My Personal Statement by

I. My Interests & American Aesthetics

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-26 23:38:32 UTC

I think many different ideas and mediums influence the way I think about my art and other peoples' art. There's a certain grit (or maybe genuineness) that many well-known American artists portray through their work, regardless of the medium. I generally like paintings, plays, books, sculptures, etc. that are simple but also complex in the way that catches your eye. Of course, outside of the realm of art, my many other interests influence my artistic approach. My interest in politics contextualizes my ingestion and creation of art/media. My skills as a journalist pique my interest in genres like documentary theatre. The most interesting stories to me are the ones that have actually happened. That's one reason why I chose to emphasize my studies in dramaturgy. I love deep-diving into the real world behind these plays.

II. A Genuine Feeling

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-26 23:59:31 UTC

I also really enjoy art that captures a feeling that you can't even put into words. Like when you see an amazing photograph that strikes you and you're left speechless. Noah Baumbach's movie "Frances Ha" is a great example of this. It follows Frances (played by Greta Gerwig) as she navigates early adulthood in New York City. That's honestly the best way to describe it. The first time you watch it, it doesn't feel like there's any plot, but by the end of it, you know what the film is about and you feel fulfilled. I would love to tell stories like "Frances Ha," that reflect life so much it doesn't even feel like a story.

I. Photography

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:13:12 UTC

Photography has been my primary artistic interest as of late. There's something about a well composed image that just scratches the brain. It's also a skill that transfers well to theatre, especially when staging and light designing. I honestly feel like I enjoy looking at photos more than I do taking them. Instagram feeds my hunger for good photos, especially since good photography books are too expensive. I love a photo's ability to transport you to a place like this one above. I'll add one of my favorite photos I've taken that I feel achieves the same effect.

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:15:48 UTC

I took this photo in Lincoln, New Mexico. I really enjoy all of the aspects of this photo. The way the mountains are lit, the white picket fence, and the pine tree next to the church all complement the subject of the photo so well. I took this photo when I was in high school. Since then, I took at least a two year hiatus from photography. When I got back into it, I found a love for film photography again. This photo was taken on Kodak 400TX.

II. Multimedia, Journalism and Theatre

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:22:06 UTC

The intersection of all three of these things intrigue me so much. When you view it as a triangle, you see all the different possibilities. On the multimedia-journalism side, you have all sorts of interesting options: radio reporting, video reporting, social media reporting, web reporting, etc. On the journalism-theatre side you have documentary theatre, which in and of itself comes in many different forms. And then there's multimedia-theatre, in which we've seen a lot of development in the last 10 years or so. I think of recent productions of West Side Story and Sunset Boulevard which had extensive use of cameras that were similar to those used in television or film. What are the limits of this in the theatre? How can we harness to tell stories theatrically?

Network

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:26:12 UTC

I chose the stage adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky's film "Network" because it is the closest thing I've found to involving all three of the concepts in the aforementioned section. I also used this play for a dramaturgy packet as a part of my portfolio for admission.

I. Childish Gambino (Donald Glover)

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:42:51 UTC

I enjoy all of the art that Donald Glover makes. I just always enamored by multi-hyphenate people, like Glover. I love his acting. His music makes me laugh, dance and cry. And his award-winning shows that he's produced have been some of my favorites. I want to tap into all the areas that spark my creative interest, but now it's just so hard to do that because of school and work, etc. I'd love to write, direct, produce, perform, report, etc.

Journalism

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:48:44 UTC

This is probably my favorite article I've ever written. As a Native Hawaiian myself, it was fun getting to deep dive into this and talk with two athletes I love. I hope to continue writing stories like this one in a potential future journalism career.

Documentary Theatre or Theatre Criticism

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:52:17 UTC

If I do end up working in the theatre industry I think I would most likely work in documentary theatre or as a theatre critic for a newspaper. In both ways, I'd be using my theatre and journalism skills. I think it would be fun to go find real stories and find ways to bring them to the stage accurately, compellingly, and in a timely manner. I also really enjoy watching theatre and often times have strong opinions about what I see. A career in either area would be ideal so I could keep both fields close to me.

The Laramie Project

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-01-27 00:57:16 UTC

The Laramie Project is a masterclass in documentary theatre, and it played a key role in the research project I did on documentary theatre last semester.

News Writing

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 05:47:49 UTC

I really like journalism because it gives my creativity direction, kind of like bumpers on a bowling lane. You talk to sources, you tell their story and you don't stray away from it. But within those rules, there's an immense amount of room to play with language, form and perspective. I'm interested in trying to bring together theatre and journalism somehow in my future career. Long-form journalistic projects interest me particularly.

Eli Saslow

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 05:50:00 UTC

Eli Saslow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who's worked for the Washington Post and the New York Times. His journalism brings life to the news, allowing his reader to truly understand the news from the people affected by it. This is some of the best journalism, in my opinion.

Exploring Multimedia Reporting

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 05:53:44 UTC

Before starting college, my understanding and practice of journalism was limited to newspaper writing. My freshman year at UT, I started on my journalism degree. One of the first classes I took was "Digital Storytelling," which forced me to learn new journalistic storytelling methods. We practiced video and audio journalism, which forced me to stretch my brain as a storyteller. It's not just the words: what are the visuals? how about the soundscape? Through my studies of these techniques, I'm excited to expand my horizons journalistically. I'm also interested in how theatre artists can incorporate multimedia into their work. Productions of "Network" from Ivo Van Hove and the recent West End revival of "Sunset Boulevard" come to mind.

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 05:55:57 UTC

This is one of the projects I made in Digital Storytelling. It's essentially a little brief like you'd hear on NPR. My professor, Robert Quigley, described audio journalism as "theatre for the mind." I definitely agree with him!

A Native Hawaiian in Texas

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 06:01:55 UTC

My mom was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and her grandmother (or great grandmother) was 100% Native Hawaiian. Growing up, my mom always took pride in her Hawaiian identity, and that definitely rubbed off on my siblings and me. But there aren't many Hawaiians that live in Texas, so as I got older, it was harder for me to stay connected to that part of my identity. I continue to want to learn more about my culture, but it's hard to truly dive in with busy schedules and an ocean's divide.

Hawaiian Arts & Merrie Monarch

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 06:12:02 UTC

The Merrie Monarch Festival happens every year in Hilo, Hawaii. It's a hula and Hawaiian arts festival to celebrate Hawaiian culture and King Kalakaua, the Merrie Monarch, who promoted his people and their culture.

Diving Deep into Hawaiian Arts

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 06:14:26 UTC

Another realm of artistic interest is Native Hawaiian arts, especially its theatre, dance and ritual. I would love to go to Hawaii to be able to really immerse myself in it. The University of Hawaii at Mānoa has a MFA program in Hawaiian Theatre, which piques my interest. I would love to see how one could incorporate Native Hawaiian artistic practices in the mainland arts industry and scene.

Theatre in 'Ōlelo Hawai'i

aaronsullivan2 — 2024-02-22 06:18:06 UTC

This is an article about UH's Hawaiian theatre program and how its students write plays in Hawaiian. I'm hoping to learn some Hawaiian over the summer, and would love to get my hands on these manuscripts to aid my learning!