The Department of Theatre is proud to announce the performance schedule for the Actor Training Program’s 2022 Senior Projects.
These live performances and short films—an assortment of self-written, collaborative, and published works—are the final projects created by the most recent cohort of graduating seniors in the BFA Actor Training Program.
The ATP is an intensive four-year course of study intended to prepare students for careers as professional actors and theatre artists. As the instructor for this course and the head of the Actor Training Program, Assistant Professor Robert Scott Smith acts as the producer and principal mentor for these projects, with the support of professional theatre artists and other faculty members in the Department of Theatre.
All Senior Project performances are free and open to the public. All performances will take place in the Babcock Theatre, located on the lower level of the Pioneer Memorial Theatre building on the U of U campus. For more information, email us at
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
Thursday April 28, 7:00pm - Lexie Thomsen and Nick Bianchi
MEDUSA
MEDUSA
Written by Lexie Thomsen
Lexie Thomsen | Medusa
Nicolas Bianchi | Perseus
A retelling of a well-known myth, MEDUSA tells the story of Medusa and Perseus, as audiences may not know it. We know that Perseus was the one who killed the "monster," but who was she before then, and how did she come to be that way? Mainly following the original Hesiod myth of Medusa, with a few changes here and there, the play examines fate, destiny, and untold stories.
MEDUSA, by Lexie Thomsen, has been a working project for over two years. It went through many drafts and edits, and through the help of writing classes, friends, and time, finally found its current draft. It was written for anyone who knows (or thinks they know) the myth, and anyone who is willing to hear a new telling of the story.
Content advisory: Mentions of sexual assault.
Approximate running time 50 minutes.
Friday April 29, 7:30pm – Alex Pullen, Marcello Say, Victoria Wolfe
QUEERS ANONYMOUS
QUEERS ANONYMOUS
Written and performed by Alex Pullen
What would you do if you could talk to your younger self, or younger selves? Alexis (Alex) does just that to explore their journey through their gender identity, sexuality, and the memories and their past that brought them to where they are today—all in a “one-them show!”
I HELD THE MATCH, HE LET ME BURN
I HELD THE MATCH, HE LET ME BURN
Written and performed by Marcello Say
Music by Andrew Muccitelli
This piece explores the liminal and realistic realms of what it is like to be a queer individual, incorporating butoh-styled dance and movement with several monologues. In his first-ever performance in the Babcock Theatre, Marcello hopes he can illustrate a vivid picture that anyone can relate to, learn from, or simply enjoy.
THE EGG AND THE CHICKEN
THE EGG AND THE CHICKEN
Written and performed by Victoria Wolfe
Also starring Taryn McClure
Come enjoy a free night of theatre, exploring the basic questions of the universe and human existence! This work explores the ideas Andy Weir put forth in his short story “The Egg” with acting, dancing, and art.
This evening’s performances will run approximately seventy minutes total. There will be a short break between each piece.
Saturday April 30, 7:00 pm - Dylan Burningham
LIGHT AND DARKNESS
LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Devised by Dylan Burningham
Light and Darkness is the story of a small community and their interactions with two brothers from different backgrounds. The community fears the dark and cherishes the light—but what happens when there is too much light and all the darkness is diminished? What happens when there is no balance?
“I’ve been trained in many different forms and styles in my classes: acting, directing, voice and speech, movement, Butoh, musical theatre, stage combat, Shakespeare, etc. And I personally believe my greatest show of growth and greatest work has been within my classes. Since this project is supposed to represent my growth as I graduate from this program, I decided I wanted to showcase my ACTUAL work done in the program. I wanted to take the scenes, monologues, stuff I’ve written/created, and pieces from my classes and finals and put them together to form a singular devised story.”
—excerpted and condensed from Dylan Burningham’s Artist Statement
COMPANY
Romeo/A/Cody/Frank/Guildenstern/Leontes......................... Dylan Burningham
B/Oronte................................................................................ Connor Mamaux-Partridge
Voice #1/Juliet/The Wife......................................................... Makena Reynolds
Voice #2/Camillo/The Schoolmaster....................................... Matthew Tripp
Voice #3/Philinte/The Mother.................................................. Zoe Killian
Voice #4/Rosencrantz/The Prosecutor................................... Hannah Keating
Saturday April 30, 8:00 pm – Danny Borba
PROVIDENCE CANYON
PROVIDENCE CANYON
By Lee Osorio*
Performed by Danny Borba
The Educational World Premiere of Lee Osorio’s auto-biographical one-person show
“How much of an activist are you?” After receiving this text message from his immigration attorney brother, a Writer finds himself haunted by a persistent and troubling ghost. Before long, the Writer embarks on a journey back to his hometown of Lumpkin, Georgia, now the home of Stewart County Immigration Detention Center. As he talks to those trapped in the prison – both literally and figuratively – the ghost makes a simple but incredibly hard request: see.
In this one-man piece, Osorio asks the audience the same question—“How much of an activist are you?”— and takes them through a journey to discover what that question means.
*performance rights graciously provided by Lee Osorio
Saturday April 30, 9:30 pm - Connor Mamaux-Partridge
AFTER HOURS
AFTER HOURS
A Story About Cycle and Lifestyle
Short film written and directed by Connor Mamaux-Partridge
Based on the album After Hours by The Weeknd
After Hours explores the idea of breaking a feeling of being stuck, whether for better or for worse. Created with the help of Joshua Panicker and Theo Worel Lopez, After Hours is intended to draw viewers in through its combination of visuals and music, as well as its story.
"I landed on this story during a time where I was stuck in this cycle of waking up, spending all day in my house, going back to bed, and repeating that for what felt like an eternity. The neo-noir feel of the album After Hours is what inspired the short film to come about. The idea of breaking a cycle you feel you'll be stuck in forever is something I feel everyone can relate to, and I wanted to explore how someone vastly different to who I am might handle the cycle instead.
That being said, this is NOT a film about quarantine. Believe me, I want to leave that era in the past as much as everyone else."
—excerpted and condensed from Connor Mamaux-Partridge’s Artist Statement
Sunday May 1, 6:00 pm - Max Villa, Ethan Hernandez, Amona Faatau
COLD CLARK
COLD CLARK
A new short play by Max Villa
Performed by Max Villa and Dylan Burningham
Redemption. Confusion. A Call to Action.
Clark, a young man who has worked at a local library for a long time, now feels the urge to change his pace. As he experiences the nervousness of being in an audition room, he learns more about himself and what he observes. The mind can be a useful tool but also a weakening one.
This play was formed as a collaboration between Dylan Burningham and Max Villa.
THE HUỆ LIFE GOES
THE HUỆ LIFE GOES
A new short play written and performed by Ethan Hernandez
The Huệ Life Goes follows a 20-year-old man as he tries to reconnect with his departed grandmother. While visiting her burial spot for the first time in years, he fills his grandmother in on recent events, the IRS, and his insecurities.
UPHILL
UPHILL
Short film created and produced by Amona Faatau in collaboration with creative assistant and cinematographer Andrew Mortensen
Uphill follows a young man in Salt Lake City who is tormented by the same dream each night: he’s at the bottom of an impossibly steep hill, and he needs to get to the top.
“This project was inspired from my own dreams [and from] the Greek tale of Sisyphus,” says creator Amona Faatau. “I think being stuck in a position where you know you don’t belong is something everyone can relate to—being stuck knowing you should be elsewhere—and that’s what I hope to show through this piece. That you’re not alone in feeling like you’re at rock bottom. That climbing your “hill,’ whether literal or not, is possible.”
—excerpted and condensed from Amona Faatau's Artist Statement