Karenna Foley
Arts Scholar
Pentathalon Semester 1
As an experiential component of College Park Arts Scholars, I attended a selection of five art events during my first semester. These events ranged in art mediums and each sparked dialogue among my peers.
Maryland Night Live at NextNow Fest
#presentation
I saw MNL for the first time during the NextNow Fest last year, so I was very excited to see it again even though it was virtual. It was interesting to see how they adapted to the online format, which is something that can be applied to all of the performing arts right now. I enjoyed watching their prerecorded videos in their past performances so this streamed show didn't feel super off. While I'm definitely not one to perform in this kind of comedy show, MNL connects to my major (theatre) in every way. After seeing it I definitely think it is still possible to put on performances during this time of quarantine and uncertainty, they'll just be a little different.
Cartoon Yoursefl!
#visualart
This was a workshop run by a UMD alumni that is currently working in 2D art and animation! It was a very chill Zoom session where we focused on simple facial expressions and how to make cute and silly drawings out of things we enjoy, like our majors. I thought this was a fun break from the stresses of classes. However I also thought it was interesting because I want to be a voice actor, so even just talking to someone who does a bit of animation was neat.
Scholars Vote
#presentation
I attended the Scholars Vote Zoom talk. It was very refreshing to listen to an educated discussion on politics rather than people loudly arguing with each other. I think politics, now more than ever, can be connected to any major and any career. The arts have always been at the forefront of movements and education, so I can easily say that these kinds of election talks can relate to my theatre major. Not only does policy severely impact the industry in terms of funding, but the arts also reflect the state of the world.
Voice Over and the Industry
#theatre
I had a voice over class with Shelby Young, a voice actor, focusing on auditioning for video games and animation! (Over Zoom of course.) This was a really fun opportunity where I got to have a one on one meeting and learn about the VO industry, her experiences with the MoCap stage, and advice for recording your own auditions! Her tips will be incredibly valuable to me while working on my capstone, because I plan to incorporate voice acting and a bit of audio engineering in the final product! Naturally this training connects to my major (theatre), because I hope to pursue acting and voice acting as a career!
Pentathalon Semester 2
Follow along this semester as I document my arts experiences this semester.
Arts Scholars Online Game Night
#presentation   February 6, 2021    Zoom
This event was a peer mentor organized virtual game night on Zoom. We spent a lot of the time playing Telestrations, which is basically like a mix between Pictionary and Telephone. I've played this game before, but it is really fun to see how different people interpret the drawing prompts and how they get ideas across on paper. I’d say this event pretty clearly connects to Arts Scholars because it was hosted within our community. It was interesting to hang out with some of the freshmen too, especially since I’ve only met a few of them.Â
(Playing these drawing games also reminded me that drawing for fun and sharing ridiculously silly prompts is a good way to de-stress.)
I feel like fostering a community is really important, especially since we’re all stuck online. Even though it’s just a little game, it was fun to hang out with people that I don’t know that well and be silly and creative. I’m a theatre major so creating and participating in fun, open, and artistic environments is something that I can apply to future performance endeavors. Being able to show up and be yourself in a creative space can be pretty tough sometimes, but little game nights like this are a fun start.
Machinal
#theatre February 20, 2021 Zoom
I saw the TDPS Mainstage production of Machinal by Sophie Treadwell. The play is about a woman convicted of killing her husband during the 1920s. Due to the pandemic, the play was performed live entirely on Zoom. However, all of the actors were equipped with full costumes, wigs, props, backgrounds, and lighting (as well as black and white effects.) Despite the show being on Zoom, it really felt like seeing live theatre again, the performances were really great. Being a theatre major, I'm also a part of a TDPS mainstage virtual show coming up, so I was really excited to see the positive reception of this online play. This show, and really this entire year has proven that performance can transcend space, and stories can be told virtually without compromising the strength of the characters. This performance had so many moving parts to pull off the online format. Just like Arts Scholars is full of different creative disciplines, it takes a village to create a show like this. But everything from the cast to the crew and tech and costumes fit seamlessly, despite being miles apart. However, I can’t wait until we can all be back in the Clarice and perform in person, because while this show was done incredibly well, nothing beats performing together on a real stage.
