Theatre and Media Arts

The Classical Greek Theater Festival of Westminster College will perform Sophocles’ tragic masterpiece, Electra as part of their 2015 tour in the de Jong Concert Hall on Sep. 21 at 5:00pm.Tickets are $11, with discounts available for alumni, seniors and students.

The latest Mormon feel-good movie, “Once I Was a Beehive,” is proving to be enjoyable for moviegoers both in and outside Mormon culture.The film tells the story of Lane Speer (Paris Warner), a 16-year-old girl whose father dies and mother remarries a Mormon. Speer goes on a week long, Bible-themed camping trip with other Mormon young women while her mom and stepdad are on their honeymoon.The film was released in select Utah theaters on Aug. 14.“We have been totally flattered and over the moon at the reception,” film director and writer Maclain Nelson said. “We knew we had something special, but to see people really grasp to the story, people who are going to see it for a second or third time, as a filmmaker that feels amazing.”See more at the Universe >>>>>> By Kjersten Johnson PHOTO: Lane Speer (Paris Warner) and Nedra (Barta Heiner) whittle wood in a scene of the film. The film is receiving good reviews from members of other faiths.

The Brigham Young University BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts series presents Kelli O’Hara, Tony Award—winning Broadway star of “The King and I,” in the de Jong Concert Hall on Friday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m.Tickets are $25-55, with discounts available for alumni, seniors and students.

BYU faculty Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson directed and produced Peace Officer, a documentary about the militarization of American police. The documentary follows the story of a former sheriff who started his state’s first SWAT but struggles 30 years later with what it has become. He investigates officer-involved shootings, as well as the shooting of his son-in-law, to discover the truth behind seemingly unrelated events. The film won the 2015 Documentary Feature Competition Grand Jury and Audience awards at the South by Southwest Film Festival, the David Carr award and Audience Award Best Documentary Feature at the Montclair film festival, the Kathleen Bryan Edwards Award for Human Rights at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and is featured as an exclusive on Apple trailers. The film will have its theatrical premieres in New York on September 16 and Los Angeles on September 18. After the premieres, the documentary will open in select cities. The film teaser is featured on Apple Trailers.

Incoming BYU faculty Robert Machoian’s film God Bless the Child was featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Filmmaker magazine and was made an official selection for South by Southwest. The film follows a family of five children ranging from age one to 13 years old over the course of a day after their mother abandoned them, forcing the eldest and only girl to handle her four younger brothers. Although the film is scripted, it has the style of a documentary. A scene from ‘God Bless the Child’ - PHOTO: ROBERT MACHOIAN Machoian’s film has a five star rating on iTunes and glowing reviews in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times praises the filmmakers for using their own children as the actors and letting their internal dynamics drive the action instead of creating characters, stating “their blooming personalities come through with a warm and wonderful immediacy.” Filmmaker magazine sat down with Machoian and his co-director Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck to discuss the challenges of making this film. Read more about the interview here.

