Dr. Ralf Remshardt became interim director of the School of Theatre + Dance (SOTD) after Dr. Jerry Dickey, who served as the director for six years, stepped down from the position to return to teaching Fall 2019. Remshardt was previously an interim director of SOTD in the spring of 2012.
“Ralf is a long-standing faculty member of the School of Theatre + Dance, and he owns the respect and support of all faculty and staff in the school,” Dickey said.
Remshardt said the projects he will be working on during his time as an interim director will mostly depend on the priorities of the new College of the Arts dean, Onye Ozuzu. One of his personal goals as an interim director is to maintain and strengthen connections to the college’s external partners, including the Friends of Theatre + Dance, the Hippodrome Theatre and Tilted Windmills Productions.
The school is also working on potential curricular initiatives that will give students more direct access to professions in theatre and dance, Remshardt said. SOTD also recently conducted searches for new faculty and staff members.
“There are faculty and staff positions we are filling that would give our already strong programs in theatre and dance a boost,” Remshardt said. “Of course, one of the most important tasks in the school will be to recruit and select a new permanent director.”
The school welcomed a number of new faculty and staff members who started fall of 2018.
“I’m excited to see what creative energy and diversity they bring to the school and the university, and it will be my pleasure to help them establish themselves at UF and SOTD and provide an environment where they can thrive,” Remshardt said.
