What do Theatre and Media Arts, Vocal Point, Living Legends, Ballroom Dance, the Bean Life Science Museum, and a former Dunk Team athlete all have in common? Aside from the fact that they represent some of the best that BYU has to offer, they all came together to produce the award-winning video Tarzan at the Museum.
Professor Jeff Parkin collaborated with alumni Jared Cardon to create the mashup of Tarzan and Night at the Museum–bringing on board TMA alumni Oscar Jimenez as Director of Photography, choreographer Jenny Tingey, former Dunk Team athlete Grant Taylor as Tarzan, TMA alumni Jacob Watson, and many other students past and present to create the dream team. In the words of director Jeff Parkin, “Bringing all these different groups together was really fun. And then working with Grant Taylor as Tarzan and the acrobatics that he can do, and trying to figure out what we could do in the museum…it captures the fun energy of BYU students.” That energy is on such incredible display thanks to the BYU-wide collaboration, and it turns out the Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards would agree. On Saturday, October 1, BYU took home the award for Arts/Entertainment Short Form Content.
But Tarzan at the Museum isn’t just a stunning display of talent and creativity. It goes deeper than that. It sends a vital message– one that says that art isn’t just something that creative people do, but that it belongs to all of us. It brings together a broad body of students through creative collaboration. It ties together science and athletics and music and so much more. Tarzan at the Museum reflects the beautiful balance that Theatre and Media Arts brings to BYU.