Successful Classmates from SUNY Buffalo

At the time I was in school I had no idea of the success that many of my classmates would have.

During my first year at UB I would work with Alan Adelman, Mitchell Bogard and Ken Tabachnick.

Later I would work with Anne Militello.

Some of Alan Adelman’s work can be on various PBS shows such as Great Performances, Dance in America, American Playhouse and Live from Lincoln Center.

Mitchell Bogard has done a good deal of television lighting for such show as Live From Lincoln Center, Rachael Ray, The Chris Rock, Madonna: Exposed and early on he even worked on Sesame Street.

Ken Tabachnick has worked with The Kirov Opera and Ballet, the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the New York City Ballet, the Lyon Opera Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and The Trisha Brown Company.

Anne Militello has designed on Broadway and many other places both on and off stage.

http://www.annemilitello.com/

I will often catch one of their names when I watch any stage production that has been filmed for TV.

Another classmate was Tylor Wymer who worked years for Disney before starting his own special effects company. (I wonder if he still has the T-Square he borrowed from me?)

http://www.wow-works.com/index.htm

Jerry Kegler is the facilities director for the Center for the Arts at UB.
http://www.ubcfa.org/home.aspx

Actors?

I have not yet talked about them.

Yes even some of the actors went on to work on the business.

Tommy Koenig has worked all over the country as a stand up comedian and has appeared in several movies including: Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Dracula Dead and Loving it, and Stitches.

Unfortunately too many of my classmates fell victim to the Aids epidemic of the early 1980’s.

We lost too many talented people.

I know that several others of my classmates also went on to work in theatre, some teaching, some working behind the scenes but all having fun.

There are many others from my days at UB still working in Theatre that I have just lost touch with, but every once and a while I will hear from them.

I just heard from I friend that I was out of touch with for a few years because of this Blog.

It is hard for me to believe that my Blog is important enough to have the content listed by Google.

But it was nice to hear from Barry Besmanoff who still works for LiteLab Corporation, whose product line has changed a bit since they made the Disco Light Floor for the movie Saturday Night Fever.

http://www.litelab.com/document_1.html

I always tell my students that someday when they are out there working in Theatre that some of their current classmates will be out there too.

Their friends and former classmates can become people that they can count on to work with.

I have had calls former students who are now running Theatres and they ask me about another Brockport grad whose resume they have received.

Theatre is a small world.