Ones to Watch
Pace Students and Alumni in the Performing Arts
Nabiyah Be ’14
BFA Acting
Simone Jackson in Daisy Jones & The Six
(Prime Video)
Hannah Bonnett ’21
Musical Theater
Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical
(Broadway National Tour)
Christopher
Briney ’20
Acting for Film, Television,
Voice-overs, and Commercials
Conrad in The Summer I Turned Pretty
(Prime Video)
Jada Clark ’22
Commercial Dance
Ensemble in Jagged Little Pill
(Broadway National Tour)
Madeline Grey DeFreece ’18
Acting for Film, Television, Voice-overs, and Commercials
Jasmine in Love Life (HBO Max)
Madeline in City on a Hill (Showtime)
Dominique Fishback
Acting
Elena in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Feature Film)
Dre on Swarm (Prime Video)
Jess LeProtto ’20
Musical Theater
Ensemble in A Beautiful Noise
(Broadway)
Nathan Levy ’21
Musical Theater
Clumsy/Prince Ebullient in Once Upon a One More Time (Broadway)
Paige Mobley ’16
Musical Theater
Special Projects Coordinator on Instant Dream Home
(Netflix)
Gracie Phillips ’19
Musical Theater
Ensemble in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
(Broadway National Tour)
Igby Rigney ’21
Film and Screen Studies and Psychology
Kevin in The Midnight Club
(Netflix)
Jacob Roberts-Miller ’19
Musical Theater
Swing in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
(Broadway National Tour)
Larry Saperstein ’20
Production and Design for Stage and Screen
Big Red in High School Musical: The Musical:
The Series
(Disney+)
Rafael Silva ’17
Acting for Film, Television, Voice-overs, and Commercials
Carlos Reyes in 9-1-1: Lone Star
(Fox)
Photography Exhibit Focuses on Equity, Inclusion, and Sustainability
At a Point of Change II—an outdoor photography exhibit that was on view at One Pace Plaza on the New York City campus from May 1–15 before moving to the Pleasantville campus until October 1— features work from two Pace alumni as well as 14 undergraduate students enrolled in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences interdisciplinary course titled “Seeing the World Differently…Through Economics and Photography.” The course, taught by Associate Professor of Art Inbal Abergil, MFA, and Associate Professor of Economics Anna Shostya, PhD, combines economic concepts with photographic principles. The students’ work in the course focuses on using photography to represent the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a group of 17 objectives set to be achieved by 2030 to better our world, centering on issues such as immigration, equality, climate action, and sustainable economic growth. Each photograph in the exhibit is accompanied by a written piece showcasing the students’ understanding and creative interpretation of the underlying principles of the goals.
Edmond de Rothschild Foundation Supports the Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media BA
Pace University’s Bachelor of Arts in Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media, housed in the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, has received a two-year, $609,000 grant from The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation that continues the organization’s support of the program. The only program of its kind in the tri-state area, the BA in Writing for Diversity and Equity in Theater and Media is one of Dyson’s newest programs. Led by Dyson College Assistant Dean for Diversity and Equity in the Arts S. Brian Jones, MA, the major provides a unique opportunity for students who wish to develop their own voices as writers through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to produce content for film, television, theater, streaming, and narrative gaming.
Highlights from 2022–23
Broadway Shows
As a cohort, students in the program attend Broadway and off-Broadway shows, develop new skills in master classes and workshops, and tour theaters in the city. This year, students saw Moulin Rouge!, Topdog/Underdog, Ain’t No Mo’, The Piano Lesson, and New York, New York. Following the shows, they debrief and dig into the productions from a DEI lens.
Service Day
Students in the program are provided opportunities to engage in social justice and DEI outside the classroom, encouraging them to produce authentic creative content and develop their voices as citizen artists. This spring, students took a trip to Queens to volunteer with a food pantry, handing out groceries to people who needed them. The cohort met in the morning to discuss service and the implications of service and debriefed on the day over lunch. The experience gave the students something to think critically about, to build on, and to put their writing, theory, and coursework into perspective.
“I have always thought I wanted to work for a big writing company or theater company. But I have always had to ask, do they produce the things that I want? Do they produce the shows or the movies that I can see myself being a part of in any way? And usually, I have a tough time answering that question. I don’t want to form my art to fit in a place that does not belong to me. I would rather create my own.” —Dreana Henry ’26
“I think about those little kids who probably have not seen themselves onscreen, onstage, in literature, or anything with identity and all its facets, including race, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, etc. To be able to think that with this program, I can give that experience to more kids, it just warms my heart and keeps me going.” —Cambria Kylinn Martin ’24
“As a person of color and someone who wants to work in film and theater and media, and as someone who writes, it’s really important to me to have diversity and equity at the forefront of my work. I am someone who wants to get the most out of my education, so getting real-life access [to contacts in the industry] while also seeking a degree was important to me.” —A’ishah Muhammad ’25
Revitalization of One Pace Plaza East
In December 2022, Pace University announced plans to revitalize One Pace Plaza East. Upon, completion, the renovated space will feature additional classroom and collaboration space, for several Dyson disciplines, a state-of-the-art performing arts center, including a 450-seat, proscenium theater, a 200-seat flexible theater, a 99-seat black box theater, scene and, costume shops, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, green rooms, and dance studios.
