This episode is the first in a short series featuring some of our graduating seniors, talking to them about their time at the University of Mississippi and within the Department of Theatre & Film. Our first guest in this series is Gianna Schuetz, a Huntsville, Alabama native who came to the university to pursue a complicated dual degree in Managerial Finance and Theatre Arts. Along the way she got involved in just about everything she could—including nearly every departmental production, student government, and our student theatre organization, Ghostlight Repertory Theatre.
Our guest today is graduating senior Gianna Schuetz, a Huntsville, Alabama native who came to the university to pursue a complicated dual degree in Managerial Finance and Theatre Arts. Along the way she got involved in just about everything she could—including nearly every departmental production, student government, and our student theatre organization, Ghostlight Repertory Theatre.
The Department of Theatre & Film is grateful for its patrons and corporate sponsors. As a department we are committed to the high quality instruction that our students receive. Investing in the students’ education and these quality productions helps us move toward our common goal of graduating successful, creative adults who are lifelong learners. If you are interested in contributing to these efforts, please visit https://umfoundation.givingfuel.com/theatreandfilm.
Announcer
From the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hi everyone, welcome back to Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
I'm your host Katherine Stewart and for the next few episodes we are going to be catching up with some of our graduating seniors talking about their time in the Department of Theatre and film and at the University of Mississippi, and finding out what they're going to be doing next.
Katherine Stewart
The first student we're going to visit with is Gianna Schuetz.
Katherine Stewart
She came to the University of Mississippi from Huntsville, AL, and she picked the program here because it allowed her to put together a pretty innovative dual degree combining business and theater arts.
Katherine Stewart
During her time at the University, she has done so many interesting things you're really going to enjoy hearing about them, so stay tuned, and here's Gianna.
Katherine Stewart
OK.
Katherine Stewart
Hi Gianna, how are you today?
Gianna Schuetz
I'm good.
Gianna Schuetz
How are you, Katherine?
Katherine Stewart
I'm doing alright.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thanks for taking the time to visit with me.
Katherine Stewart
Uhm, I was thinking if you wouldn't mind just starting this off by telling us where you're from and how you chose to come to Ole Miss and then how you arrived at your very interesting double major.
Gianna Schuetz
Well so I am Gianna.
Gianna Schuetz
I'm from Huntsville, AL.
Gianna Schuetz
I was born in Virginia.
Gianna Schuetz
Though my dad was in the military and so we moved around.
Gianna Schuetz
Kind of every three years when I was younger.
Gianna Schuetz
So I.
Gianna Schuetz
Lived all up the East Coast.
Speaker 3
Thank you.
Gianna Schuetz
I've lived in California and lived overseas and also in Norway for three years, but then my dad retired in Huntsville, AL when I was in middle school and so that's kind of been my home base ever since.
Gianna Schuetz
Well, I am what I can actually talk about, why she is on this.
Gianna Schuetz
So I did apply to 11 schools.
Gianna Schuetz
Goals and I did all of them and I toured almost five times before.
Gianna Schuetz
I like made my final decision.
Gianna Schuetz
I didn't decide where I was going into like very last minute like at the end of April I had actually like found a roommate on another school and kind of had like.
Gianna Schuetz
Decided on another school and then kind of changed.
Gianna Schuetz
Years last minute to go to Ole Miss.
Gianna Schuetz
I'm a dual degree in managerial finance, computer arts, so I'm a student in both the school business and the College of Liberal Arts.
Gianna Schuetz
Uh, when I was going through like my college search process, I knew that I wanted to have a dual degree and that a lot of schools like they told me I agree to allow people to do a degree like being two different schools or like it was going to take 6 to 8 years or like it just wouldn't be possible or I wouldn't have support, but there was multiple meetings that I.
Gianna Schuetz
I had here with administrators where they like talking through all my car.
Gianna Schuetz
This is I actually had a meeting with Michael and we talked to like what my class schedule would look like.
Gianna Schuetz
Like if this was possible, and so I really felt supported to be able to do what I wanted to do and so now I'm graduating in four years with two degrees, which is really exciting, so this is definitely like the right fit and I felt like really supported.
Gianna Schuetz
It has been a challenging to manage these two degrees.
Gianna Schuetz
My Gen Eds look completely different for the College of Liberal Arts versus the Business School, so it's been like a little bit of stress.
Gianna Schuetz
Sometimes trying to like put my classes in and like figure out what I can.
Gianna Schuetz
Right, but my advisors and professors like really truly supported me and I really felt that going through like the college decision process when I was a senior in high school.
