Alumni Spotlight
Alumnus Skyler Gray is changing the industry, one production at a time By Mia Hammett Alum Skyler Gray (B.A. Directing and Stage Management, ’11) continues to push the boundaries of new play development. Having entered UCI as a music theater major, Gray’s academic and professional career inevitably evolved to recognize his desire to advocate for creators, performers, and their contributions to the arts. Now working as a theatre agent, Gray actively amplifies artists’ voices in an everchanging creative industry. In his second year at the UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA), Gray was struck by a drunk driver, forcing him to confront his dream career as a stage performer. After the accident, it was Professor Keith Fowler and Professor Don Hill in the Department of Drama who inspired Gray to pursue a career shift. They both showed him that there is a world outside of being on stage. “I took a few directing classes with Keith and loved that side of it. Then the following year, I took a few stage management classes with Don. It was around that time that I fell in love with the world of new plays.” It is here where Gray’s place in music theatre began to shift — from on-stage performance to behind-the-scenes development. “I was always fascinated by the concept of working on new plays, but I had never
been involved in the creation of a new work.” During his time at the CTSA, Gray was fortunate enough to work collaboratively and productively toward a career in “the industry,” having founded a theater company with fellow alumni that ultimately informed the rest of his career. “Because I was able to produce and direct, in addition to being involved in various capacities in departmental productions, I was able to learn how to build a project from the ground up.”
Image: Skyler Gray
ALUMNI
