Theatre and Media Arts

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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.”

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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.”

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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.

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