Department Of Theatre And Media Arts

The College of Fine Arts and Communications and the College of Engineering teamed up to develop an alternate reality game. Tessera: Light in the Dark will be released in January after over a year of development by professors and students at BYU. Tessera: Light in the Dark is an interactive game about a mysterious collective of historically significant innovators, known as “The Tessera,” hunted by an even more unknown character who goes by “S.” Players navigate real-world and online computational thinking puzzles with the help of the ghosts of these famous men and women who are trying to save everything their think-tank stands for from S’s destructive tendencies. “The normal claim from educators is that the devices that we use, like a cellphone or a computer, is distracting from students’ learning,” said Jeff Sheets, Associate Professor of Communications. “An alternate reality game is a great vehicle to use for teachers because it actually reverses those relationships. Students can play this game while learning and having fun by trying to solve the mystery.” A replayable version of the game that can be condensed into a concise teaching unit will become available for classroom and home use after the live release. Teachers and students will have access to the game, both in and out of the classroom, for no cost. The Tessera players will learn principles of computational thinking (CT), which prepares them to better understand problems in computer science and technology fields. This is not a “learn-to-code” game but students who practice CT can become more confident and interested in studying computer programming. “This makes teachers the heroes because they have helped make learning interesting for students,” said Sheets. “The same tools and techniques that are used to distract students are being used to engage them, and this is the winning formula for teaching kids STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) subjects in the future. Students will be able to solve a puzzle while learning how to computer program. And we are bringing a little bit of the Arts to teaching STEM, they even call it STEAM now.” The game targets students ages 13-16, but aims to get more girls and minorities interested in STEM subjects. This game could potentially encourage more minorities and girls to become involved in STEM classes and careers in the future by showing them the basics of computational thinking. This game will show students that they already have the skills for computational thinking, including coding, and can encourage them to pursue STEM subjects in the future. The game developers designed a trading card game to go along with the online game because they wanted students to have an all-immersive experience. Players can use famous scientists, engineers, artists and mathematicians to claim innovations and gain higher points to win with the trading cards. Each card has a code that can be used in the online game to play against online opponents around the world. This game is designed to be both educational and fun. BYU faculty members have been working with students over the last year to develop this game. Over 30 students from various programs such as illustration, design, advertising, public relations, animation and film have worked together to create the content and to design the game. “The design of the game is two fold,” said Connor King, BFA Graphic Design student. “There is the puzzle and level design, as well as the art design and player experience, both of which are linked together.” Jeff Parkin, a BYU Theatre and Media Arts professor, and Jared Cardon, owner of partner group Tinder Transmedia developed the overall story arc of the game. Students involved created the levels, puzzles, gameplay and a majority of the art included. “After the levels were built, it was tested to see if things broke, and of course, if it was fun! If our game isn't fun, there is no purpose to making it,” said King. “It might look beautiful, and run without any errors, but if it isn't fun, we missed the mark.” Utah locals have the opportunity to attend a launch party for the game on Tuesday, January 17 from 5-7 pm in the Amber Room at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. There will also be a concurrent launch with program partner Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. The Computer History Museum will host a real-life version of the game in conjunction with the virtual game. To learn more and to receive updates on the game, register on http://thetessera.org.

Nat Reed’s puppetry class, TMA 252, performed a puppet variety show Dec. 8. during the afternoon Mask Club times. Eight students self-produced four skits, either on an ethical dilemma or on team work.

Name: Wade Hollingshaus BYU employee since: 2006 My job at BYU is... chair of the Theatre and Media Arts Department. A department chair does a wide range of things. One that I find very rewarding is the work I do to make sure that our faculty have what they need to teach and continue their research.

Wade Hollingshaus, chair of the Theatre and Media Arts (TMA) Department in the College of Fine Arts and Communications, will give the Devotional address. Hollingshaus' remarks will be broadcast live on BYUtv, BYUtv.org (and archived for on-demand streaming), KBYU-TV 11, Classical 89 FM, BYU Radio and will be archived on speeches.byu.edu. Wade Hollingshaus is the current chair of the Theatre and Media Arts (TMA) Department in the College of Fine Arts and Communications. Hollingshaus is an associate professor in the TMA critical studies faculty, is head of dramaturgy studies and is an affiliated faculty with BYU's Scandinavian studies program. He is a member of the Performance Philosophy research network and currently serves as American Society for Theatre Research's liaison with the Theatre Library Association. His primary research interests center on rock performance and culture in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He is also interested in Finnish and Scandinavian theatre and film. In 2015, Hollingshaus was awarded the BYU Alcuin Fellowship, which recognizes outstanding teacher-scholars whose work at the university transcends the limits of their disciplines, and who have made significant contributions to the general education and honors curriculums.

