The Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents the world premiere of Princess Academy, a new play adapted from The New York Times bestseller Shannon Hale. Princess Academy tells the story of a young girl taken from her home to attend royal finishing school and faces a harsh schoolmistress, fierce storms and bandits. She soon discovers the power of friendship and a loving heart. The performance runs on select dates from May 30 to June 13, at 7 p.m., in the Pardoe Theatre. Matinee performances will occur on May 30, June 4, 6, 12 and 13, starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12, with $3 off for students and $2 off for alumni and seniors, and can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or online at byuarts.com. Children ages 4 and older are eligible for student ticket prices. Director Megan Sanborn Jones teamed up with playwright Lisa Hall Hagen and dramaturg Janine Sobeck more than a year ago to begin the process of adapting Shannon Hale’s story for the stage. This group effort was in part inspired by the story in Princess Academy where the academy girls must work together and answer questions as a group to complete their final exam. “In the process of creating this new adaption of the novel for the BYU stage, we found inspiration and truth in this lesson,” said Jones. “This is the true magic of collaboration – the work each person does to fully understand, respect and nurture the vision of the other creators. This inspired us to be better individually, to learn from one another and to love our work.” More Ways to Enjoy Princess Academy arts.byu.edu for a free 'Lunch and Learn' workshop offered at 12:30 p.m. in the north lobby of the Pardoe Theatre prior to the June 4, 6, 12 and 13, matinee performances of Princess Academy. The activity will be an opportunity for all playgoers ages 8 and older to participate in learning activities inspired by the production. BYU student “teaching artists” will lead 60-minute workshops and then provide a space for participants to enjoy lunch before the performance begins. One free meal will be provided by BYU for each registered participant. Parents/guardians are not to leave children unattended during the workshop and are encouraged to register and participate along with their children. Donate a Book, Support Provo Schools: As part of a community outreach drive for the Provo School district, audience members who bring a new or gently used children’s book to the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center ticket office will receive an additional $2 off one child’s ticket. This offer is valid for Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday evening performances only. Excluding previous purchases. The Princess Academy cast features Aubrey Bench as Miri, Claire Eyestone as Britta, Meagan Flinders as Katar, Sherry Henry as Liana, Leah Hodson as Frid, Tearza Foyston as Gerti, Rachel Heath as Esa, Heather Jones as Olana, Abram Yarbro as Peder, Rachel Pullan as Doter, Jennifer Bozeman as Marda, Jared Cahoon as Pa, Clayton Cranford as Seffan, Logan Ruesch as Dan, Robert Fuller as Chief Delegate and Ryan Moss as Dogface. The production crew includes hair and makeup co-designer Valeri Day, assistant director and composer Haley Flanders, props designer Scott Jackson, dramaturg Heather Oberlander, lighting designer Marianne Ohran, makeup co-designer Celena Kurogi Peterson, scenic designer Rory Scanlon, dramaturg Janine Sobeck, assistant lighting designer Sarah Beth Stewart and costume designer Mary Jane Wadley. Tickets and Show Details Dates: May 29-30, June 4-6, 10-13 Times: 7 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on May 30, June 4, 6, 12 and 13 Location: Pardoe Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $12 (discounts available for students, alumni and seniors) Tickets: Available at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone 801.422.2981 or visit byuarts.com

The Brigham Young University Department of Theatre and Media Arts presents the world premiere of “Princess Academy,” a new play adapted from New York Times bestseller Shannon Hale on select dates from May 30 to June 13 at 7 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre.

A new database of student created films is now available for use by Brigham Young University students and fans alike, the Department of Theatre and Media Arts announced on Friday at the Franklin S. Harris Fine Arts and Communications Center 50th Anniversary Gala. Created to allow all to see the student work created here at BYU, the database already hosts over 150 films and can be accessed online at studentfilms.byu.edu. More films will be added each week by the TMA department and alumni who wish to submit their former work. “This website is an effort to help show people what the BYU Media Arts program has done in the past and what we are capable of doing now,” said Kyle Stapley, Media Arts Program Coordinator and lead for this project. “By focusing specifically on student work that has been done here at BYU, we hope that this project will also act as a recruiting tool to help bring in additional talent to our renowned programs.” Brigham Young University has a long, rich history in the creation and education of film. BYU was one of the first universities to create a formal department for the production of motion pictures, founded in 1953. Currently, the BYU Media Arts Program and the Center for Animation have won over 30 National and Regional Student Emmys in the past 12 years making BYU one of the most well-respected Film and Animation programs in the nation. Those who visit the new website will find that there are different types of films to enjoy such as fiction, non-fiction and animation films. In addition to these, a portion of the website is dedicated solely to BYU Final Cut Films. These films are deemed the best student-produced, student-created fiction films, documentaries, commercials, and animations are created here at BYU. According to Stapley, these films include Mr. Bellpond, which won two Student Emmy’s in 2012, and even go back as far as The Phone Call and Johnny Lingo, films done through the BYU Motion Picture Studio back when the Motion Picture Studio was connected to BYU. “Another exciting option for those who visit our new website is to view the work done with Aperture, our student-ran journal of media arts,” Stapley said. “You can go here to read papers about media art, film, sound, etc. In this way we are able to combine critical studies with the actual production of film.” “Getting this website up and running in the format and in the depth that we have now is a great start,” Stapley said. “But, with the potential for additional opportunities that we are now realizing, we see this project getting much bigger in the future. Just to give you an idea, I know our students are starting to get really interested in creating web series. So, in the future, we might be using this website to launch those kinds of projects.”

