Student Blog: Campus Activities Shine Through Local Partnerships - Frosty's World #20

I am ordering my cap and gown today for the Baldwin Wallace University commencement in May. Leaving this great theatre community is a sobering thought, but the spring semester is so busy there are plenty of distractions.

The big news on campus is our spring musical, Joe Tracz and Rob Rokicki's The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. This is the 15th year that Baldwin Wallace University has partnered with Cleveland's amazing Playhouse Square - where the musical will be staged at the Helen Theatre April 22-24, 2022. Through a required Senior Experience course that is taught by Bryan Bowser, our Department Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies (Arts Management, Music Industry, Music Theatre), senior students are immersed in the production process. I've been thrilled to participate as a member of the marketing team - getting the opportunity to work under Stephanie Keefer, Playhouse Square's Senior Manager of Broadway Marketing and Publicity. This production is extra-special for our Theatre Department - we are welcoming home Broadway star (and Baldwin Wallace University alum) Chris McCarrell. McCarrell will make his debut as director of the musical that brought him fame in the title role at Broadway's Longacre Theatre in 2019. Students are involved in every aspect of the project under the supervision of Professor Victoria Bussert. Bussert has engaged a student music director (Lindsay Miller) and student choreographer (Savannah Cooper) for the first time. That says a lot about the talents of our students!

One of the highlights of our University's dance curriculum is the annual presentation of Fyoo Zh En. Directed by Professor Sara Whale, the presentation features student dancers, designers, composers and choreographers. Each year, the performance takes its theme from the academic work of a professor. For this year's production, Revelry and Riot, Dr. Dale Sheptak's research on crowd dynamics was interpreted and brought to life onstage through movement.

For Thursday night fun -- theatre, dance and music theatre students came together last week under the direction of Professor Keira McDonald to put on a hilarious Improv Comedy Show on campus. The group used a short form theatre format and audience suggestions to create a lot of laughs. I loved when they pulled out the masks -- echoing the Greek chorus that we studied in Dr. Martin Friedman's Theatre History course - my all-time favorite class.

The highlight of the recent campus networking event was a keynote address from Greg Harris, the President and CEO of Cleveland's Rock Hall of Fame. We are lucky to have world class arts organizations located only a few miles from campus, and to enjoy their close relationships with the University. Baldwin Wallace University's Arts Management Association and Music Industry Association co-sponsored the two-day event that connected students with recent graduates that work in the arts field. Like many Universities, Baldwin Wallace requires internship experiences as a prerequisite for graduation. Events like this networking activity, along with the professional contacts shared through faculty and alumni connections, make finding arts- related internship experiences a relative breeze.

As an example, I was fortunate to make an internship connection through Professor Sean Murphy's Music Industry Course. This spring, my work with Ashley White Public Relations has meant an association with multiple Broadway stars. I've been privileged to work on aggregating and recording the national media coverage for one of White's many clients, Disney Princess: The Concert. The princess cast is assembled from the Broadway "who's who" list. Susan Egan originated the role of Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast. Arielle Jacobs won fame as Jasmine from Broadway's Aladdin. Syndee Winters played Nala in Broadway's The Lion King. The lineup is completed by Anneliese Van Der Pol, the final actress to play Beauty and the Beast's Belle. It is fascinating to see the public relations process unfold on broadcast television stations as this group tours across the country.

Thanks should go out to Taylor Brethauer at Broadway World for being such a great supporter of my blog. If that cap and gown fits correctly, I'll bid goodbye to all these wonderful campus activities. I'll do this with gratitude towards the Baldwin Wallace University faculty and staff - who have shown great kindness during my time of learning here. That includes unnamed food services personnel who hooked me up with plenty of tater tots. Bye for now!

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