“Where does the power come from to see the race to its end?” pondered Eric Liddell moments before his 1924 Olympic victory in Paris. “From within.” In March 2017, the true-to-the-faith stories of British runners Liddell and Harold Abrahams will be rekindled in a live stage production of Chariots of Fire as part of the BYU theatre season. The desire for a BYU production of the play ignited from its origination in London’s Roundhouse Theatre and subsequent West End production in 2012 during the London Olympic Games. BYU Arts producer Jeffrey Martin attended a performance and immediately hoped to be able to produce the play in Provo. READ MORE AT BYU ARTS>>>>>>

Acting professor Barta Heiner is retiring this year after spending the past 28 years developing the BFA acting program at BYU and impacting thousands of students’ lives for the better. Heiner was born in Ogden, but grew up in Canada and Arizona due to her father’s career in the LDS Church Education System. Heiner is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and AFTRA and has performed in more than 100 productions including the recent movie “Once I Was A Beehive,” in which she played the part of Nedra. Read more at the Universe>>>>>

My job at BYU is... Administrative Assistant in the Theatre and Media Arts Department and Advisor to Divine Comedy. I work to help the TMA administration run smoothly to serve both faculty and students. Several evenings each week, I work with Divine Comedy, a student-run sketch comedy group, as they prepare sketches for their shows. When I have 30 minutes of free time, you can find me... talking to one of my sons or grandchildren, reading, or playing Words with Friends. The best-kept BYU secret is... Divine Comedy. They really are a fun, hard-working, extremely bright and talented group! My favorite part of my job is... the view of Y Mountain from my office window and the choral groups I can hear practice in the Madsen Recital Hall every day. My go-to comfort foods are... herbal tea and sugarless gum. I’ve hiked Y Mountain... maybe three times. My favorite Cougar athletes are... the Haddock twins, Lacy and Lyndie, who were in my ward and are on the BYU Women’s Volleyball team. I’m currently reading... The Boys in the Boat, The Book of Mormon and the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book. I am in a 12-step program for compulsive eaters. I am constantly reading this book because I am a big proponent of the 12 steps, or the 12 steps of remedial repentance, as I often refer to them. I think the stories there are nothing short of miraculous, and I see changed lives every day because of the steps. Even the LDS Church has adopted these steps in their recovery programs, and I work them every day in my own life. On Saturday mornings you’ll find me... walking with my dad at the University Mall. My most cherished memory at BYU was when... I sang the BYU Fight Song with a children’s choir at Homecoming when I was about 8 years old in the Brigham Young Academy Building. My go-to BYU Creamery ice cream flavor (if I still ate ice cream) is... Roasted Almond Fudge. (I’ve been off sugar for six months! Yay!) My favorite spot on campus is... the trail above the Botany Pond. A close second is my father’s old office in the Clyde Building (he was a professor of mechanical engineering for 40 years!). And I love the openness of the BF Larsen gallery in the Harris Fine Arts Center. I’m most looking forward to... traveling someday and going on a mission! See Elizabeth at Cougar Queries.

There was one important characteristic Director Julia Ashworth was looking for in the student actor playing the lead role in BYU Arts' newest production, The Taste of Sunrise. He needed to be deaf. This month at BYU, the Department of Theatre and Media Arts is putting on a bilingual contemporary drama — opening on March 10 for a 13-show run in the Harris Fine Arts Center's Margetts Theatre — where every line spoken will also be signed. Every character has a shadow signer: an actor who moves and acts with him or her on stage and signs all the lines in American Sign Language. The lead role of Tuc — a man struggling to navigate the path of loss, love and language in his silent world — is played by Ben Featherstone. Feathersone is deaf, but wears a cochlear implant so that he can read lips and hear vibrations. Two other cast members are also hard of hearing: David Hampton (who plays Dr. Grindly Mann and other characters) and Jason Keeler (who plays Roscoe). Many of the cast members are fluent in ASL or have taken ASL classes at BYU. Set against the backdrop of the Roaring Twenties in Illinois, this award-winning drama explores the cultural complexities of deafness with great humor and compassion. Ashworth hopes this significant story will provide equal access to hearing, deaf and hard of hearing audiences in the community. 'I feel privileged to bring together deaf, hard of hearing and hearing actors to find the best way to tell this significant story,' said Ashworth. 'Producing The Taste of Sunriseaddresses issues of equality that are important to me as a theatre artist.' Acting is a new experience for Featherstone. He took on this role to prove to himself that being deaf isn't a limitation. He hopes that when the audience sees him on stage they will feel empowered as well. 'It doesn’t matter if you’re deaf, or if you’re hearing,' said Featherstone. 'What matters is that you are important in God’s eyes. There is no difference, we’re all equal. That’s the message I would share with the world.' The Taste of Sunrise is the second play in Suzan Zeder’s critically acclaimed Ware Trilogy, which will be presented throughout the year in its entirety in partnership with Utah Valley University. Tickets are $8-14, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. PHOTO: The Taste of Sunrise: Katie Hyatt, Emma Flynn; Jake Earnest, Jonas Tucker; Katie Jarvis, Nell Hicks; Ben Featherstone, Tuc; Brittni Henretty, Dr. Alexis Graham; Abbie Craig, Maizie. Photography by Mark A. Philbrick/BYU Photo. Copyright BYU Photo 2016. All Rights Reserved. Performance Dates: March 10—12, 16—19 and 22—25 Times: 7:30 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday March 19 and 26 Location: Margetts Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $8-14 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com

