UW–Madison’s Department of Theatre and Drama was recently featured on PBS Wisconsin’s “Wisconsin Life” program for its involvement in the Arts Career Exploration Spotlight (ACES) program, a summer initiative designed to introduce high school students to careers in the arts.
The ACES program, based at Madison’s Overture Center, offers hands-on experiences at arts organizations across southern Wisconsin. The goal is to expand students’ understanding of the many professional paths available in creative industries — both on stage and behind the scenes.
PBS spotlighted the students’ recent visit to the Department of Theatre and Drama, where they explored the technical and design aspects of theater production. Robin Fisher, curricular program specialist for the department, noted the wide range of work done behind the scenes: “We do woodworking. We do metalwork. We do painting,” she said, while guiding students through the department’s backstage shop area.
Other program sites included the Chazen Museum of Art, the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, American Players Theatre, and the Madison Youth Arts Center. “There’s this whole ecosystem of careers that you could do that are involved in the arts,” said program counselor Heavyn Dyer-Jones. “I wish that I had a program like ACES when I was in middle or high school to see all the little subgenres of careers that you could even have.”
Ida Balderrama-Trudell, the Overture Center’s director of equity and innovation, noted that ACES also seeks to increase representation in the arts workforce. “Across the country, there are not really enough folks of color who are working behind the scenes in arts and arts administration,” she said. “ACES gives students of color that exposure to types of jobs they might not otherwise encounter.”
Watch the full segment on PBS Wisconsin.