Blog Post Written by Marcela Moyano
Over the course of the spring 2024 term, United International College Communications and Mass Media undergraduate students learned about the appreciation of theater and the world of performing arts. The course was taught by Prof. Joey Ashley.
Students were challenged to understand different identities through the lens of performing art by diving into character study. Students underwent deep learning into a character’s traits and personality to understand why characters act the way they do.
Overall, this study revolves around a protagonist’s hopes, dreams, desires, challenges, fears, and life path. Each student had the opportunity to choose a pre-existing monologue from a film/TV show/stage or any published media – that they identified with, and to carefully examine the character of that monologue through their own cultural lens.
“I was in awe and so very proud of how well devoted each student committed to the art of theater. The students truly connected to their characters, and this transparently showed in their remarkable live performances. This was an opportunity for non-acting students to challenge their own identities by stepping outside their perspectives into another’s point of view of understanding.” – Prof. Joey Lamar Ashley
On Tuesday, April 16, 2024, students performed their monologues at the Int’l Voices of Theater at the J. Alberto Moyano Auditorium to an audience composed of UIC students, faculty, and local entrepreneurs, friends of UIC. Prior to the performance, students were anxious, as for the majority of them, this was the first time they were acting in front of an audience.
“I’m Valerie Seguin from France. Today, I invite you to join me on a journey of celebrating the spirit of women. Through this monologue, let’s explore their strength, resilience, and determination in the face of life’s challenges. Thank you for being part of this performance. Let’s begin” was the opening line of Valerie Seguin who interpreted a parody monologue of Wonder Woman.
Students who performed their monologue piece were:
Valerie Seguin – Wonder Woman
Anthony Monroy – Iron Man
Abdul Haseeb – Vern, the Haunted Manor
Sa Sa Wu – Ana in Frozen 2013
Kiril Ilchuk-Sonic the Hedgehog
Martha Rodriguez – Gloria in Barbie 2023
Edward Espinoza – Games of Thrones
After their performance, there was a Q&A moderated by Prof. Ashley in which students had the opportunity to voice their experience as they prepared for this act and their post-performance reactions. Most of them agreed that they had a better outcome when they were faced with the public. They also agreed that they somewhat selected traits of characters that they best identified with. Finally, most of them felt relieved and empowered after the performance. Their anxiety went away after performing and they realized that they had a talent to act that perhaps they didn’t know about. 
“I truly believe each student now has gained a deep appreciation for actors and performing artists from all over the world as it’s not an easy task to perform but it certainly helps to understand the world by knowing we all are different characters living a different story in one interconnected world.” Prof. Joey Lamar Ashley
“It was breathtaking to observe how this performing event brought our UIC students to a higher level of understanding of their own personal struggles and some might have even had some type of katharsis to heal inner wounds or simply empower themselves to keep moving forward to reach their career and personal goals. The magic of theater is simply mesmerizing.” Dr. Marcela Moyano, Communications and Mass Media Program Director.
UIC is proud of the students’ accomplishments. They have unlocked their performing talents.
Learn more about UIC’s Associate’s and Bachelor’s Communication and Mass Media Program
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