Student Blog: Back to School at UE!

Hello, BroadwayWorld readers! My name is Alyssa Meadows and I am honored and excited to be a student blogger for this season! I am a first-year theatre performance major at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana! I am originally from Louisville, Kentucky, where I grew up with my mom, dad, younger brother, and pet rabbit named Tootsie Roll! I have been involved in theatre since the seventh grade, particularly musical theatre! I am thrilled to share pieces of my life with the BWW community!

I am currently in my second semester of school and, thus far, it has been very busy, but it has been a blast! This semester, I am taking a handful of classes. On Mondays, I have Graphic Communications, Choir, and Acting. Graphic Communications is the prerequisite class for all design courses, so it covers the necessary skills that would be utilized in more advanced design classes. The class is split in two sections: one covers freehand drawing, color theory, and other skills that would prove useful in a costume or makeup design class. The other half covers lettering, line weights, orthographic projections, and other things that would be utilized in an advanced set or prop design class. I am a Soprano II in the University Choir, which rehearses for an hour four days a week. I was in the choir last semester and thoroughly enjoyed it, as I love to sing! I also have Acting on Mondays, in which we are currently working on our first scene study! My scene partner and I are doing a scene from Proof by David Auburn; she plays Catherine and I play Claire! She is amazing to work with and, thus far, Acting has been so much fun! On Tuesdays, as well as having Choir, I also have Color and Design and Computer Graphics! Color and Design discusses design principles and styles of design.

With my theatre performance major, I am also getting an associated study (which is, simply, a minor) in Marketing, so I am taking Computer Graphics, an introduction to digital design programs. My Wednesdays are the same as Mondays. My Thursdays are also the same as Tuesdays, except I do not have Choir. On Fridays, I have Choir as well as my ChangeLab! UE has a variety of ChangeLab classes, which are each focused on a topic that students wish to foster a change in or for the creation of organizations to serve the community! My ChangeLab is for the Rogue and Peasant Aces, UE Theatre's travelling performance troupe, and aiding them in the logistics and marketing of their production!

This semester UE is putting on four shows: the first was Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker and directed by Jimmy Guest '23, which I was a dresser for and closed February 5th. Later this month, there will be The Moors by Jen Silverman and directed by Hannah Tarr '23. In April, we will have Noises Off by Michael Frayn and directed by Amelia McClain '03. Our fourth production is Animal Farm by George Orwell, adapted by Ian Wooldridge, and directed by Rebecca Conaway '23, which is what the Rogue and Peasant Aces are putting on. As well as being in the ChangeLab class, I am also in the R&PA company this semester, playing Actor 6 (Moses, Mollie, Minimus, Pilkington, and others) in Animal Farm! Our rehearsals started in late January with our table read and tablework and we are now blocking the show! We will begin touring after UE's spring break in March through late April. I am absolutely stoked to be making my collegiate performance debut with R&PA! It has been so much fun so far and I look forward to the rest of our process. And, if you ever find yourself in the Evansville area, come see a show! All are welcome!

Thank you again to BroadwayWorld for this amazing opportunity and I look forward to taking you, readers, through the next four months of my life! Write to you later!