Columbia University School of the Arts Class Notes 2022-2023

Theatre alum Adam Kraar's '87  play The Karpovsky Variations ran from May 13 through May 29, 2022 at ART/NY's Gural Theater.

Somewhere in Queens, produced by Film alum Albert Berger '83 screened at the Tribeca Festival.

Writing alum Mark Alpert’s '84 eleventh novel, The Doomsday Show, was published on October 4, 2022. The Doomsday Show is a fast-paced climate-fiction thriller with gun battles and killer drones and speedboat chases across New York Harbor.

Writing alum Michael Hickins '86 (CC '83) published his memoir, The Silk Factory: Finding Threads of My Family's True Holocaust Story (Holocaust Heritage).

Writing alum Helen Schulman’s ’86 new book Lucky Dogs will be released June 6, 2023.

Theatre alum Buffy Aakaash's '94 chapbook of "how to" poems Untangling the Knots was published by Kelsay Books in December of 2022, and was recently nominated for the Vermont Poetry Prize.

Film alum James Mangold '99 will direct and produce an upcoming Buster Keaton biopic.

The Swimmers, a novel by Writing alum Julie Otsuka '94, is available for purchase.

Writing alumn Mark Wunderlich '94 was interviewed as part of the School of the Arts's A Poet's Life series.

Theatre alum Sheri Wilner ‘99 was named Associate Chair and Director of MFA Playwriting at the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University.

Theater alum Alice Reagan ’04 directs Evelyn Brown (A Diary) by María Irene Fornés at La MaMa's Downstairs Theater, May 19-June 4 2023. 

Rosema, a feature project directed by Film alum Angela Tucker '05 was chosen to participate in Film Independent's Amplifier Fellowship.

Theatre alum Barbara Whitman '05 was honored on May 9, 2022 at Page 73's 2022 Spring Benefit.

A Strange Loop, produced by alum and Dean's Council Member and Theatre alum Barbara Whitman '05,took home the 2022 Tony awards for Best Musical and Best Book of a Musical. 

Radical was granted the Sundance Festival Favorite Award. Former Adjunct and Film alum Christopher Zalla '04 served as the writer and director, and Film alum Ben O’Dell '04 as the film’s producer. 

Guadalupe, co-written, directed and produced by Film alum David Barba ’05 and co-written and produced by Film alum James Pellerito ’05 screened at the San Diego Latino and Houston Latino Film Festivals in March 2022 and at the Brussels Short Film Festival in April 2022. Bésame, written and directed by Barba and produced by Pellerito screened at the Roze Filmdagen Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival and at the Seattle International Film Festival in April 2022.

Six Phases of Forest Procession (for the Budding Bird Blind) by David Brooks '09 is exhibited at the Flora and Fauna exhibition in 1053 Gallery in New York. The exhibition ran until May 7, 2023 with a public reception on closing night. 

Writing alum David Gordon’s '06 novel The Wild Life is now available from Mysterious Press.

The Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF) presented its annual Andrew Sarris Award to Canadian director, screenwriter, and Film alum Deborah Chow ’03.

Writing alum Diane Josefowicz’s '08 debut novel Ready, Set, Oh was published by Flexible Press.

Writing alum Dinaw Mengestu '05 (WRIT) was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Theatre alum Elenna Stauffer '04 published her play Hysterical! with Broadway Play Publishing and The Auntie Network, which was part of the virtual reading series at the Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol.

Film alum Frederic Tcheng’s ’07 film Invisible Beauty is playing at Tribeca Festival. 

Film alumni James Ponsoldt ’05  and William Graham ’06 are at the helm of Daisy Jones & The Six, a mesmerizing new musical drama released on Amazon Prime Video. 

Columbia University Entertainment hosts a roundtable discussion with game creatives Writing alum Jennifer Estaris '06, Film MFA alum Iesh Thapar ’17, and guest speaker Graham McNeill, moderated by Film MFA alum Peter Forbes ’21.

Theatre alumni Jocelyn Bioh '08 and Saheem Ali '07  are the playwright and director, respectively, of Goddess, which had its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on August 13, 2022.

