The Distinguished Professor of Directing in the Meadows School’s Division of Theatre, Stan Wojewodski Jr., has been appointed chair of theatre.
Wojewodski is replacing Cecil O’Neal, who has served as the chair for the past four years, and will be on sabbatical in the fall 2010.
Wojewodski came to SMU in 2005 as the Distinguished-Artist-in-Residence in the theatre department, and was named Distinguished Professor in 2007.
He has taught directing classes and directed several student productions including “Betrayed,” “Trouble in Mind,” “The Overwhelming,” “Fabulation” and “She Stoops to Conquer,” during his time at SMU.
“Stan has a national reputation in both professional and academic theatre as a producer, artistic director, director and teacher,” said Jose Bowen, dean of the Meadows School.
Before being a part of the SMU community, Wojewodski was the artistic director of Yale Repertory Theatre and was dean of the Yale School of Drama from 1991 to 2002. During this time he taught playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, who won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Wojewodski’s own productions at Yale included the premiere of David Edgar’s “Pentecost,” Dawn Powell’s “Big Night” and adaptations of “Beaumarchais” by Eric Overmyer, another playwright whose career Wojewodski nourished.
Prior to Yale, Wojewodski served as artistic director of Baltimore’s Center Stage from 1975 to 1991 where he directed over 40 productions.
During this time, he also produced over a dozen world premieres by established American playwrights including James Yoshimura, Grace McKeaney and Russell Davis.
Throughout his career Wojewodski also staged productions at numerous venues including the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, Guthrie Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre and Dallas Theater Center, among others.
He also developed an exhibition and reading series, “Lily’s Downfall,” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of Edith Wharton’s novel “The House of Mirth” for the Edith Wharton Restoration and the Museum of the City of New York.
“It is wonderful to have someone of his caliber and accomplishments as our new chair,” Dean Bowen said. “Ordinarily we would conduct a national search for a new department chair, but with Stan already on board, there was no need to look further.”
