FYPress
Check out these Cavalier Daily and UVAToday articles written about past FYP productions!
Links to original articles embedded in titles.
2024
Emily Pitts | March 31, 2024
Though the show process is strenuous, Swain emphasizes the importance of FYP as a safe space for first years and new transfers creatively and socially, which is the central goal of the program.
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“I wanted to create an environment where so many different people with so many different talents could come together to create something that we could all enjoy, which I think has turned out pretty well in this process so far,” Swain said.
2023
Grace Scott | April 25, 2023
As members of the University community walked into the University’s Student Activities Building last weekend to watch the First Year Players’ production of “Big Fish,” they were met with exposed overhead pipes, cracked tile floors and bare concrete walls. But inside this brick box, the crew dashed around with props, students quickly lined up rows of chairs and the cast’s backstage hubbub swirled around the room. Youthful energy saturated the space, surrounding the audience with anything but stale air.
2022
Sam Saks | November 4, 2022
"Enjoy a riveting display of song and dance while supporting University students by seeing the First Year Players’ production of “Hello, Dolly!” Set to open this fall semester, “Hello, Dolly!” is a great chance to see the sheer talent that exists on Grounds, from acting and playing instruments to creating intricate set designs."
Emily Pitts | August 23, 2022
​“In FYP, we have this sort of corny thing that it stands for ‘Find Your Place,’ but it really is true,” said Isabella Sheridan, director of this semester’s musical and third-year College student. “Everybody who wants to be a part of this community will find a place in it –– be it in cast, pit or tech –– and they will be met with so much support from every member of the organization.”
Julia Ochsenhirt | April 14, 2022
Regardless of the structure of a particular rehearsal, every practice begins with lighthearted warmups unique to FYP.
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"The warmups themselves are a lot of fun and very, very different from what I would have thought,” Guinto-Brody said. “They're super silly and you wouldn't think that they would help with acting or singing, but they do."
2021
Joanna Ashley Clark | September 23, 2021
"‘Curtains’ deeply reflects the values of FYP,” Hill said. “This show is about perseverance and the love for theatre being at the root of all performers … ‘Curtains’ is about falling in love, meeting new people, resolving conflict, solving a mystery and being a show person."
Caroline Challe | April 12, 2021
“I think having a filmed final product is nice because no matter people’s comfort level or ability to get to UVA, they can still access and see what we’re doing,” [Julia] Preston said.
"The troupe has a loyal audience, and Preston hopes the show will bring a bit of normalcy and fun."
2020
Caitlin Woodford | May 14, 2020
“Our show this semester had to be canceled because of the pandemic,” Bryan said. “It was disappointing to not be able to finish and perform the show, but we were able to highlight some of the hard work that everyone in the organization put in through Arts on the Hill, and I am proud of what we were able to accomplish.”
2019
Dan Goff | April 29, 2019
"But just as the creators of the show were not presumably concerned with pleasing the story’s long-dead, original author, so did the members of FYP seem much more invested in entertaining their audiences at the SAB. Once again, they have succeeded, creating a show that’s “damned confusing,” as the Chairman complained at one point, but that’s also undeniably fun.
2018
Kate Granruth | August 27, 2018
"FYP's mission is to foster friendship and bonding experiences between first-years who share a similar set of interests and passions, and so the need to build friendship and community within a cast is as important a part of the FYP experience as putting on a show."
Jackie Leary | March 1, 2018
FYP thrives in production of 'Anything Goes', despite limited space, funding.
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“It’s [the SAB is] really just a concrete box,” Clawson said. “I always love tech week. There’s always a moment where you realized that we’ve turned a concrete box into a theater. It’s kind of incredible.”
2017
Jackie Siegel | April 10. 2017
“One of the best parts about preparing for the show are certainly being able to goof around and make jokes with everyone in the pit during rehearsals and with the organization at large during outside activities and social gatherings,” Davis said. “We bond through the shared stress of tech and show weeks and help each other solve a variety of problems and conflicts that come with that.”
Thomas Roades | December 5, 2017
"It was simply impossible to watch FYP’s production and not have a good time—the cast’s love for the show and for performing was too infectious."
2015
Thomas Roades | December 6, 2015
"All of these wonderful individual performances, supported by a good ensemble, came together to show the audience the meaningful story of a life shaped by all the small things that one rarely stops to consider. Although it was clear from the start that Shepard’s life had taken a turn for the worse, going backwards through time to the hopeful beginnings of his career allowed the show to end on an uplifting, somehow nostalgic note, leaving the audience satisfied. The message was pensive and poignant—should people simply merrily roll along, or should they stop and ask, 'How did we get to be here?'"
