Several SAU Students Strike a Successful Summer

This summer, a variety of SAU's theatre majors and minors worked in the field. Whether it was performing, stage crew, carpentry, or directing, the Department was a bunch of busy Bees this summer. Here's a taste of some SAU students' experiences:

Luke Peterson
"This summer, I directed a one-act play for Benton's Rising Star Theatre Camp. Over the span of two weeks, I worked with kids age kindergarten through 8th grade to put on a play. In addition to directing, I led workshops for the kids and helped organize some of the other camp events."

"In the evenings, I spent my nights at Theatre Cedar Rapids performing in Disney's Newsies. I had lots of small ensemble roles. It was super fun, and I made a ton of new friends. The show was also challenging since it ran for 14 performances!"

K. Hampton
"This summer, I worked as a camp counselor for a theatre day camp near my hometown. During my time at Camp On-Stage, I got to direct, choreograph, write, music direct, set design and costume design three 30-minute musicals for children ages 7-12."

"When I wasn't working, I was preparing to stage manage for the first time, so I made daily call and rehearsal report templates. I was reaching out to the designers of Time Stands Still [SAU's first Studio Theatre production of the season] to check in on their progress or reserve rehearsal spaces. My summer was filled with many different theatrical elements."

Mel Maylum
"This summer, I got to work as a summer associate in the scene shop in Galvin with Morgan Reilly and Michael Campbell. I was able to work many dance events and do lots of organization projects. It made me love my job even more! I also stage managed Legally Blonde the Musical for On The Edge Productions in DeWitt, IA."

Tyler Hughes
"This summer, I worked at Mississippi Bend Players, first as Arnold Epstein in Biloxi Blues and then as the light board operator for Green River, directed by [Broadway director] Phillip William McKinley. It was amazing getting to work with him! Even if I was not acting in his show, I still got to learn a lot from how he handled things as director of not only Green River but also the MBP Company."

"Finally, we capped off the summer with Dames at Sea, which I assistant stage managed. As the show went on, I ended up becoming a character in the show while not having any lines. Since the play is about trying to put on a play called "Dames at Sea," the director character frequently calls for "Joe" to strike set pieces. It is never discussed in the script whether or not Joe should be cast, and he has no lines.

Eventually, we decided that I was Joe, and the rest of the run crew and I got to have sailors' costumes and appeared in some scenes in which no set pieces were moving. This was because we were the run crew for MBP's Dames at Sea and also the run crew within the narrative of the show. Overall, it was an exciting summer and my first foray into professional theatre, and I can't wait to do more!"

While these are only some of the theatre majors' experiences this summer, it's clear it was a good one!

Thank you for checking in SAU's theatre majors after this summer! Please continue reading the Theatre Department's eNewsletter and seeing SAU's productions to support these students and hear more about their experiences.