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Undergraduate Creative Writing and Writing alum Joseph Fasano '08 has been embarking on a creative project through Twitter titled Poem for My Son. 

Theatre alum Josh Koenigsburg '09  participated in The Geffen Playhouse's 2022/23 season.

Visual Arts alum Kamrooz Aram '03  wins 2023-2024 Rome Prize.

Writing alum Kao Kalia Yang '05 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Writing alum Karen Moulding’s '01 piece "We Will Live Here Forever" was featured in KGB Bar Online Literary Review.

Writing alum M. M. De Voe ’01 published a new short story collection A Flash of Darkness. She will be celebrating the launch of her collection of cross-genre short fiction, A Flash of Darkness, with a Kafka-themed party on June 8. RSVP to attend at this link. 

Theatre alum Pavol Liska '05 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Writing alum Rebecca Donner '01 was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship. She was also named a member of Harvard Radcliffe Institute’s 2023–2024 class of fellows.

The National Book Critics Circle announced the recipients of their 2021 Awards. Writing alum Rebecca Donner ‘01 was awarded first place in the biography category for All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler.

Theatre alum Saheem Ali '07 was awarded this year's Joe A. Callaway Award for his work on Fat Ham. He also received a Tony Award nomination for Best Direction of a Play for Fat Ham. 

Film alum Sean Mullin '06 has written and directed a new documentary feature film titled It Aint’ Over chronicling the life of Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, one of baseball’s greatest superstars. The film screened at the 2022 Tribeca Festival. Film alum Julian Robinson '08 co-produced and edited the film.

Stay Awake, the Berlinale award-winning feature film written & directed by Film alum Jamie Sisley '15, produced by Film alum Shrihari Sathe '09 and co-produced by Film alumni Rob Cristiano '13, Sarah Dorman Sveen '15  and Alvaro Valente '14  opens theatrically on May 19 at Film Forum in New York and on May 25 at Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles followed by other cities across the US.

The Pod Generation, written and directed by Film alum Sophie Barthes '03, won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Sundance Festival, a $20,000 cash award. ⁠

Visual Arts alum Tony Chirinos '03 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

The Precipice, an exhibition by 2023 Guggenheim fellow and Visual Arts alum Tony Chirinos '03 runs at Transmitter gallery in New York until May 7, 2023.

Visual Arts alum Uri Aran's ‘07  first institutional exhibition in Ireland, Take This Dog For Example, is on view from March 31 to June 25, 2023 at The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art.

Visual Arts alum Uri Aran ’07’s exhibition “I'm a Restaurant” is at Andrew Kreps Gallery until June 24, 2023. 

Writing alum Aaron Poochigian’s '16 verse novel, Mr. Either/Or: All the Rage, in which a mouthy and seemingly unkillable FBI agent is back for more adventures, was released by Etruscan Press.

Writing alum Alexandra Kleeman '12 was awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Our Son, produced by Film alum Alex Peace 17’ will screen at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Writing alum Alla Vilnyanskaya’s '18 book Void was reviewed in Mad Poets Society. 

The American premiere of Theatre alum Anchuli Felicia King's '18 Golden Shield opened May 17, 2022. The cast includes Theatre alum Fang Du '18 (THEA).

Theatre alum Anika Chapin '14 became the Director of Artistic Development at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia.

Theatre alum Anna Jastrzembski ‘19 co-created FEAST, hosted by The Tank.

Murina, directed by Film alum Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović '17 and co-written by Antoneta & Film alum Frank Graziano '19, won the Camera d’Or upon its 2021 Cannes premiere and was acquired for North American distribution by Kino Lorber. 

Writing alum Baba Badji '15 was interviewed as part of the School of the Arts’s A Poet's Life series.

Writing alum Basie Allen’s '19 poem "One Last Wish for Warmer Kisses" was published in The Brooklyn Review.

Writing alum Basie Allen’s '19 debut poetry collection Palm-Lined with Potience was featured in The New York Times Book Review.

