Make a Gift

Student News

Student, Connect 
Emerging Brighter

UCI student artists discovered and honed new skills in 2021 By Christine Byrd When UCI moved operations online a year and a half ago, everyone gained new skills: creating an at-home studio, mastering Zoom meetings and troubleshooting technology. But as artists struggled to keep their creative...
Faculty, Student 
Coup de Comedy Festival brings a global community together

  By Lauren Knight When founding UCI’s student improv team, Improv Revolution (iRev), with his fellow students in 2011, Joel Veenstra had no idea that UCI’s student improv group would grow into what it is today. Now, Veenstra serves as the group’s faculty mentor, and produced an event with iRev...
Student 
UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Names Ten New Medici Scholars

UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) is pleased to announce the 2021 Medici Circle Scholars. Ten awards were given to both undergraduate and graduate students offering an opportunity to take their education beyond the classroom and collaborate with academics and artists in our community and...
Student, Connect 
Letter From a Senior

I never knew my favorite college experiences would be rooted in performance By Lauren Knight As someone who joined the Department of Drama during their third year at UCI, my biggest fear was feeling like an outsider amongst a tight-knit group of drama majors who all knew and bonded with each...
Student, Connect 
Renaissance Man

Graduate student Jesús López Vargas reflects a new generation behind the scenes in theatre By Christine Byrd Director, stage manager, producer, poet, photographer, videographer, designer, and an advocate for underrepresented voices: Jesús López Vargas wears many hats. As an M.F.A. candidate in...
Student 
2021 Dean's Scholarship Awardees

Congratulations to the 2021 Dean’s Scholarship awardees! A very special thank you to the Giving Day donors who made these scholarship funds possible. As the leading campus in the nation providing access to all qualified students, no matter what their background, our students rely on the generous...
Student 
Rising Spirits for Latinx Students

Creative Connections creates a platform for Santa Ana High School students to tell their stories By Jezebel Ramirez-Robles   The collaborative project, “Rising Spirits: First Draft,” brings together UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Creative Connections program with student-run Brown Bag...
Faculty, Student, Connect 
Animals in My Classroom

By Marcy Froehlich, associate professor of costume design in the Department of Drama The little yellow bird was hopping across her head, which made my student’s presentation even more cheerful. The subject was hats, so was the bird itself becoming a moving, breathing hat, or perhaps instead...
Student 
On Stage To On-Camera: How Two Drama Students Landed a Spot in “The Prom” Movie

By Lauren Knight On December 11, Netflix released the Ryan Murphy film adaptation of “The Prom,” which included UCI second-year drama students Jessica Spruiell and Hailey Mogul as extras on the production.  Filming just before the pandemic halted TV and film production in Hollywood, both women...
Student 
Avery Evans chosen for The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program

The Broadway Advocacy Coalition (BAC) and veteran Broadway stage manager Cody Renard Richard (Variety’s 2020 Broadway Players to Watch, Hamilton, Freestyle Love Supreme) announced the 15 recipients of The Cody Renard Richard Scholarship Program, dedicated to honoring, uplifting, and supporting the...
Student 
Arielle Sidney's Upcycled Designs Go Viral on TikTok

Excerpt from Vouge Magazine January 17, 2021 By Christian Allaire One of the most interesting parts of the upcycling movement is seeing how brands can turn even the most unlikeliest of textiles into modern ready-to-wear—and Arielle Sidney, a college student in California, is a prime example of...
Student 
Behind-the-Scenes of SHE KILLS MONSTERS: VIRTUAL REALMS with Tolu Ekisola

By Lauren Knight Instead of prepping in the wings of a theater before the curtain rises, Tolu Ekisola adjusts her light sources and fixes the laptop that rests on two cardboard boxes in her home office in Minnesota. With her props laid out on the desk in front of her and a large green screen...
Student 
CTSA Drama Student Spotlights: Acting In Virtual World

"Stage actors thrive off of the applause and the thrill of performing for a packed theatre. There is a certain energy that is cultivated between fellow actors and the audience that can’t be recreated in an online format, but UCI drama students are taking on the challenge of creating live theatre in...
Student 
ZotTube - A Day in the Life of Drama Student Brandon Foxworth

What is life at UCI like during COVID-19? Drama student Brandon "Fox" Foxworth shows off his daily routine, including teaching undergraduate students via Zoom, and offers some advice for students navigating pandemic life. Plus, see some of Fox's favorite spots on and off-campus!
Student 
Students Create Commercials in Time for the Election

Students Create Commercials in Time for the Election Professor Juliette Carrillo, a nationally recognized theatre director, writer and award-winning filmmaker, is teaching UCI Drama students more than the fundamentals of writing and directing for professional theatre. Her Drama 15 (Performance...
Student 
UCI students put diversity center stage in a summer series for young theatre professionals

UCI graduate students and their colleagues present Re-Creating the Stage: a round table for our new reality, a six-week digital summer program produced and organized by K.B. Theatre Company and collaborators. The program consists of panel conversations and workshops with industry professionals that...
Student 
Hemsley Lighting Programs Selects 2020-21 Lighting Interns

The Hemsley Lighting Programs announces the selection of Rachael N. Blackwell and Avery Reagan as the Hemsley Lighting Interns for 2020-21. Reagan is just completing her MFA studies at UC-Irvine and Blackwell will be finishing this spring at CCM-University of Cincinnati. Reagan’s internship will...
Student 
From ball to ballet

Story by Christine Catlett, '21 “I am very proud that I’ll be the first one in my family to hold a bachelor’s degree,” says fourth-year drama major Shawna Jackson. “Without the scholarship, I don’t think it would have been possible, considering that I’m working to put myself through college.”