What Students Really Say About Farmington


What do you do in your Theater classes?
Right now, I assist in the Stage Makeup class, which is really fun — we did animal makeup today. I've also taken Creative Dramatics for the Classroom, where we worked with other UMF Education students to show them how to incorporate theater into classroom settings and how to coordinate children’s plays. That was a really fun class. I've also taken classes that involve the more technical aspects of theater, like the lighting and stagecraft — which involves set design and construction, and the carpentry tools you use.

I'm taking a class this semester, Theater Lit and the History of the United States, which involves the history of the U.S. and the plays that were happening at different times and the playwrights who popular during different historical periods. In my Independent Study in Theater class I'll actually get a chance to direct. I've also taken Fundamentals of Directing, Intermediate Directing, Intermediate Acting and Advanced Acting, which all seem to build upon each other as you advance to the more upper-level courses. In a lot of these classes, students get a chance to audition for plays but it isn’t so scary because they're doing it for a class. In the end, everyone gets a part.

I think that's the best way to try and get people to audition for the Theatre UMF shows. That's how I got my first taste of acting here when I was a sophomore. I was cast in a One-Act Play, which is what the Directing Class produces. It was called "The Wonder Hat," and we wore painted-on masks. My character's name was Columbine and there was a man named Harlequin. It wasn’t a terribly demanding role and there weren't too many rehearsals so it was a good way to jump into acting. "Cabaret" was the second show I was in. It was absolutely crazy and absolutely scary but it's my favorite Theater experience so far.

So, did you start out as a Theater/Arts major at Farmington?
No. I first came in as an Education major. But then I started doing plays here and it just kind of took over. I found I enjoyed acting so much that I just had to switch majors! So, I've been a Theater major since my sophomore year. It took a little time for me to decided to do it, but I'm really glad I did.

Were you always interested in the theater?
In high school I was more into the musical aspect, not plays. And then we did Cabaret and I was Sally Bolds — the big lead part, and that was all I needed! From then on, I haven’t missed an audition since. I absolutely love it!

So, do you sing?
I do. I sang in the UMF Chamber Choir as a freshman but theater literally takes up all my time.

How does Theater fill up your time? What exactly do you do?
Rehearsing, mostly. Including The Sandy River Players, which is the community theater group, I've been in 10 or 11 theater productions in the last four years. So my rehearsals are an every night thing. I may have an odd Saturday off, but rehearsals take two to three hours of my time every single night. It's time consuming, but in a good way. I'm never bored because I go from class right over to the theater. And I like that it makes my day completely full. I'd rather be totally busy all the time.

What is it that you love about performing?
Everything! It's fun to be somebody else, to totally step outside of your normal everyday life. Every time I perform, I get to go and pretend to be somebody else for a few hours. It's so fun [laughs]. Performing for other people and my friends and family is something I'm really proud of. I'm proud that I have the guts to get up on stage. A lot of people don’t like to be up in front of others and be the center of attention, but I eat it right up! [laughs] I’ll do anything — I’ll talk, tell speeches in front of people. I don’t care, I just love to be in front of a group. It's a big rush — it's my favorite thing. I can’t imagine not being able to sing and act. I can’t imagine what my life would be without it.

Tell me about your best Theater moment.
Some people say the best moment is when the audience applauds. But there are other moments when you're on stage and the audience is so caught up in what you're doing that there's absolute, total silence. That has happened a few times in the shows I've been in and it's one of the most rewarding things — the audience is right there with you. It tells you that you've become the character, you’re telling a story and the audience believes that it's happening right in front of them and that you're not just a bunch of college kids dancing around on a stage. They are right there with you and they understand and they're going along through the story and the play with you. It's one of the things I'll always remember, the exact moment, the scene, what I said, what was happening, and whether I was on stage or not. That's definitely one of my favorite things.

What is do you feel is a strength of Farmington?
One strength of UMF in general is that it's just so personal — you can always go to your professors. You can actually make friends with them and that's one of the strengths of the Theater program, too. Two of my professors, Andrea Southard [Professor of Theater] and Peter Simmel [Associate Professor of Theater], both direct. I can go to them any time; they're right there in the Alumni Theater all day long! There's hardly a moment when you can’t find them.

And then there's Jayne Decker, who teaches Theater at UMF and who also does a lot of community theater with The Sandy River Players. That's three really strong theater minds to go to. I love Jayne, she's great! I wish she taught more theater classes.

I've taken four Theater classes each semester, so I'm with these professors all the time. They've really become trusted confidants too, not just my professors — they're people I can talk to. I really like that about the Theater program here. I've gotten so much experience here and I've learned so much because it's so close-knit, like a family.

What can you do with a degree in Theater?
Well, the option of getting my teaching certificate and working in schools in theater is something I may do as a Theater major because you don’t generally get paid to work in community theater. To make money, you have to go to New York and Broadway. But I just want to perform, no matter what. I can’t imagine not performing, which is something the Theater program at Farmington has instilled in me. Originally, I thought I wanted to be a classroom teacher but I was ignoring the fact that I was really meant to be a performer. Being a Theater major at UMF has helped me to realize that that is what I want to do!

But directing and working with kids is something I'm also into. I teach performing arts: singing, acting and dancing, at a summer camp in Bar Harbor for kids who don’t have the best home lives. Making a difference, exposing kids to theater is fantastic.

I don’t know exactly what I'll do, just as long as I can continue to perform and make children believe that it's okay to be an artsy kid.

Did you visit UMF before you applied?
Yes. I knew I wanted to stay in Maine, that I didn’t want to go to a big city. My sister went to college here and just loved it. She remembers specific moments with her professors, still. It isn’t a big place, it's homey, a comfortable place to be. I remember coming to look around and being thinking, “Yeah, I like it here.” I visited Farmington a lot. The school hosts a jazz camp every summer and my brother did that for 10 years, so I was already pretty accustomed to the campus. It's a good school and it kind of sucks you in!

If you have any free time, do you ski or hike?
Personally, I don't ski, but it seems like more than half of the school goes skiing or came here because Farmington is so close to Sugarloaf. I appreciate those who do ski and snowboard and hike but to be honest, I spend most of my time in the theater building. This place is so pretty, though! It's a great place to come and hang out. I like to take walks, especially in the fall. Come to Farmington just so you can see the beautiful foliage in the fall! It's a cozy little town and I just like walking around. And I don’t feel threatened walking around, which I would in many other college environments. Mostly, I would say it's a safe place to be.

What wisdom or advice would you give to an incoming freshman?
I'd say don’t be shy to try new things. From my own experience, I wish I hadn't waited an entire year to muster the courage to audition for a play or be in a Theater class. If you have reservations, don’t worry about it. You can be completely comfortable. You shouldn’t feel nervous about trying something new. Plus there are so many things you can be a part of here, so many clubs and activities. I guess I'd tell them, "Don’t be afraid, just try it and you'll see that people here are pretty nice."