Department Of Theatre And Media Arts

BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts professor Benjamin Thevenin and alumnus Max Johnson create podcast to discuss societal and political issues in constructive ways BYU professor Benjamin Thevenin and TMA graduate Max Johnson hoped to open a larger conversation about diversity and issues faced by marginalized communities when they created their podcast “Movies as Mirrors.” “We've been trying as faculty in the media arts program to try to integrate more talk about identity, politics, race, class, gender, and sexuality into our curriculum,” said Thevenin. “I think we've made some progress in that area — but we could be doing a much better job of preparing BYU students to engage in effective ways in these conversations.” In order to more fully open the conversation, Thevenin and Johnson invite a guest to each podcast to talk about a movie of their choosing. Most guests are people from Thevenin’s classes, colleagues at BYU and others they know who are passionate about what they think a movie has to say. “We're not particularly interested in talking about what we have to say about these movies,” said Thevenin. “We wanted the podcast to be an opportunity for us to hear what others have to say about their experiences — how the movie resonates with them.” Read the full story at tma.byu.edu.

BYU media arts student Aurelia Berryhill filmed a music video, “Chronophobia,” after receiving TMA student grant funding. While Aurelia Berryhill was applying for the media arts major at BYU in Winter 2016, she was surrounded by questions and uncertainty in her life. She felt that the fear the questions had caused was holding her back from many opportunities. Berryhill envisioned creating a video about these inner monologues for her media arts application but quickly realized she did not yet have the skills or resources for this project. Nearly three years later, the video she dreamed of creating came to life because of the TMA student grant program. This program — hosted by the Department of Theatre and Media Arts and funded by Mary Lou Fulton — sponsors student projects to help them gain experience outside the classroom in their craft. “I knew that this opportunity was the only way I could make this dance video that had been in my head for two years come to life,” said Berryhill. While Berryhill had a theme in mind but no specific vision, she left a lot of the elements of the music video up for interpretation by the dancers, director of photography and composer. “Their unique voices came through and were seen in the video. I loved the collaboration aspect of this program,” said Berryhill. “I learned a lot through the process of making this project. I learned that collaboration will make one’s vision come to life more than trying to do it all alone.” Read the full story at tma.byu.edu.

BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts grad Jared Jakins and his wife Carly win Best of Show and Utah Short Film of the Year for “El Desierto”

Streaming site

Faculty member Scott Christopherson discusses his most recent documentary about an eccentric BYU media arts alum

BYU students across academic disciplines invite Disneyland guests to see the park with new eyes

https://vimeo.com/160677585 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.” Read more about the TMA professor's project at news.byu.edu.

Former music dance theatre student Libby Lloyd is spending her summer training with high profile musical theatre professionals at the St. George venue. Libby Lloyd spent months practicing her lines on her own. As an understudy, she hoped to have the opportunity to perform in the role, but never knew when or if that would happen. Then one afternoon she got the call saying she would have to perform that night as Ella in “Cinderella.” Throughout the performance, Lloyd said it was difficult not to get caught up in the emotion and excitement of playing the main role in the show. Instead her job was to “throw emotion out the window and show up and do the work.” However, once she took her bow Lloyd said she finally let herself feel the emotion of the performance. “The whole night was so magical,” said Lloyd. “It was so rewarding knowing I had put in the work of learning and rehearsing on my own and that I was able to keep the show rolling. As I walked down the giant staircase in a beautiful dress at the end of the night, I could finally allow myself to feel the emotion and beauty of the role and reflect on what I had done.” “Cinderella” is one of three plays Lloyd has performed in during her time as a cast member for the Tuacahn Center for the Arts. Lloyd auditioned to be a professional performer for Tuacahn during her last semester at BYU. She had two nights of callbacks, then it was a waiting game. Lloyd was overjoyed when she was asked to be a part of the summer season. “I’m from Utah and I had gone to a couple shows growing up. I knew they had a really good reputation,” said Lloyd. In addition to Cinderella, Lloyd also performs in “The Prince of Egypt” and “Matilda.” Tuacahn is the third venue to ever perform “The Prince of Egypt,” which premiered in Mountain View, California in 2017. The cast was able to work with the show’s composer Stephen Schwartz, an industry legend who composed classics like “Wicked” and wrote the original songs for the DreamWorks movie the musical is based on. “Schwartz was there in our rehearsals helping the musical be everything he intended and imagined it to be,” said Lloyd. Lloyd remembers one rehearsal where Schwartz wanted to rework a song. “To be in the room while he was making the changes and to be a part of that process was really something special,” said Lloyd. Lloyd is also a featured dancer in “The Prince of Egypt,” which means she worked closely with world-renowned choreographer Sean Cheesman, who is known for his work with stars like Michael Jackson and the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Lloyd said one of her favorite experiences of the summer has been dancing Cheesman’s choreography in the opening number of “The Prince of Egypt.” “We’re dancing as the river,” said Lloyd. “We’re the vessel that delivers Moses from his birth mother to his adopted mother. Cheesman is great at getting us to dance with emotion to further the emotions and plot of the story instead of just dancing to dance.” Lloyd said collaborating with Cheesman gave her invaluable insight into professional choreography. “It’s been interesting to see Cheesman’s process and how he works,” said Lloyd. “I was nervous going into it because of how well-known he is in the industry, but he is so kind and wants to put forth a good product just like the rest of us. I’m glad I know him moving forward.” While Lloyd has appreciated Cheesman’s mentorship, the work hasn’t been easy. “He worked us hard,” said Lloyd, as she described grueling days where they would dance for five straight hours and then perform the same night. Despite this, Lloyd said the work was rewarding. Working with Cheesman hasn’t been the only taxing part of Lloyd’s time at Tuacahn. Lloyd said making the jump from collegiate to professional, full-time theatre was a difficult transition. During the Fall 2017 semester, Lloyd was a part of BYU’s production of “Into the Woods.” The cast rehearsed for an entire semester and only performed on a few dates. The opposite is true at Tuacahn. The rehearsal process is short and the cast performs for four to five months. “You have to learn fast and learn the roles correctly because you’re thrown into performing right away,” said Lloyd. “It’s a hard season. It’s really long.” As a cast member, Lloyd doesn’t have a lot of time for rest. Lloyd said one of the hardest things to learn was how to preserve her health during such a long process. “My body hurts, my back is sore. I think I have some bruised ribs. Going full throttle for a few weeks is fine, but with a long contract you realize you have to preserve enough energy to perform and rehearse the next day,” said Lloyd. “You can still give a 100% effort and give the audience the show they deserve to see while maintaining some stamina to get through tomorrow.” Despite a steep learning curve, Lloyd wouldn’t change a thing. She said her time at Tuacahn has been the perfect transition from school to the professional world. Lloyd plans to move to New York City in January to pursue her a career in acting. She believes the connections she made this summer will prove beneficial to her future. “A lot of the cast members are from NYC and are Broadway veterans—this is their passion,” said Lloyd. “Being surrounded by and forming friendships with professionals who have worked in places I aspire to perform has been great as well as learning from them and getting advice for my career path.” Working at Tuacahn has also given Lloyd the confidence to be in show business. “This business is hard; there are a lot of no’s and rejections,” said Lloyd “Everyone here is so talented, but I’m here because I’m talented too. That has been a great realization.”

