Spotlight on the Arts: Payton Moledor, Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre at UVA

Writer: Payton Moledor, pm4ym@virginia.edu

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 second guest is Payton Moledor, a recent Class of 2020 UVA Drama graduate!

It’s an interesting day to reflect on my time at UVA. A few hours ago, I sat down to take my final exam as an undergraduate and have now officially entered the big, bright, and often terrifying world of professional theatre. This fall, I’m beginning my life as a professional musical theatre performer, writer, and creative. 

As I stand on the precipice of my new life, here’s a look at the many lessons I learned as a performer at UVA. 

I met my best friend sitting in the audience of the Ruth Caplin Theatre on my first day of class. Little did I know, a few months later I would make my UVA Drama debut (and soon my professional theatre debut) in that same theatre. Take a moment to look around; you never know when you’re sitting beside your future best friend. You never know how special a space can become over time. 

I made both my UVA and professional theatre debuts in UVA’s Ruth Caplin Theatre, pictured here. (Photo by Sanjay Suchak for University Communications)

During my first year in the Drama Department, I had the privilege of performing as Hope Cladwell in “Urinetown” and ensemble in “WE ARE PUSSY RIOT OR EVERYTHING IS P.R.” I also had the privilege of performing in my first show with Spectrum Theatre, one of UVA’s many vibrant student theatre groups. 

My first year was jam-packed with learning; I joined First Year Players as a lighting technician, and made some of my best friends and future roommates. My first year was full of throwing myself into the unknown and facing failure head-on. Never be afraid to try it all. 

My first year I performed as Hope in “Urinetown,” shown here with my castmates Shayaan Rasul and Katie Rogers. (Photo by Michael Bailey for UVA Department of Drama)

The summer after my first year, UVA gave me yet another gift: my professional acting debut. As I made my professional theatre debut alongside Broadway veterans in “Harvey” at UVA’s Heritage Theatre Festival, I could feel my life opening up in front of my eyes. Since then I’ve performed in professional theatres across the South, but I’ll never forget the happy place that Heritage was. For anyone interested in pursuing a career in theatre, let Heritage be your gate. 

I got to spend my summer as a blonde in “Harvey” with Heritage Theatre Festival. (Photo by Jack Looney for Heritage Theatre Festival)

During my second year, I had the privilege of performing alongside 150 other student and professional performers in the 50th-anniversary production of Leonard Bernstein’s “MASS” at the Paramount Theatre. I also performed as Wendla in Spectrum Theatre’s production of “Spring Awakening,” a show and role that still challenges me to this day. 

I began another passion project during my second year: working as a student writer for UVA Today. While with UVA Today, I wrote over 30 stories and discovered my passion for exploring the artistic experience. Surprisingly, I’ve used my experience as a journalist more than once onstage! I recently played a bubbly female journalist in “Newsies” at Lees-McRae Summer Theatre, demonstrating that my life as a writer at UVA will always be a part of my story. 

During my third year, I used my position as a Miller Arts Scholar of Drama to open up even more artistic avenues. Funded by the Miller Arts and the University Award for Projects in the Arts, I spent a semester abroad studying classical acting at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art. I even got to write a story about my time abroad for UVA Today.

While in London, I studied clowning as part of my classical acting curriculum. 

After returning from the U.K., I entered a whirlwind semester that I didn’t know was going to be my last. I wish I had more time to say goodbye, but even after we were sent home due to the COVID-19 pandemic my UVA experience wasn’t over. From my couch, I placed 4th nationally in the National Society of Arts & Letters Musical Theatre Competition and finished my three years of private vocal study with UVA Music’s Pamela Beasley over a Zoom recital.

Finally, after a summer of online courses, I graduated from the University of Virginia!

The greatest lesson UVA taught me was the importance of breaking the “performer bubble.” There’s a big world of art to experience outside of performance. While at UVA I served as Co-President of the Virginia Players and Co-Chair of the Drama Arts Board alongside several other powerful women. I know that these positions led me directly to my post-grad position as the Assistant Artistic Director of Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke, Virginia. I’m so proud of the work I got to do creating lasting relationships within arts groups on Grounds. 

For artists, the University of Virginia is an atmosphere that forces you to be creative. The beauty of a school like UVA is the ability to pick and choose courses from a variety of departments and disciplines. Surprisingly, my favorite classes at UVA had nothing to do with musical theatre! 19th Century British Women Poets (ENGL 2506) with Sarah Storti opened my mind to the female artists that came before me. Directing I (DRAM 3651) with Dave Dalton taught me to view my art form as something bigger than myself. 

The world of musical theatre at UVA is what you make of it. The future of the vibrant arts scene depends on the current student body, and I’m so proud to have been a small part of UVA’s history.

Feel free to email me at paytonmoledor@gmail.com or keep up with me on my website. I’m always willing to talk about the arts at UVA!