ALUMNI PROFILE
Performing Through the Pandemic experience in College Night. Especially as a leader, you are forced to use all of your skills as an artist to make College Night happen. I think that spirit of working with your peers toward a collective goal really showed me that anything is possible with hard work and lots of planning. Learning to produce on that large scale taught me so many skills that have translated into so many areas of my work and I will be forever grateful for that opportunity. KENDRA NICOLE JOHNSON ’17 Major: Musical theatre Current job: Teaching theatre camps at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Playing Andrea and understudy Erzulie for the Once on this Island concert at the Jenny T. Anderson Theatre. Also cast in a Queen tribute touring concert presented by the Taylor Buice Theatre in Georgia.
The performing arts industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, as demand for in-person performances ground to a halt beginning in March 2020. However, many of UM’s theatre alumni have shown incredible resilience as they have found success and adapted to a new normal. Top row: (left) Rebecca Aparicio, (right) Jason Styres; middle row: (left) Kendra Nicole Johnson, (middle) Julian Robinson, (right) Malik Van Hoozer-Elliott; bottom row: Megan Stein
REBECCA APARICIO ’07 Major: Musical theatre Current job: Freelance director/writer and adjunct faculty in musical theatre at Pace University How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your career over the past year? How have you been able to find success despite these challenges? COVID-19 has decimated the theatre industry. We’ve all had to pivot the best way we can as artists, and it’s been a
18 | Montevallo Today
very challenging time for our industry. I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to direct for the past year all on Zoom, all online, which has been extremely challenging, yet I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Many of my friends and peers have been out of work for a year. I’ve been very fortunate to direct two plays and four musicals on Zoom over the past year. How did UM prepare you for success in your career? I always come back to my
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your career over the past year? How have you been able to find success despite these challenges? COVID-19 affected me, like so many others, financially, emotionally, mentally and physically. Before the shutdown, I had toured with Paw Patrol Live performing as Zuma and understudy as Mayor Goodway. Following that I worked as a vocalist for Norwegian Creative Studios on their Oceania luxury cruise line. In order to be successful in this career you have to know who you are on and off stage. I learned this the hard way. Once theatre was gone I was forced to learn who I was outside of working on stage. I am a runner, puzzle fixer, cook, aerialist, screen/playwriter and a song writer. How did UM prepare you for success in your career? The professors in the Theatre Department left me with advice that was essential to my career. Dr. Callaghan had a large hand in helping me expand my knowledge of musical theatre. Dr. C. also taught me the importance of knowing the space and the world in which your character lives during each show. Marcus Lane taught me the importance of cultivating our acting skills. Kel Leager and Kyle Moore taught me the importance of tech. Michael Walker
