The UWG Theatre Is Fearless

Volume 22 Number 1 Fall 2020

that covers 20th century African UWG Theatre’s Fearless Season ​ American history. Gee’s Bend centers Written by Trenton Spears ​ ​ ​ on women born, reared, and living in The UWG Theatre Company is pushing the real community of Gee’s Bend, boundaries, making waves, and Alabama, which is famous for the keeping our grand tradition alive beautiful quilts the women make during this global pandemic. Our two there. As they make their quilts, we fall shows were filmed and streamed are transported to different decades online to great success! First, Jason and by their empowerment to seek change. Next comes Episodes in Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World ​ ​ Sexuality 2021: The Film. In its third kicked off the season with an ​ ​ exploration of humanity through song decade, this popular work examines and dance, a beautiful metaphor for the issues of sexuality as confronted our human condition. Then, we moved by “Generation Z.” This year, we try to Lauren Gunderson’s I and You, a something new by giving you this ​ ​ heartwarming romance between two important, earnest production in a young teens, with a heartbreaking different medium, covering the same twist. But we’re not done yet! We have issues in a more intimate form, three upcoming shows sure to blow compliant with COVID-19 regulations. you away! First, we have Gee’s Bend, Finally, we end our season with The ​ ​ by Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder. The Ver**zon Play, a crazy, screwball ​ ​ UWG Theatre Company celebrates comedy from the wild imagination of Black History Month with this sweet, Lisa Kron, the book writer of the hit musical . Who hasn’t had poignant (and somewhat local) play ​ ​ difficulty with their cell phone comprehensive knowledge of the service? In The Ver**zon Play, we see theatre, the B.F.A. really allows you to ​ ​ how a simple call to customer service delve into the depths of a specific to fix a minor problem with a cell concentration, be it acting, designing, phone bill explodes into a whirlwind or any of the many other vocations of horror and ultimately of revenge. within the theatre. Neither one is You definitely don’t want to miss out better than the other, where one may on these fantastic, fearless shows from be lacking, the other maybe striving the fabulous UWG Theatre Company! and vice versa. Ultimately, it is up to the aspiring artist to decide which approach works best for them. So my question to you, the reader, is this: If you had to pick, which would you choose?

UWG Theatre is Pretty Cool Written by Kyra Francis

Singers Saani Parham and Kayla Perez belt out a duet in Songs for Is the world of film, acting, and ​ a New World as dancers perform in the background ​ Broadway of interest to you? Do you