Writing alum Becky Shirley’s '19 fiction piece "Still Life" was published in Joyland Magazine.

Writing alum Calvin Atwood '19 published a fiction piece titled “The Fearful 6th Grader” in Apocalypse Confidential. 

Writing alum Christopher Kazar Janigian '17 published two poems in the twenty-second issue of Blazing Stadium.

Theatre alum Daaimah Mubashshir's ’15 Room Enough (For Us All) ran at the 2022 Pipeline Festival and was directed by Theatre alum Katherine Wilkinson ’19.

Writing alum Daniel Felsenthal ‘15 published a review titled “Renée Stout Wields Illegibility as a Form of Resistance” in Frieze. 

Writing alum Daniel Felsenthal '15 reviewed Claire-Louise Bennett's new novel Checkout 19.

Film alum David Gutnik '12 returns to the 2023 Tribeca Festival with his new documentary, Rule of Two Walls, a raw, atmospheric portrait of today’s Ukraine through the lens of the artists who have chosen to stay.

Writing alum Dolapo Demuren’s '17 was spotlighted at The Adroit Journal, at which he is Managing Editor.

An article by Writing alum Eitan Nechin '19, “Overlooked No More: Jacqueline Shohet Kahanoff, Writer of Levantine Identity”, was published in The New York Times.

Writing alum E.J. Koh '13 won a 2022 Association for Asian American Studies Book Award for her memoir, The Magical Language of Others. Koh placed first in the category of "Creative Writing: Prose."

Writing alum E.J. Koh '13 joined the writing team of the Apple TV+ series Pachinko.

Mon Père, Le Diable, directed by Film alum Ellie Foumbi '17 screened at the Tribeca Festival.

Writing alum Elina Alter’s '16 translation of Olga Bragina's "There's No Getting Out" can be read in Words Without Borders.

Writing alum Erin Pesut '15 published a poem titled “cuss” in Whale Road Review.

Film alum Francisca Alegria ’16 is one of eight participants selected by the Sundance Institute for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship. 

Film alum Francisca Alegria ’16  signed a distribution deal with Kino Lorber for her 2022 debut feature The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future. The film co-written & directed by Alegria and co-produced by Film alum Shrihari Sathe '09 releases theatrically on May 19 at QUAD Cinema in New York and at Landmark NuArt in Los Angeles followed by other cities.

Writing alum Francisco González '19 won an O. Henry Prize for his short story "Clean Teen."

Theatre alum Freddie Fulton '18 was an understudy for Confederates by Dominique Morriseau, which ran at Signature Theatre March 8–April 24, 2022.

A Woman of No Importance, written & directed by Film alum Gauri Adelkar '19  and executive produced by Film alum Apoorva Charan '18 screened at the CINEJOY Virtual Fest April 2022 and at the Atlanta Film Festival April 2022.

Writing alum Gavin Thomson’s '19 short story "Beelzebub's Kiss" was published in After Realism: 24 Stories for the 21st Century.

Theatre alum Gethsemane Herron-Coward's ’19 Kin ran at the 2022 Pipeline Festival.

Theatre alum Harrison David Rivers '09 play When Last We Flew ran at Out Front Theatre Company.

Writing alum Harrison Hill '19 interviewed Harvey Fierstein in GQ.

Theatre alum Inés Braun’s '17 play All the Lonely Women was performed at the Global Forms Theater Festival, June 2–4, 2022.

Writing alum Jack Lowery’s '19 It Was Vulgar and It Was Beautiful: How AIDS Activists Used Art to Fight a Pandemic has been published by Bold Type Books.

Visual Arts alum Jackson Polys ’15’s exhibition Signals: How Video Transformed the World is running at the MoMA until July 8, 2023. 

Stay Awake, the Berlinale award-winning feature film, written & directed by Film alum Jamie Sisley '15, produced by Film alum Shrihari Sathe '09, and co-produced by Film alumni Rob Cristiano '13, Sarah Dorman Sveen '15, and Alvaro Valente '14, opens theatrically on May 19 at Film Forum in New York and on May 25 at Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles followed by other cities across the US.

