Theater director Rigdon to leave Rice, academia
A member of the Visual and Dramatic Arts Department since fall 2000, Theater Director Trish Rigdon is leaving Rice in December. Rigdon, who has been theater director since fall 2004, will leave teaching to advance a professional career in design and theatrical production, basing herself in Houston but traveling for different projects.
Rigdon will design props for a Cincinnati Playhouse production of Crime and Punishment in February and design costumes for Washington D.C.’s Roundhouse Theater’s production of Lord of the Flies in March.
Concurrently, she will produce The Breakfast at 8, a play written by Tom Hagemann (Lovett ‘78). After reading the play, Rigdon developed it into an off-Broadway production scheduled for 2008.
In addition to plays, Rigdon will work in film.
“On my horizon and in the works are two films, one to be filmed in Houston area and the other to be filmed on location in Louisiana,” Rigdon said.
Since her arrival at Rice, Rigdon has taught numerous theater classes, among them Intro to Theater, Theater Design, Acting I, II, III, Directing, Costume Design, Lighting Design and Scene Design.
During her time at Rice, Rigdon helped facilitate to the growth of the theater program.
“When the former director of theater, Mark Ramont, and myself arrived in the fall of 2000, we immediately implemented many more [theater] classes than had ever been offered before,” Rigdon said. “As students attended the classes, more and more students found it interesting and discovered that [this] was a viable future and career and started expressing the desire to major in it.”
Although theater was originally part of the English department, it became a part of the Visual and Dramatic Arts Department last year. Since this change, Rigdon said, students can take the theater track and major in visual and dramatic arts.
Rigdon said she is pleased with the advancement of theater studies and increased interest in theater during her time at Rice. There are currently 90 students enrolled in theater classes this semester.
“I think my most notable achievement is facilitating, instigating and encouraging the move of theater back into the visual arts department in the forming of visual and dramatic arts and with that, the theater track and possible major,” she said. “I think that’s a major step forward for the students.”
While Rigdon said she enjoyed the burgeoning theater program, she said she found it hard to preserve the professional aspect of her career.
“I’ve always maintained a professional career in the theater primarily because my position at Rice has been that of a lecturer, not a tenure track,” Rigdon said. “I never felt like I could leave the professional theater to concentrate on teaching.”
Although she leaves in December, Rigdon has started working on the fall production Hecuba, Frank McGinnis’ adaptation of a play originally done by Donmar Warehouse in London and again on Broadway starring Vanessa Redgrave.
“Before I leave Rice, I’m looking forward to the fall production of theater program,” she said.
This season’s production will star Baker College senior Vicki Romo as Hecuba, Lovett College sophomore Alexandria Anderson, Lovett junior Trevor Pittinger and Baker sophomore Jordan Jaffe, with Sid Richardson junior Andrew Sinclair as student lighting designer. The production will run Nov. 9 -10 and 15 - 17 at 8 p.m. at Hamman Hall.
Looking back over the last seven years, Rigdon said she has gained important friendships while at Rice.
“I have to say that one of the best things about being at Rice has been my colleagues,” she said. “They’ve been very supportive, and I’ve just enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them. And there have been some very special students who have been in my life these past seven years and I’m a better person for having known them, and I think my time at Rice has been well-spent.”
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