Secrets to a Successful First Day of Classes at UVA

Since the beginning of formal education, the first day of class (FDOC) has always been a day of excitement for students, teachers, and administration. FDOC marks a new beginning, a fresh start for many and a time where everyone is looking to start the year off on the right foot. As a fresh-faced first year, I had no idea what to expect; Would I be randomly called on to answer a difficult question? Will I make any friends? Will I make to class on time? Will I even make to class at all? 

Looking back on it, I would tell myself to R-E-L-A-X. In reality, FDOC is more of a symbolic day than an event that will determine the success of your entire school year. Nonetheless, I do have some tips and tricks that any incoming student can use to ensure that they get their year started on the right foot.

1. PLAN 

Everything in life comes easier if you plan. In order to alleviate stress of FDOC, you should consider walking your class schedule the day before. The University’s Grounds is not incredibly expansive. Nevertheless, Grounds can become chaotic and hectic if you have no idea where you are going and have little time to get there. 

2. BE ON TIME.

Speaking of time, there is nothing worse than being that one lone student who walks in to a 300-person lecture fifteen minutes late on the first day of classes. Most classes at UVA are about a fifteen minute walk from first year dorms. With this in mind, be sure to head out for your class with enough time to get there without having to sweat. 

3. Introduce Yourself. 

When you walk into your first class, it can feel like everyone else already has a person to sit with on the first day, but remember that you are not the only who feels exactly like that. Except for a lucky few, most of your fellow first-years do not know a lot of people in their classes. This is the time to make those awkward introduction and meet new people. Moreover, this advice doesn’t apply to just your classmates. Use this time to introduce yourself to your professors. Meeting and engaging with professors will only improve your standing in the class for the rest of the semester. Professors at UVA love to interact with students. Professors at UVA love students even more if said students are excited to interact with them. 

For first-years, FDOC marks the beginning of your college career. It’s a chance to craft a new path for yourself in a unique environment unlike anywhere else in the world. FDOC is your first look into this very unique space we love so much. As the saying goes, you only have your first day of class once.

Isaiah Jenkins, Class of 2022

Signing Off for the Summer-Staying Around for the Semester!

As the summer comes to an end, the interns are getting ready to return to classes as we begin this unprecedented fall semester in the era of COVID-19. Even though we’re going back to school, we’ll still be here to assist prospective students virtually in any way that we can! You can reach us through Instagram direct message (@uva_summer) or by emailing the Office of Admission and requesting to be connected with a student intern. We will also continue to hold virtual information sessions Monday, Wednesday and Friday and office hours on Tuesday and Thursday, and we look forward to seeing you on screen! The interns wish you the best of luck in your college search process, and we look forward to staying connected with you!

The interns' last Zoom meeting of the summer.

Jada

Thanks so much for keeping up with the interns this summer! I’ve had so much fun working with the Office of Admission this summer and helping answer your questions. This semester I’m so excited to enjoy my fourth and final year at UVA, while continuing to work to assist prospective students!

You-Jin

Summer flew by so fast! Actually, I realize that my undergraduate years at UVA seemed to go by in a flip of a page as I am heading into my fourth year. However, I am so glad that I can spend my last year with you all, so this is not our official good-bye! We will still be available to chat or answer any questions so hit us up! 

Abby

We’ve had so much fun keeping up with you all this summer! We hope you continue to follow our blog and Instagram throughout the year to see more about the school we love so much. I am so excited to be entering my fourth year at UVa and to begin working towards my graduate degree here as well! And of course, I can’t wait to see more of you on Information Sessions and Office Hours throughout the year. 

Sam

I loved being able to work with prospective students this summer and I’m sad it will soon be coming to an end for me. I’m about to start my fourth year and I can’t wait to just spend time with my friends before I graduate. I’ll still be around for office hours and info sessions also, so hopefully I will see you there!

Kelley

It’s been so much fun getting to know you all (virtually!) this summer! I’ve had such a blast working with the other interns creating content to help you in your college search process and am excited to continue connecting with prospective students as we head into the fall semester. 