Theatre and Media Arts professor Scott Christopherson’s documentary film, “The Insufferable Groo,” premiered at the Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival which took place June 7-12 in Sheffield, England. The documentary focuses on Provo independent filmmaker Stephen Groo, who is known for his eccentric and passionate approach to making movies. Groo’s films, though small in scale and budget, have gained fans from industry professionals including Jared Hess, Jermaine Clement and Jack Black, the latter of which starred in Groo’s film “The Unexpected Race.” Read more about “The Insufferable Groo” in The Hollywood Reporter, The Daily Herald and Deadline.

Combine elements from classic video games like Mortal Kombat and Guitar Hero, and you will see the recipe for success behind the new game developed by animation students called “Beat Boxers.” The project, which recently took home the top prize at the E3 College Game Competition, follows on the successes of past projects like Nokbak, Vanguards and Relic Hunter. The competition is held annually and students from the BYU Center for Animation are not strangers to the event. “This project was a massive undertaking,” said Vanessa Palmer, a recently graduated illustration student and art director over the game. “If our team wasn’t so supportive of each other, there is no way I could have balanced working on the game with classwork and graduation.” “Beat Boxers,” was a combined effort from students in the Department of Design, Department of Theater and Media Arts, and Department of Computer Science. Read more about this story on news.byu.edu.

Howie Burbidge’s senior project focuses on how dying isn’t losing

Rachel Leishman, Maximillian Wright and Daniel Mesta share their experience portraying the characters of Shakespeare's most famous tragic love story

As participants prepare to attend this year’s festival, theatre Professor Stephanie Breinholt reflects on last year’s achievements

Dallyn Vail Bayles, a BYU faculty member in the MDT program, has been featured in Utah Valley Magazine. The full feature can be read here.

Dennis Wright shares his inspiration behind the whimsical costumes of “Into the Woods”

Emily Moore, Madison Haws and Maddie Hall share their experience portraying the character of Maggie Tulliver in the stage adaptation of George Eliot’s novel

MovieMaker Magazine rates BYU on 'Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada 2017' list

Cameron Babcock chose the media arts major because he loves storytelling. As a freshman, Cameron took an Intro to Film class that helped him understand the power cinema can have in telling stories and creating empathy in the viewer. “Film is an incredible medium to tell any type of story,” Babcock said. “Through film I have learned a lot about life and relationships.” Babcock also met his wife in the film program, which he listed as his most meaningful experience at BYU. Babcock is applying to graduate school to receive a master's degree in film production with an emphasis in directing. He plans to teach film at a university. The TMA program chose to produce Babcock’s script for the collaborative senior capstone. Babcock was able to direct the production titled “Hey Brooklyn.” It’s the story of a 8-year-old girl, Brooklyn, who tries to raise $700 for her single mom before her family is evicted from their home. The story was based off of Babcock’s childhood experiences and was recently finished with plans to submit it to several film festivals. “The experience was priceless. I improved as a filmmaker in many ways. I learned being an artist can be so vulnerable,” Babcock said. “When you write and direct something so close to home, you feel like you’re throwing your heart right on the screen and hoping that people will take it how it is.” Some of Babcock’s previous work: Spit Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVBSGEKNIu0&feature=youtu.be We the Little Engines https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQpjm_S4pOs&feature=youtu.be Promo for Divine Comedy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82EvunRslA8 How did your professors impact your education? “The faculty in the film program are my mentors and friends. They have taught me not only about the history, theories, and practices of film but also what it means to be a hard working, supportive person in life.” Movie title for your life: “‘An Okie Grown Up,’ because it would be a documentary of my childhood and teenage experiences.” Unique superpower you wish you had: “Super vision because I wouldn’t need my glasses anymore. They’re generally dirty anyways.” What is the legacy you hope you left for BYU? “Hopefully I left a legacy that says it's worth it to work hard and to stay humble.”