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When Rebecca Satzberg ’20 reflects on her favorite memories of her time as a Charger, she remembers working as an audio assistant with the University’s Theater Department on Cabaret in the fall of 2018. This was the first production she was involved with – and it was not her last.

Working on the production enabled Satzberg, a music and sound recording major who minored in theater arts and economics, to meet the crew members she would work with throughout the rest of her time at the University. She went on to be part of the University’s productions of Mr. Burns: A Post Electric Play, The Wolves, Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical, and Elephant’s Graveyard. She served in a variety of roles, including Foley artist, projectionist, and sound engineer.

“I realized working in theater was my place during Cabaret, and that shaped the remainder of my undergraduate career,” said Satzberg, who also served as station manager of WNHU, the University’s award-winning radio station. “I love the challenge that sound design and engineering provide. You plan and design ideas, set up different microphone configurations to find what works best, and then problem solve your way through any challenges that arise.”

Satzberg had planned to work as a sound engineer for a summer stock theater festival in West Virginia, but the event was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. She is now looking forward to beginning the Technical Sound certificate program in the this fall. She is one of several recent graduates, mainstays in the University’s theater program, who are now looking forward to continuing their education this fall.

Sydney Guye ’19, who earned degrees in theater arts and history, served in many different roles in several University productions, working with Satzberg on productions such as Cabaret. A member of the University’s Honors program, she was also part of the Theater Club, serving as stage manager of the club’s production of Almost, Maine.

Since graduating, she has taken part in three internships in off-Broadway or general theater production companies. She is looking forward to beginning her MFA in dramaturgy at this fall, and she eventually hopes to become an artistic associate and, eventually, the artistic director of a theater company.

“The Theater Program at the University of New Haven prepares students for the real theater world and makes sure we're ready to join the world as working artists,” said, Guye, who hopes to work as a literary manager for a nonprofit or off-Broadway theater. “When leading the program, Jonathan Yukich and Meg Savilonis gave us chances to explore new opportunities and find our niche, as well as opportunities to run certain aspects of productions on our own. This helped me prepare for life after graduation, knowing what I wanted to do and having the skills to do it.”

Rose-Emma Lambridis '20, who also earned a degree in theater arts, was an active member of the University community. A member of the University’s NAACP chapter, PRIDE Club, and Theater Club, she was devoted to promoting equality and inclusion – something she also focused on in her theater work. She says working on a student-written piece titled "Crisis: A Performance about Race from 1915 to 2015,” the first stage production she was part of at the University, sparked her interest in social and political issues.

Lambridis, who also worked on shows in New York and New Haven, is now shifting her spotlight to focus on film and television. She will be moving to Boston to begin her MFA in screenwriting at this fall, and she hopes to bring more underrepresented stories to film and television.

“��ɫAV of New Haven’s theater program provided a creative outlet for me to explore my artistic abilities,” said Lambridis, who was part of several University productions, including The Wolves and As You Like It. “All of the professors I worked with encouraged me to, above all, foster unwavering confidence in myself.”