Leah

It’s been such a pleasure working for the UVA Office of Admission and getting to connect with prospective students! We hope that you’ll continue to visit this blog if you want to read more about the UVA student experience-we’ve worked really hard to create content that will be helpful and interesting to you! Of course, if you want to talk to us directly, don’t hesitate to DM us or come to an office hours chat session. 

Ben

It feels like our first intern zoom call was yesterday - the summer months flew by in the blink of an eye! We’ve all had so much fun working with everyone at the UVA Office of Admission. As I head into my third year at UVA, I am so excited to continue connecting with prospective students this fall through virtual office hours and info sessions! In the meantime, be sure to check out all of our content on our blog and YouTube, and feel free to reach out anytime @uva_summer on Instagram. “Don’t be fooled by the handle, we’ll be here all year!”

Isaiah

WOW! The end of summer is quickly approaching :(.... I am so thankful for everyone at the UVA Office of Admission. We've had so much fun working together and interacting with all of you. I am even more excited to say that we will continue to work and provide information throughout the school year to prospective students. Let the fun continue!

Spotlight on the Arts: Veronica Merril, Architecture

Are you an incoming or prospective student with a passion for the visual and/or performing arts? Then this is the week for you! Every day we will be featuring a guest blogger, each with a unique story to share about the thriving artistic communities at UVA. Our seventh guest is Veronica Merril, a fourth-year student in the School of Architecture!

 

“Oh wow, you’re in the ‘A School?’ I hear it’s really hard… do you even sleep?”

There are many specific terms and common sayings at UVA that incoming first years will learn throughout their time in college. For example, campus ‘must’ be called Grounds, O’Hill is a dining hall, and the Rotunda is often referred to as “Tundy.” Unfortunately, in a similar way, sometimes the term ‘architecture school students’ is seen as synonymous with the word ‘zombie’ or ‘sleep deprived.’

 

When I arrived at UVA, this was an off-putting reputation. Walking around grounds, I felt like every time I mentioned that I was in the A School (architecture school), people would widen their eyes and say “oh.”

 

It wasn’t that people didn't like A Schoolers, it was that they didn’t really understand what went on in the A School’s Campbell Hall. They had heard stories about long studio hours and difficult reviews. However, I am here to tell you what being in the A School as a first year is really like. Hopefully I will show another side of the A School and let you know about our supportive community, meaningful courses, interesting projects, and more.

Veronica with her first year, first semester studio group.

 

The architecture school offers three majors: Architecture, Architectural History, and Urban Planning. Within these three majors there are different options for your course work including Design Thinking for Architecture, Pre- Professional Architecture, Historic Preservation for Architectural History, and so on.

 

All incoming students are placed in a common curriculum their first year of study and later choose their major. The common classes include two architectural history classes, an introduction to urban planning course, a school of architecture seminar/discussion course, an introductory studio course, and a course that teaches the principles of design in general. These classes are interesting and intellectually challenging which is a great combination. For more information on the specifics of this program, check out the UVA School of Architecture website! There is also information for transfer students and students at UVA looking to transfer into the A School.

 Veronica works on a studio project during her first year.

As you progress through the first year common curriculum, you will be introduced to a variety of disciplines and by the end of the year you will be able to choose your major! I chose Architectural History because I felt that I wanted to learn more about different systems in the built environment and the way that different cultures and societies interact with these systems. For me, out of all the classes I took my first year, the architectural history courses stood out to me as meaningful and well-rounded, and I found myself wanting to learn more about the manifestations of different philosophies within our cities and structures. My friends who are majoring in urban planning and architecture in the A School found their studio or planning courses to be the most fulfilling. The wonderful thing about this common curriculum is that it introduces you to various subjects and you are able to choose your path, empowered by the experience of your courses! Regardless of your choice, there is a great education to be had in all the majors.