Columbia University Entertainment hosts a roundtable discussion with game creatives Writing alum Jennifer Estaris '06, Film MFA alum Iesh Thapar ’17, and guest speaker Graham McNeill, moderated by Film MFA alum Peter Forbes ’21.

Writing alum Jessamine Chan '12 is nominated for the PEN/Hemingway Award, presented to a “debut novel of exceptional literary merit by an American author.”

Writing alum Jesse Sposato '16 published a feature titled “Meet the New Class of Politicians Challenging the Status Quo” in InStyle.

Visual Arts alum Jessica Segall '10 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Theatre alum Jillian Walker's '17 one-night only performance titled Surrender, is the night played at Ars Nova and Ars Nova Supra on April 27, 2022 at 7PM.

Writing alum Julia Bosson '15 was recently featured in a profile in Der Tagesspiegel.

Visual Arts alum Julia Phillips '15 has been selected as a finalist for the 2023 Chicago Artadia Award.

Sound Art alum Kamari Carter’s '19 solo exhibition Phantom Power runs from April 6th to May 13th at the Microscope Gallery, New York. 

Theatre alum Kelvin Dinkins, Jr. '14 was named the Executive Director of the American Repertory Theater at Harvard.

From Fish To Moon, written & directed by Film alum Kevin Contento '18 premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, in the Berlinale Shorts program. 

Naked Gardens, which boasts Film alum Kevin Contento '18 as its assistant editor and assistant sound recordist screened at the Tribeca Festival.

WarnerMedia Access unveiled its new Showrunner Program in spring 2022, and Film alum Kevin Lau ’13 was among the members of the inaugural cohort.

Visual Arts alum Lea Cetera’s ’12 work is being featured in a new international exhibition at Hestercombe Gallery called Design for Life: Art and Architecture - Part 1.

Theatre alum Liba Vaynberg’s ‘13 play The Gett will have its world premiere at the Rattlestick Theatre on November 9, 2022.

Film alum Lizzie Rose '17 co-wrote an episode of Russian Doll titled “Station to Station.”

Theatre alum Lynn Spector '15 was on the creative team of the new musical Paradise Square, which ran at the Barrymore Theatre.

Flight, a novel by writing alum Lynn Steger Strong '14,  was published in November 2022.

Theater alum Marc Atkinson Borrull '16 is directing the first major revival of Enda Walsh's Bedbound starring Colm Meaney and his daughter Brenda Meaney. The play runs from 14-29 July at the Galway International Arts Festival and later in August at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. 

Film alum Maggie Briggs '19 participated in the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Writers’ Studio Class of 2022.

Theatre alum Marc Atkinson Borrull ’16 directed the Irish premiere of Nick Payne’s Constellations at Dublin’s historic Gate Theatre in May 2022. 

Theatre alum Marcel Spears ’15 plays the role of Marty Butler on The Neighborhood, viewable on CBS and Paramount+.

Theatre alum Marcel Spears '15 starred in The Public Theater and National Black Theatre's production of Fat Ham by James Ijames. He's starring as Juicy in Fat Ham at the American Airlines Theatre on Broadway until June 25.

Writing alum Matt Gallagher '13 published an essay in Esquire: "Notes from Lviv."

Writing alum Matthew Gellman '18 published a poem called "Replica" in Narrative Magazine.

Writing alum Matthew Gellman ’18 wins the BOA Editions’ 22nd Annual A. Poulin, Jr. for their manuscript titled BEFORELIGHT.

Eulalia Books published the long-awaited poetry debut, Cold, of Writing alum Meg Matich '15. 

Writing alum Meghan Gilligan '16 published a nonfiction piece titled "'C'mon, C'mon' and the Empathetic Films of Mike Mills" in The Los Angeles Review of Books.

Theater alum Mei Ann Teo '14 directed 7 Minutes, which played at HERE Arts Center from March 17–April 10, 2022.

