SEMO Students Gain Career Insight From Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Martyna Majok

Majok, who won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Cost of Living," has written plays including "Ironbound," "Sanctuary City" and "Queens." Her work also includes the librettos for "Gatsby: An American Myth," with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett, and "Girl, Interrupted," with music by Aimee Mann. Her work has been produced on stages across the world.

For SEMO students, having an artist of Majok's caliber spend time with them provided an opportunity to ask questions, hear about the realities of a professional career and learn directly from someone who has built a career in the industry.

"Guest artists are so beneficial when it comes to our education in the theatre community," said Rose Games, a musical theatre student at SEMO. "As aspiring artists in this field, seeing someone so successful like Martyna is inspiring and helps keep us motivated. It is spectacular to learn from professionals that have gone through what we want to go through."

During her visit, Majok spoke with students about the realities of building a career in the arts and answered questions about her own experiences. She said spending time with students is part of the responsibility she feels as an artist who benefited from mentors, teachers and scholarship support throughout her career.

"The Lanford Wilson Festival gives us a chance to bring wonderful professional artists into Dobbins Conservatory, so our students can learn from them directly," said Charles Goforth, assistant professor in of theatre and dance. "Martyna is more than an award-winning playwright. She's a theatre artist of spectacular skill and integrity, and she's generous with what she knows - her methods, her resources, and her stories of struggle and triumph. Any curious student can take something from that. We're grateful to her for being here. This is exactly what we want the festival to make possible for our students, and Martyna's visit has fulfilled that hope beautifully."

Majok said the questions students asked demonstrated their curiosity and seriousness about their craft and their futures.

"When you gather all these young artists, you realize what deep thinkers they are," Majok said. "The craft and heart in making it and their future. They're practical, curious and hungry."

The opportunity reflects the professional connections students can access through the Dobbins Conservatory and its faculty. Through productions, new play development, festivals and other experiences, students work alongside and learn from professional artists while developing the skills needed to pursue careers in theatre and the performing arts.

"You're responsible for your own education," Majok said. "If you are at an institution like this, you have access to professionals, a library, access to classes and education for things that are beyond your concentration or major to expand what's possible in your own vocation. It's a feast of possibility."

For students at SEMO, experiences like this provide a direct connection between their education and the professional world they are preparing to enter. Bringing accomplished artists to campus gives students the opportunity to learn from their expertise, ask questions about the industry and begin building the professional perspective that will carry with them into their careers.

For more information about theatre and performing arts opportunities at SEMO, visit semo.edu/arts-media.

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