One aspect of the A School that I love is that most courses are open to all students. Additionally, students are encouraged to take courses in other schools at UVA like the College of Arts and Sciences. Having options to explore subjects outside of the A School is really nice and something pretty unique to the UVA Architecture School because many other architecture schools require students to exclusively take architecture classes. In doing this, the UVA Architecture school allows students to be well rounded individuals who in turn are better architects, historians, and planners. Go UVA!

A first-year studio desk in the Architecture School.

As you begin your time in the A School, the core classes will teach you more than just the history of Rome or how to draw. Though you will learn important basic skills and knowledge like sketching, pillars of design and history, and how to use an architectural scale, you will also be introduced to a culture of comradery, excellence, and support. Your courses in history will show you the untold stories of oppression in the built environment and you will learn from professors who tell a multifaceted story about our world. Your professors will expect you to produce the best work that you as an individual can create- inspiring you to think beyond your designs in studio courses. In urban planning, you will learn about what makes a city great, who cities have been designed for, and the intricacies of cities in a changing world. There is so much to learn and while it can be stressful at times, the community in the architecture school, whether it be peers, faculty, or staff, will always be there to support you. 

In studio courses, which usually meet 2 or 3 times a week, professors will take the time to individually meet with each student, thinking through their designs and discussing their projects. This relationship with incredible faculty is hard to replicate and a truly special experience that is unique to A School. This relationship building begins first year in the introductory studio class and lasts throughout your time at UVA. Though your instructors will change, many students remain close with their studio professors and see them as mentors throughout their time in school and beyond.

Veronica and her project partner, Genesis, created this sculpture out of recycled dining hall cans from UVA's recycling plant for their first-year studio class.

 So, what is a studio class? Studio is when students, typically majoring in architecture, though there are urban planning and history ‘studio courses,’ meet for class 2-3 times a week for around 4 hours a day. These courses are usually structured around a semester-long design project. Typically, studios have small numbers of students, allowing them to work closely with the professor leading their studio group. During the four hour classes, students are asked to work on their projects, meet with their professor or another mentor from the A School, work in the fabrication lab, or attend lectures that their professor has arranged. Often, students have to work on their projects outside of this studio class because projects will require students to build different types of architectural models or complete advanced renderings and 3D computer models. Though this work takes a lot of time, when I talk to my friends in studio classes, they are all invigorated by their work as their projects often work towards the goal of improving our world. Professors tailor studio classes to inspire students and it is clear at the end of the semester when students participate in ‘reviews,’ they have become really invested in and excited by their work. Just to let you know, ‘reviews’ happen at the end of the semester when you present your work to a panel of professors and architects who come to UVA to critique your work. These are often a little nerve wracking at first but are great practice for public speaking and learning how to express your ideas verbally. Also, your peers are always with you, sitting behind the panel and cheering you on! These reviews are usually filled with support from your friends, professors, and TA’s and are a wonderful way to conclude the semester.

 

One of the most incredible times at the architecture school is a time called ‘charette’ when everyone in the school is finishing their studio projects for the semester. Though many people spend long hours perfecting their work, the Architecture School Student Council brings food and coffee to the school and everyone is working alongside each other, encouraging their neighbors and commiserating at the same time. This studio culture of support is unique to the architecture school and a wonderful part of many students' time at UVA. While it's true that studio courses require many hours of work, it is rare that students pull all-nighters. Though A-Schoolers are very busy during the day and spend hours in studio classes, often working into the night, it seems to me that other students outside of the A School pull all-nighters more than Architecture School students…!

Veronica poses with her work during a final review.

 

There are many other incredible classes offered by the A School. As an architectural history major concentrating in historic preservation, many of my courses are hands-on, like field methods. In the class, we visit historic buildings and document them through 3D scanning, and drawings. We also learn about construction methods and materials and participate in demonstrations like learning how to lay bricks! I particularly loved conducting archival research on a building we were assessing because I learned about its hidden history through piecing together clues from the UVA Special Collections library. Then, I visited the building and was able to understand the structure in a more complete way.

