"My four years at the Mount were some of the best of my life to
date! I got hooked on theater in my freshman year. From then on,
the Aquinas Hall Theater became a home away from home, and the
people in it became a second family. The cameraderie amongst the
MSMC thespians was an unbelievable support, which made all of the
academic work seem conquerable. There's no better way to cope with
the hardships of college life than to slip into character and play
with your friends. Some of my happiest memories of college were the
many nights of rehearsals, laughing, joking, and finding joy in the
work. I am so grateful for the wonderful, well-rounded experiences
that MSMC afforded me, and my happiest memories remain behind the
curtain in Aquinas Hall."
- Tori Bossi, 2010
"Acting at Mount Saint Mary College was a true blessing for me
that changed my life. Being privy to the talent that Mr. Beard
possessed and learning under him was a true honor. Finally, it was
because of theater at Mount Saint Mary College that I was able to
meet the woman that I would marry a couple of years later. Theater
was, and will always remain, the best thing that I ever did during
my time at Mount Saint Mary College."
- Jacob Cohen Donnelly, 2010
"Theater production was by far the best class I took at the
Mount. By both participating in the production itself and working
behind the scenes, I learned each facet of what goes into a play.
Let's not forget Mr. Beard. Best. Professor. Ever."
- Lisa Catherine, 2009
"I had the most amazing time at MSMC, especially in the theater
program. Performing with other students helped me to work on my own
acting. And we had the best of the best coaching and pushing us to
be the best thespians we can be. House of Blue Leaves was
a gift, and I would do it all again if I could."
- Jennifer Morhaus, 2009
"I don't believe I would have survived college without the
theater program at the Mount. Not only did I make life-long
friends, I learned life-long lessons. Participating in the theater
productions taught me discipline, scheduling, public speaking,
teamwork, and trust. It helped me learn things about myself, and
overcome fears I didn't even know I had (no one else liked climbing
the ladder to the catwalk). During my four years at the Mount, I
learned as much on that stage as I did in the classrooms. Five
years after my final curtain call on the Aquinas stage, former cast
members and I still laugh and share inside jokes from the shows.
Those memories are timeless, and the most precious I have. I
believe that sports teach you to play as a team; the
theater teaches you to work as a team."
- Kevin Reavey, 2006
"I have a lot of great memories of the Mount, but the ones I
think about most often involve being part of the theater. For the
first few years at the Mount, I did a lot of work behind the scenes
for the production, however, my senior year I stepped out onto the
stage for the Glass Menagerie and that goes down as my
favorite memory."
- Margot Denaxas, 2004
"Whether it was acting in Different Stages productions,
or those sponsored by the Division of Arts and Letters, the people
who made the production taught me that cast mates can be family.
The directors, actors, and crew worked cohesively to put together a
one-act play, an astonishingly dramatic musical, or a classic
comical piece. The resplendent sets, the experienced direction, the
gazing audience, and the unsuspecting community all came together
for some of the most memorable shows. These collective endeavors
were a series of audacious moments that I would never have imagined
myself being a part of. The idea that a one-line actor can be just
as important as the leading role was one of the greatest
educational moments. The ability to perform for over 1,000 people
in the Aquinas Theater taught me self-confidence as well as
appreciation. It's memories like these that I can look back on,
smile, and know that such great traditions continue year after
year."
- Mark Gamarra, 1999
"Being involved with the theater was an exciting and deeply
important part of my MSMC experience. It taught me how to act on
stage, but it also taught me so much more. It taught me how to act
as a member of a wonderful community of people, each as important
as the next. It taught me how to act as a leader on stage and as a
follower in production. It taught me that, working as part of an
ensemble, I could be lifelong friends with people I wouldn't have
otherwise connected with as closely. It taught me that together, we
could accomplish something as a whole that was so much greater than
our individual parts. The theater has helped me to act as a better
man throughout my life."
- Patrick Joseph Quinn, 1999
"The training I received as a stage manager while studying
theater at MSMC provided me with the skills, confidence, and
passion to pursue a career in theater. I toured professionally with
national theater companies, worked in residence at a renowned
production company, and earned an MFA in theater management. The
training, nurturing, and encouragement I received at the Mount
remains with me to this day."
- Deidre Bullock, 1992
"I benefited immensely from participating in the theater
productions. I became more self-assured and creative. I developed
friendships, imagination, and confidence. It was probably one of
the few things that I can point to definitively that helped me
remain in school. The skills I learned here, I was able to directly
apply to my teaching. Perseverance, creativity, speaking in front
of others, imagination, problem solving by thinking outside the box
and not in traditional linear ways."
- Margaret Kissane, 1984
"The theater program has given me so much, right down to
life-long friends, to my spouse, whom I met in the theater. It has
a much deeper impact on students than some might know."
- Susan McManigal Kleinke