It is rare to find the New MU—located in Shilling Hall by Einstein Bros.—empty. These are just a few people who hang out there on a regular basis.

Kathryn Joost, BA Theatre Major and Senior:

“There are a couple of reasons why I chose Millikin. I found that I appreciate the good theatre program they have here, and I also liked that this [school] is a small campus.

From the start, I thought I wanted to do performing, but as time went on, I discovered that I am more inclined toward stage management. I’m still going to enjoy performing, though.

If Millikin students should know anything about me, then I have to say that I may be quiet, but I always have good ideas on how to improve the theatre department. Ideas just pop in as I see what needs fixing.

I’m planning to work as a stage manager a little close to home, around Chicago.”

Brandon Bramwell, Theatre Design and Production Major and Sophomore,

“When I came to Millikin, I loved the campus size and the theatre program. I also loved the teacher-student ratio they have here. I find that having a close connection to the professors here is essential for a great learning environment. I’m even considering teaching after leaving Millikin. I plan on going to grad school to get my degree as a theatre teacher. I’ll probably teach the theatre design aspect of it.

Spending time here, I have acquired a special niche. I’m no English major by any means, but all I really need to say is that I have the receipts. I collect all the dirt I can get my hands on. Just ask anyone I know, and they’ll tell you that I got all the juicy stuff, and I got the evidence to prove it. It works really great for bets. It raises the stakes to a whole new level. Don’t worry, I’ll still be nice to you, though, so don’t worry about it too much.”

Emilio Canals, Musical Theatre major and a sophomore:

“How I got into theatre is a bit of a long story.

Before theatre, I thought about being a bunch of other things. I thought I could be a pianist, or an artist, or a marine biologist. Since my mom had connections to NASA, I thought I could be a robotic engineer. I thought that just because I was so good at math in high school, I would be an engineer. By sophomore year, I realized my true calling was theatre.

Yeah, you can say I’m a late bloomer.

In Virginia, there’s this theater program called LMproject. They come over the summers, and they do a theatre boot camp for a couple of weeks.

There, I met someone named Brian Collier. He was one of the workers of this boot camp, and he was one of my biggest inspirations of my life. He was so talented that I just wanted to be him when I grow up. He’s a successful Broadway star now. He was in Mary Poppins; he was the carpet in Beauty and the Beast. He was even in the national tour of Cats. I figured that I could go to the same college as he did. It’s my destiny to literally be him.

But if there is anything that people at Millikin should know about me is that I am from a fraternal triplet. I’m the youngest of two brothers, and they go to colleges in Virginia. They’re still my brothers and I love them to the moon and back.”