Know someone working in Hollywood? (OK, Beverly Hills)

I do now — Lauren Houston!

Of course, I knew Lauren before now, but she’s now claiming her place among the movers and shakers in Movieland.  If you haven’t heard:

I am the assistant at Magnolia Entertainment in Beverly Hills.  One block down from Rodeo Drive.  I can see Saks from my boss’s window!  Our President and CEO is Shelley Browning.  She has been running her own company for over a decade. 

Magnolia is a boutique entertainment manage company.  Basically what that means is we facilitate actor’s careers.  For the A listers, we weed through the offers and material; for the up and comers - we are selling them around town trying to traction on their name.  Our clients include:  Helena Bonham Carter, Rachel McAdams, Rosamond Pike, Christine Taylor, Leelee Sobieski, and John Michael Higgins.

Lauren, a University of Tennessee Theatre graduate of a few years ago, has been away getting some even higher education about the TV and Film business at Boston University, and her search for work in her field has been rewarded with her new job in LA.

It’s no surprise that Lauren has landed a job doing something she enjoys.  During her time working in the Clarence Brown Theatre Box Office, Crazy Red was was dependable, competent, cheerful, and great with people. 

It’s fun to hear that our old friends (or young ones) doing well.  And when you need a friend in the business on the West Coast, keep in mind that Lauren will soon know everyone. 

A major new performing arts complex is rising on the campus of Maryville College, and a familiar face to Theatre in the Knoxville area will guide its opening and operation.

Maryville native Robert Hutchens will be the Executive Director of the Civic Arts Center, a partnership project of Maryville College, the City of Maryville, and the City of Alcoa. 

The $47.3 million complex will feature a 1200-seat performance hall, a 250-seat recital hall, a 200-seat flexible theatre, and a grand lobby offering a 250-capacity dining area, three gallery/exhibit spaces and an outdoor arts plaza that can be used for special events.

Construction is scheduled for completion late 2009 with a grand opening to take place in early 2010.

Hutchens has been serving as Assistant Drector of Maryville College’s Center for International Education, but prior to that had an extensive career in theatre, much of it with the University of Tennessee Theatre Department, where he served as Director of Public Relations and Promotion.  He was also Company Manager for UT’s Hunter Hills Theatre in Gatlinburg and was an adjunct instructor.  (He also has a degree in Speech and Theatre from UT.)

The Arts Center will not only serve the Fine Arts Department of Maryville College, but will also serve as a performance venue for Maryville and Alcoa school and community groups, in addition to hosting Broadway shows, concerts by touring musicians and orchestras, traveling art exhibits, film series, children’s plays and presentations by nationally recognized speakers.

Here’s the part that strikes fear into the hearts of those promoting arts events held on the campus of the University of Tennessee:  the site map shows what looks like row after row of free parking!

Here’s the official release on Mr. Hutchens’ appointment from Maryville College.

The Civic Arts Center has its own website, where you can view a webcam to see progress on contstruction!

Sad news — Dan Owenby died this morning.

Dan loved the theatre.  He performed all over the area, in many professional productions, but amateur shows as well.  He just loved to act. 

His affiliation with the UT Theatre Department and the Clarence Brown Theatre extended back several decades, and he even spent a year here as Acting General Manager.  He was the one who interviewed me and hired me to come to the Box Office 10 1/2 years ago, and we appeared in several shows together.

His license tag (at least at one time) was “OFFBOOK”, but I can’t help but to recall that one of his finest performances was one without any lines at all — in Dance In Time (he wasn’t slighted — no one had any lines in that show — but it was amazing.)  Dan’s role as the bartender throughout most of the play was as a background performer, but with the arrival of a bottle of Coca-Cola in the aftermath of the war, he really brought his character to explosive life.

Dan had been in ill health for years and had to retire from his teaching position at Powell High School a few years ago on disability.  He’d had a kidney transplant, was in a coma for a while, and had been in and out of hospitals on numerous occasions.  But he always maintained his sense of humor (sometimes sarcastic!) and remained interested in what we were doing here. 

During the past four months,  things went bad and further surgeries or treatments would no longer help, so finally the tubes and IVs were removed and he passed away.

Dan was not one to want a conventional funeral, but some form of celebration of Dan’s life will be held soon — Mynatt’s Funeral Home is in charge, but there is no visitation planned there.

Dan, you will be missed.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our friend and former colleague, Thomas Adkins, in the death of his mother, Debra Stearley Adkins.  Mrs. Adkins passed away Sunday; the family will receive friends 6-7 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 27) at Atchley’s Smoky Mountain Chapel, Pigeon Forge.  A memorial service is scheduled afterwards (7 p.m.).  Here’s the obituary notice.

Thomas (Tommy) was an undergraduate theatre student at U.T.  He was a student worker here in the Clarence Brown Theatre Box Office, and after graduating became Assistant Box Office Manager and subsequently Company Manager.  He then did graduate study and received his MFA degree from The University of Alabama and joined the faculty there.

Recently, Tommy moved to New York City as the Associate Director of Ticketing and Travel for the Theatre Development Fund (the “tkts” booth people).  His email address is wthomasadkins@gmail.com.  I’m sure he’d love to here from his old friends.

I’m trying to get the hang of inserting YouTube videos in this blog — the rich editor does something that prevents them from showing, so I’m using a more “raw” approach. Submitting them to the blog directly from YouTube works only if you don’t change anything, and for some reason the main title doesn’t go in the right place, so let’s see if this works…

As with the Bridezillas promo featuring Angela Church posted yesterday, we’re trying to get us all updated on some CBT/UT Theatre alumni. Here’s a fairly recent Bud Light commercial featuring former UT undergraduate theatre major Russell Sams, playing the friend of the guy who turns into a fly…

UT Theatre alumus Thomas DeMarcus has been working at his craft, first in Chicago but more recently in New York as a founding member of Wunderkind Consortium.

But now (fanfare), Thomas has been cast in the touring company of a major Broadway show — he’ll be playing the part of Hines (the factory supervisor) in The Pajama Game.

This Tony Award-winning musical includes hit songs “Hey There”, “Steam Heat”, and “Hernando’s Hideaway”.  In his role of Hines, Thomas follows efforts on Broadway by the likes of Eddie Foy, Jr., Cab Calloway, and Michael McKean.

The tour is set to begin in September (2008) — we’ll watch for locations.

Knoxville native and UT Theatre alum John Cullum has been selected for induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame.  The actor, who last appeared at the Clarence Brown Theatre in The Dresser, is among eight in the 2008 class, along with actor and playwright Harvey Fierstein, actor Lois Smith, actor Dana Ivey, Director Jack O’Brien, playwright Peter Shaffer, librettist Joseph Stein, and critic Mel Gussow (postumously).

According to a story on Broadway World.com, the induction ceremony will take place Monday, January 28 at the Gershwin Theatre in New York, with Tommy Tune as the MC and Mike Nichols and Hal Prince as some of the presenters.