want to break out of your shell and The B.(F).A. perform for other people? Do you Written by Trenton Spears enjoy making people smile? Joining theater is the right place for you. There are lots of rumors and Making people smile, working with speculations about whether or not others to make a performance, and B.F.A is better than a B.A. I am here to helping each other grow is something put those to rest. Lin-Manuel Miranda that the UWG Theatre Company has said it best, “Study all the things that been excelling at for a very long time. you don’t want to go into in theatre.” The real question is, why is this of Theatre is all about collaboration, and benefit to you as a college or high collaboration is made easier when you school student? The benefits of joining have even the smallest bit of the UWG Theatre Company are a knowledge of the fields outside of diverse environment and the your own. With a B.A., you get to do opportunity to make connections with exactly that. Now, I’m not saying that a other people within the field. The B.A. is better than a B.F.A, instead that classes that are offered give hands-on they are both beneficial to potential experience of what it feels like to work theatre artists. The B.A. degree in a professional position. The faculty supports the more holistic approach of the theater company are very to higher education in theatre arts, welcoming to new members and are whereas, a B.F.A degree is a more very supportive of everyone’s career concentrated approach to your choices. They are always ready to lend education as a theatre major. While a helping hand or just to listen. The the B.A. gives you a broader, more company meeting check-ins are a prime example to show that the staff been irrevocably changed by the and the company itself cares a lot seemingly unstoppable pandemic that about their members and peers. steamrolled over everything in its Joining with other people and working path. Many industries were affected together as one to make productions by the virus, but arguably the most is a fun and productive way to spend damaged was the theatre industry. As time with other people within the a medium based around the idea of company. Making friends with other live, face-to-face interaction and people who share a common interest performance, an illness that requires with you is something that is mass isolation and social distance supposed to be in everyone’s college would prove deadly to the world of experience. Being a part of the Theatre theatre. Broadway has closed its Company has helped me break out of stages, with dates of reopening my shell as a shy individual and I was unknown. The majority of theatre able to perform and do something that workers found themselves without a makes me happy. Even if performing job overnight. COVID-19 has all but on the mainstage isn’t for you, rung the death-knell for the theatre working behind the scenes as a world.But much like life and the designer or technician is just as human spirit, theatre has found a way rewarding as performing. Helping the to move forward. Filming shows and show come together is its own making them available on video rewarding experience that you can be platforms such as Vimeo, Youtube, and a part of. With the unknown looming even Disney + has provided a around every corner the much-needed life preserver for one thing that we can all agree on: theatre in the ocean of COVID. Live Theatre, Movies, TV, and Music. As theatre is back, and going digital, with Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote in his hit new streaming services such as Broadway musical, , “(you) Broadway On Demand and Showtix4U ​ ​ are the one thing in life (you) can springing up to help bring shows to control” and their desperate audiences. The UWG you don’t want to “throw away your Theatre Company is no exception. shot” at bringing joy to the world. Rising fearlessly to the challenge, we Being a part of a community can bring have adapted to this new normal by out the best in other people and if filming our shows with new you’re looking for a community that equipment and techniques. Songs for a ​ actually cares about their students, New World, our fall musical, was the UWG Theatre Company is the staged and filmed with the help of place for you to be. both students and faculty. I and You ​ was filmed as a cinematic movie, Theatre and the Pandemic complete with a socially distanced Written by Trenton Spears “premiere.” Theatre is what it means to be human, and a large part of that is COVID-19 has devastated the entire adapting to situations at hand. So even world. Much like the terrorist attacks though the world is still attempting to of 9/11, the way the world works has piece itself back together, we can take comfort in the fact that theatre, while to start a Theatre degree with the wounded, isn’t dead yet. expectation of a smooth ride, you may want to board a different bus. When I was in high school, one of my now ex-friends told me that theatre was an unsustainable career, that I looked stupid doing it and that the “real world” would eat me alive. Now, I’m not the smartest guy around, but she looked a lot dumber calling me a loser with an L on her forehead than I looked acting in the school’s productions. , the years went by Videographer Drew Patton sets up the shot with the help quickly, and I found myself entering from a crew member (Makalya Ballard-Murphy) on the set of I and You college. I figured out the rules, and I ​ hit the ground running, getting cast The Grind Never Stops my first semester in that fall’s production of Macbeth. The night of Written by Trenton Spears ​ the last performance, I found myself So you want to be a Theatre major. thinking about that conversation from That’s great! Theatre is such an high school, and realized I finally had enriching and powerful form of art, an answer for that girl. In my opinion, and we would love to have you be a it simply doesn’t make sense to do part of it. However, if you’re just work that you don’t enjoy, that doesn’t looking for an effortless degree, time fulfill you both financially and to look elsewhere. Theatre is fulfilling, spiritually. Sure, taking some but it is by no means easy. Our theatre number-crunching position at an freshmen typically start their first accounting firm may pay better, but semester with a 16-credit hour your mental health will deteriorate workload, which includes two English severely. There’s so much to see and courses, a Foreign Language course, experience in life; what’s wrong with and two Theatre courses, one of which spending it on the stage instead of is our Performance and Production behind a desk? You’ll never know class. This course requires students to what makes you happy if you don’t at put 60 hours of dedicated work into least try new things, and you’ll never one of our semester’s productions. succeed if you don’t get your foot in This includes jobs like acting, stage the door. Everyone has the potential managing, scenic work, lighting, and to do amazing things, but only those marketing. On top of that, many of our who are willing to shoot for the moon students hold Student Assistant will ever land among the stars. positions, which are paying jobs in the company’s office, scene shop, and This newsletter was edited by Shelly Elman costume shop. Juggling these and and Trenton Spears. For questions and/or other classes is rewarding, but not for comments, call us at (678) 839-4700 or email the faint of heart. So if you’re planning us at [email protected]. ​