# data[].attributes.body
Another Project that I was a part of in my second semester this year was that of a cast member in the Cohen New Works Festival. The specific project that I was a part of was the Song of the Damned: An Infernal Musical. It was a great show in which I was very fortunate to be a part of. The show was a totally student run and organized piece, as were most that were a part of The Cohen New Works Festival. The Show was intriguing all the way from auditions, as we sang beautiful jazz melodies with just a hint of context. There was a particular mystique to this show that I wanted to explore from the beginning. And that we did, as we dived into the Hellish reality of a show set in Dante’s Inferno. Yet there was still a lot of beauty in the show thanks in no small part to the incredible work of Ethan Lao, the composer of the show’s score. The Whole show has this beautiful smokey dark jazz theme, with a few beautifully distinctive solos, and a wild number called Method to the Madness. This musical showcased many personal qualities in my personal statement of the past. I've bettered my understanding of music and dance, which was a net growth in my artistic ability as a whole. I did book work into my characterization and the real poem Dante's inferno. The show was also a portrait of many real world issues, which are good to shed light onto. However one attribute I was able to take away was the joy that is found in collaboration. The cast was just splendid, and it was great to work together to build a whole new show from the ground up. Everyone was persistent in the occasional rise in adviserity, as we were often handed new material and had to work together as a cast to adapt. However in the end it was a great show that was glad to work with others to help create.

# data[].attributes.body
This semester I was enrolled in the production lab class. In this class I would work long hours, typically from 6-10 every day for close to around 3-4  weeks. Once those three weeks are done, the class is essentially done. It is a required course in our curriculum, and as mentioned previously, I decided to take it this semester. It was a later addition to my schedule and I did not originally anticipate taking the class, but as it may have been difficult to get into the class this upcoming fall, I decided not to risk it. So what exactly did we do in this class? Well to summarize briefly, we were responsible for working the tech in one of a few given shows that were slated to take place throughout the spring semester. When I eventually enrolled in class later a few weeks into the semester, I let Communicated that I was going to in fact be in the Cohen New Works Festival, and that I would greatly appreciate that if the show I would work at would be before then or tech week. The Professor for the class Austin Shirley gladly allowed it, and was a great help for the rest of the process. I was fortunate that he was willing to work with myself and others to come to and seek solutions when situations like my own emerged. He also directed us with ease and grace and was overall a great help. To continue on my experience in the class I was soon put into situations that I had no real prior experience in. Fortunately there were people to help me along the way from the beginning, and I would soon adorn the role of being the swing for both of the UTNT shows. Some days I would work the sound booth, some I would do Integrated Media, others I may be a grip. Whatever I worked on I made sure that I put the work in and did what I needed to do. Throughout the entire experience if there were a few takeaways it would be two things. The first is a strengthened work ethic, and the second is a diversification in my skill set in tech-theater. Both of which I am glad to have gained and the entire experience was one of growth.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Photo from my high school's production of Bright Star where I am playing Jimmy Ray.

# data[].attributes.body
My Name is Connor Burk, and I am Pursuing a BA performer’s Process Major at The University of Texas at Austin. I arrived at the University last Fall and am finishing up my final semester in my first year. I come from Plano Texas, which is a suburb of Dallas. Plano is basically the essence of what a suburb is, and felt in a way self-composed. However I still do love it, as it was where I was born and raised and keep so many memories.

A wealth of said memories were made in the theater. I began Theatre officially in the 6th grade, as that year I took my first class. I immediately fell in love with the medium, and did my best to be as involved in it as I could while maybe still not even knowing for what reason other than personal enjoyment of the fun shows and community. When High school rolled around I continued this same path, however during my time there I began to first discover the depth that theater had. I became introduced to technique, and better ways to prepare. I was fortunate to play many great roles during my time in High School, and build friendships. These friends and I even put on multiple shows in the summers, which were all wonderful experiences.

After some time Senior year would arrive, and I definitely decided that I would pursue Theatre in college. I went through the Auditioning process for multiple schools, and was accepted here at UT. I committed shortly after I learned the news, and looked forward to the next chapter of my life. I arrived in the fall of 2022, and I have loved it since I got here. It is an excellent school, and I have had many wonderful professors and have made many great friends. This Second Semester was particularly packed, as I was enrolled in production lab class, and was in the Cohen New Works Festival. Overall I am more than satisfied with my time spent here so far and look forward to coming back once again this fall.