Katherine Stewart
Wow, so it sounds like you were very determined from the beginning to do this kind of dual degree program.
Katherine Stewart
What brought those two things together in your mind and made you interested in doing those at the same time?
Gianna Schuetz
So I was a singer and that was kind of like my passion in the arts.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Gianna Schuetz
Like I took voice lessons for years and years and years.
Gianna Schuetz
But I kind of realized kind of like moving in like my junior and senior year of high school.
Gianna Schuetz
That, like I didn't want to professionally perform.
Gianna Schuetz
That wasn't my thing, like I didn't want to be an actor on Broadway.
Gianna Schuetz
But I really enjoyed math and.
Gianna Schuetz
Numbers and statistics in high school.
Gianna Schuetz
And so I figured that like a business field.
Gianna Schuetz
Really like fit well.
Gianna Schuetz
With what I wanted to do now, when I was a freshman like I fully didn't know like I want to go into like nonprofit financial management.
Gianna Schuetz
I kind of had to like find my way into that.
Gianna Schuetz
But I knew that I wanted to have this.
Gianna Schuetz
Like two different facets, but over the past four years.
Gianna Schuetz
I really kind of found that like non profit financial management is really like mind calling financial Accessibility of the arts is I would say like what I am most passionate about.
Gianna Schuetz
So I want to be able to work to promote financial accessibility within theater companies specifically.
Gianna Schuetz
So it's kind of the melding of my two sides how they've all come together recently.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, that's so cool.
Katherine Stewart
So were there certain experiences you had that that brought that to the forefront of of kind of what you're passionate about?
Gianna Schuetz
So really big one.
Gianna Schuetz
It was all like the work that I've been able to do with Ghostlight Repertory Theatre.
Gianna Schuetz
Ghostlight is our student Run Theatre company on campus and I was really drawn to come here because we have this club or this, you know, organization that I could be involved in.
Gianna Schuetz
You know I can't manage like the budgets and the money for like a University Department.
Gianna Schuetz
Like I, I'm not allowed to do purchasing and stuff like that because it's all like state money and complicated.
Gianna Schuetz
But I was able.
Gianna Schuetz
To like really manage everything for this student company really have like full responsibility for it, so I was.
Gianna Schuetz
The business manager for two.
Gianna Schuetz
Years for I manage all the budgets or Money Box office stuff.
Gianna Schuetz
All the purchasing fund raising everything like that.
Gianna Schuetz
And then this year I'm serving as the Executive Director.
Gianna Schuetz
So like from those experiences and like true like working and doing exactly what I want to do or like yes, like this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
Gianna Schuetz
So I was really able to like get that experience and see like OK, yes, this is what I want to do.
Gianna Schuetz
This is what I can do and then kind of like learn the ropes in that set.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, so Speaking of seeking out specific experiences that would allow you to maybe carry something forward into your career you've been involved with a lot of things in the Department you're a part of.
Katherine Stewart
Almost every show, usually as either stage manager or lighting design.
Katherine Stewart
Those are kind of the two things that you've hit on and done a whole lot.
Katherine Stewart
Where did those interests come from?
Gianna Schuetz
Well, OK, well I was.
Gianna Schuetz
I came in in my theater degree that I really like.
Gianna Schuetz
I was taking a lot of acting classes and musical Theatre classes and I was an understudy for zombie prom for show my freshman year.
Gianna Schuetz
But for I think it was for stagecraft.
Gianna Schuetz
Freshman year.
Gianna Schuetz
I had to work on a show and so.
Gianna Schuetz
I work spotlights for Chicago and I really enjoyed that.
Gianna Schuetz
That was in the fall and then in the spring semester my freshman year I started working as like a paid employee with the electric steam.
Gianna Schuetz
So I'm kind of like worked in electric since fall semester of my freshman year.
Gianna Schuetz
You know, I really didn't expect that, but I had like 1 experience working on a show for a weekend and really enjoyed it.
Gianna Schuetz
Also, I really like math and lighting.
Gianna Schuetz
Design is a lot of math.
Gianna Schuetz
It is a lot of like angles and measuring stuff.
Gianna Schuetz
Michael Barnett.
Gianna Schuetz
Is my advisor he really like to push me, so like I feel like this might be something that you really might be interested in and I really did enjoy it.
Gianna Schuetz
I really, really do enjoy lighting and working in electrics, and I've mainly because of the map that's really entertaining, but then I.
Gianna Schuetz
Was it like I think that like management and organization is something I'm really strong with?
Gianna Schuetz
So I wanted to like my toes in stage management as well.
Gianna Schuetz
I think it's important like in what I want to do.