Music and the arts have always been a huge part of Marina Polonsky’s life. She was was born to a family of singers in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. Polonsky's brother is a singer and composer and her parents are singers who used to travel all over the USSR on live tours before they opened their own restaurant business. The family’s artistic influence led Polonsky to be passionate about stories, hoping that one day she would be able to inspire others with her creative talents. This week Polonsky will graduate in Media Arts from the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts. Though it’s been hard living so far from family with the current tension going on between the Russian and Ukrainian government, she has enjoyed her time here at BYU and has appreciated the change she has seen in herself. BYU News’ Holly Kendall spoke with this artistic grad to get her story. Q: What was it like coming to BYU? Did anything surprise you? Marina Polonsky: Coming to BYU (BYU-Idaho actually, I transferred after a year) was one of the most positive life-changing events for me. First of all, it was my first time out of the country, first time on an airplane, and I definitely never thought I'd have to study in a different language. By the time I arrived in the states, I could understand around 70 percent of what the people were saying, but I had to take some time before responding since I had to translate my thoughts and try to put them into grammatically correct sentences. At first, the main struggle was seeing the differences in how people view their life; seeing how much people have. I feel like a lot of people here don't realize how much they have, most people don't take advantage of all these opportunities. I am able to do so many things here that I would never be able to afford on my own in Ukraine no matter how hard I would work. Q: How did you come to the decision to major in Media Arts? MP: Growing up I've always been into arts, at first I wanted to become a writer, then a painter, but my father always told me I'd be poor and unhappy if I did those things. I was always focusing on finding something else that I was talented in, that would bring me money and something I would enjoy. Eventually, I started studying 3-D modeling and animation, and that's how I came to BYU. Everything started while I was at BYU-Idaho though, when I got an email from BYU-Idaho Broadcasting and their supervisor told me that I'm the only person on campus that they know of who can do 3-D animation. So they invited me in for an interview. I was hired on the spot, but after doing it for money, I quickly realized that it was last thing I wanted to do. And so did my boss. He saw that, to put it lightly, I wasn't motivated. And to my big surprise, instead of letting me go, he put me on one of the cameras for the upcoming show. I have never operated a camera before but it has always been one of my dreams. When I was behind the camera for that BYU-Idaho show, I realized that it felt more right than anything I did before that. I felt like I belonged, and that was the moment when I realized that I could study that and do it for living. Nothing made me happier career-thinking wise. I knew BYU had a good film program, so after transferring, instead of applying for 3D animation program, I applied for Media Arts. It's been my second home since then. Q: Why were cameras of such interest to you? MP: To be honest, since I was little, the world of cinema was one of the most mysterious and magical things to me. I never even thought one day I could be running one of those incredible machines called cameras. I mean, think about it, you can capture a moment and then 50-60 years later you can watch it! How neat is that? The career of a filmmaker has always been something I could never even consider seriously. I thought of other filmmakers as some chosen people in a secret society. Q: What is your main focus in Media Arts? MP: My main official focus is narrative directing, but I've been studying and practicing everything from writing to post-production and about all the main areas of the craft. I don't want to be limited in my ability to create art that affects people's lives. Q: What led you to have a love for the arts? MP: The reason I love arts, especially film, so much is because I love stories. Storytelling is incredible. It's so powerful. Movies and all kinds of arts have always been inspiring to humanity. A film can let you observe and see something for yourself from a new perspective. It can teach you something, make you think, inform you, make you laugh, cry, etc. Movies impact who we become. So that's what I want to do, I want to help people all over the world to become better people, to become more connected, understanding, inspired, more aware and informed. We have a saying in Ukraine 'informed means armed.' I think the world would be a much better place if more people would be simply aware of more things about each other. Q: How would you describe your journey in achieving your degree? MP: I would describe it as a journey of finding myself and as a re-realization of everything I knew before. Every day, I learn or re-learn something about the craft and the human nature. Everything is interconnected. It's amazing. There has also been a lot of pain and struggle in my journey, which is exactly what brought all the great realizations and happy moments. I can definitely say I'm a very different person now compared to the person who came to the United States, daring greatly to try her luck and see what comes out of it. Q: What are some of your fondest memories from the time you’ve been at BYU? MP: The best memories were the moments of mutual vulnerability. In other words, the best memories were when I was understood in my hardest moments, instead of being judged by people who barely knew anything about me and my struggles. The moments when people really did care and showed it. The moments when people truly wanted to hear me out with an open heart. The moments when I would get support unexpectedly from some of my teachers. I can't thank them enough for their caring, their kindness, and their wisdom. Q: What do you want to do after graduation? MP: I want to make movies, whether fiction or non-fiction, that will drive people to tears of happiness and many realizations. I hope to shift someone's paradigm. I hope that when people walk out of my movies (whether I write them, direct them, or edit them) they call their old friend, their parents, someone they haven't talked to in a while and tell them that they love them. I want them to be willing to be more vulnerable, to be willing to get uncomfortable sometimes, to be willing to say sorry first, to reach out first. I hope I can convince them that life is beautiful and worth it. The world just needs more kindness and I feel like if the sky were the limit, I would like to reach out to as many as possible worldwide. But even if I succeed in changing one person’s life for the better - it would be just as meaningful. Source: BYU News

PHOTO: BYU Young Ambassadors perform at the Covey Center on Provo Center Street. by Cassidee Hobbs The triple threat of singing, dancing and acting may not be enough anymore, as more and more musicals require the fourth skill of playing a musical instrument as well.