Visual Arts alum Michael Hewson '16 (VASA) was featured in Naarm-based curator and researcher Rosemary Forde's "Rocks on Wheels and Flying Shoes." In this piece, Rosemary explores the art-historical and civic context in which artist Mike Hewson’s multi-year, City Council-backed public playground in Naarm Melbourne, Rocks on Wheels, has landed.

Theatre alum Michael Walek ’14 is a co-producer of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, A Strange Loop. 

#SOPHYGRAY, the latest project of Visual Arts alum Nadja Verena Marcin '10, is part of the Platform Glitch Aesthetics 2023 at Digitalvilla.

Film alum Nathan Floody '12 served as an editor for Life & Beth and for Girls5eva.

Visual Arts alum Pamela Council '14 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Writing alum Paul McAdory '19 recently published an essay in Gawker.

Writing alum Rachel Christina McConnell '18 published a fiction piece called "Jailbait" in Minerva Rising.

Adjunct Professor and Theatre alum Robert O’Hara ’96 directed Richard III for The Public Theatre’s free Shakespeare in the Park series summer 2022 in New York City. 

Film and Media Studies alum Ricky D’Ambrose ’12 was selected to participate in the 51st iteration of the New Directors/New Films (ND/NF) festival from Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art.

Joyland, written and directed by Film alum Saim Sadiq '19, co-written by Film alum Maggie Briggs '19 and produced by Film alum Apoorva Charan '18, screened at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, as part of the Un Certain Regard program. The film won Best International Film at 2023 the Film Independent Spirit Awards, and was the first entry from Pakistan to be shortlisted for the Best International Feature Oscar®.

Theatre alum Sam Chanse's ’12 play What You Are Now ran at the Ensemble Studio Theatre.

Visual Arts alum Samantha Nye '18 was awarded a 2023 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Writing alum Sasha Wolff '17 was named a finalist for the 2022 St. Lawrence Book Award for The Boy Bandit. 

Writing alum Sasha Wolff '17 published her short story "Treasure Girl" in Parhelion Literary Magazine. 

LaRoy, written and directed by Film alum Shane Atkinson ‘13, will have its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Smoking Tigers, written & directed by Film alum So Young Shelly Yo '18 will screen at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Anonymity Is Life by writing alum Sola Saar ’19 is among the finalists for The Novel Prize from Fitzcarraldo Editions, Giramondo and New Directions. 

Visual Arts alum Sondra Perry ’15 was featured on the cover of Artforum.

Writing alum Tadhg Hoey '18 reviewed Percival Everett's The Trees in The Stinging Fly.

Theatre alum Tamera Tomakili '19 is starring in Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which is now streaming on HBO.

The Girl of the Shining Snow, a feature project co-written & directed by Film alum Thais Drassinower '18, was chosen to participate in Film Independent's Screenwriting Lab.

Theatre alum Tyne Rafaeli '14 participated in The Geffen Playhouse's 2022/23 season.

Death of Nintendo, written & produced by Film alum Valerie Castillo Martinez '16 and edited by Film alum Cyril Aris '17, is now streaming on MUBI.

Writing alum Yvonne Kendall '14 wrote a piece in The Music City Review, reporting on a performance of the Nashville Symphony.

Writing alum Yvonne Woon ’10 published a young adult novel titled My Flawless Life with HarperCollins.

Film alum Agnes Skonare Karlsson '21 spoke about her film Berry Pickers as part of the 2022 Columbia University Film Festival. 

Writing alum Antoinette Cooper’s '20 poem "After Breonna" is featured in the spring 2022 issue of The Amistad.

Writing alum Antoinette Cooper '20 was awarded a 2022 Winter Literature Grant by the Café Royal Cultural Foundation for her upcoming book Unruly.

Writing alum Antoinette Cooper '20 received the Twenty Summers 2023 Artist Residency.

Sleeptalking, the debut poetry collection of Writing alum Antonio Addessi ’20, was published by Rebel Satori Press.

Shortcomings, music coordination by Film alum Cheryl Wang 22’ will screen at the 2023 Tribeca Festival.