Gianna Schuetz
I wanted to be able to like touch all aspects of the theater like I've been able to like, stage manage lighting design.
Gianna Schuetz
I've taken a scenic design class.
Gianna Schuetz
You know I've taken.
Gianna Schuetz
History classes the dramaturgy classes.
Gianna Schuetz
So I've really been able to like touch all parts of the theater and not just like focus on one thing, which I think is going to be really helpful when I'm one day hopefully managing my own company that I understand everything and how everything works.
Katherine Stewart
So that was about to be my next question.
Katherine Stewart
What how are you going to bring all this together into the future?
Katherine Stewart
Like what is your ideal role that you can do with all this?
Gianna Schuetz
I guess like short term, my like dream job is to be the director of Finance for a theater company.
Gianna Schuetz
But then long term I do want to be like in a more like executive Director position.
Gianna Schuetz
I do have kind of like a very like far reaching goal to have my own company.
Gianna Schuetz
Where all the programming and all the productions are totally flee, and so it's like very, very accessible to audience members.
Gianna Schuetz
No matter like their financial situation.
Gianna Schuetz
So that's like my very long term dream.
Gianna Schuetz
But I think in order to be a good manager like you need to be educated in all areas of like what you're managing, you know.
Gianna Schuetz
I would be managing designers, actors,
Gianna Schuetz
The other administrative people you know I need to be able to understand all of that, so I like, really like benefited a lot from the fact that, like for the past four years here, I've really, truly been able to like get my toes into each little bit of like all the things that make like a theater company.
Katherine Stewart
And why is that access to the arts and Theatre important?
Katherine Stewart
Do you think?
Gianna Schuetz
It's so important.
Gianna Schuetz
For words, so everyone like relates to the theater and we talk about how like it is this art that like we cannot access and like we can get on stage.
Gianna Schuetz
Rich and like, emote and then like, reach the audience and like have an emotional connection and enact change.
Gianna Schuetz
But like the reality is, is that like a lot of productions and a lot of companies are very financially inaccessible to most people.
Gianna Schuetz
You know, like I wouldn't be able to like go to New York right now.
Gianna Schuetz
I wouldn't be able to pay to like get a plane ticket or to see one of the shows right now.
Gianna Schuetz
Honestly, and I've seen even like Community theater productions are too expensive for people that hope steps you know.
Gianna Schuetz
So I think it's really important that, like you have a creative financial model that, like you can support access because like.
Gianna Schuetz
If you're not accessible to all people, then you're only affecting a certain amount of people, and like this theater art that we all love and we all like talk about being so impactful is not impacting most people so.
Gianna Schuetz
I really, really, really want.
Gianna Schuetz
To look at like creative financial solutions, there's a lot of like very cool companies.
Gianna Schuetz
Kind of a more modern approach where they have revenues kind of outside of ticket sales.
Gianna Schuetz
A big problem is that like we rely on ticket sales to get revenue for theater.
Gianna Schuetz
For these, but I will say, like with Ghostlight, we have totally free tickets.
Gianna Schuetz
We started that last year and we've utilized other funding sources like we have utilized funding from University departments from the student activity fee from local grants like we've been able to like create totally like take it free revenues.
Gianna Schuetz
So we can have program that's totally free and still have like a very like stable like working income level for our company.
Gianna Schuetz
So it is doable, but that's a very small scale but I hope to be able to like explore that on a bigger scale.
Katherine Stewart
Well, in Speaking of access to theater, this is tangentially related and you have well are still living through feeder in the time of a global pandemic which has dramatically impacted access to theater.
Katherine Stewart
What are some of the interesting or important lessons you've learned throughout this and and how do you think you might carry them?
Katherine Stewart
Forward into your career.
Gianna Schuetz
So I'm actually kind of writing my thesis on this is about like hearing accessibility and how, like with virtual theater it is so easy to just put captions on your productions and stream it.
Gianna Schuetz
It's also a lot more like physically accessible, like I can watch a show now that is, you know, being performed in New York City.
Gianna Schuetz
From my home here in Oxford, so I think like those.
Gianna Schuetz
Just like accessibility, things that have made like virtual theater has made it a lot easier for more people to access the arts that normally wouldn't be able to get into physical theater space and be able to watch and observe.
Gianna Schuetz
And I think that's something that needs to be brought out of this, you know, like virtual theater isn't what we all love to do.
Gianna Schuetz
You know most people.
Gianna Schuetz
Really prefer to be performing to a live audience and like get that energy.
