November 2, 2024

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Beyond the Classroom Endowment Brings the World to UMW Students

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University of Mary Washington senior Nathaniel Huff attended 19 professional theatre performances in the span of three weeks – more than most patrons see in a year – on the UMW Theatre in London trip last summer. A theatre major, Huff grew up in a small town with limited access to his chosen field. He […]

UMW Theatre’s Matilda Broadens Audience Appeal With Sensory-Friendly Performance

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With a smart, magical young heroine, UMW Theatre’s production of Matilda the Musical is a family-friendly spectacle. It’s fast-paced, funny, and just defiant enough to satisfy anyone who’s ever faced a bully. The production runs through Nov. 19. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays and on […]

UMW Theatre’s Matilda Broadens Audience Appeal With Sensory-Friendly Performance

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With a smart, magical young heroine, UMW Theatre’s production of Matilda the Musical is a family-friendly spectacle. It’s fast-paced, funny, and just defiant enough to satisfy anyone who’s ever faced a bully. The production runs through Nov. 19. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays and on […]

UMW Summer Study-Abroad Programs Open a World of Learning

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It wasn’t just the chance to earn summertime academic credit that inspired Emma Magner ’24 to join “UMW Theatre in London,” a three-week immersion in one of the world’s greatest and most historic theatre cities. “We do earn six credits for going on the trip,” Magner said, “but I signed up for the experience of […]

Theatre Alum Creates Costumes For Hit Shows on Hulu, HBO

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[caption id="attachment_166882" align="alignright" width="150"]Alicia Austin Alicia Austin[/caption] Alicia Austin ’16 had never even attended a play before coming to the University of Mary Washington. But after her first costume design course, she realized theatre was the perfect fit. “It was so interesting to me that I changed my major,” said Austin, who planned to study psychology but found elements of that in her new field. “I discovered that costuming could be a visual language to express each character’s personality.” Now she’s putting those sartorial skills to work. After earning a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Mary Washington, Austin completed an MFA at Yale University. Graduating just before COVID shuttered Broadway, she made a leap from stage to screen, joining design teams for remakes of HBO’s Sex and the City and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, as well as the Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building, which just began its second season. It’s a success story she’s been stitching together a little at a time. Read more.

Class of 2022: Stellar Student Stories, Part 2 of 3

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The Class of 2022 began freshman year like any other, swept up in longstanding University of Mary Washington traditions like Move-In Day, Eagle Gathering and Honor Convocation. That all changed when they were sophomores. Classes went online, study abroad trips were postponed and everything – activities, internships and volunteer experiences – became virtual. But these […]

UMW’s ‘Bee’ Leaves Audiences Spellbound

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U-n-e-x-p-e-c-t-e-d. Unexpected. Definition: unforeseen; surprising. Used in a sentence: University of Mary Washington Theatre’s season-closer, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, is filled with UNEXPECTED and fun twists. In a battle of spelling prowess, this musical spells out what it’s like to be kids uncomfortable in their own skin and conveys the challenges of […]

UMW Theatre Plans Reflective In-Person Season

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Mina Sollars sums up UMW Theatre’s upcoming season in a single word: revival. “Preparing for the first in-person performances on campus in more than a year is such an honor,” Sollars, a University of Mary Washington junior, said of the lineup, which kicks off tomorrow at 7:30 with a pay-what-you-can preview performance in duPont Hall’s […]

Video Spotlights Theatre Students, Broadway Stars

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When UMW Theatre performed Adam Gwon’s musical Ordinary Days in February, students couldn’t anticipate that just weeks later, they’d yearn for rehearsals with castmates and performances in front of live audiences. They also couldn’t have guessed they’d get to sing one of Gwon’s songs alongside Broadway stars. Seven UMW Theatre students were selected to appear […]