New Beginnings: A Musical Revue
#theatre   March 5, 2021   Vimeo
I performed in the mainstage production New Beginnings: A Musical Revue a few weeks ago! Through the magic of editing, all of us in the cast and crew were able to put together this show virtually. We performed a variety of numbers, such as ones from Avenue Q, Waitress, and Dear Evan Hansen. To the right is a screenshot of my (favorite) scene from Wicked, where my duet partner and I sang "What Is This Feeling." Because this was a Musical Revue rather than a full show, our director Monique Midgette decided to create a cohesive storyline throughout the selected songs centered around endings and beginnings. Throughout the show we reflected on various turning points in our lives, and some of our happiest memories. It was very neat, especially in terms of this current pandemic reflection. I'm a theatre major, and I plan on pursuing the performing arts such as musical theatre, so this show was right up my alley. It was hard figuring out how to record all of the songs and videos from home, but it all worked out. In terms of Art Scholars, I'd say that I really had to flex every single artistic muscle I had when working on this show. Since we were on our own in our respective homes, I was essentially the singer, director, costume designer, prop master, audio engineer, and lighting designer. Gotta shake up those creative disciplines every once in a while.
Color Me, Stress Free
#visualart #ArtsScholars   April 9, 2021   Zoom
I attended Nicole's capstone kick off party, as she called it! The whole concept was centered around art and meditation, kind of like art therapy. I thought this was neat because my sister actually pursued art therapy in college for a bit before eventually switching to education. Everyone got a blank mandala coloring page that Nicole made, and we just listened to music and colored for an hour! It was really relaxing. Since quarantine, I've been drawing a lot more. I've always been artsy, but normally I would just draw one big thing a year rather than winding down with a couple of markers. As a theatre major, visual art is also incredibly important due to the job opportunities in design and construction, (plus it's just really cool and fun.) I really enjoy that Art Scholars has encouraged the exploration of multiple artistic disciplines, even just for fun. I feel like when you go to pursue some kind of future in the arts, you get put in a box into a specific branch of the arts in order to refine certain skills. So it's nice to flex those other muscles every once in a while. It was also really cool to see people from outside UMD on the zoom, almost like I was really at some kind of neighborhood library coloring event like old times. I just love how art draws different people together like that.
Shadow and Bone
#film   April 23, 2021   Netflix
I watched the new Netflix series Shadow and Bone, based on the YA fantasy novels by Leigh Bardugo. I am incredibly picky when it comes to shows, I'm quite terrible at finishing episodes, but this series is absolutely fantastic. Some of the actors are very seasoned, while some are newcomers, but all of them are incredible. The acting feels so genuine and down-to-earth despite the plot being set in a high fantasy world.
I'm a theatre major, so naturally this kind of pentathlon event very easily translates to my career aspirations. I've always been more drawn to the out-of-this-world narratives like Star Wars, The Witcher, Stranger Things, etc., so it is always good to study up on these kinds of shows/movies, whether through the acting, writing, etc. My theatre professors always stress the importance of research. So when you find a show you enjoy, you find out about the cast, the producer, the director, and most importantly, the casting director(s). The research really makes these dreams feel achievable.
I also just really enjoy the shows that make full use of special effects. Seeing the behind the scenes footage of the actors having to go through these scenes with nothing to go off of but their imagination is really inspiring. That is what I want to do. (It is also why I'm drawn to the idea of video game performance capture.)
Like I said, I am notoriously terrible at watching TV or movies, so I appreciate that Art Scholars has encouraged the act of branching out and trying new things and new mediums. Making time to explore things is really important, especially as a busy college student.
