SCOTTSBLUFF—Theatre West announces the appointment of Violette Briggs as Acting Artistic Director for its upcoming 2024 season. The company’s current Artistic Director, Patrick Newell, will be taking a sabbatical at Western Nebraska Community College starting January 2024. After teaching vocal technique and leading an educational group in Italy, Dr. Newell will return to Theatre West in July 2024.
Violette Briggs is currently the theatre director at WNCC. She received a Master of Arts in Actor Training and Coaching from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London and a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from CSU, Fullerton. She is a certified Alba Method and Emotional Body Instructor and an Intimacy Choreographer. She has worked throughout the UK and US and has conducted live and virtual workshops with participants from all over the world. Since 2021, Violette has been an actor with Theatre West appearing in Clue as Yvette, Legally Blond (Ensemble), and most recently as a Pigeon sister in The Odd Couple and Flo in The Odd Couple Female Version.
“We feel very lucky to have someone take the reins for us during Patrick Newell’s absence,” reports Judy Chaloupka, Theatre West Executive Director. “Violette has the professional experience we need and she understands our operation very well.”
Briggs is currently helping Theatre West in planning the 2024 season. Theatre West Summer Repertory has offered professional theatre productions to the western Nebraska region each summer since 1990. The 2024 summer shows will be announced very soon as well as the dates for local auditions.
