Echo Bartholomew ’25
Echo Bartholomew attended a five-week acting intensive at Larry Singer Studios in New York City. They studied Linklater, Alexander, and Fitzmaurice vocal techniques, as well as movement. As part of the program, they saw A Strange Loop and other shows. Guest lecturers also spoke at the intensive, about casting and other topics. This program was recommended to them by Professor Marc Williams. “It has been an amazing experience, and I’m really excited to apply what I’ve learned in my future work and learning.”
Maddie Baylor ’24
Maddie Baylor was fortunate enough to spend multiple days this summer working as a background actor for a television show. She got to experience life on set as an extra, learning the ins and outs of the industry, surrounded by people who share her love of film. In addition to this work, she also spent much of her summer preparing for the UMW Theatre’s upcoming production, The Play That Goes Wrong. “It was my first time doing background work and I found it very motivating!”
Madeline Berger ’25
Madeline Berger worked as the Assistant to the Technical Director for a dance studio’s annual recital. Her job was to help communicate with the lighting and sound operators in the booth if needed and to help make sure the children were in place backstage before their number. In July, she worked for their summer camp as the Sound Engineer for the childrens’ production of Into the Woods. In August, she worked at another summer camp as the Lighting Operator for Annie. This experience was exciting as she had never worked with lighting before!
Hannah Chester ’23
Hannah Chester worked as the Dance Teaching Artist for the Campagna Center’s Campagna Kids Performing Arts summer camp. She taught classes to kids in grades K-8 on the foundations of dance as well as choreographing group numbers for the camp’s end of summer showcase. “It was the best job I’ve ever had and I was so grateful to work with ambitious and hardworking kids who share a passion for performing arts with me!”
Megan Dinneen ’23
This summer, Megan performed in several local productions in Fredericksburg: Ilse in Stage Door Productions Spring Awakening in addition to being fight choreographer on the production, Nina in Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, as well as performing in Voice and Vines, a cabaret performance with Fredericksburg Theatre Ensemble.
Ray Ellis ’25
Ray Ellis spent the summer teaching fight choreography at a theatre camp in Glen Allen, Va. He taught the campers basic stage fencing and they then applied these skills into their production of Romeo and Juliet. “Since I am a theatre major in the College of Education, I was so happy that I got a job that was something that I was so passionate about. I am so happy that I was able to expose those young minds to other aspects of theatre over the summer.”
Amelia Emory ’24
Amelia Emory spent this summer working as a Camp Counselor for the Educational Theatre Company (ETC) in Arlington, Va. There she spent time working with children ages 6-9 by helping them write a play and learn how to use acting tools!
Cameron Hovey ’24
Cameron Hovey worked alongside Associate Professor of Theatre Kevin McCluskey for UMW’s Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Summer Institute program this summer, completing a research project on the art of puppetry. They spent the first week studying the art of Bunraku puppetry and puppet theory before creating an original performance centered around an old Celtic tale called “The Selfish Giant”. The project culminated at a symposium at which they presented their piece in front of faculty and peers.
Alex Lagon ’24
Alex Lagon spent the summer as a camp counselor at LiveArts in Charlottesville, Va. She spent four weeks working with teaching artists and the LiveArts Director of Education to provide a fun-filled camp experience to young actors.
James Lau ’24
James Lau spent the summer working at Campagna Kids Program in Alexandria, Va. There he worked with children from grades K-8, teaching acting. James instructed the kids with exercises and activities that he learned from his professors at UMW. The camp concluded with a production of Once on This Island by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. “Overall it was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience.”
Emma Lehman ’25
Emma Lehman got to work on Summer Musical Enterprise’s production of Newsies this summer. She was a featured dancer and got to work on her dancing as well as her acting and singing. “I love getting to do summer musicals in my hometown because I always get to meet cool new people and reconnect with old friends.”
Oscar León ’23
Oscar León spent his summer working at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va. as the Annual Giving Intern. “It was an incredible experience where I got to grow my customer service skills and learn more about arts administration and the development field. I worked with individual members, corporate partners, and grew my professional network, which ultimately was one of my biggest goals”.
Meghan McAndrew ’25
Meghan McAndrew auditioned for Hits! The Musical in Arlington, Va. this June. Auditions were conducted all over the east coast. “Preparation consisted of a 45-second cut of a song of your choice, as well as a 45-second cut of one of the songs on a list and there was also a dance component. I made it through to the second round, which occurred the same day. It was a really fun experience!”
Matthew Monaghan ’23
Matthew Monaghan spent his summer at UMW, working with fellow theatre students and associate professor of theatre, Kevin McCluskey on Puppets as Performance Object: Creation of a Devised, Table Top Puppet Performance as part of the Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. “We learned everything from making a puppet breathe on stage, to the little details to make a puppet feel more life-like. After learning how to breathe life into puppets, we worked on creating a 20-minute-long performance of The Selfish Giant and it was truly a memorable experience. It has helped me improve myself in my work and broadened my knowledge and outlook on theatre as a whole.”
Shannon Nichols ‘23
Over the summer, Shannon Nichols was given the opportunity to work in UMW Theatre’s scene shop as an assistant. They helped our Scene Shop Foreman, Kenny Horning, and assistant professor of theatre and scene designer, Michael Benson, to build the complicated set and props that go into making the world of The Play That Goes Wrong. “It was an amazing opportunity for growth into an area of the theatre world that I hadn’t been able to view yet.”
Ethan Pearson ’23
Ethan Pearson worked at the ARTfactory summer theatre program in Manassas, Va. He worked as the Technical Director for Moana Jr. and later as a Co-Director of a production of Roshambo. “Once we did get there, my top priority was building the canoe, which was basically a wheeled platform with bamboo screwed into it to give it a tropical feel. It was very different from anything I’ve done before, but I had a lot of fun working on it!”
Alex Anthes Rojas ’23
Alex Anthes Rojas early in the summer participated in the Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute for Puppets as Performance Object: Creation of a Devised, Table Top Puppet Performance. After that experience, they spent a couple of days working at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC as an electrician. They will be working on the sound side and scene-building side of a few shows at UMW for their senior year!
Mina Sollars ’23
Mina Sollars spent her summer at the Campagna Center’s Campagna Kids Performing Arts summer camp as a teaching artist. She worked with children ages 5-12, teaching them acting techniques, assisting their summer workshops, and directing scenes for their summer showcase. “It was deeply fulfilling to spend my summer creating and supporting young artists. It has also cemented a love of directing and teaching that I did not know I had!”
David Stout ’24
David Stout worked as an actor for Half-Blood Day Camp, a roleplaying camp for kids ages 6-11 in Richmond, Va. “It was my second year of working with the camp and it was even more fun than the last time!”
Rylie Vann ’25
This summer Rylie Vann worked as the lighting designer and light board operator for the West End Academy of Dance’s Spring Recital. “I’ve worked with this company on their performance of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, and it was super exciting to be invited back!” Rylie will be returning this winter to once again work on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas!
Isabelle Withers ’23
Isabelle Withers worked as a carpentry intern at the Des Moines Metro Opera in Indianola, Ia. “I had the pleasure of working on four shows for the company’s 50th Summer Festival Season in rep from June to July, including The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Damien Geter’s American Apollo, and the world premiere of A Thousand Acres (based on the novel by Jane Smiley) with music by Kristin Kuster.”