College Center

This past weekend, Liberty University's Department of Theatre Arts opened its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's World War II era musical, SOUTH PACIFIC. In the midst of two snowstorms, a transformation to the South Pacific was the perfect way to let the Lynchburg area know that spring and warm weather are on their way.

Amanda Grace Creech is one of a kind: Beautiful, talented, outspoken, irreverent - and yet another example of the wealth of talent to be found on college campuses all over the USA and someone of whom Nashville theater can rightfully boast. A native of Stone Mountain, Georgia, she's a student at Nashville's Trevecca Nazarene University and a 2014 First Night Most Promising Actor.

Jason Vest, Northern Kentucky University Professor, will play the role of Jean Valjean in the Department of Theatre and Dance's upcoming production of the smash-hit musical, LES MISERABLES, directed by Department Chair, Ken Jones. Vest, an accomplished tenor, is on faculty in the Department of Music as an Assistant Professor of Voice.

Make no mistake about it: Rachel Woods is a remarkable young woman. One of the finest young actresses to come out of Nashville theater - she's performed on such diverse stages as Nashville Shakespeare Festival and Franklin's Pull-Tight Players - she's currently spending a semester abroad at Harlaxton, the University of Evansville's British campus, having new adventures every day and adding to her magical bag of theatrical tricks that will serve her well as her career progresses.

The University of Hartford's Hartt School Dance Division presents “untempered”, the Spring Senior Dance and Music Collaboration, Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Theater, at the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts Center, 35 Westbourne Parkway, Hartford.

NYU Steinhardt Vocal Performance's student-run Players Club presents THE DROWSY CHAPERONE from February 13-15

The students of the Shepherd University Music Department will premiere an Opera Double Feature, featuring one comedic romance and one tragic romance, just in time for Valentine's Day! Opening February 13, the Opera Double Feature will included Dido and Aeneas, directed by Dr. Robert Tudor, and La Serva Padrona, directed by Dr. Bobb Robinson. Both operas are musically directed by Dr. Erik Jones. Dido and Aeneas, a tragedy, tells the story of Dido, a queen and both her love for enemy soldier, Aeneas, and her despair when he leaves her. La Serva Padrona, a comedy, features a clever maid and manservant conspiring to trick the master of the house into marrying the maid so that she can become the wealthy mistress of the house.

It will enable you to someday say that you, too, "knew them when"…like Brentwood's Blake Marshall, a graduate of Franklin High School now in the middle of his freshman year at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City

Rutgers University is now seeking a new executive director to promote the university's jazz program.

Students' artistic visions are set to come to life on the big screen in the Ohio State Department of Theatre's fourth Digi-EYE: Film and Video Showcase.

Ashley Glore, who was graduated from Nashville's Belmont University last May, has quickly made a name for herself on area stages with her acclaimed performances in such shows as Closer at Bongo After Hours Theatre, Theatre With Chldren at Play Theatre Company and Seascape With Sharks and Dancer for Spaghetti Theatre (directed by Bethany Langford). A native of Anchorage, Alaska, she lived in New York for two years (studying at Pace University) prior to transferring to Belmont.

Brigham Young University was offered an incredible opportunity in mounting the U.S. premiere of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. The musical, which has previously been staged in Europe and Asia, features music by Frank Wildhorn. BYU's production is nothing short of spectacular, with gorgeous design, strong performances, thrilling music played by a large orchestra, engaging storytelling, and even special effects courtesy of Flying by Foy.

As hard as it may be to fathom, the calendar indicates we're practically to February already and 2015 is off and running like some out-of-control roller coaster. Perhaps no one is more acutely aware of this than Emily Hughes, an acting major at Nashville's Lipscomb University, who no sooner than she had her bags unpacked from Christmas break that she was already hard at work on her next assignment: playing Mayzie LaBird in Seussical the Musical, which runs February 13-22 at Collins Alumni Auditorium.

One of Nashville's favorite young actors is quickly growing up. As a teenager, he was onstage for countless area theater companies, but now he's known as James Spencer Dean and he's pursuing his bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater at The Boston Conservatory. Who'd have thought that Spencer Dean, who delighted audiences in numerous Act Too productions and was a 2012 First Night Most Promising Actor, would now be known as "James Spencer Dean" and wowing audiences in the northeast just as did back home?

'When I was young, I wish I could fly!' And fly the boy did. This weekend, Alluvion Stage Company debuted another first for the central Virginia area: PETER AND THE STARCATCHER.

Lauren Knoop, a Nashville native, is currently a senior at Belmont University, pursuing her BFA degree in theatre performance in the Department of Theatre and Dance at the university that has helped to transform the term "academic theater" into something far more substantial than it once may have been considered. A 2013 First Night Most Promising Actor, Lauren has her eyes set squarely on her prize: May 2015 graduation.

Among those young actors is Lipscomb University's Jonah Jackson, a native of Shelbyville, Tennessee, and a candidate for a bachelor of fine arts with an acting major. A 2014 First Night Most Promising Actor, among his many credits are Lord Farquaad in Shrek: the Musical (Lipscomb University and Circle Players), Roscoe Dexter in Singin' in the Rain (Springhouse Theatre) and A-Rab in West Side Story (Lipscomb University). Just over the horizon for 2015, he has the roles of General Genghis Khan Schmitz in Seussical and Gerry in Dancing at Lughnasa on tap.

Happy New Year, BroadwayWorld students! A new year means a new season of student performances! Are you looking to audition or take a seat in the audience to support your fellow classmates? Make sure that you check out your school's website and BroadwayWorld to find out what's coming to the stage.

During Georgia Southern University's one-act production of John Cariani's ALMOST, MAINE, the most frequent question I asked myself was first, 'Why did those hooligans on the front row come to see this show?' and second, 'Is that a new character?' Student shows of course come with student patrons, but unruly ones have great potential to ruin a production- and these distracting young people very nearly did. And I must say that in a show full of short vignettes, concentration was vital. Thus from a 'kids these days' approach did I view this play, wishing I had brought a cane to wave in frustration.

RACE, presented by the Georgia Southern University Theatre and Performance program, explores the heated issue of discrimination from multiple perspectives, with an emphasis, not surprisingly, on racism.

As another school year draws to a close, BroadwayWorld's Student Center signs off for the summer break. Before we go, take a look back at some of the high-school and college stories that we featured this past year.

There are a few things I have learned about the UMass theatre department this semester. One, they love using the aisles of the theatre to make entrances and exits, two they are extremely fond of nudity (no matter the show), and finally they love modernizing stories. These things are what make me love all of the shows I have seen this semester, and Casanova by Constance Congdon was no exception.

Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts presents Leslye Headland's ASSISTANCE through May 5, directed by Samantha Rios.

In this week's School in the Spotlight, we feature the Theatre Department at Louisiana State University (LSU in Baton Rouge). Read on to learn about their program and to see photos from past productions!

This week, we travel to Brookville, New York, to visit The Department of Theatre at Long Island University!