Jensen, directed by Film alum Chloe Sarbib '20, co-written by Sarbib and Film alum Gina Hackett '20,and produced by Film alum Waleed Alqahtani '20, premiered at the Aspen Shortsfest.

Theatre alum Cristina (Cha) Ramos ’21 associate intimacy-directed Company on Broadway.

Theater alum DeAndre C. Short ’23 assistant-directed Confederates by Dominique Morisseau at the Signature Theatre. 

Writing alum Elena Sheppard '20 published a personal essay titled “The Week Before My Sons Were Born, I Lost My Smile” in The Cut.

Writing alum Elliot Alpern '20 published a fiction piece titled “Sowing Ground” in The Normal School.

Writing alum Emily Simon ‘21 published her first book, In Many Ways, with Winter Editions.

Writing alum Gauraa Shekhar '21 published a fiction piece as part of Phillips Auctions'  "The Prompt" series.

Writing alum Gila Ashtor ’20 has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for her book Homo Psyche: On Queer Theory and Erotophobia.

An Evening with Laila, directed and produced by Film alum Haya Alghanim '20 and edited by Film alum Waleed Alqahtani '20, won the Golden Hypatia Award for Best International Documentary at the Alexandria Short Film Festival.

Céu de Agosto, directed by Film alum Jasmin Tennuci '20, co-written by Tennuci and Film alum Saim Sadiq '19 and executive produced by Film alum Kári Úlfsson '20, was a Cannes Short Film 2021 Official Selection and won the award for Best International Short Film at the FemCine Women's Film Festival in Chile.

Film alum Jasmin Tenucci ’20 was selected to participate in the 51st iteration of the New Directors/New Films (ND/NF) festival from Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art.

Let There Be Light, written and directed by Film alum Jon K. Jones '21 and produced by Film alum Jonathan Brown '21, screened at the Martha’s Vineyard African-American Film Festival in August 2022.

Nobody Skates But Me, a new short film by Film alum Jordan Anstatt '23, is a bromantic comedy about a skater who tries to get revenge after getting cool-guyed at the skatepark and is out now. 

Theatre alum Julián Mesri '20 was the musical director and arranger for Radical Evolution’s Songs About Trains, produced by Working Theater and New Ohio.

Theater alum Julian Mesri's '20 adaptation of Comedy of Errors will tour May 2-21, 2023 and then run at The Public May 25-June 11, 2023.

Pale Slope of the Hour, a solo show of work by Visual Arts alum Kelsey Shwetz '22, is on view at Galerie Julien Cadet (Paris, France) until April 22, 2023. 

Theatre alumni Logan Reed '21 (director), Kate Pressman '20 (writer, illustrator, and hands performer), Elizagrace Madrone '20 (producer and dramaturg), and Josh Brown '20 (soundtrack composer) joined in collaboration on “Marta Nesspek Presents,” a series of digital shorts.  

Theater alum Logan Reed '21 is associate directing Grey House, on Broadway now through September 3, 2023. 

Visual Arts alum Monica Felix '20 is participating in the exhibition Ida y Vuelta (Arrivals and Departures: Migration Experiences in Contemporary Puerto Rican Art). The exhibition runs until September 30, 2023 in Hunter East Harlem gallery in partnership with The Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO). 

Egúngún (Masquerade), a film by Film alum Olive Nwosu '21, won the award for Best Student Short at the 2022 Aspen Shortfest.

Theatre alum Robbie Armstrong '21 was on the creative team of the new musical Paradise Square, which ran at the Barrymore Theatre.

Bury Me When I’m Dead, a film by Film alum Seabold Krebs '20, was chosen to participate in the Buyers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival's Frontières Market.

Visual Arts alum Sophie Kovel '22 is participating in No Necessary Correspondence, the Spring Exhibition of the Whitney independent study program (ISP). The exhibition opens on May 17, 2023 and runs until May 28, 2023 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Visual Arts alum Roni Aviv’s '21 solo exhibition, A Temporary Weight, opens at Real Art Ways on May 18th, 2023.