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Undeniable impacts: Making space for art through departmental support

The Telfair B. Peet Theatre is filled with students working hard to improve their skills in performing, designing, dancing and other theatrical crafts. The Department of Theatre and Dance has successfully launched the careers of hundreds of graduates through its rigorous programming and dedication to creating citizen-artists.

There could be several reasons for the dedication and passion students take to their studies. Some cite the energetic faculty. Others, the variety of study areas students can explore. Perhaps it’s even a feeling of family that develops over the four years. One reason stands paramount.

In discussion among several theatre department students, it was revealed that departmental scholarships go a long way to improving a student’s perspective in their college career. From finding who they really want to be in life, to being able to expand their world beyond the bounds of the theatre, here are some of their stories detailing how exactly they make a difference.

Emma Grace Ramb is a junior BFA musical theatre performance student who received the Robert J. Malone Theatre Scholarship upon her entrance into the department her freshman year. She serves as an involvement ambassador for Auburn’s campus, serving as a bridge between the 600 student organizations and the students themselves, helping them find a community that suits them.

“Being a good artist means you listen to others well,” she says. “I really try and meet and listen to others who are different from me … I have friends who have no idea what I do all day, but who love and support and come to every single show I’m in … and I love that about Auburn.”

This energetic, interconnected outlook on Emma Grace’s Auburn experience would not have been possible without the assistance of the theatre department.

“Being able to have that scholarship from the theatre department not only gave me a huge sense of confidence and excitement that the department was hopeful to have me join the program, but also really helped me financially be able to cover out-of-state tuition.”

Emma Grace emphasizes that the incredible amount of support she received from Auburn made her feel bold enough to step outside of her comfort zone and cultivate a tight-knit group of people she treasures deeply.

Another student we talked to was Kylia Wheeler, a BFA design/technology major with a focus on scene painting and a member of Auburn’s honor society.

“I want to be a scenic charge artist,” she shares, “especially now that I have a mentor,” she said, explaining that the newest faculty member, Danielle Curtis, is her mentor for scenic painting.

The activities of design/technology majors look a little differently from that of performers.

Kylia is currently assigned to be the assistant scenic designer for the department’s first production in the fall of 2026, Men on Boats. However, these opportunities are only possible with assistance from departmental scholarships.

As a first-generation college student, Kylia said, “I definitely feel like [the department scholarship] helped me not have to worry about money and I can just be here and practice my craft … I don’t have to spend as much time worrying about, like, ‘Do I have money to pay my bills?’ ‘Do I have money to keep being at this school?’ I can just be here and be present.”

Sometimes, support from the university and the Department of Theatre and Dance becomes the reason that a student chooses to attend.

Anna Beth McSpadden is a junior BFA performance major with a double major in public relations. Her “Why Auburn” story takes many winding roads and considerations.

She says, “I auditioned at UAB, and I was also thinking about Webster … so I was kind of looking at a few different spaces. Also, my family have always been Alabama fans. I had never really considered Auburn as an option before.”

It was the beauty of Auburn’s campus and infectious football game atmosphere that made her realize Auburn was even an option; her idea of “wow, this campus is pretty cool” became “Auburn ended up being the one that had both a really great program, but also I was able to go because of the scholarship they gave me.”

Receiving a departmental scholarship her freshman year was a huge relief. Anna Beth spoke of not having to worry about where money was going to come from for textbooks and other necessities; she could instead focus on being a “sponge,” absorbing the work Auburn artists do and figuring out how to apply it to her own work in film and theatre.

Lastly, we asked Patrick Barnett, a soon-to-be-graduating senior in BFA musical theatre, about what takeaways he will carry from his Auburn experience into the professional world. He says that theatre fundamentally changed his perspective on life.

“I used to be kind of shy. In high school, theatre was not something that I thought I wanted to do … But Mr. Kimper, my high school theatre teacher, always said, ‘Go big — who cares what people think?’”

And then in college, when he encountered professors Andrew Schwartz and Abdul-Khaliq Murtadha, he was taught to “trust in the work. And trust that what I’m doing is important and what I’m saying matters, and trust that the performances I put on are impactful. I have a gift, and that is a blessing in itself to not take it for granted.”

These profound truths have ultimately shaped how he views the world and views art.

“For me, I just really like to entertain people,” he says. “That’s the biggest thing. I mean, if I could do it for free I would. I love to entertain people and make them smile.”

Tags: Theatre and Dance