FuzzPop Workshop collaborated with PSOA and Wild Space Dance Company to create “Radiant Echoes,” an interactive art installation for Summerfest 2026.
Travis A. Knight (BFA 2007, Theatre) will make his Broadway debut this August in Paranormal Activity, the stage adaptation of the 2007 horror film. Knight, who previously appeared in the production’s pre-Broadway engagements, reprises his role as James for the Broadway run.
Film lecturer Jeffery Kurz and alum Chiké Johnson (BFA 2000, Theatre-Acting) played key roles in filmmaker Nathan Deming’s new feature, Winter Hymns. Kurz served as an executive producer on the film, while Johnson portrays Father Greg, a priest grappling with questions of faith and mortality. The film was positively reviewed by Film Threat.
Alum Joshua Schmidt (BFA 1999, Music Composition & Technology) was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play. He earned this honor for his sound design of The Manhattan Theatre Club’s adaptation of Tracy Lett’s “Bug,” which made its Boradway premiere at the Samuel J. Freidman Theatre last February.
Theatre faculty members Dana Rochester (BFA 2008, Theatre) and Jason Orlenko (BA 2008, Theatre Studies) were spotlighted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during teacher appreciation week for their commitment to their craft and dedication to their students.
The Madison Classical Guitar Society selected Guitar Foundation of America winner and UWM alum Leonela Alejandro (BFA 2020, Music) to perform at Madison’s Overture Center on April 28. Madison Classical Guitar Society president Christopher Allen spoke about the selection on WORT 89.9.
Historian Clayborn Benson (BFA 1987, Film) returns to his alma mater to deliver the commencement speech at UWM’s 2026 spring graduation ceremony on May 17. Because of his work’s impact on the community, Benson will receive an honorary degree during the ceremony.
BFA Dance student Pharria Jones and alum Corynn Latta (BA 2025, Music) take part in “Satin Jazz,” an event honoring the rarely talked about origins of the jazz genre. Hosted by the Milwaukee County Historical Society, the performance serves to honor the history of Milwaukee’s Bronzeville community.
A review from BroadwayWorld highlights the success of the first-time collaboration between Skylight Music Theatre and the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts in A Rockin’ Midsummer Night’s Dream, with particular praise directed at the UWM student performers.
Two artists with ties to UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts are among those named 2026 Fellows by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Simone Ferro, professor emerita of dance at UWM, and James DeVita, an alum of UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, are among 16 individuals honored this year.
A recent feature from WUWM 89.7 FM highlights the influence of Black women artists and leaders across Milwaukee’s cultural landscape, including figures connected to the Peck School of the Arts. The story, released as part of the Black Sage series, …
Winterdances 2026: Resilience was the culmination of Care: Illuminating Milwaukee’s Queer and Trans Community, a multi-year, community-based dance research project led by acclaimed choreographer and guest artist David Roussève and Maria Gillespie. It garnered significant media attention.
A recent Milwaukee Magazine wedding guide featured UWM alums Gabriella Cisneros (BFA 2018, Film) and Caleb Peavy (BFA 2019, Film), who began their love story when the two met at PSOA’s Visual Arts & Film Equipment Room, where Peavy previously worked. In the Milwaukee Magazine article by …
Regional art publication Artdose Magazine has released its annual 10 Artists to Watch list for 2026, featuring several artists connected to the Peck School of the Arts. Among those highlighted are ceramics faculty member Michael Ware, current MFA sculpture candidate Geornica Daniels, and alumni Kaden Van De Loo (BFA 2020, …
Ty Williams (BFA 2020, Film), alum and Black Lens curator for Milwaukee Film, spoke with Cinebuds hosts Kristopher Pollard and Dori Zori about the theme for his next program: “Afrofuturism: Fates Beyond Fiction.” The series includes four full-length films and two shorts that explore genres like comics, …
