Eastern Connecticut State University

Students from Eastern's College of Business are providing cost-free tax preparation services to local community members through the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) this tax season. The national program offers free tax preparation services through mid-April for households making less than $69,000 annually. This tax season, Windham's VITA location is staffed by 18 student volunteers who provide income-tax preparation services to community members. The students practically apply skills learned in class, having completed IRS tax certification prior to the site's opening.

Audiences explored conflict, protest, and the role of state authority in the Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre's fall 2025 production of "The Burial at Thebes," an adaptation of Sophocles' classic tragedy "Antigone," which was staged in the Proscenium Theatre from Dec. 4 to 7.

Eastern Connecticut State University theatre major Zoe Calhoun '26 (of South Windsor, CT, and Springfield, MA) is having a big senior year. In the fall 2025 semester, she directed two university productions: a reimagination of Jean-Paul Sartre's psychological thriller "No Exit" and a stage reading of "Happening," Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux's biographical account of getting an illegal abortion in 1960s France. Calhoun's work will be recognized at the upcoming Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Albany, NY, from Jan. 27 to 31.

The Department of Music at Eastern showed its latest opera production, "Cinderella," on Nov. 14 and 16 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Concert Hall. This whimsical 60-minute production featured a new English adaptation by Professor Emily Riggs and musical direction by Professor David Ballena, bringing to life Viardot's witty and tuneful take on the timeless story.

The Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University delighted attendees with a one-night, sold-out performance of "No Exit," an existentialist play directed by senior communication and theatre major Zoe Calhoun, on Oct. 30 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Delmonte Bernstein Studio Theatre.

The Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University held showings of the dark comedy "Wonder of the World," written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Professor J.J. Cobb, Oct. 14-19 in the Delmonte Bernstein Studio Theater of the Fine Arts Instructional Center.

The Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University presented its final main stage production of the year with "The Prison That Made America: Women's House of Detention (1932-1974)." Written and directed by theatre Professors Reginald Flood and Alycia Bright-Holland, the show ran from April 24-27 at the Fine Arts Instructional Center Proscenium Theater. The play took viewers behind the walls of the historic Women's House of Detention in Greenwich Village, New York, a neighborhood where Bohemian rebellion and queer culture flourished. The play follows "House of D" residents, some well-known, such as political activists Angela Davis, Afeni Shakur, and writer Andrea Dworkin. The unheard voices of criminalized people were also uplifted through "lesser-known characters such as Charlottle, Virginia, Louise B., and 'Big Cliff' Trundle," said Bright-Holland

The Department of Communication, Film, and Theatre at Eastern Connecticut State University held a one-night sold out performance of "Summerhill," an original play written and directed by senior theatre major Finn McCarty. The play, described by McCarty as a "tragicomedy," was performed on March 28 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Delmonte Bernstein Studio Theatre and told the story of two brothers exploring themes of identity and generational curses.

Six students at Eastern Connecticut State University bound art with prose in art Professor Lora Lee's summer research institute titled "Tell Your Story Through Picture Books." According to Lee, storytellers learned how to plan, write, and illustrate books that reflected their voices and personal stories. "Books are a powerful medium. They allow us to express creativity, connect with like-minded people, and produce something tangible that's fun to make, read, and hold," she said. "I've always been amazed by how creative and unique our students are. They have so many ideas and compelling stories to tell."

Eastern Connecticut State University's Department of Communication, Film and Theatre (CFT) sent 16 students and two alumni to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF), Region 1, from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 at Central Connecticut State University.

The Department of Art and Art History at Eastern opened its biannual Asian Studies Expo in the Fine Arts Instructional Center Art Gallery on Feb. 13 at 3 p.m. Coordinated by art Professor Soojin Kim, the exhibition is a celebration of Asian cultures and topics through a variety of artistic media.

Eastern held two showings of "The Last American Jackrabbit" on Nov. 1, an original play directed and written by students Xsyanni Jackson and Kane Waggoner. The only student-made performance of the fall 2024 semester sold out its evening show and scheduled a matinee performance to accommodate its large audience. Both were held at the Delmonte Bernstein Studio Theater.

This May, students from the Department of Music at Eastern Connecticut State University explored the history of classical music in Vienna, Austria. The 10-day trip was conducted by music Professor Emily Riggs and Lecturer David Ballena as a part of Riggs' "City of Song" global field study course.

Fall holidays will get a bright boost in Willimantic with digital billboard images designed by Eastern Connecticut State University graphic design students. Two students, seniors Megan Raimondo and Devin Slead, had their designs chosen for the Veterans Day billboard. The 13 students in the class submitted their designs to a town-wide vote, and the top two choices were chosen for display on the big screen.

Eastern Connecticut State University music students had a strong showing in recent statewide student auditions held by the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

The Chamber Singers from Eastern Connecticut State University toured Puerto Rico during spring break this past March, where they gave three live performances and relished a week in the Caribbean.

Ten Eastern Connecticut State University theatre students travelled to Hyannis, MA in January to participate in the 55th Annual Kennedy Center's American College Festival. Students spent the weekend presenting research and creativity-based activities, performing, and participating in workshops.

The opera studio at Eastern Connecticut State University presented Engelbert Humperdinck's classic fairytale opera "Hansel and Gretel" on April 1-3 in the Fine Arts Instructional Center (FAIC) Concert Hall. The production was directed by Music Professor Emily Riggs with musical direction by David Ballena.

Ten students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Music Program performed "Romance and Revenge: Love at the Opera" on Feb. 12 at the National Opera Center in New York City.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Theatre Program opened the spring 2022 semester with "Sweet Flag" from March 1-6. Written and directed by Theatre Professor J.J. Cobb, the story follows the lives of women living in the Nebraska Territory in 1866.

Twenty-two students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Chamber Singers and Opera Workshop ensembles performed in a spring tour March 12-17. Led by music professors David Belles, Emily Riggs and David Ballena, students traveled to Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C., where they performed in multiple venues and participated in workshops, sightseeing and team-building exercises.

Four students from Eastern Connecticut State University's Music Program recently performed in the 2022 College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) Eastern Division Intercollegiate Band. The conference took place Feb. 18 - 19 in Baltimore, MD, at Johns Hopkins University.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Anayeli Arroyo Aguilera has won a design challenge for the non-profit Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art and Performance (EC-CHAP) in Willington. Arroyo Aguilera competed against fellow Eastern students in her graphic design class to create a visual brand for EC-CHAP.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Theatre Program presented its first production of the fall semester on Oct. 19-24 in the Proscenium Theatre. Directed by Theatre Professor Darcy Parker Bruce, "The Place That Made You" takes audience members through an altered narrative of a famous Bible story.

The Theatre Program's final production of the year, "Cultivating Dignity," was an innovative collaboration based on Martin Luther King Jr.'s summer working on a tobacco farm in Simsbury, CT. The historical piece was adapted for film and available online.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Samantha Warshauer '22 performed at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 9 in a benefit concert for the non-profit organization Music for Change, which promotes diversity and inclusivity in music and theatre.

Eastern Connecticut State University's Music Program held its annual Honors Recital and Award Ceremony on April 16.

Seven students from the Music Program at Eastern Connecticut State University recently competed in the Connecticut chapter competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS).

Eastern Connecticut State University's Theatre Program presented its second production of the year, "Blood at the Root," for two weekends between March 19 and March 28. The virtual show, which streamed online, was directed by three students and supervised by Theatre Professor DeRon Williams.

Eastern Connecticut State University senior Capri Agresta '21 was accepted into a fine arts master's program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a full-tuition waiver and fellowship. Agresta will pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Scenic Technology beginning in fall 2021.