Dance MFA Students Turn Research into Performance 

UpStart is an experimental project choreographed, researched, and performed by Dance MFA students at the Peck School of the Arts. Each performance reflects deeply personal themes and self-exploration by the individual artists. Led by dance professor and graduate program director Maria Gillespie, the project features eight first- and second-year MFA students, each taking a unique approach to their work. The performances also include dancers from both UWM and the Milwaukee dance community.

PSOA Convocation is a celebration of artists and arts advocates

PSOA ended its 2025 school year by hosting Convocation, a ceremony held to celebrate Peck School of the Arts graduates receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The ceremony featured live performances and showcases from each department, spotlighting what students have accomplished …

Original dance by senior PSOA student selected for ACDA national conference 

Senior dance student Megan Holzhauer visited Washington, DC, to present her original choreographic work, “BEHIND THAT GLEAM,” at the 2025 National College Dance Festival hosted by the American College Dance Association (ACDA). Held every two years, the festival showcases the nation’s …

UWM hosts Spring 2025 Senior Screenings at the Union Cinema

After a year of work, graduating students in the Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres will screen their senior thesis films on the big screen to crowds of family, friends, faculty, and fellow students. The annual event is …

Complex staging brings “Curious Incident” to life for PSOA Theatre Department’s season closer

The Peck School’s 2024-25 theatre season ends this week with “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” a critically acclaimed Tony and Olivier Award-winning play. Directed by Ralph Janes, the production integrates advanced technical elements, including suspended televisions, surrounding projection screens, live body-camera feeds and a thrust stage cleverly transformed into an in-the-round configuration.

Guest choreographer Katy Pyle brings a fresh and positive approach to ballet to Springdances 2025

Springdances: Revel & Reckon opens on Thursday, April 24, and features work from NYC-based artist and choreographer Katy Pyle alongside UWM Dance faculty. Pyle is an accomplished dancer and the founder of Ballez, a New York City ballet company that restages classical dances to promote LGBTQ+ narratives. Pyle visited UWM in the spring semester to work with our dance students ahead of Springdances. Springdances proved to be a perfect opportunity for Pyle to reset a work they created during the pandemic, which was previously only presented via livestream from an empty theater.

docUWM documentary among the many PSOA connections to Milwaukee Film Festival lineup

Several alums and faculty are screening films this spring as part of the 2025 edition of the Milwaukee Film Festival. The Peck School of the Arts is excited to highlight the incredible work that our filmmakers and artists are bringing to the Milwaukee community. We’ve rounded up some PSOA connections among the festival selections.

Student-run MUFF gives film students experience in the business of the arts

The UWM Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres will present the Milwaukee Underground Film Festival (MUFF) this week. One of PSOA’s most popular courses in the film program, MUFF is a student-run film festival devoted to screening independent, artist-driven films. Not only does MUFF provide an opportunity for filmmakers to gain exposure in the Milwaukee film community, but it also offers students experience in the business side of the arts.

Theatre student Josh Thone competes as top ten finalist in national vocal competition in New York City

Theater student and PSOA Arts Ambassador Josh Thone took to the Lincoln Center in New York City to compete in the American Pops Orchestra (APO) NextGen National Vocal Competition Finals. His performance was the culmination of a successful competition period with APO. Out of 250 applicants, Thone was among only ten students selected to perform in the competition in January 2025. The performance took place at the Lincoln Center and was livestreamed to thousands watching online.

Three music students share what excites them most about performing in Mozart opera 

This weekend, the UWM Music Department will present Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaro (edited by Ludwig Finscher) at the Zelazo Center’s Bader Hall. With a wide array of student performers and live accompaniment by UWM’s Symphony Orchestra, there is a lot for audiences to be excited about. We caught up with three members of the cast to learn more about what excites them most about performing in this production.

Behind the scenes with assistant directors of “The Ballad of Maria Marten”

The UWM Department of Theatre’s next production, “The Ballad of Maria Marten,” opens this week and was directed by Robin Mello (Professor, Theatre). Elizabeth Riley and Ambrose Schulte, both juniors, served as Assistant Directors. This experience included Mello connecting her student directors with Beth Flintoff, the playwright. Riley and Schulte are aspiring directors who came to PSOA with a love for theatre.

Master’s clarinet student performs Bitsch selection with UWM Symphony

Last month, the UWM Symphony Orchestra performed in the Zelazo Center featuring clarinetist and first year master’s student Mauricio Franco. This concert served as the culmination of Franco’s achievement in the 2024-25 Concerto Competition held at the Peck School. Concerto …