Wrapping It Up

Many matters occupy students and faculty alike during the finals week, not the least of which is final exams! Students in the department, in addition to their other classes, are preparing for finals in classes such as stage combat, musical theatre styles, and audition techniques. The sophomore BFA students are preparing for their barrier juries. Seniors are, of course, preparing for graduation. Faculty prepare to assess all this work, grade finals, and issue grades. Certainly it can get hectic!

One final event going on is the Commencement Eve Concert on Friday May 11. In a break from previous concerts, this one is a concert version of Guys and Dolls, featuring singers from the Dept. of Theatre and Dance and the School of Music, backed by the Western NY Chamber Orchestra. Below is a promo video created by the Rockefeller Arts Center:

But once the academic year is over, then what? Well, many of our students have plans for the summer, and I asked some of them to share them with you so that you can get a peek at how successful our students are in getting work for themselves for the summer and as they prepare to depart for points beyond Fredonia. Here are a few I received:

Graduating BFA Musical Theatre major Lisa Danielle Michaels will be moving to Glasgow, Scotland at the end of August/beginning of September to begin earning her Master’s in Classical and Contemporary Text (acting) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Juniors Marisa Caruso and Jacob Bradley will be living in Chicago studying improv at the iO Theatre.
Graduating BFA Musical Theatre major Rachel Mulcahy will be moving to Dallas, Texas at the end of June to work at Texas Family Musicals, partaking in their 5 musicals (Chorus Line, The Day the Music Died, etc). After she close the last show in Texas she will be flying to Columbus to work for The Columbus Children’s Theater for 10 months. “I am beyond excited and grateful to be able to work with both of these companies. Real world, here we come! “
Sophomore Steve Russell will be working at the Timbers Dinner Theatre in Pennsylvania along with alumna Elizabeth Ruff ’11.
Junior costume design major Danielle Waterman has been hired to work as the Wardrobe Assistant for the Chautauqua Theatre Company for the summer.
Junior lighting design major Justin Michaels is going to be an Assistant Master Electrician along side alumnus Colin Chauche ’11 at the Gateway Playhouse, on Long Island this summer.
Sophomore Mark Montondo be working at BRAVO Summer Theatre Camp (Grades K-4) , as Music Intern and ENCORE Summer Theatre Camp (Grades 5-11) as Dance Intern.
Freshman Justin Petito will be working alongside Scene Shop Supervisor Max Zorn at Bristol Valley Theatre in Naples, NY as their carpentry/electrics intern.
Junior design major Samantha Sayers will be the Asst Master Electrician for Unto These Hills in North Carolina this summer. Also, she will be acting as Scenic and Lighting Designer once again for Playground summer theatre camp.
Several students will be working with Prof. Ted Sharon at the Cherokee Historical Association in Cherokee, North Carolina. This summer the Cherokee Historical Association is producing a show called Unto These Hills, and is also doing a world premiere of a show called Cherokee Reunion! Students heading out to this gig include Richard Rosenthal, Deanna Jelardi, David Quiñones and Claire Walton.
Bailey Shehean, a freshman BFA Theatrical Production and Design major, will be working as a carpenter this summer at Ash Lawn Opera in Charlottesville, Virgina.
Costume design graduate Anna Slocum will be working at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, NY as a stitcher for their summer season. No firm plans for after summer yet, but she would like to move to NYC and start working there. She is waiting to hear back about an internship at Julliard in NYC.
Graduating Scene Design major Nick Menge will be working all summer at the Hangar Theatre as the Assistant Properties Master and then in August moving to Little Rock Arkansas for a full year-round position at Assistant Properties Master with Arkansas Repertory Theatre.
Junior Vaughn Butler will be spending this summer at Cedar Point Amusement Park. She’s performing in one of the shows called Summer Daze as a singer/dancer. It is a 6 person, 25-30 minute show performed 5-6 times a day, 6 days a week.
Graduating senior Mary Ryan will be playing the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare in Delaware Park , Buffalo NY.

That’s a sample of what our students are capable of in terms of finding summer work in their chosen profession. Good luck to everyone for the summer and beyond!