Affairs of the Arts
The Pace University Art Gallery hosted a rich tapestry of exhibitions this academic year, from historical news photographs to textiles exploring identity.
Abya Yala: Structural Origins
September 23-October 29, 2022 ‣ As part of the 2022 New York Latin American Art Triennial (NYLAAT) series, Abya Yala: Structural Origins examined the various processes and forms of creation inspired by traditional methodologies, materials, and concepts that were implemented during the different stages of cultural and intellectual growth on the American continent.
Chinatown Art Brigade: Degentrification Archives
February 11–March 25, 2023 ‣ The Degentrification Archives exhibition showcased the stories of people most directly impacted by the gentrification of Manhattan’s Chinatown.
2022
Continued Relevance: New Photographs from George Stephanopoulos Collection
November 15, 2022–January 28, 2023 ‣ The exhibit, which ushered in a new era for the Pace University permanent art collection, featured 54 images that were selected from a gift of more than 1,400 historic 1960s and 1970s news photographs from veteran news analyst and former White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos.
Annual Art Student Exhibition
April 11-22, 2023 ‣ The 2023 Annual Art Student Exhibition featured work by 37 individual student artists and several course projects.
To Be Made Whole
June 2-September 14, 2023 ‣ To Be Made Whole featured artists Elia Alba, Desmond Beach, Nicholas Cueva, Jeanne F. Jalandoni, Juan Sánchez, and Melissa Zexter, who each unravel and reassemble identity via a synthesis of representational imagery and tactile textiles. The exhibit was co-curated by Sarah Cunningham, MFA, the gallery director, and Francisco Maldonado ’23, who received a research assistantship from Pace’s Center for Undergraduate Research Experiences.
2023
Cut the Slack: Project Studio Senior Capstone Exhibition
April 29–May 11, 2023 ‣ Cut the Slack: Project Studio Senior Capstone Exhibition featured work by students enrolled in the Spring 2023 Project Studio B course. Project Studio is the capstone course for the BFA in Art, in which enrolled students spend the full semester working on a single body of work in their chosen medium.
Gallery Assistants
This year’s art gallery assistants were Elizabeth Hernandez ‘24, Hannah Arias ‘26, Mariana Garcia Tinoco ’23, Mai Callahan ’26, Francisco Maldonado ‘23, and Anna Zhang ’24.
About the Artists
We are delighted to feature two Dyson College students’ artwork on the cover and inside cover of this issue. Theirs, along with many other students’ works, were showcased at two student exhibitions at the Pace University Art Gallery this spring.
Mildred Stephany Martinez ’24, Art
“During a semester break, I had plenty of time to create various diverse projects for my final assignment. Reminiscing, I stumbled upon various methods leading to the same outcome. Unaware of specialized paints, I improvised with water acrylics and a hair blow dryer. Social media became my wellspring of inspiration and enlightenment for Color Chemistry. (Fun fact: Remarkably, this piece was my second attempt).
When it comes to painting or engaging with any artistic medium, cleanliness has always been of paramount importance to me. However, as I delved into the process of Color Chemistry, I discovered a newfound sense of liberation. It was an exhilarating and enjoyable experience that taught me the beauty of embracing imperfections. I realized that art doesn’t need to be flawless every time; it can thrive in its imperfect nature, and that’s perfectly alright.”
Jenna Meyer ’23, Art
“Creating art has provided me with a way to alleviate anxiety, as well as a means for personal growth and self-exploration. One Soul is my capstone project; when I look at it, I see all the accomplishments and growth of my art career in the past four years. One Soul was inspired by the intersection of self, energy, and soulmates. In One Soul, I aimed to visually communicate that our individual energies are interconnected and can align with others in a way that feels cosmic. To me, One Soul not only depicts the deepest form of relationships and my artistic development, but is also a visual representation of my spiritual progression.”
Jenna Meyer ’23, Art
“Creating art has provided me with a way to alleviate anxiety, as well as a means for personal growth and self-exploration. One Soul is my capstone project; when I look at it, I see all the accomplishments and growth of my art career in the past four years. One Soul was inspired by the intersection of self, energy, and soulmates. In One Soul, I aimed to visually communicate that our individual energies are interconnected and can align with others in a way that feels cosmic. To me, One Soul not only depicts the deepest form of relationships and my artistic development, but is also a visual representation of my spiritual progression.”
