Student Blogger: Mia Van Deloo

This quarter, I am enrolled in a Shakespeare literature class focused on his plays from the Jacobean period. For each play, we dissect the essential themes of the play and then look at specific passages that reveal specific aspects of character motives and plot points. While this class is not in the theatre department, I’ve noticed a lot of dramaturgical approaches to analyzing Shakespeare in this class.

This upcoming quarter, I will be working on UCSD Muir Musical’s production of Into the Woods as the Production Dramaturg. This is the first musical in a year since working on American Idiot and I’m so excited to be working with Sondheim this time around. In preparation for the first week of rehearsals, I’m crafting my dramaturgy packet as well as crafting a website for the cast and crew to use.

This past quarter I had an amazing opportunity to intern for La Jolla Playhouse in their Marketing and Communications department. It was my first experience working in an office and more specifically in a non-profit organization. From helping out with VIP Celebration Nights to attending intern seminars, these past few months have been a great time for me to learn more about the Playhouse and arts administration. 

In addition to our Department of Theatre & Dance productions each quarter, a big aspect of the UC San Diego theatre scene is Muir Musical. Since 1991, this completely student-run musical theatre organization has been dedicated to providing all UCSD undergraduates with the opportunity to participate in a fully produced, large-scale musical during Spring Quarter of each year. From Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2013) to Hair (2005) to American Idiot (2022), this theatre company has been a consistent place where students can create, experiment and of course, have fun. 

My first show for the 2022-2023 school year at UC San Diego was serving as the choreographer and assistant director for Dance Nation by Clare Barron. This show is also something I personally resonate with since I grew up as a dancer in that competitive and disciplined environment. So, working on this show was an extremely cathartic and nostalgic experience for me.

What I learned from the Ph.D. students is the wide range of skills and disciplines one can acquire from this particular type of degree program. I’ve seen Ph.D. students become professors, directors, dramaturgs, dancers, etc. As someone who is drawn to dramaturgy, but still finds joy in other areas of theatre, I am interested in pursuing a path that allows me to explore different roles in the theatre. A Ph.D. can seem like it is solely focused on research and more individualized study, but students also gain communication skills, problem-solving skills, and other abilities that relate to successfully working with others. 

Going on two years in this pandemic when we all thought it was only going to last a few weeks has absolutely changed how I look at the future. Watching this musical prompted me to further think about how we as a society can confront the challenge of uncertainty while also adapting to whatever comes our way and how to not live in fear when we are faced with difficult obstacles.

This quarter, I enrolled in a graduate dramaturgy course at my university -- UC San Diego. Being the only undergraduate student in the class was definitely intimidating at first, but I’ve also grown and become more comfortable with myself as a student and dramaturg in ten short weeks. In a class filled with UC Irvine Ph.D. students, UC San Diego Ph.D. students, and MFA stage managers, there are many perspectives and levels of exposure to dramaturgy in the class that provide insight and diversity.

For Winter Quarter 2022, my main project has been working on Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins with UC San Diego's Department of Theatre and Dance. Based on the 15th century English morality play The Somonyng of Everyman, this version attempts to modernize and translate the themes and story to appeal to more contemporary audiences while still keeping the core messages of the original play.

Andrew Garfield has always been an actor I admired for his dedication to every character he plays and appreciation for both theatre and film. Through each work, he shows how large his range as an actor is and what he values in art.

This past Thursday, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was able to operate at full capacity. While I watched it from my own home with my family, it was very refreshing to see the fans filling the stands on the broadcast. In addition to the spectacular Radio City Rockettes, Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!, Six, and Wicked all took to the Macy’s stage.

This past September, I got a new job working in the front of the house at The La Jolla Playhouse. My job title, Audience Concierge, includes many patron services responsibilities including checking vaccine cards/ID upon entering the theatre, ticket scanning, helping ushers, being available in the lobby during the show, and locking up. Working in the front of the house has given me lots of insight into what working in a professional environment is like while also teaching me about another aspect of theatre that I did not know much about coming into the job.

For my first show back in person, I will be choreographing the iconic Broadway classic A Chorus Line with UCSD's Muir Musical (directed by Molly Lasher). Muir Musical is a completely student-run organization that is one of the only musical theatre opportunities on-campus. This show was one of the first musicals I ever fell in love with and as a long-time dancer, Michael Bennett's choreography will always be an inspiration for my work.

After a great success in London, the musical about Henry VIII's six wives is taking off in New York City starting September 17, 2021. With Broadway coming back this fall, I wanted to show just a few reasons why Six is a must-see musical of the season.

This past summer, I enjoyed the sunshine and warm weather with some theatre books. Some were plays, some were memoirs of actors and some were theory or history books. I wanted to share some of my favorites from the past couple of months as we move into the back-to-school spirit. 

With theatre slowly returning back, I know I am not alone when I say I am extremely excited to be back in the rehearsal room for this upcoming school year. From first read-throughs to opening nights, nothing has truly been the same online. So, here are some tips that I am finding to be helpful as I am making the transition to in-person rehearsals.

In the absence of live theatre during quarantine, I turned to the next best thing -- theatre made for T.V. I love this show because even while I was sitting at home during the pandemic, the realistic sets of Times Square and the Broadway Theatres brought me comfort and excitement. It was a way for me to feel connected to Broadway again. So… why didn’t they make a season three? 

In honor of the long-awaited return of Broadway, I wanted to focus on a fairly new musical: Moulin Rouge! In this post, I want to explore what about the original movie makes this tale ideal inspiration for an innovative and entertaining musical adaptation.

In adapting Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical, I felt that Jon Chu did a spectacular job taking on this crucial story while also taking charge of his creative choices. The movie stands alone from the musical not only because of the different mediums used to express this story but also because the people working on the movie were able to put their own perspective on it. However, the movie still exhibits, in my opinion, the soul of what this musical is about -- bringing focus to an underrepresented community that has so much love, resilience, and determination. 

This past quarter, I was a dramaturg for a Wagner New Play Festival Show. The Wagner New Play Festival is an annual event where each M.F.A. playwright at UC San Diego writes a new work that is produced alongside M.F.A. directors, actors, and designers. Undergraduates are also able to participate in this process as I did.