Major: Theatre with concentrations in directing and acting
Hometown: North Providence, RI

Q. What makes the College of Arts and Sciences at URI unique?

A. Our professors are working professionals in our field! It’s so wonderful to learn from people who are still actively working in the community. In the theatre department, we get to work directly alongside our faculty to put on our productions as equals and build connections, references for our resumes, and open ourselves up to potential future job opportunities! It also ensures we’re learning the industry standard and have a good grip of what the “real world” is like before going out into the industry on our own when we graduate. Finally, there’s a better overall sense of community when you’re working with your professors at rehearsals outside of class hours. We’re able to form close bonds with our fellow students, but also professors we’d usually only see for a few hours a week in a classroom setting, which makes it way easier to turn to faculty for support when we need it and even reach out to them after we’ve left.

What accomplishments and/or activities at URI are you most proud of now? 

There have been numerous pivotal moments to developing myself as an artist during my time at URI. The first big accomplishment that comes to mind is starring in She Kills Monsters my junior year as Tilly Evans, one of the lead characters. Tilly’s character helps her sister Agnes learn that everyone has deep inner strength, and in Tilly’s world you can slay dragons no matter who you are. Playing this role helped me form a better connection between my mind, voice, and body, and to this day I continue to be inspired by the confidence and bold truthfulness to one’s self that portraying the character insisted that I find within myself. I couldn’t play Tilly truthfully without believing I was a powerful Dungeons and Dragons-style warrior leading my team to victory, so I was forced to look hard at myself in the mirror and actually be kind to myself and choose to show everyone the power I can hold, something that has stuck with me and made me more courageous in my own endeavors.

The other project that comes to mind was the theatre department’s radio plays last semester. The university’s decision not to return after spring break of 2020 meant the cancellation of THE322’s Student Directed Play Festival, which would have been our first chance as directors to show the department our work. As a group, all students in my class with a directing concentration started brainstorming over the summer to figure out how to salvage this opportunity, and eventually the entire department was behind The Radio Plays, putting all hands on deck to make the final outcome something noteworthy. Each director got to select their own short piece, hold socially distanced auditions and rehearsals, and record the radio play in the URI Broadcast Center. As with any theatre production there were obstacles and problems to solve along the way, but we were able to learn a new skill; audio-only storytelling. Theatre is a very visual medium, and as a director I’d spent most of my time studying learning about how to achieve visual storytelling to the audience, aided by the text (aka the words), so taking away that sense was a new perspective for everyone involved. This project not only taught me much in the way of directing a production, working with actors, analyzing text, and communicating to an audience; I learned to persevere and think outside of the box in the face of opposition. The group of student directors pushed through multiple reworkings and variations on what the final product might end up being as COVID continued to push us back, and continued to take things day by day and problem solve as collaborators, which was the kind of mutual support we all desperately needed after months of quarantining.

What research projects, internships, experiential learning, and/or study abroad programs did you participate in at URI? How did they enhance your education? 

This semester, I am working on my independent study project for my Advanced Directing credit with the Theatre Department. This project has also been funded by the Undergraduate Research and Innovation Grant, also known as the (URI)^2 Grant, as it is the first of its kind for the theatre department and there aren’t specific funds allocated to projects like these. The project I am working on is called Goodbye, Santa and is best described as part point-and-click video game, part radio play, and part true crime documentary thriller. I assembled a team of collaborators and cast two actors in my lead roles, and together we have been working together to create the final product, which will be a website available for viewing at goodbyesanta.online in April when it is published. In the absence of live in-person theatre, I strive to continue creating, and this project is an example of how digital theatre doesn’t have to be a placeholder for “normal” theatre, it can be just as effective, fun, and interactive with the audience. Goodbye, Santa has also assured me that I can lead a team of this size to success and that my artistic ideas are strong and capable of becoming fully realized realities.

What do you value about your liberal arts education? 

I have found a network of like-minded individuals that I have made lifelong connections with. This tight-knit community has encouraged me to trust myself, express my creativity in new and exciting ways, and to exceed any personal limitations I may have previously set for myself. I am working with a diverse student body from all walks of life, learning new things from every person I have the pleasure of getting to know, and taking every opportunity to grow and become a better, more accommodating and open-minded member of society. After graduating, these friends and collaborators will turn into colleagues, and we will continue not only to support each other in our individual journeys, but many of us will likely cross paths and work together on professional projects before we even have time to realize we’re not in class anymore.