona, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jessica Threet, a senior theatre major from Huntsville, as June, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Brooke Johnston, a sophomore theatre major from Wetumpka, as a reporter, Go-to-Hell-Kitty, Justice and a member of the chorus;

Savanna Moore, a freshman undeclared major from Montgomery, as Hunyak, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Justin Kirkpatrick, a sophomore theatre major from Birmingham, as Fred Casely, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Jacobi Hall, a junior theatre major from Huntsville, as Aaron, MC, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

Sean Hopkins, a senior theatre education major from Bonifay, Fla., as Sgt. Fogerty, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

D.J. Gilroy, a freshman theatre major from Enterprise, as Tailor, a reporter, a juror and a member of the chorus;

Ardrell Green, a senior theatre major from Montgomery, as Bailiff, Page, a reporter and a member of the chorus;

DeMarius Copes, a freshman theatre and dance major from Fairfield, as clerk, policeman, Uncle Sam, a reporter and a member of the chorus; and

Scott Wheet, a freshman dance major from Cape Coral, Fla., as Harry, policeman, judge, page, a reporter and a member of the chorus.

For additional information on the production, call 334- 808-6477.