The stars of BYU’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast maintained their luster during the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) hosted in Hawaii bringing home multiple awards.“We really, really showed well,” said George Nelson, director of the tale as old as time.

The BYU Young Company will present William Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece Twelfth Night with a western twist in the Nelke Theatre of the Harris Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3-5, 10-12, with matinees on Feb. 6 and 13, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $7, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. Shakespeare’s poetry meets rip-roaring action and high-faultin song and dance in this cowboy version of Twelfth Night. Directed by Megan Sanborn Jones and adapted by Rick Curtiss, this production encourages audience members of all ages to look beneath outward appearances and value people for the qualities they have on the inside. “In our production, we decided to foreground this imagined world by presenting our 2016 Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night via a 1950’s vision of the nineteenth century west,” said Jones. “We take you back to this time that never existed–a fitting tribute, we believe– with Shakespeare’s topsy-turvy homage to a world where anything can happen.” Other production members include Amanda Welch as choreographer, Julia Ashworth as Young Company producer, Becky Wallin as Young Company managing director, Dayne Joyner as production stage manager, Rory Scanlon as scenic designer, Alyssa Bybee as costume designer, Sarah Stewart as makeup designer, Scott Jackson as props designer, Christian Riboldi as dramaturge, and Franny Gleave and Karlee Savage as assistant stage managers. Cast members include Sherry Kopischke as Viola/Cesario, Andrew Smith as Sebastian, Cameron Bridston as Feste, Savanah Smith as Olivia, Scott Jackson as Duke Orsino, Costner Henson as Malvolio, Olivia Ockey as Maria and Jacob Baird as Sir Toby Belch. PHOTO: Oliva (Savanah Smith, left) and Duke Orsino (Scott Jackson, right) fight over Cesario (Sherry Kopischke, center). BYU Young Company production of Twelfth Night. Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU. © BYU PHOTO 2016. All Rights Reserved. Performance Dates and Times: Feb. 3-5, 10-12, at 7 p.m. Matinees at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 6 and 13. Location: Nelke Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $7 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com

Media Arts student Willem Kampenhout won Best Emerging Director at the Other Worlds Austin Film Festival for his film The Surface. The film also won Best Emerging Production Design, attributed to Ashley Cook. Kampenhout started making films when he was only six years old and used his personal experience growing up as the inspiration for The Surface. In December of 2013 he spent winter break watching several crime drama series, which sparked the question, “How much would one risk on behalf of their family?” “I began writing the story of a mother wandering the apocalyptic wasteland in search for spare parts for her cybernetic husband and daughter whilst avoiding a mechanically mutated monster,” Kampenhout said. From this, he developed the story of a mother who risks everything to save the life of her son. The film follows the mother as she searches for a new power source to help her dying son. After being tricked into buying a bad power cell, her only hope is to venture to the blighted surface and steal the infinity cell from one of the monstrous “tainted” creatures. The whole film came together in about two years from start to finish. Kampenhout mentioned the greatest difficulty behind creating a film was being a student and working with other students. “We have obligations other than our projects,” Kampenhout said. “Because it is not an income source, we have jobs as well.” Other than a lack of time, they faced a lack of experience that required more time to produce quality work. Despite these challenges, Kampenhout enjoyed working with other talented and eager students who worked on the music, sound design, art, cinematography and acting. He believes that real joy comes when someone other than oneself gets behind the story and makes it better. They entered the film in Other Worlds Austin, a film festival featuring only Sci Fi films, where he won the award. The Surface also won Best Student Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival and has currently been accepted into Dam Short Film Festival (Nevada), Original Narrative FIlm Festival (Dubai) and Film Quest (Salt Lake City). “We are building an audience for the film, and seeking out distribution and investors to fund a feature film version of it,” he said. Visit the film’s Facebook page for the trailer and updates about the film. https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfaceFilm

