When I look back to 1990, I remember my excitement as I was getting ready to graduate from high school, spend my summer performing at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in my hometown of Auburn, New York and then to pack up and move to The University of Akron! I had only applied and auditioned for this one school. Why did I choose The University of Akron? Well, I was always a “musical theatre kid” and, at the time I was applying for college, most schools did not have an integrated Musical Theatre program. The University of Akron did! I could take a course of study with equal parts dance, music and theatre. 

I could go on and on about how wonderful my professors were, all of the incredible students I got to work with, and the beautiful productions I was blessed to perform in, but I will focus on some of the highlights. First, James Slowiak. I had never taken an acting class before I started college. Sure, I’d been in plays and musicals, but I never took theatre classes. With Jim, I found a passionate, dedicated educator and artist who truly taught me the meaning of craft. With approaches rooted in the work of Konstantin Stanislavski and Jerzy Grotowski, we were taught to work as actors of organic truth, in

body, mind and voice. Rehearsing and performing in the production of Measure for Measure that Jim directed was a journey, a master class, and an odyssey of discovery for us all. Other production experiences also grew me as an artist, particularly Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Medea Myth, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute (with the Music Department).  

Having the opportunity to develop as a musician and dancer within the Musical Theatre program brought even more inspiring and growth-filled experiences. Mark Ozanich, in the Dance program, became a mentor to me, teaching me that emotion and passion in dance are even more important than technique.  

I am sad to see the loss of the Theatre program from The University of Akron. The opportunities I had there helped to make me into the artist and person I am today. After graduation, I worked as a regional and touring actor, lived in New York City for two years and earned my Master of Arts in Theatre History and Dramatic Literature in 2001 from The University at Albany, State University of New York. In 2024, I am still performing and have spent many years teaching and directing Theatre, as well as English, at the high school level in the Richmond, VA area. I look back with affection and gratitude for everything I learned in the years 1990-1994 in the Theatre program at The University of Akron and know that my former classmates do too.