The downside to working at Stephens

There is a downside to working at Stephens.

(I know, I know, PR people everywhere are cringing right now.)

No, really. The downside is that every time I feature one of our departments or programs, I think “MAN! I would love to do that!”

(You didn’t really think I was going to say something negative about Stephens, did you?)

Seriously, though. I wish I were multi-talented so I could be a filmmaking, designing, creative story specialist/strategist.

I spent some time working on materials for our digital filmmaking program, then I met and interviewed some of the seniors working on their showcase projects (which I’m totally going to tell you more about soon). And in my mind, I’m all like “I want to do that!” But I can’t because I have zero camera/video/editing skills.

Then I see amazing posters, ads and other pieces coming out of our graphic design program and I’m like “I would love to do that!” But, even though I try sometimes, I don’t have the skills.

And, of course, even though I attempted English with a side of creative writing in college, I’m so jealous of the professional experiences our English/Creative writing students are getting here. Man.

Although I’d love to think that my younger self could have done anything had she gotten the right opportunities, there are a couple ofprograms I know I could never have pulled off in this lifetime. That’s why I’m absolutely in awe of our dance and theatre students. I attended the Spring Dance Concert earlier this month and was captivated.

This week, I’ve been reading about our theatre and dance alumnae who have gone on to captivate other audiences and critics.

Alumna Molly Denninghoff is Julie in Rogers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel” running through March 31 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

I haven’t seen it, so I’ll trust Robert Trussell, theatre critic at the Kansas City Star, who writes Denninghoff, along with co-star Rusty Sneary “have taken their performances to a new level, texturing them with small details and an ease that seems perfectly natural. Denninghoff, one of the finest singers in the theatre community, shows levels of desperation and melancholy I don’t recall from the original production.”

You can read the review here.

Mid-Missourians got a chance to witness Denninghoff’s theatrical abilities last year when she had starring roles in three consecutive hits at Lyceum Theatre, Bill Clark, Columbia Tribune columnist, wrote in a column pointing to Trussell’s review.

Also coming out from St. Louis Beacon arts reporter Nancy Fowler was an excellent feature on Kaitlin Niewoehner, who has a role in the touring production of “A Chorus Line” at Peabody Opera House.  Niewoehner took musical theatre as part of the summer program at Stephens.

Check out her interview with Fowler here.

Oh, and Niewoehner also has a degree in architecture from MU.

Talk about multi-talented.