Spreading the Joy of Theatre: Department of Theatre Arts Student Spotlight

LOGAN, Utah — Mickenzie Reno is a passionate first-year student at Utah State University studying theater education. With a dream of inspiring young actors, she is on a mission to bring the “joy of theatre” to K-12 students, drawing from her own transformative experiences in high school theater.

“I was very involved, and I did a ton,” Reno said. “We did the SpongeBob musical last year, and I stage managed for a show called ‘They Promised Her the Moon.’”

Though early in her degree, Reno has found many opportunities to get involved and utilize USU’s theater resources. She is currently enrolled in stagecraft, script analysis, beginning acting, and a theatre education seminar.

Reno’s beginning acting course consists of breathing exercises and different activities to assist students on how to really invite the audience in.

“There are so many opportunities for growth in every class,” Reno said.

Reno’s biggest piece of advice for prospective theater students is to remain open and adaptable.

“If you're going to go into theater, make sure you have an attainable career that you can go into. For example, I'm going into theater education right now, but if it becomes more viable for me to be a technician later, or to be an actor later, I'm open to that,” Reno said. “If you're going to do a career in theater, be open to all aspects.”