 

Speaking of Special Collections, another course that I loved was a course called ‘Evidence and Archives,’ where we were tasked with exploring UVA Special Collections, the Charlottesville Deeds Office, Charlottesville Historical Society, and other collections to learn about the African American history in Charlottesville. Being able to handle materials from the 1800s and study the handwriting of individuals from the past is such an intimate and eye-opening experience. I am so thankful that I am able to attend a school like UVA in a town like Charlottesville where these records are accessible to all. Additionally, professors like Louis Nelson and Andrew Johnston attempt to ensure that the way we are learning history is not exploitative and we are understanding the full scope of the field. Our architectural history program is truly excellent (as are our architecture and urban planning programs!).

 

Finally, I want to make it clear that entering college is difficult. Especially in the era of Covid-19, the experience of students entering the architecture program will be different. My main advice to incoming and transfer students is to be kind to yourself and know that no matter what happens or how stressful this experience will be, there are students around you who are here to support you. So lean into your community when you need to! The professors at UVA truly want to see you succeed and will help you adjust through this period. I know that I speak for many at UVA when I say my ‘inbox’ is always open and please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions regarding A School or the arts at UVA in general!

Blog by Veronica Merril, a fourth-year student at the University of Virginia. Contact her at vrm4bs@virginia.edu with any questions or curiosities about studio art at UVA!

Spotlight on the Arts: Maya Kim, Studio Art

Are you an incoming or prospective student with a passion for the visual and/or performing arts? Then this is the week for you! Every day we will be featuring a guest blogger, each with a unique story to share about the thriving artistic communities at UVA. Our sixth guest is Maya Kim, a third-year student studying Studio Art!

 

As I stepped onto Grounds for the first time as a non-Virginian, I had no idea what to expect, but I knew that the arts program was very important to me. I made an effort when visiting to see the Arts Grounds, taking an arts tour from the Arts Grounds Guides organization and walking around the Fralin Museum of Art and Ruffin Hall, the home of studio art on grounds, I became incredibly excited about the opportunities to study art at UVA.

The studio art program is made up of a multitude of departments within it, from sculpture, to new media, to printmaking. Each department has a space in the building where students take their classes and end up working during their time outside of class. The building feels like a creative tornado in the best way; there is always someone there doing something that puts you in awe.

Maya and her friend Amy work together in a recent Introduction to Lithography and Relief class.

           

I spend a lot of my time in the painting and printmaking studios as well as the Fralin Museum of Art where I am a docent and am about to start an internship in the Education department. A large chunk of my world is made up of art in different ways. The art history program has expanded my knowledge of the world as well as my ability to be a good artist. Friends of mine have found other artistic outlets as well. Many friends work on V Magazine or the Scratch Zine. Others are in the Art Club or do graphics for the Cavalier Daily. And of course many take advantage of the studio art program itself, along with its 24 hour access to the building which proved vital for many points of my life at UVA.

          

But, what I think is most important to say about the art program is not in the lists of clubs or the accolades of graduates, but in the daily routine that exists in classes and late nights working and the way that all makes you a better artist. I know it has done so for me.

            

In obvious ways, I became a better artist from practicing. In Drawing I, we would have a model come in and have to draw pose after pose, each lasting only ten seconds as a way to drill proportions into our heads. We learned abstraction from taking a daily object and cutting it up and creating a pattern from the pieces. But while I am thankful for the skill I gained, some of my fondest memories from Drawing I were in the snack breaks and late nights where I made some of my closest friends, who are incredibly influential to my work and my life. In the work, we were able to teach each other.

            

I took Drawing II in the Summer. The class was small, and the days were hot, but I still am in touch with people from that class since we spent every day together, working hard on our drawings and taking breaks to get bagels from Bodo’s. I think that taking this class helped me learn how to take feelings of meditation into my work. I would come in at 7 PM and leave around midnight, just taken by my love for being completely invested in the creation of something. I felt that in the time that I was allowed to be alone in the art studio, drawing a glimpse of my mornings or an animal that I felt represented me (an ant, by the way), I felt that I had found purpose in what I studied.

