DCMA theatre networking fair provides opportunities for students

By Brielle Aguayo •

Nova Southeastern University’s theatre program has always been a place for students to get involved in productions, take classes and learn skills to prepare them for future roles in theater companies.

For the first time, the Department of Communication, Media, and the Arts hosted a networking fair in collaboration with Backstage Access on Jan. 19.

“Backstage Access is a group of, organizations, half academic-based and the other half professiona-l based,” said Herman Montero, director of production for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, who started Backstage Access. “The initial initiative was to create a bridge between the graduating student and the working professional.”

Backstage Access partners with universities and colleges like NSU, Broward College and Florida Atlantic University, which also had students attend the fair.

The main goal for this networking event was to provide students with the opportunity to meet and connect with theater companies.

“As an actor, the main thing that you have to really start thinking about is networking. The earlier that you start to network yourself the better. It’s all about the connections that you really have in the industry, the people that you know, the people you talk to that kind of get you into more and more roles,” Justin Jean Pierre, freshman theatre and computer science major, said.

Executive Artistic Director of Art Prevails Project Darius Daughtry, who participated in the networking fair, said they are always looking to connect with young aspiring theater artists.

“We are multidisciplinary, and so we do everything from full productions to a literary festival on an annual basis. We’re all about creating access to arts and so we go beyond just doing great performances. We’re about how do we make sure that we are impacting and building community and cultivating great energy in society,” Daughtry said.

The Art Prevails Project also does community outreach. When it went to a literary festival last year it gave away 2,000 books to community members, while also having it’s actors and crew members volunteer.

Another company, South Florida Theatre League, offers several types of daily programming.

“We’re a service organization that works behind the scenes. So we do workshops for actors, designers, directors and theater practitioners. We do things like unified auditions and collective marketing for theater companies,” Andie Arthur, executive director of the South Florida Theatre League, said.

Arthur said if a student buys an individual membership, it allows them to see what’s going on in the theater community. The company offers college student memberships for $20 a year.

“I connected the most with South Florida Theatre League and Art Prevails Project because they seem to be very accessible for student creatives and offer a multitude of opportunities in varying areas,” Jyllian Brown, senior music major, said.

Montero said the purpose of this event is for students and professionals to network. However, the goal is also to break the stigma that there are no opportunities for work in the theatre industry.

“There are two sides to the story. There’s a company that is drowning in work where every individual has multiple hats that they’re trying to wear, and they’re constantly crying out for help, and they can’t find anybody. Then there’s the flip side where the student is trying to find work,” Montero said.

Montero noticed this disconnect and created Backstage Access as a way to connect students with theater companies in need.

“It could be a little intimidating for the student to reach out and talk to professionals. But meanwhile, on the professional side, we are completely open to and we want students to reach out,” Montero said.

Having events like this is meaningful for students because they have the chance to build their own connections, said Dan Gelbmann, NSU associate professor of theatre.

“I think these events are very important to our students to meet the local theater communities, and network with other students from other universities as well as professional industry professionals,” Gelbmann said.