Department Of Theatre And Media Arts

Earlier this month, BYU senior and acting major Langi Tuifua wrapped up a series of performances for the campus production of “Pride and Prejudice.” He had just played a starring role as key character Mr. Darcy.

During a visit to her old stomping grounds, Walker demonstrated how media arts faculty and students can make the industry more inclusive through lighting

The cast and crew share their thoughts on how this rendition of “Fiddler on the Roof” continues to resonate in 2022

This enchanting production will take audiences on a journey with young Soledad as she navigates hard questions and finds her place in the universe

After a year of innovation and creativity, the TMA department offers awards to superb students

TMA students shine bright by being presented with multiple awards by faculty

Jennine graduated with an emphasis in makeup and hair design and has built upon the legacy of her predecessor

Rise and shout! BYU fans will soon have a new cougar to cheer for. Thanks to the combined efforts of two BYU engineering capstone teams and a group of theatre and media arts (TMA) students, Cosmo is getting an animatronic counterpart in the theatre department. Designed to introduce plays and similar events, “Cosmotron,” as he is fondly known, will bring added school spirit to BYU performances. While engineering capstone projects typically develop products for clients outside the university, the theatre department’s desire to have an animatronic cougar provided an excellent learning opportunity for students from both ends of campus during the 2020–21 academic year. Animatronics are commonly built for amusement parks and films (think Disneyland and Jurassic Park), and their creation requires a wide range of engineering and artistic skills. “We will fight, day or night, rain or snow”: Creating Cosmotron When they first brainstormed Cosmotron’s design, the students were unsure they’d be able to pull off the complex task. Somehow, they needed to fit all of the necessary parts inside the cougar’s small head and make sure that each team’s work — mechanical engineering components, electrical and computer engineering components, and software controls — could come together to make a working puppet. Read the full article by Christie Allen at news.byu.edu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSDa5sdZsT0&list=TLGGLxuerL5AFpQyMTA1MjAyMQ&t=1s

Several students received recognition for their work in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts

Representing more than a decade of work, the first installment of the filmmaker’s visionary short film project aims to connect and unify Americans one state at a time

“Skaterhood” tells compelling story of female skateboarders and their ties to motherhood

Coates addressed the role of the arts in furthering the cause of racial justice

“Suffrage” is a play about two polygamist women who fought for women’s rights and their families.

BYU theatre education graduate Summer Lewis brings her passion for live theatre to U.S. military families stationed in Asia

Celene Mitchell is already forging her own path to a successful career in film

Meet alumni enriching their communities through service.

Alumni explain challenges and blessings of being an artist during the pandemic

The documentary shorts series 'States of America,' created by BYU Theatre & Media Arts professor Brad Barber and his students, will have its nationwide public television broadcast premiere on WORLD Channel’s “Local, USA” program. 'States of America' features one person in each state exploring their sense of identity and belonging to the place where they live. Episode 1: “Relocation,” will be the first of two half-hour compilation episodes and will air on Monday July 6 at 9/8c. Episode 2: “Connection,” will air on Monday July 13 at 9/8c. Starting Monday July 6, LOCAL, USA: 'States of America' will also be available to stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and WorldChannel.org, where new state films will be added between now and this fall, when the project will be featured in a national engagement campaign in advance of the 2020 election. Years ago Daniel, a former pre-med student and social worker, visited a friend in Moab, Utah. He decided to stay, committed to life without the use of money, and for a time took shelter in a cave. His thoughts on home: “Wherever we are, that’s who we are. That’s home.” Xong moved to Wisconsin as a child Hmong refugee after the Vietnam War. In the years that followed she experienced “a lot of racism, a lot of discrimination” there, but as an adult is determined to help her local Hmong community cope with trauma and rebuild and embrace their identity. Clay left his Tennessee home after his son’s suicide and found meaning in helping the people in his Nevada trailer park. “Nevada is my home now,” he said, “and it’s gonna be my home until Nevada kicks me out.” Daniel, Xong and Clay are three of the people featured in Brad Barber’s new short-documentary series, “States of America.” For the series, the Emmy-nominated theatre and media arts professor is featuring one person from every state in 50 four- to five-minute films. He launched the series online a year ago and has been releasing one documentary per month since. The short films “provide an opportunity to listen to and understand lots of different types of Americans in diverse corners of our country,” said Barber, who was named one of Variety’s 10 Documakers to Watch in 2015. “At a time where we are increasingly divided, this kind of empathic experience feels more urgent now than ever.” For the full article by Andrea Christensen, check out news.byu.edu. Also be sure to check out the trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvL3n_BFJWw