Maya created this Ant Drawing for her Drawing II class last summer.

            

I next took Introduction to Oil Painting. This was the medium I was itching to take since it had been my longtime favorite from my time in high school. This class gave me some of the hardest critiques I had received in my time as an artist. And yet, I look back and am grateful for advice that now I believe was necessary to hear. I had built up an image of myself in my head that said I had to be a good artist. I didn’t realize until that class that I had suffocated myself by putting the pressure on my art being good. I didn’t even know what that meant. I can’t count how many paintings never ended up in my final portfolio, got painted over, or sanded down to the board. In looking for my art to be meaningful and appealing to the eye, I stunted the process of just creating art. By the end of that semester, I spent many Friday and Saturday nights in the art studio just painting. I can’t remember how many pieces I ended up with, but by learning how to paint and repaint and sand down (over and over again), the work that came out of that semester had some of the favorites that I’ve created.

Maya's oil painting final portfolio from Introduction to Oil Painting.

            

The most recent class I took was Introduction to Lithography and Relief Printmaking. This class was cut short by COVID, but I was able to finish the class out virtually and I am quite happy with how everything turned out despite the sudden change that occurred midway through the semester. Everything from the previous classes was still true: I made great friends, worked hard and often, and learned a lot about the artistic process. The funny thing about taking this class during a pandemic is that I believe that it softened the shocking transition that had to happen. I had to leave grounds within a week to suddenly go home to California where I had only lived for a couple years and had to leave all my friends behind. But, despite the change in place, I still had art to make and work to do. So I made do. I made prints with linoleum and ink that I could use at home without chemicals and felt excited every week to see what my friends’ progress was over our class Zoom calls. I write this now, 6 months or so into quarantine and can say confidently that I do not know what I would do without art.

Thanks to the studio art program, I have new friends and a space (physical and virtual) to create and make sense of the senseless seeming world. I am not sure what it will be like to be back and taking classes this fall, and in many ways I don’t feel the need to stress over things I have little control over. What I do know, is that my life is richer for having this program: the Friday nights ordering takeout to the studio and working late, the friends made with all the critiques and coffee breaks, the professors who have given me invaluable knowledge, and most of all, allowing me to have a place at this university to study what I love. I am immeasurably grateful for that.

An unfinished lithograph from Maya's Introduction to Lithography and Relief Printmaking class. Maya wasn't able to finish this piece in the spring due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but hopes to when she returns to Charlottesville.

Blog by Maya Kim, a third-year student at the University of Virginia. Contact her at mek4sgt@virginia.edu with any questions or curiosities about studio art at UVA!

Spotlight on the Arts: Mia Bailey, Dance CIOs

Are you an incoming or prospective student with a passion for the visual and/or performing arts? Then this is the week for you! Every day we will be featuring a guest blogger, each with a unique story to share about the thriving artistic communities at UVA. The fifth blog comes from our very own Mia Bailey, the current president of the Virginia Dance Company!

Mia performs with the Virginia Dance Company.

 

I was a competitive dancer for the majority of my life, and when I came to UVA it was a little overwhelming trying to navigate what was the best route for me to take. I knew I didn’t want to do the dance minor at UVA, mostly because I don’t necessarily like modern dance and I didn’t think I would be able to fit it into my course load given the other majors and minors I was interested in. However, I was overwhelmed by the amount of student-run dance groups that UVA had to offer. When I was younger, I used to dance with a couple of older girls who ended up going to UVA. I texted them and asked which dance group they recommended I audition for. They were overjoyed to help me out (as most upperclassmen at UVA are) and told me that I should definitely try out for the Virginia Dance Company (DCO).

DCO performs in a recent concert.

