New Theater Lecturer Excited About Opportunities for Leadership, Collaboration

A former theater consultant with a passion for music and art, Milan Anich is the technical director for the University of New Haven's Department of Music, Theater, and Dance.

October 14, 2019

By Renee Chmiel, Office of Marketing and Communications

As a high school student, Milan Anich, MFA was part of a quartet that covered Boys II Men songs. He also acted in melodramas and community theater productions.

After dabbling in architecture, art, and science, Prof. Anich expanded his repertoire to include technical theater. He is especially passionate about it because it enables him to be a "jack of all trades."

"I can go from designing an elegant Victorian drawing room to painting a piece of foam to make it appear to be a rusty piece of steel beam," he explains. "I can then immerse myself in technology to create lighting and projection magic that will reveal scenic and costume elements throughout the course of a production. These elements envelop the actors, rounding out the script on stage and filling in the space for actors."

With experience working on a variety of shows, including "Once Upon a Mattress," "A Streetcar Named Desire," and "The Dumb Waiter," Prof. Anich enjoys the energy created between an audience and an actor.

"I think we grow as artists and scholars when we collaborate. One person's strengths inform and develop another person's weaknesses. I believe bringing other disciplines to the table can help to inspire the new works that will come out of this program."Milan Anich, MFA

Prof. Anich, who primarily focuses on scenic, lighting, sound, and projection design, joined the University of New Haven this fall as technical director for the Department of Music, Theater, and Dance and theater lecturer. He's excited for the opportunity to collaborate with his students and his colleagues.

"I loved that the University works to be interdisciplinary," he said. "I think we grow as artists and scholars when we collaborate. One person's strengths inform and develop another person's weaknesses. I believe bringing other disciplines to the table can help to inspire the new works that will come out of this program."

A graduate of the University of Georgia's Master of Fine Arts program, Prof. Anich earned his BFA in drama at the University of Oklahoma. He spent a summer at the Pacific Coast Conservatory for the Performing Arts in southern California, where he worked with award-winning designers.

Prof. Anich, who plays the violin and the clarinet, also enjoys art – especially sketching and watercolor and acrylic painting. He also likes science fiction and fantasy books, as well as playing Dungeons & Dragons.

A theater consultant in the Dallas area for the past three years, Prof. Anich has mainly lived in Oklahoma and Texas. He is excited to make Connecticut his new home.

"I love that I can take a train into New York City to see Broadway and off-Broadway shows," he said. "I also want to become a leader in the New Haven area."