WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF
STEPHEN (STEVE) TAFT
Welcome. Recently retired from academia (2022), I am hoping to soon spend much of my time writing, traveling a bit and simply enjoying life.
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The pages here provide a bit of insight into my career which has been a journey. Here you'll find a sampling of projects and interests and perhaps more than a few memories.
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In the meantime, let's be sure to smile. It's my hope the younger generation will step up and lead the way toward a kinder, gentler, and more ethical society that believes in democracy and equality for everyone. That's it for now. Have a great day!
Headshot photo by K. Groninga.
Bio
Stephen Taft retired from the Department of Theatre at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) located in Cedar Falls, Iowa in June of 2022. He received his Ph.D. in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Theatre with concentrations in Arts Management and Directing from Texas Tech University, a Master of Arts in Theatre from Missouri State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Central Missouri majoring in Theatre and Speech with a minor in Dance.
Prior to pursuing his education, Stephen served in the U.S.A.F. achieving the rank of SSGT (E-5). He will always be eternally grateful for the opportunity to pursue his education via the G.I. Bill which otherwise most likely would not have been possible.
To read more click on BIO button below.
The Plays of Stephen Taft
Playwriting has been my focus in recent years and strangely they all seem to end on a positive note. Perhaps it's how I hope our future will be. The plays include Storybook Christmas, a family-friendly holiday musical (with it's own link in the header), Hope the Firefly (a children's play), Kreon (a contemporary adaptation of the classic Greek play, Antigone), a one-act play, (Apples and Elephants) and several short ten-minute page plays intended for short-play festivals or an evening of short plays. Thus far, I have had plays produced in Louisiana, Iowa, California, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and New York.
I encourage you to give them a read and to reach out if there is one that may be of interest.
Production Photos
In the world of higher education, theatre artists often wear many hats depending on the size of the faculty and staff and their specific expertise. Although primarily trained as a director, actor and arts administrator, circumstances and artistic interests required me to expand my experiences to include light design, sound design, scenic design and technical direction on occasion (in my early years).
Such experiences have been tremendously valuable in my role as a director and administrator in regards to budgeting and communication and in my ability to appreciate the talent and hard work of the designers and technical staff I have worked with over the years. These gallery photos are representative of such diverse experiences.
Once-upon-a-time
Over the years there have been several projects, whether research-based or course-based, that I believe may have had value to students or others that may have visited my web page in the past. So, rather than simply storing such info on my computer or in a closet somewhere, I have chosen to share selected examples on this new site.
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This section includes a project focusing on a series of interviews conducted mostly in 2016-17 with several working professionals from Broadway, TV and film. These interviews can be found in "Chats & Conversations". All have valuable information for the young aspiring professional.
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I'll also share excerpts from Chapter One of Tutors to Panthers, a retrospective of the various athletic programs at the University of Northern Iowa.
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Music & Writings
Here you will find a link to my SoundCloud site featuring several examples of songs I've written over the years. In addition, the charming children's stories of Cindy Taft are featured. Finally, I share several of my favorite songs of my son, Austin Taft in addition to a link to his web site that features a large catalog of diverse music. Do I promote those I believe in? Yes, I do!
Marc Breaux
In this section you will discover a variety of interviews from a research project regarding choreographer, dancer, actor and director, Marc Breaux (best known for such films as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) The interviews include chats with Dee Dee Wood, Richard Sherman, Dick Van Dyke, Leslie Ann Warren and others. In addition, there are a variety of photographs from Marc's life and career he generously shared with me years ago.