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ALUMNI STORIES: Dwight Richard Odle

Dwight Richard Odle (Dick Odle)

FJC CLASS OF 1961
FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA
SHOWDESIGNER@ATT.NET

EDUCATION:

• Fullerton Junior College 1959-61 AA Theatre/Art
• University of Southern California 1961-62
• San Francisco State University 1962-63 BA Theatre
• Yale University School of Drama 1963-66 MFA Theatrical Design

“Fullerton College gave me exceptional design opportunities and prepared me to launch a fifty-year career as a professional theatrical designer and producer specializing in art direction scenery, costumes, special events, pageantry and pyrotechnics. Also as an author, playwright, professor, lecturer, commentator and arts consultant."

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS:

• Stanford University Theatre Department 1966-67 Assistant Professor
• California State University Fullerton 1967-80 Professor of Theatre
• California Polytechnic University Pomona 1982-87 Visiting Professor/ Theatre
• University of California Irvine DANCE 1987-95 Guest Professor/Designer

AFFILIATIONS:

• United Scenic Artists
• United States Institute of Theatre Technology
• Phi Kappa Phi (Life Member)

AWARDS:

• Lifetime Achievement in Scenic Design, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle -2005
• Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award for Career Achievement, Arts Orange County -2006

Selected List: Special Event Design: TOMMY WALKER PRODUCTIONS-1972-84

• PASADENA ROSE BOWL, JULY 4th SHOWS
• ANAHEIM STADIUM JULY 4th SHOWS
• PROVO, UTAH JULY 4th SHOWS w/ The Osmond Family
• SANDS, HILTON and UNION PLAZA HOTELS, Las Vegas
• LONDON BRIDGE DEDICATION, Lake Havasu City, Arizona
  Historical parade floats, costume publication, hot-air balloon design
• INTERNATIOONAL SHRINE EXTAVAGANZA, Texas Stadium, Dallas
  With Bob Hope and Meredith Wilson
• KNOTT’S BERRY FARM, Roaring Twenties Area Dedication/TV Special
• U.S. PAVILLION, WORLD’S FAIR, Knoxville, Tennessee -1982
  WITH Johnny Cash and Jude Carter Cash
• OPENING CEREMONIES, WORLD’S FAIR, Spokane, Washington -1974
• With President and Mrs. Nixon
• DEDICATION GALA AND STAGE SETTING, SPOKANE OPERA HOUSE -1974
• JOHNE WAYNE STATUE UNVEILING, Great Western Savings, Beverly Hills
• SUPERBOWL XXVII HALFTIME SHOW, Los Angeles
• CHRISTENING OF THE ROYAL PRINCESSM PRINCESS CRUISE LINES, Port of Los Angeles -1984

• RADIO CITY HALL PRODUCTIONS -1987
  Art Direction for Pope John-Pail II visit to Los Angeles in Dodger Stadium
• LOTTE WORLD THEME PARK, Seoul, Korea -1989
  Title Character Show Scenery and Costumes
• PORT ADVENTURA THEME PARK, Barcelona, Spain -1995
  American Western Stunt Show Scenic Environment

• PASADENA ROSE PARADE, Float Designs
• “ARTS ON THE GREEN”, Major Fine Arts Festival, Costa Mesa, California -1984-89
• THE QUEEN MARY FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, Long Beach, California
• J.W. MARRIOTT HOTELS (5 Grand Opening Celebrations)
• HOLLYWOOD BOWL, Pyrotechnic extravaganzas -1980-1995
• NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA), Fort Worth – 1984 with Buzz Aldrin

Selected Theatrical Scenic and/or Costume Design Credits:

SOUTH COAST REPERTORY, Costa Mesa, California – 1978-2000
Some 90 productions as well as 35 years (to the Present) of costuming its annual presentation of “A CHRISTMAS CAROL”

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE, Laguna Beach, California – 1988-the Present
Resident Scenic/Costume Designer for some 150 productions including 8 World and 12 American Premieres

MCCOY-RIGBY ENTERTAINMENT, La Mirada, California, 1994-the Present

FULLERTON MUSIC THEATRE (Civic Light Opera), Fullerton, California
Scenic Design for some 15 musicals staged at FUHS Plummer Auditorium

SUNDANCE CHILDREN’S THEATRE, Sundance, Utah -1991-96
Unique outdoor theatre at Robert Redford’s mountain resort

KNOTT’S BERRY FARM, Buena Park, California

GOODTIME THEATRE -1992 & 93
Costuming Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and her Halloween Revues

BIRD CAGE THEATRE -1959-63
Wrote 5 old-fashioned melodrama: initial one-year/1500 performance-runs plus annual revivals through 1997; scenic-costume design

SITMAR/PRINCESS CRUISE LINES -1987-90
On-board musical revues

HOME BOX OFFICE/WESTWOOD PLAYHOUSE -1980
“VANITIES”: Live stage and taped for television production

NEDERLANDER ORGANIZATION -1980 Tour
“SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM” with Miss Peggy Lee

THE OLDE COLLECTION LTD. Fullerton -2010-2014
A costume rental resource for professional designers in Orange County and beyond. In mid-2014, to become a permanent addition to the Dodge College of Film and Media Studies at Chapman University in Orange, California, as a unique educational resource for advanced film production students.

Selected Exhibitions of Designs and Art Work:

• MUCKENTHALER CENTER, Fullerton, California, One-Man Show-1969
• BENNET COLLEGE, Millbrook, New York -1969
• WRIGHT/HEPBURN/WEBSTER GALLERY, New York City -1971
• LIBRARY OF PERFORMING ARTS, LINCOLN CENTER, New York City -1976
• YALE UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY, New Haven, Connecticut -1977
• TURNER/WAKEFIELD GALLERY, Los Angeles -1985
• ARTSPACE COLLECTION, Scottsdale, Arizona, 1997

Design used as textbook illustrations:

• Theatre: a Contemporary Introduction, Pickering, Jerry, West Publishing, 1975.
• Stage Costume Design, Russel, Douglas, Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1975.
• Transcending Boundaries: My Dancing Life, McKayle, Donald, Routledge, 2002.

Selected civic activities:

• FULLERTON THEATRE LEAGUE, Founder -2005
  to support the small theatre companies in the City
• FULLERTON HISTORIC THEATRE FOUNDATION, Co-Founder -2002
  to raise public awareness, create a partnership with the City and save the downtown 1925 Fox Fullerton motion picture theatre from demolition and restore it for future use. Now under restoration: 2014.

“It has been an extremely busy but creatively fascinating, richly challenging and an ultimately rewarding life.!” –DRO, May 2014