Melissa "Mel" Maylum is a senior majoring in theatre and public relations. She hails from Princeton, Iowa, and is a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to theatre. You can find her sound designing, costume designing, working in the scene shop, stage managing, and acting.
Maylum chose the life of theatre because it is something she has always been passionate about, so majoring in theatre was an easy choice for her. She chose public relations as a minor because she thought it went hand-in-hand with theatre.
Her favorite memories during her time at St. Ambrose are her late night talks and peanut butter toast sessions with SAU alum Kendall McKasson '19 and junior Luke Peterson.
Her favorite theatrical memory from her whole theatre career was during her junior year of high school. She went to the All-State Speech competition in which she competed in an ensemble acting group with a scene from A Piece of My Heart.
Her favorite theatre-related memory during her time at St. Ambrose was when the Tech Team won the Spirit Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). She loves being a member of the Tech Team and plans to compete with them again at KCACTF this coming January.
Also, last year at KCACTF, Maylum had the opportunity to stage manage professional auditions. This year, Maylum will once again participate with the Tech Team in addition to taking part in the stage management fellowship competition.
Her next theatrical endeavor will be The Little Prince, which she will be stage managing. The Little Prince has applied for the opportunity to be chosen as a production that would be performed at KCACTF. If it were to be taken, all the student designers and actors would get to take the production to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and perform it for KCACTF's Region 5.
She believes everyone should have multiple tools in their belt to take them into the working world of theatre.
"One thing the department does really well is give opportunities to students to do whatever it is they want to do," she said. "I'm not a sound designer, but I'm doing sound design for Big Fish. I've learned a lot, and I enjoy it. Don't keep yourself stuck in one area."
Mel's favorite show that she has been a part of was last spring's production of Tartuffe. While this was her first large role, that is not the reason why it is her favorite production. She loved the cast and the bonding that occurred during the show. She thought the production was cast perfectly and was a fantastic process.
She would like to thank Aaron Hook, Kris Eitrheim and Cory Johnson for filling her with tons of knowledge and making her short time at Ambrose a positive experience. She would like to thank Margo Stites for unwavering support in every crazy decision she makes, her family for always lifting her up and her friends for keeping her on the right path.
Try new things. First and foremost, you shouldn't feel like you are stuck in one area. Also, you should be inclusive with all your peers and make sure everyone feels welcome all the time.
Words of Wisdom from Mel Maylum
After Maylum graduates, she wants to find a place in the Quad Cities area and work in public relations for awhile. She hopes to do some theatre projects on the side as well.
Next September, she will start by stage managing a production of the musical Dog Fight at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre in Moline. She is very excited for this opportunity. Once she has made a name for herself, she plans to move to a bigger city, such as St. Louis or Minneapolis, to possibly work at the Guthrie Theater.
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