Encore: Dennis Parker
Associate Professor
(Profile)

Current Research and Creative Activity

Dennis A. Parker has had another busy and eventful year. In the autumn quarter of 2001, he served as acting-head of the Design/Tech area while Mary Tarantino was on a research leave. He continued to act as the area’s representative to the Graduate Studies Committee this year as well. He was awarded the USITT Ohio Valley Region “Award of Distinction” for his design work on Three Tall Women, produced by CATCO in Columbus. During the Winter of 2002, Dennis designed costumes for CATCO’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Ohio State University alumnus, Jonathan Putnam, played the role of Jack (Ernest). The role of Lady Bracknell was played by local Equity actor Jon Farris. In the autumn of 2001 the productions of Facade and Pierrot Lunaire that Dennis designed for The Contemporary Music Festival the previous winter were televised on WOSU. In February Dennis attended the USITT National Conference in New Orleans. At a costume session, he presented the techniques and procedure for making an inexpensive military collar piece from materials found at a hardware store, a technique he had developed for the production of King Lear. He also served as an adjudicator at The Young Designer’s Forum and he had his design work for The Importance of Being Earnest presented at a session at USITT Costume Commission. During Spring Break, he was delighted to attend the wedding of colleague, Esther Beth Sullivan, in Bozeman, MT. After Spring Break, Dennis had two stents implanted on his artery to replace worn out by-passes which were done several years ago when he suffered a heart attack. Dennis concluded the spring quarter of 2002 by organizing the fabric modification workshop with Janet Bloor and the master class with Brian Russman. At the end of the year celebration for CATCO Theatre, Dennis was awarded the first Fred and Howard "Artist of the Year Award" for his designs for, The Importance of Being Earnest. Dennis plans to retire as the resident costume designer at the end of the 2002-03 academic year.