acting

After Dealing with Vocal Instability, Music Dance Theatre Major Braeden Anderson Found Himself in TMA

Actor Malin Glade and Assistant Director Elyna Mellen Explain their Experience Creating the Classic Hair-Raising Play

Adam Houghton Presented Handmade Masks at International Conference, Uses Them in Department of Theatre and Media Arts Classes

BYU Acting Student Eden Bostrom Takes Modernized Shakespeare to the Stage in New York City

Bravo! Welcomes World-Class Shakespeare Performers to Present “Romeo and Juliet” at New Mainstage Theatre

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.

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

Cooper Sutton, who now lives in Manhattan, New York, recalls his involvement in the Church project launched last year

The pair performed together in the cast of Mean Girls after years of friendship

Weir will speak at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation at 3 p.m. on April 26

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.”

Advanced theatre students attended a workshop taught by Shakespearean actor Chris Donnelly focusing on character motivations and acting from moment to moment

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

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>>>>>

Actress Mireille Enos, who will star alongside Brad Pitt in this summer’s anticipated blockbuster “World War Z,” traces some of her acting roots back to Brigham Young University. Enos grew up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her father met her French mother while serving his LDS mission in France, according to IMDb.com. Enos grew up in Houston and attended a high school for performing and visual arts. While enrolled in BYU’s acting program, Enos won the Irene Ryan award in 1996, a distinction only three other BYU alumni claim. She went on to act in New York and Los Angeles, where she began appearing in TV and theater productions, namely HBO’s “Big Love” and AMC’s detective series “The Killing.” “World War Z” is Enos’ first lead appearance in a major film. “Just a few months before I got this movie I was saying to my husband, ‘You know, I’ve done theater, and I’m working in TV and that’s going great and I just can’t seem to crack the movie thing,’” Enos said in an interview on 'The View.' “And then I got this and he was like, “I don’t want to hear anything from you for a really long time.’” While on a panel with other actresses, Enos joked about how horrible it was to kiss co-star Brad Pitt for this film. “We’d be asked what was the scariest experience of our whole career, and these girls were telling really serious stories about directors, and opening on Broadway and I was like, ‘I’ve got to lighten it up,’ so I tried to make a joke,” Enos said on 'The View.' “So I said, ‘Would it be wrong to say kissing Brad Pitt on the second day of shooting? Ha, ha, ha.’ Except nobody laughed. ... I wanted to just stab myself in the head with a fork. It was awful.” Enos is scheduled to continue working in film, starring in upcoming movies with actors such as Brooke Shields, Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth and Arnold Schwarzenegger. She also appeared in 'Gangster Squad' (released in earlier this year) with Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone. In 2008 she married Alan Ruck, who is most known for his role as Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Together, they have one daughter, Vesper Vivianne Ruck. “I think being a mom teaches you everything you need to know about yourself,” Enos said in an interview with theHollywood Foreign Press Association. “She’s brilliant. She’s an amazing, amazing girl.” Source: Deseret News

Senior students in the Music Dance Theater and Bachelor of Fine Arts acting programs at Brigham Young University will join together for the BFA Senior Showcase Thursday and Friday, March 31-April 1, at 7 and 9 p.m. in the Nelke Theatre. Tickets are $5 in advanced and $6 at the door. For tickets, call the Fine Arts Ticket Office at (801) 378-4322 or visit http://performances.byu.edu. All proceeds will benefit students traveling to New York City April 24 through May 1 to present their program to agents. Nearly 500 agents and industry professionals have been invited to attend the two showcase performances. 'The emphasis is 100 percent on the performer's work--no sets, no costumes, no lighting, no sound reinforcement--just the acting, singing and dancing. The object is to expose as many agents and casting directors as possible to new talent entering the market from a particular university or training program,' said Tim Threlfall, showcase director. The nationally recognized MDT program and BFA acting program are interdisciplinary, limited-enrollment, professional training programs designed to prepare young performers for careers in musical theatre and acting. The programs seek to foster musical theatre artists and actors of the highest caliber. Many graduates from the program have successfully performed in many productions on Broadway including 'Les Miserables,' 'Phantom of the Opera,' 'Thoroughly Modern Millie,' 'Mamma Mia' and 'Cats.' Other graduates have participated in Broadway productions on tour including 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Hairspray,' 'The King and I' and 'The Music Man.' Graduates of the MDT program are currently performing in Broadway the production of 'Good Vibrations,' Las Vegas productions 'We Will Rock You' and 'Mamma Mia' and touring with musicals '42nd Street' and 'Hairspray.' Source: BYU News