Madeline Puzo to step down as dean of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts

Madeline Puzo, the dean of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts, will step down from her position on June 30, university provost Michael W. Quick has announced.

Quick wrote Friday in a memo to faculty, staff and students that Puzo shared her decision with him and said she plans to “recommit to her work as a prominent figure in the field of theatre.”

Puzo has served as dean since 2002, during which time the School of Dramatic Arts introduced three new graduate degrees, expanded its undergraduate program and doubled its faculty. Puzo was also instrumental in establishing a partnership with the Shanghai Theatre Academy that has helped the school’s international reach.

Puzo has served as a consultant for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pew Charitable Trusts, among others. She has also written for American Theatre magazine and for the stage, including an adaptation of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” which was presented by the Mark Taper Forum for 10 years and toured Eastern Europe.

After Puzo steps down, Quick said, David Bridel, associate professor of theater practice in voice and movement, associate dean of global initiatives and director of the master of fine arts in acting program will serve as interim dean.

Quick said he will announce the appointment of a dean search advisory committee in the near future.

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