 

At the Fall Activities Fair, I entered the arts section and tracked down DCO’s table. I added myself to the listserv and they emailed me information about auditions for that following weekend. The auditions were pretty standard, we learned a one-minute contemporary piece and a one-minute jazz piece. After we learned each of the combinations, we performed them in groups of three in front of the entire company (approximately 45 dancers). Then at the end we were asked to do a special skill (jump, turn, leap, any acro trick, etc.). Thankfully, I got in and instantly had a group of amazing friends. Something that I love about DCO is that we are just as much a social organization as we are a performing arts group. We mix with other performance groups and club sports on grounds which is a really fun way to meet people, especially as a first year. This year I am living with a couple of girls from the company and I am so happy that dance was able to bring them into my life.

Like many dance-based CIOs at the University of Virginia, DCO has a vibrant social component and is a great way to make new friends at the University.

 

DCO has a show every semester that usually showcases between 10 and 13 dances. The main styles we focus on are jazz, lyrical, contemporary, hip hop, and ballet. We also do performances for UVA and the Charlottesville community throughout the year. My first year I was able to perform at Pancakes for Parkinson’s, Lighting of the Lawn, and was featured in the UVA Year in Review Video. Something that I also love is that because we are student run everything is choreographed by students in the company. It is really cool to learn from your peers; I came in absolutely stunned at how professional the choreographers were and how much I was able to learn. It was also a great way for me to realize I love choreographing and leading. The second semester of my first year I choreographed a short piece for the fourth years for their final show, and I’ve choreographed every semester since. DCO is absolutely my favorite outlet at UVA, it is such a great way to have scheduled exercise, time for creativity, and time with friends every week. It is also nice because the company is extremely flexible with how involved each dancer wants to be. Dancers sign up for what pieces they want to be in, and depending on how many pieces you sign up for, that’s how many hours of rehearsal you have per week. We typically practice on Sundays and so I am usually there for 4-5 hours because I try to be in at least 4 pieces every semester.

Check out the links below, as well as our Instagram page @uva_summer, to see some recent work by both Mia and the Virginia Dance Company.

 

Here is the piece I choreographed in the Fall of 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_l0xnmCUQk

Below are the links to our website, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook pages.

https://vadanceco.wordpress.com/

https://www.instagram.com/uva_dco/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuCNXiSCpTItRU_h_6WQoPA

https://www.facebook.com/virginiadancecompany

 

Blog by Mia Bailey, a third-year student at the University of Virginia. Contact her at meb8dh@virginia.edu with any questions or curiosities about dance at UVA!

Spotlight on the Arts: Zoe Ziff, Dance

Are you an incoming or prospective student with a passion for the visual and/or performing arts? Then this is the week for you! Every day we will be featuring a guest blogger, each with a unique story to share about the thriving artistic communities at UVA. Our fourth guest is Zoe Ziff, a third-year student minoring in dance!

After just having spent a gap year studying contemporary dance with an international company, I knew I wanted to continue dancing at UVa as a first-year. I wasn’t sure what studying dance at a university would be like – like many other dancers who come to Grounds, most of my previous education consisted of taking technique classes and learning choreography. To feel it out I started by taking the performance class related to the semesterly Dance Concert. I was in two pieces and it felt both professional and so much fun! 

I have been performing every semester ever since, and have taken more classes within the program to complete my (now declared!!) dance minor. The performance class is unique in that performers work directly with students, faculty, and/or guest choreographers and rehearse at hours that work for the whole group, rather than a set class time. The difference between these Dance Concerts and CIO performances is that students receive credit for performing and choreographers work closely with faculty mentors. Performing is a new experience every semester since I work with new choreographers every semester, and I end up learning so much about their style and the different ways artists work. 

2018 Fall Dance Concert, Dance Program of the Department of Drama. Photo by Jack Looney.

Other non-performance classes meet at a predetermined time weekly, and the following classes make up a dance minor curriculum in addition to performance: at least two technique classes, improvisation, composition, a dance history or culture lecture class, movement analysis, and an elective like dance film, choreography, or another class in the drama department. It seemed all a bit overwhelming when I first looked into it, but balancing my dance coursework with my chemistry major is very doable. And since the dance program only offers a minor, everyone in the program is balancing one or two majors with minor requirements. 