Brigham Young University students and alumni took up much of the screen time at this year’s LDS Film Festival, highlighting the talent and skills being nurtured here. Christian Vuissa founded the festival in 2001 while he was still an undergraduate studying media arts studies at BYU. The festival is now a major event that showcases an impressive array of feature films, special screenings and short films. Although it was originally founded for LDS filmmakers to network with each other and showcase their work to an appreciative audience, the event has quickly turned into an opportunity for all likeminded individuals to promote their filmmaking trade. BYU students and alumni have taken part of the event every year since its inception. This year, three BYU alumni went home with awards from the festival: Third place in the Short Film Competition — Without a Rope, by Nick Dixon, who also received an audience choice award. Honorable Mention in Short Film Competition -White Earth, by Christian Jensen Third Place in the 24-Hour Filmmaking Marathon — Tooth Fairy: A New Hope, group led by Raven Alard “Winning these awards is a great recognition,” said Nick Dixon, the creator of Without a Rope. “It's nice to know the work we put into the film was appreciated and that our hard work paid off. A lot of time and energy went into making the film, so getting recognized is really gratifying.” Cokeville MiracleCokeville Miracle Other films made by Theatre and Media Arts students and alumnus included: Feature Films Freetown, Director: Garrett Batty; Writer: Melissa Leilani Larson, Garrett Batty; Producer: Adam Abel, Garrett Batty The Cokeville Miracle: Director: T.C. Christensen, actors included Kym Mellon, Barta Heiner Austenland: Director: Jerusha Hess; Writer: Jerusha Hess; Associate Producer: Jared Hess Meet the Mormons: Director, Blair Treu (Many media arts alums on the crew) Glimpses Beyond Death’s Door: Writer, Director, Producer: Brandon Smith; Executive Producer: Ron Brough The Heart of the Matter: Director: Jessica Mockett; Producer: Jessica Mockett, Nathan D. Lee, Jordan Harker; Director of Photography: Travis Cline Untitled Girl’s Camp Movie: Writer, Director: Maclain Nelson; Producer: Jake Van Wagoner, Lisa Clark, Hailey Smith, Clare Niederpruem; Executive Producer: Maclain Nelson; Director of Photography: Joel Remke; Production Designer: Anne Black Mythica: Director: Anne Black; Writer: Anne Black, Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin; Director of Photography: A. Todd Smith Survivor: Writer, Director, Producer: John Lyde; Executive Producer: Jason Faller, Kynan Griffin Short Films Newsies: Director: Jeff Parkin; Producer: Jared Cardon, Jeff Parkin, Babetta Kelly; Director of Photography: Jacob Schwarz White Earth: Writer, Director, Producer: J. Christian Jensen; Director of Photography, Editor: J. Christian Jensen Without a Rope: Writer, Director: Nick Dixon; Producer: Willem Kampenhout; Executive Producer: Tom Russell, Courtney Russell, Tom Lefler; Director of Photography: Gary Groth; Production Designer: Gina Thompson; Original Score: Spencer Russell; Editor: Jonathan Ying. Presentations and Panels Christian Vuissa Jerusha Hess Garrett Batty Studio C A complete list of all those honored at the festival can be found by clicking, here.

Shelley Graham was recently awarded the Gold Medallion of Excellence for her extraordinary dedication to teaching, mentoring, and service at the Region 8 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Las Vegas.

Brad Barber was approached by producers at New Jersey’s PBS station after the premiere of his national project States of America to collaborate on a similar concept for New Jersey.

The Theatre department hosted one last goodbye to the HFAC for its alumni on December 10. The joint Christmas and HFAC celebration started with the idea of giving alumni the chance to come and see the building one last time.