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Photo credit: Robert Aroujo Dubbed as “a love story that isn’t spoiled by the trailer,” the new musical Single Wide has attracted national attention, awards and the opportunity to be performed Off-Broadway in the 2015 New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF). What started as a joint project between Brigham Young University’s George D. Nelson, the head of the playwriting program in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, and Jordan Kamalu, a commercial music major in the School of Music, is now exploding into a star-studded venture. Read the recent review! http://bit.ly/1LFZcbH

See two of our TMA alumni with their family in this heartwarming YouTube video made for the Mormon Channel. For Ian and Melissa Puente, family time is always a busy time, thanks to their two sets of twin boys. Julian and Caleb are 7 years old, and Jack and Christian are 5 years old. All together, they make one happy family. Melissa graduated from BYU in 1999 with a degree in Film. In May 2006, she received a national Emmy for single-camera editing for the syndicated TV show 'Starting Over.' You can read more about Melissa's professional work at IMDB. Ian is a filmmaker, attorney, and vice-president of business development at Samuel Goldwyn Films in Los Angeles. Puente’s interest in film began when he was a child. He graduated from BYU in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in film. You can read more about Ian at the HFAC anniversary site.

Three leading female soloists across three different fields of music – Renee Fleming, Kelli O’Hara and Nnenna Freelon – will headline the BYU Bravo! 2015-16 Performing Arts series.

Greg Whiteley, TMA alumnus is director of Most Likely to Succeed, an education documentary that asks: Why has our education system stayed the same while our economy has drastically shifted with technology? The film kicks off with a brief history lesson of the U.S. education system, which was largely geared toward producing factory workers for the industrial revolution.

The Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents the world premiere of Princess Academy, a new play adapted from The New York Times bestseller Shannon Hale. Princess Academy tells the story of a young girl taken from her home to attend royal finishing school and faces a harsh schoolmistress, fierce storms and bandits. She soon discovers the power of friendship and a loving heart. The performance runs on select dates from May 30 to June 13, at 7 p.m., in the Pardoe Theatre. Matinee performances will occur on May 30, June 4, 6, 12 and 13, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12, with $3 off for students and $2 off for alumni and seniors, and can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or online at byuarts.com. Children ages 4 and older are eligible for student ticket prices. Director Megan Sanborn Jones teamed up with playwright Lisa Hall Hagen and dramaturg Janine Sobeck more than a year ago to begin the process of adapting Shannon Hale’s story for the stage. This group effort was in part inspired by the story in Princess Academy where the academy girls must work together and answer questions as a group to complete their final exam. “In the process of creating this new adaption of the novel for the BYU stage, we found inspiration and truth in this lesson,” said Jones. “This is the true magic of collaboration – the work each person does to fully understand, respect and nurture the vision of the other creators. This inspired us to be better individually, to learn from one another and to love our work.” More Ways to Enjoy Princess Academy arts.byu.edu for a free 'Lunch and Learn' workshop offered at 12:30 p.m. in the north lobby of the Pardoe Theatre prior to the June 4, 6, 12 and 13, matinee performances of Princess Academy. The activity will be an opportunity for all playgoers ages 8 and older to participate in learning activities inspired by the production. BYU student “teaching artists” will lead 60-minute workshops and then provide a space for participants to enjoy lunch before the performance begins. One free meal will be provided by BYU for each registered participant. Parents/guardians are not to leave children unattended during the workshop and are encouraged to register and participate along with their children. Donate a Book, Support Provo Schools: As part of a community outreach drive for the Provo School district, audience members who bring a new or gently used children’s book to the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center ticket office will receive an additional $2 off one child’s ticket. This offer is valid for Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evening performances only. Excluding previous purchases. The Princess Academy cast features Aubrey Bench as Miri, Claire Eyestone as Britta, Meagan Flinders as Katar, Sherry Henry as Liana, Leah Hodson as Frid, Tearza Foyston as Gerti, Rachel Heath as Esa, Heather Jones as Olana, Abram Yarbro as Peder, Rachel Pullan as Doter, Jennifer Bozeman as Marda, Jared Cahoon as Pa, Clayton Cranford as Seffan, Logan Ruesch as Dan, Robert Fuller as Chief Delegate and Ryan Moss as Dogface. The production crew includes hair and makeup co-designer Valeri Day, assistant director and composer Haley Flanders, props designer Scott Jackson, dramaturg Heather Oberlander, lighting designer Marianne Ohran, makeup co-designer Celena Kurogi Peterson, scenic designer Rory Scanlon, dramaturg Janine Sobeck, assistant lighting designer Sarah Beth Stewart and costume designer Mary Jane Wadley. Tickets and Show Details Dates: May 29-30, June 4-6, 10-13 Times: 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on May 30, June 4, 6, 12 and 13 Location: Pardoe Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $12 (discounts available for students, alumni and seniors) Tickets: Available at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or visit byuarts.com

The Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents the world premiere of “Princess Academy,” a new play adapted from New York Times bestseller Shannon Hale on select dates from May 30 to June 13 at 7 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage and Her Children, and E.B. White's Charlotte's Web anchor a season of dramas, comedies and musical theatre at BYU.

A new database of student created films is now available for use by Brigham Young University students and fans alike, the Department of Theatre and Media Arts announced on Friday at the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts and Communications Center 50th Anniversary Gala. Created to allow all to see the student work created here at BYU, the database already hosts over 150 films and can be accessed online at studentfilms.byu.edu. More films will be added each week by the TMA department and alumni who wish to submit their former work. “This website is an effort to help show people what the BYU Media Arts program has done in the past and what we are capable of doing now,” said Kyle Stapley, Media Arts Program Coordinator and lead for this project. “By focusing specifically on student work that has been done here at BYU, we hope that this project will also act as a recruiting tool to help bring in additional talent to our renowned programs.” Brigham Young University has a long, rich history in the creation and education of film. BYU was one of the first universities to create a formal department for the production of motion pictures, founded in 1953. Currently, the BYU Media Arts Program and the Center for Animation have won over 30 National and Regional Student Emmys in the past 12 years making BYU one of the most well-respected Film and Animation programs in the nation. Those who visit the new website will find that there are different types of films to enjoy such as fiction, non-fiction and animation films. In addition to these, a portion of the website is dedicated solely to BYU Final Cut Films. These films are deemed the best student-produced, student-created fiction films, documentaries, commercials, and animations are created here at BYU. According to Stapley, these films include Mr. Bellpond, which won two Student Emmy’s in 2012, and even go back as far as The Phone Call and Johnny Lingo, films done through the BYU Motion Picture Studio back when the Motion Picture Studio was connected to BYU. “Another exciting option for those who visit our new website is to view the work done with Aperture, our student-ran journal of media arts,” Stapley said. “You can go here to read papers about media art, film, sound, etc. In this way we are able to combine critical studies with the actual production of film.” “Getting this website up and running in the format and in the depth that we have now is a great start,” Stapley said. “But, with the potential for additional opportunities that we are now realizing, we see this project getting much bigger in the future. Just to give you an idea, I know our students are starting to get really interested in creating web series. So, in the future, we might be using this website to launch those kinds of projects.”