What I like most about the dance minor is that it gives dancers outstanding training and in-depth development and exploration, but it is small enough to remain personal. Professors have seen me grow and change throughout my time at UVa and always give thought-out and individualized feedback no matter what I was working on. One of my professors was even willing to help me over the weekend put together an audition video for a summer intensive! 

I also found some of my best friends by participating in the dance program. Everyone comes in with a different movement background and we often learn from each other as much as we learn from the course material. We rehearse together, take class, go to performances, consult with each other about choreography, eat together, comfort each other when we mess up or get hurt, and celebrate our dance and non-dance related achievements together. Dancers also have the support of the Dance Committee, a CIO that supports the dance program with social events for students and that helps out with workshops and visiting dance artists. 

We also get the chance to go outside UVa. A few of my favorite memories come from our yearly trek to ACDA, a regional dance conference where we perform a piece from the program and take classes with faculty from other universities. At these events I feel nervous, but strong, happy, and motivated too. I was especially inspired by the last ACDA I went to in March, where we saw dozens of student and faculty performances, and it not only gave me ideas for the choreography I was working on at the time, but had me seriously considering graduate-level education in dance. 

Being a Dance Minor has shaped my experience at UVa in a major way. I would recommend the Dance Program to anyone who wants to go a little bit (or a lotta-bit!) deeper into their movement practice and who want to be with other people who love moving as much as they do! You can learn more about the dance program at UVA here: https://drama.virginia.edu/dance.

Blog by Zoe Ziff, a third-year student at the University of Virginia. Contact her at zez2as@virginia.edu with any questions or curiosities about the dance program at UVA!

Spotlight on the Arts: Avery Erskine, Drama

Are you an incoming or prospective student with a passion for the visual and/or performing arts? Then this is the week for you! Every day we will be featuring a guest blogger, each with a unique story to share about the thriving artistic communities at UVA. Our third guest is Avery Erskine, a third year student minoring in drama!

Disclaimer: this post starts with advice that goes against whatever anyone tells you about starting college.

 

When I first arrived at UVA, I completely ignored the “don’t sign up for everything” rule. I went to the activities fair and signed up for a ton of listservs, I attended interest meetings, and I auditioned for almost every drama production that was happening on Grounds that semester. I knew that I wanted to act in some capacity in college, but I wasn’t sure how much, and I barely knew anyone involved in theatre at UVA. Auditioning for all of those shows — and not getting called back for most of them — was terrifying.

 

And I think you should totally do it.

 

Even though I was only cast in one show — Shakespeare on the Lawn’s Romeo and Juliet — introducing myself to both the theatre CIOs and the Drama Department was as much of an audition process for them as it was for me. The same is true for general clubs: I got to try everything out, but I didn’t end up sticking with everything. I got to pick what was best for me, and I met a lot of cool people in the process. 

A scene from Romeo and Juliet, dir. Kristen Barrett.

 

UVA has many student theatre groups, so if you want to do theatre in any capacity — from building sets to performing to directing an entire show — you’ll be able to. Everything in student theatre is done by students. Although I did both SotL shows my first year, many first years opt to participate in First Year Players, in which the entire cast and the stage manager are first years. That’s musical theatre, though, which, no offense to anyone, is not exactly my style. (If you want to know more about musical theatre at UVA, check out Payton Moledor’s post!) Another option is Spectrum, which aims to put on provocative, socially relevant performances. They do both musicals and straight plays, so there’s a lot of crossover between Spectrum with the other student theatre organizations. There’s a lot of crossover between ALL student theatre organizations, in fact. There’s even collaboration between groups sometimes: Paul Robeson Players, UVA’s Black theatre CIO, partnered with SotL to produce the production of Romeo and Juliet that I was in my first semester. Another option for student theatre is LingXi, which is UVA’s Chinese theatre CIO. They perform their work in Chinese and provide English subtitles at performances. Like I said, there are so many options if you’re looking to do theatre at UVA! Not only will student theatre be a great creative outlet, but student theatre groups are a fantastic way to meet new people. The cast and crew of Romeo and Juliet were my first friends at UVA, and I’m still close with many of them. 

