Ira Brind School of Theater Arts

Taking the Ride The Cyclone spotlight today is the phenomenal Sam Oberle @oberle_dramatic in the role of Ricky Potts. We asked Sam if they were an amusement park ride or attraction, which they would be, and why. Sam said, "When I was around 13 years old, I would visit my grandparents up in a little town out in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma; and there, every once and a while, they'd have a county fair, and my favorite ride there was always a set of swings that would spin arou...nd and carry you almost horizontally above the fairground. I would want to be those swings, because they give you the feeling of flying; everything in the fair looked so different from up there, spinning around. But it still always felt so safe and in control, since you were completely buckled in. I love that idea of being able to feel so free but safe at the same time." Great thanks to our tremendous illustrators Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas for the amazing trading cards. #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist (and thanks to crew member Roberto Delgado @robert0delgad0 for this post!) See more

Come see the Brind School's upcoming production of "Ride the Cyclone" to find out why Ocean is trying to convince everyone that she loves them and Noel wants no part of her bologna. As always, a big shoutout and thank you to our wonderful illustrators, Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas, for these trading cards. (Ticket information coming soon... watch your Canvas messages!) #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist (and thanks to crew member Cort Borelli @cortborelli for this fantastic post!)

ICYMI during the Virtual Convocation video, DPP Justin Rubenstein @jus.ruby is directing his Senior Project this semester: "A Public Reading of an Unpublished Screenplay about the Death of Walt Disney" by Lucas Hnath, November 6-8 at 7:30. Featuring: Clark Clement @the_clarkage, Jordan Eck @thejordaneck, Mackenzie Maula @mackenziemaula, and Henry Glejzer @henry.glejzer. Check back soon for ticketing info, but save the date! #uarts #uartist #uartsalumni Tonight, Walt is going to read you a screenplay he wrote. It’s about his last days on earth. It’s about a city he’s going to build that’s going to change the world. And it’s about his brother. It’s about everyone who loves him so much, and it’s about how sad they’re going to be when he’s gone. Right? I mean, how can they live without him? How can anyone live without him?

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Here comes our third spotlight for Ride the Cyclone, Riley Schor in the role of Mischa Bachinski. We asked Riley what advice he now has about the digital theatre making process. He said "When the technology works its great. When it doesn't its a big struggle and it takes some time and two or three tries to get it back up and running, so I would say have patience not just with this but with all things" Once again, a big thank you to Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas for their incredible illustrations. #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist (and thanks to RTC crew member Peter Kirby @peterhkirby for this post!)

Next up to the Ride the Cyclone spotlight we have the sublime Devon Spencer Lynch @devon.spencer.lynch playing the role of Noel Gruber. We asked Devon what wisdom he'll carry with him about the digital art-making process after this production. He said, "It was so exciting to play with this form. I had always wanted to do voice-acting in some sort of way, but I had never really been given the opportunity to do so. I think the show lends itself well to being materialized in il...lustrations and even animations. There is something about the piece that is reminiscent of Disney or Touchstone animated films - perhaps, in its wackiness and dream-like essence - which is what initially drew me to it, even before we knew we were presenting it through illustrations. With something like this, I had to really challenge myself to tell Noel's story through voice alone. I learned a lot about energizing the vocal and providing the intention through tone and pitch alone." A big thank you to our illustrators Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas for the amazing visual design. #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist (And thanks to RTC crew member Roberto Delgado @robert0delgad0 for this post!) See more

SPOTLIGHT on the cast of Ride the Cyclone: Taking the spotlight first, we have the wonderful Maddy Gillespie @maddy.gillespie playing the successful, go-lucky Ocean O'Connel Rosenberg. We asked Maddy how she thinks Ride the Cyclone relates to current events and these historic moments we are currently living through. Maddy said, "The show discusses and investigates both what it means to live and what it means to die and how we all individually assign value to our lives while w...e still have them. This couldn’t be more topical in a time when everyone in the world is being faced with mortality and crisis, re-evaluating how we spend our days and what’s important to us- which is exactly what these kids are faced with. RTC also emphasizes gratitude and genuine care and attention for other humans, which we could all use more of in a time of such division in this country. At the end of the show, the kids say 'Take a look around' and I think there couldn’t be a better time for people to do exactly that: get out of our own heads and egos and actually look around us... Because there is so much to see and learn and CHANGE." Visuals brought to you by our illustrators Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas. #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist. And thanks to RTC crew member @cortborelli for this post! See more

ICYMI during the Virtual Convocation video, DPP Marisa Faller is working on her Senior Project this semester. Details below... if you are interested in participating, hit her up on social media @thatfunkychick #uarts #uartist #uartslumni This project is centered around the topics of consent, healthy friendships/partnerships/meetups, sex ed in schools, the media's interpretations, and clear communication in hetero as well as LGBTQIA+ communities in and out of bedroom settings.... Consent is not just a sexual term! It is our job to think, talk, plan, write, create, and learn together so we can create a more fair, feminist-powered world. I am asking UArts creative writers, performers, filmmakers, visual artists, anyone with a story to share what role consent has had on their lives, what they are dreaming for, or lacking. What does a relationship look like with yourself, your loved ones, your friends, colleagues, and random people off the street? What could be better? See more

Here is another peak at the brilliant work of "Ride the Cyclone" illustrators Noelani Montas @noemontas and Sarah Court @07932dash ! They have been working diligently on these designs to serve as a background for each character as they tell their story. Here is their process, from thumbnail drawing to finished product. #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist Thanks to RTC crew member Peter Kirby @peterhkirby for this post!

Here's a little peak at what our illustrators for "Ride the Cyclone," Sarah Court @07932dash and Noelani Montas @noemontas, have been hard at work creating. These are a few of their preliminary thumbnail designs for some exciting moments in the show! #UArtsRTC #uarts #uartist (Many thanks to RTC crew member Roberto Delgado @robert0delgad0 for this post!)

Tidtaya Sinutoke, 2019 Polyphone artist (Composer, Hart Island Requiem) has won the 2020 Billie Burke Ziegfeld award, which celebrates female-identifying composers or composer/lyricists with outstanding artistic promise. Congrats, @tidtaya_sinutoke! For the American Theater article, see the link in our bio. #uarts #uartist #uartsalumni #polyphone

The upcoming Brind production of the musical "Ride the Cyclone," book and music by Brooke Maxwell and Jacob Richmond, directed by Elana Mirella Mariani, is featured on BroadwayWorld.com... link in bio! #uarts #uartist #uartsalumni #UArtsRTC