Brigham Young University students and alumni took up much of the screen time at this year’s LDS Film Festival, highlighting the talent and skills being nurtured here. Christian Vuissa founded the festival in 2001 while he was still an undergraduate studying media arts studies at BYU. The festival is now a major event that showcases an impressive array of feature films, special screenings and short films. Although it was originally founded for LDS filmmakers to network with each other and showcase their work to an appreciative audience, the event has quickly turned into an opportunity for all likeminded individuals to promote their filmmaking trade. BYU students and alumni have taken part of the event every year since its inception. This year, three BYU alumni went home with awards from the festival: Third place in the Short Film Competition — Without a Rope, by Nick Dixon, who also received an audience choice award. Honorable Mention in Short Film Competition -White Earth, by Christian Jensen Third Place in the 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon — Tooth Fairy: A New Hope, group led by Raven Alard “Winning these awards is a great recognition,” said Nick Dixon, the creator of Without a Rope. “It's nice to know the work we put into the film was appreciated and that our hard work paid off. A lot of time and energy went into making the film, so getting recognized is really gratifying.” Cokeville MiracleCokeville Miracle Other films made by Theatre and Media Arts students and alumnus included: Feature Films Freetown, Director: Garrett Batty; Writer: Melissa Leilani Larson, Garrett Batty; Producer: Adam Abel, Garrett Batty The Cokeville Miracle: Director: T.C. Christensen, actors included Kym Mellon, Barta Heiner Austenland: Director: Jerusha Hess; Writer: Jerusha Hess; Associate Producer: Jared Hess Meet the Mormons: Director, Blair Treu (Many media arts alums on the crew) Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door: Writer, Director, Producer: Brandon Smith; Executive Producer: Ron Brough The Heart of the Matter: Director: Jessica Mockett; Producer: Jessica Mockett, Nathan D. Lee, Jordan Harker; Director of Photography: Travis Cline Untitled Girl’s Camp Movie: Writer, Director: Maclain Nelson; Producer: Jake Van Wagoner, Lisa Clark, Hailey Smith, Clare Niederpruem; Executive Producer: Maclain Nelson; Director of Photography: Joel Remke; Production Designer: Anne Black Mythica: Director: Anne Black; Writer: Anne Black, Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Director of Photography: A. Todd Smith Survivor: Writer, Director, Producer: John Lyde; Executive Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin Short Films Newsies: Director: Jeff Parkin; Producer: Jared Cardon, Jeff Parkin, Babetta Kelly; Director of Photography: Jacob Schwarz White Earth: Writer, Director, Producer: J. Christian Jensen; Director of Photography, Editor: J. Christian Jensen Without a Rope: Writer, Director: Nick Dixon; Producer: Willem Kampenhout; Executive Producer: Tom Russell, Courtney Russell, Tom Lefler; Director of Photography: Gary Groth; Production Designer: Gina Thompson; Original Score: Spencer Russell; Editor: Jonathan Ying. Presentations and Panels Christian Vuissa Jerusha Hess Garrett Batty Studio C A complete list of all those honored at the festival can be found by clicking, here.

Dubbed as “a love story that isn’t spoiled by the trailer,” the new musical Single Wide has attracted national attention, awards and the opportunity to be performed Off-Broadway in the 2015 New York Music Theatre Festival (NYMF). What started as a joint project between Brigham Young University’s George D. Nelson, the head of the playwriting program in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts, and Jordan Kamalu, a commercial music major in the School of Music, is now exploding into a star-studded venture. Jeff Whiting, a BYU Music Dance Theatre alumni and acclaimed Broadway director has just signed on to direct Single Wide’s world premiere at the NYMF festival in New York in July. “I’m honored to have been asked to help develop Single Wide and take it to the stage in New York,” said Whiting. “I love the piece! I think the story is going to translate well on the stage in the context of the dialogue and the music that’s been created, it’s going to make a real big splash in New York.” In addition to this privilege, Single Wide received the Blanche and Irving Laurie Musical Theatre Award from The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). This award recognizes the best new musical to be written and performed on a university campus in 2014-2015. Excerpts from the musical will be showcased at the KCACTF national festival in Washington D.C., this April. Single Wide follows a community of single women living in a trailer park in the southern United States. Katy, a single mother, living with her own single mother, is trying to get her son out of their “single wide” situation. For her, this means hard work and avoiding men, especially the type that left her there in the first place. But when her son befriends the reclusive new move-in two trailers down, she sees something different in him that makes her take a second look. “At the core of this musical is the story of an unlikely family that begins to come together. No one could have done this better than George,” said Whiting. “George has this ability to really create dialogue that sounds like people, the way they actually exist in their world. Then it’s Jordan’s score that really makes it fun. His music gives wonderful life and vibrancy to this piece. Their collaboration is what makes this project so brilliant and clever. “ “It’s thrilling that Single Wide has won these recognitions,” said Nelson. “These honors belong to our entire department and the atmosphere here that is supportive and conducive to the development of new works. I hope these awards are momentum-building.”