Christmas Eve

The BYU Department of Theatre and Media Arts and interdisciplinary Music Dance Theatre program will present the BYU premiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in the Pardoe Theater of the Harris Fine Arts Center, at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 19-21, 27-28, Dec. 1-5 and 8-10, with matinees on Nov. 21, 28 and Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. An ASL performance will be presented on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25, with discounts available for alumni, senior citizens, students, employees and groups. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. This beloved musical tells the classic story of Belle, a provincial girl who falls in love with the cursed, monstrous prince who imprisons her father. Based on the Oscar award-winning Disney movie, this musical is a parable about looking upon a person’s heart rather than the outward appearance. Director George Nelson is excited to present this enchanting “tale as old as time” to the community because he believes this fairytale is an allegory for the redemption of the fallen nature in the heart of every human being. “This tale is universal because of the truths it reveals,” said Nelson. “Our retelling hopefully combines the magic of this amazing musical with the reality of the powerful influence for good real, selfless love can have on the human heart.” Based on Linda Woolverton’s book, the music is by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Other production members include Mark Johnson as musical director, Becky Phillips as choreographer, Lindsi Neilson as production stage manager, Benjamin Sanders as scenic and lighting designer, Shannon McCurdy as costume designer, Valeri Day as makeup hair designer, Taylor Glad as sound designer, Lizzie Mickelson as properties designer, Travis Coyne as technical director, Kasey Kopp as dramaturge and Theron Christensen as illusionist. Cast members include Johnny Wilson as the Beast, Twyla Wilson as Belle, Kooper Campbell as Gaston, Alana Jeffery as Mrs. Potts, Woody White as Lumiere, Scott Whipple as Cogsworth, Joseph Swain as Maurice, Tricia Zuskind as Chip, Cherie Kaufman as Madame De La Grande Bouche, Devin Neilson as Le Fou, Tierney Bent as Babette, Elsa Hodder as enchantress and Alex Hasse as Rug.

Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts is presenting an adaptation of the poetry of Kate Coombs from her award-winning children’s book, Water Sings Blue. The production started last week and continues Oct. 7-9 at 7 p.m., in the Margetts Theatre of the Harris Fine Arts Center. Matinees will be on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The ASL performance will be this Thursday, Oct. 8. Tickets are $6-7, with discounts available for alumni, seniors, employees and students. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. This charming play celebrates the ocean through pantomime and poetry. Teresa Dayley Love directs this play her imaginative adaptation using in-the-round staging that promises to be playfully interactive for the audiences of all ages. “I often think that the artist's job is to make people pay attention to the world around us,” said Love. “Through their work they shout, ‘Look! Do you see that? What do you think about that?’” The cast includes Haley Flanders, Danny Brown, Sierra Docken, Logan Ruesch, Michael Comp, Arianna Krenk, Oksana Poliakova and Britney Miles. The design and technical crew includes Teresa Dayley Love as director, Jennifer Reed as production manager/scenic designer, Britney Miles as stage manager, Jake Fullmer as assistant stage manager, Scott Jackson as props designer, Travis Coyne as technical director, Michael Kraczek as faculty design advisor, Michael Handley as lighting designer, Donnette Perkins as costume/makeup shot manager, Sarah Stewart as costume designer, Celia Rivera as makeup designer, Eric Kopp as house audio engineer, Jacey Gardiner as sound designer, Janine Sobeck as dramaturge advisor, Spencer Duncan as dramaturge, Mary Jane Wadley as cutter/draper, and Becky Wallin as outreach coordinator.

Mary Lou Fulton, educator and philanthropist, passed away on Thursday, Oct. 1. She and her husband, Ira, were extremely generous donors to BYU and to TMA in particular. In 2004, the Fultons established the five million dollar Mary Lou Fulton Chair in Theatre and Media Arts. The chair has funded hundreds of student projects and scholarships, provided support for outside artists and guests, and supported faculty in numerous ways.

Shaun Parry will be presented with a BYU Alumni Achievement Award on Thursday, Oct. 8. Prior to the award reception, Parry will give a lecture entitled “Impossible Dreams I Didn’t Know Enough To Dream.” The lecture will be held in the Madsen Recital Hall at 11 a.m. Admission is free and the lecture is open to the public.

'Peace Officer,' a new documentary directed and produced by BYU faculty Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson, received a 3.5/4 star review by Sean P. Means of the Salt Lake Tribune this weekend. Read the review here. According to TMA's The Sound and the Fury: TMA faculty Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson's documentary, Peace Officer premiered in Utah on Friday at the Tower Theatre. Christopherson reported that the theatre was sold out for the premiere, with about 300 people attending. Because the story takes place in Utah, Christopherson felt like this was one of the most responsive crowd he’s experienced. On Saturday, the Provo police chief came to see the film. After the premiere, media arts alums Julian Acosta, Cole Webley, and Jared Harris (St. Cloud’s) threw an after-party. The film will screen at the Tower Theatre, 876 E 900 S, Salt Lake City, this week at 4:15 pm and 7 pm. The film will also show in Salt Lake’s Megaplex this weekend.