 

The spring semester of my first year, I auditioned for UVA Drama’s New Works Festival. The New Works Festival is a production of short plays written by UVA students, directed by UVA students, and performed by UVA students. I had the honor of working with a great team of seven students to devise a piece for the festival, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. If you are interested in pursuing theatre professionally after college, you should definitely audition for Drama Department productions. UVA Drama productions are performed in real theaters (whereas student theatre is usually performed in the Student Activities Building), and there are more resources available to the department than student theatre, making every part of the show comparable to a professional production. In fact, you learn so much about professional theatre by working on a Drama Department production that UVA offers credits for students participating. I got 1 credit for New Works and 3 for She Kills Monsters, which I did the first semester second year.

She Kills Monsters, dir. Marianne Kubik. Photo by Greg Harris.

If you’re looking for more Drama credits, I would highly recommend Acting I — it’s a prereq to a handful of Drama classes, the Drama major, and the Drama minor. It’s also a great way to try theatre for the first time. A lot of people take Acting I to gain confidence in public speaking or explore their creative side. My class included people like me (who, if you can’t tell by this point, is pretty damn into theatre), an exchange student from the UK, a football player, and a kid who had never acted before but ended up minoring in Drama. If you’re looking for other recommendations, I would take Dave Dalton’s directing class and Doug Grissom’s playwriting classes. Dave’s class completely prepared me for the show I started directing my second year (Twelfth Night with Shakespeare on the Lawn, if you’re curious), and Doug’s classes taught me how to tell stories and reminded me how much I love writing. I’m now enrolled in the year-long class he teaches with Paul Wagner: one semester of screenwriting and one of film production, colloquially referred to as “Overcranked.”

 

My first year, I acted in two Overcranked films, and I loved every second of it. Because I didn’t have many film acting opportunities in high school, it was exciting to learn an entirely new way of performing. One of the films I was in even played at the Virginia Film Festival. I thought film-festival-level productions would happen after college, definitely not in my first year. And if you’re curious, all of the films at the festival are free for students with Arts Dollars. You just have to make sure you reserve them before they sell out! Some of the movies that have been featured at the festival include The Favourite, Harriet, and If Beale Street Could Talk. 

A still from Visibility Cloak, dir. Kristen Barrett and shown at the 2019 Virginia Film Festival.

 

My first year, I got an email about applying to Virginia Players’ executive board, which I applied to despite not fully understanding what VAP does. I ended up being one of two artistic directors in 2019, and I’m currently VP of the organization. (Don’t worry, I made sure I knew what it was before I became artistic director.) VAP is the student branch of the drama department, providing social, educational, and performing opportunities for students within the drama department. Think of it as a student government of sorts. In a non-COVID year, we’d run monthly workshops that are free for all students, we’d plan opening night celebrations whenever a department show opened, and we’d help produce Lab Series, which provides money and drama department space to a student to direct a play. This year, we’ll be doing almost double the amount of workshops, and we’ll have plenty of virtual acting and tech opportunities. To find out more about VAP, UVA Drama, and student theatre, come to our virtual theatre fair on August 28! It’s a great opportunity to meet people who are already involved and people who are also new to UVA theatre. You should also sign up for VAP’s listserv: we send out monthly emails with details of drama opportunities within the department, student theatre, and the cville area. 

From devising a play to making decisions on exec boards to directing a play, a lot of the best experiences I’ve had at UVA have been the result of trying new things even though they scare me. There are certainly things that I’ve signed up for that I didn’t like, but trying everything I found interesting at least once ensured that I found the experiences I really loved. Long story short: Don’t be scared, try everything once, regret nothing. 

Blog by Avery Erskine, a third-year student at the University of Virginia. Contact her at pae4mz@virginia.edu with any questions or curiosities about the performing arts at the University of Virginia!