Daniel Guyton has been nominated four times for a Kennedy Center/ACTF (American College Theatre Festival) playwriting award—three of them since enrolling at UGA in August of 2001. This past February, he won for his one-act play, “Attic.” “Attic” will be presented this summer as part of UGA’s drama season, and it will also receive a full production at next year’s ACTF festival to be held in Southern Florida.
Hometown:
Long Island, NY
High School:
Sachem High School, Holbrook, NY
Degree objective:
Master of Fine Arts
Other degrees:
B.A., State University of New York, Albany (Theatre)
B.A., State University of New York, Albany (English)
Expected graduation:
Spring 2004
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
The Kennedy Center/ACTF nominations and award were a big highlight. I had also won the award once before I enrolled at UGA for my short play “Where’s Julie?” That work has since been published in Best Student One-Acts: Volume 7. It also recently premiered at the Town and Gown Theatre right here in Athens! The other two times I was nominated for this award, it was for my plays “Milo and Barbara” and “Georgie Gets a Face-Lift.” Both of those plays have been produced at UGA by the Thalian-Blackfriars organization. Since enrolling at UGA, I have also had one of my plays translated into Icelandic, and it should be receiving a full production there within the next year or so. That play is a raucous satire on homophobia entitled “I’m Not Gay!”
Current Employment:
I am currently a teaching assistant. I work with students in DRAM 2000 (Appreciation of Dramatic Arts). I also work with Partners in Achievement, a one-on-one tutoring organization. We play games with children that are specifically geared towards strengthening their auditory, visual, and cognitive processing abilities. The program was designed for children with learning disabilities, though pretty much anybody of any age can sign up. In fact, many of our students do not have any real disabilities, but are simply a little deficient in one or more academic areas. We help them perform better in school.
Family Ties to UGA:
My great-great uncle, Milton Caniff, was a famous cartoonist. He created the Steve Canyon series in the early 1940’s. He also worked with the original Little Nemo series that was adapted into a movie in 1993.
My favorite things to do on campus are…
…visiting the koi pond on North campus. It’s very relaxing and peaceful. I’m also a huge fan of the Ramsey Center. And of course, I spend quite a lot of time in the Fine Arts Building. I enjoy watching, performing, and being involved in the theatre program there as much as I can.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…Charlie Chaplin. Though he was a great comedian, he was also a wonderful humanitarian. The themes and ideas which permeated his greatest works all resonate with the sadness and the beauty of life. His greatest work is a movie called “The Great Dictator” in which he mocks Adolf Hitler (who was reported to be a huge Chaplin fan—possibly even basing his moustache on the actor’s) and delivers one of the most moving speeches I’ve ever heard. The speech calls for love and tolerance and the abolition of racial discord. I’m not sure what I would get out of a day with Chaplin, but I would just love to pick his brain, and perhaps be entertained by him—live and in person. He’s hilarious on film. I can’t imagine how funny he would be without the veil of celluloid around him.