After a dark winter of shutdowns caused by COVID breakthrough cases and the widespread Omicron variant, audiences are cautiously returning to theaters, and as they do, safety is top priority for School of Theatre Alumnus Hugh Hysell.

Hysell (‘88 BFA Acting) leads The Broadway COVID Safety Team, which celebrated a record setting milestone this week, facilitating COVID compliance safety support for its 2000th Broadway performance in NYC.

“It’s really great to be part of the reopening of Broadway. We’re the gateway to the building. We have to make sure COVID doesn’t enter the building. That’s the bottom line.”

In addition to checking proof of vaccination and photo ID of every ticket holder, the safety team also provides manpower backstage, providing support for the cast, crew, ushers, concessions vendors, and anyone who comes into the theater.

“Vaccination is so important to stopping the spread of this virus, and making sure everyone has one is crucial. We can’t rely on social distancing and we can’t really even do social distancing here because the breakeven point is so high on Broadway shows that we need at least 80% capacity at full-price to keep going.” (more…)

Sherrill Roland (MFA 2017/BFA 2009) exhibits his drawings, and multimedia sculptures reflecting his life experiences after a wrongful incarceration in the exhibition Hindsight Bias at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York. This exhibition follows up from his “Jumpsuit Project” in which he wore an orange jumpsuit and encouraged dialog with the community about what it means to be incarcerated. To read more about Roland’s story and his reflections on his experience with the American criminal justice system see the January 20, 2022 Guardian Article by David Smith.

Hindsight Bias can be viewed at the Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York from January 8 – February 5, 2022

Nicoletta Moss (’20 MM Instrumental Conducting, PBC Music Education) has a love for music and an instinct for leadership that led her to UNC Greensboro’s School of Music to pursue a degree that would combine both:

“As long as I can remember I’ve always felt comfortable being in front of other people. My personality and my teaching style are pretty calm, but I have a lot of energy on the podium, too. I approach conducting as a learning experience for all of us. It’s a really exciting thing to be able to bring together people from different backgrounds, levels, and interests in repertoire to make music, to help unite a group towards performing a piece of work together.”

Since graduating, Moss has worked with musicians of all ages. She teaches private lessons on violin and viola; works in arts administration at the Levine School in Silver Spring, Maryland; and is a cover conductor for the Greensboro Symphony, where she assists with Pops, Masterworks, and educational performances and video production for live audience concerts and broadcasts. In 2021 she was named a finalist in The American Prize competition and made her European debut with the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra. 

Of all of those experiences, it’s the conducting that brings her the most fulfillment: (more…)

Karena “Kidd” Graves (’19 BFA Studio Art: Ceramics and Sculpture) is carving out her place in the sculpture world—something she began in sixth grade and honed here at UNC Greensboro’s School of Art:

“Working toward a sculpture degree, I did ceramics classes, metal classes, and woodshop. But the thing about Art at UNCG is that you do what they call Foundations, so I was in every class and was able to do an independent study with each of my professors. I also got to travel. I received scholarships to go places like Italy. Having all of that be a part of my BFA was awesome.”

Still, most of Graves’s time was spent in the foundry—an area of the art world that historically has drawn more people identifying as male than as female, possibly because of the sheer weight and size of sculpture materials. Finding personal protective equipment that is the right size can also be a challenge: (more…)

Lucas Varnum says it’s simple: do what you love.

That’s the advice he has for future Spartans who might be hesitant to pursue a degree in the visual and performing arts: “Don’t be scared. Don’t let money determine your major. If you love art, do art.”

Growing up in Raleigh, Varnum was always interested in the visual arts. For him, it began with drawing then developed into a preference for ceramics and sculpture. When it came time for college, factors like friends’ recommendations and wanting to stay in-state played a factor, but it was an excellent art program that really mattered:

“UNC Greensboro easily has one of the better sculpture departments out there. All of my professors have been amazing and critical to my decision to continue with sculpture and ceramics as my major concentration.” (more…)