Gianna Schuetz
But I really do think like the virtual component of theater is something that I think it should stick around a little bit like it has proved much more accessible. I've been able to watch so much more theater kind of over the past year from productions in England and in Canada and in New York and then LA, like I've been able to run so much theater because all of it is streaming.
Gianna Schuetz
Right now, and I hope that that doesn't go away like I hope that I'll still be able to like me personally.
Gianna Schuetz
Analysis shows in different location.
Gianna Schuetz
And but I think it's important to maybe look at like having a virtual and in person option going forward.
Gianna Schuetz
That's kind of the thought that's on my mind right now.
Gianna Schuetz
Is allowing that Accessibility still now that people are used to it after the past year, but including that in person component, as we hopefully move back to opening up.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Katherine Stewart
So in addition to being very involved in Theatre, you're also involved with a lot of other things on campus and not part of our Department or part of the Business School, including the Food Bank and the Associated Student body.
Katherine Stewart
And the big event, all the while maintaining your status as a student in the Honors College.
Katherine Stewart
Very ambitious.
Katherine Stewart
You must be exhausted.
Katherine Stewart
I'm I'm just curious what are some of your proudest achievements during your time and almost altogether?
Gianna Schuetz
So while it's been like kind of recent was so I am currently serving as the Treasurer for the Associated Student body, which is our Student Government Association.
Gianna Schuetz
I've been serving since my sophomore year, so I've been doing this for a long time.
Gianna Schuetz
And now, but one of the big things that I do in this position is I work with the team to allocate funding from the student activity fee to registered student organizations on campus. So every student $5 of their tuition goes into this account each semester, and so my job is to get that money to all these organizations.
Gianna Schuetz
While managing all the procurement policies and purchased impulses of the University, so this was created in 2015 and there is a big proposal that was approved by the Institutes of Higher learning and.
Gianna Schuetz
This proposal had not undergone like undergone any like updates or anything, and it wasn't really like fitting what organizations were needing, you know, it was built for organizations in 2015, but you know, like it has been a while since then, and organizations are doing different things on campus. So out of like conversations with different organizations and organization.
Gianna Schuetz
Leaders and administrators.
Gianna Schuetz
I rewrote the proposal, do two things to match it to, like what our campus needed.
Gianna Schuetz
But then also I added like new categories of things that can be fun.
Gianna Schuetz
Did so the two new categories that were added were a diversity equity and inclusion fund.
Gianna Schuetz
So organizations now have kind of a pot of money that they can request for to support diversity, equity, inclusion, programming people within their organization or on campus as a whole.
Gianna Schuetz
And then the other thing was a large scale.
Gianna Schuetz
Funding fund essentially so organizations can submit to get a large amount of money to collaborate with another organization to put on like a big huge event for all of.
Gianna Schuetz
Best So what was funded throughout this semester.
Gianna Schuetz
Two organizations are doing like theory events called Flagship Friday, so they like Late Night Friday programming on the last one was like an escape room, so you can sign up and go and do escape rooms and the person that is really to be like an option for students that like.
Gianna Schuetz
Do not want to say like go downtown or like.
Gianna Schuetz
Go out and drink on a Friday night so it's like adding.
Gianna Schuetz
In that element, campus.
Gianna Schuetz
In giving students there is something to do and then we also funded a huge like engagement week.
Gianna Schuetz
So there's like 6 organizations and each day and organization did a different event in front of the Union.
Gianna Schuetz
And like we wanted students is very fun.
Gianna Schuetz
So over winter break that I had to take it to the senior leadership team and it had to get passed by all the chancellors.
Gianna Schuetz
And the vice chancellors. And it went into effect this spring semester. So that was really exciting. There's some other updates to that were made, like we're now funding about like 20% more full organizations. So like those amounts were increased.
Gianna Schuetz
Uh, but there's a lot of like really exciting updates, and I've already seen like the effects this semester like there's been a lot of funding requested and a lot of organizations are doing like a lot of very cool things, but I guess I'm just like very proud to be able to like help organizations on campus like in their mission of affecting students on campus in a positive way.
Katherine Stewart
Nice congratulations.
Katherine Stewart
Thank you so exciting.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, it's really.
Katherine Stewart
That's really exciting.
Katherine Stewart
So this is a dreaded question for anybody who's about to graduate.
Katherine Stewart
But what are you going to do next?
Gianna Schuetz
So I'm going to grad school up.
Gianna Schuetz
I actually have to make my decision by Saturday, so I'm decision mode.
Speaker 3
Oh my gosh.
Gianna Schuetz
I have 13 schools that I was admitted to, so I have to really like go through and figure out which ones I want to go to, but I will be pursuing a master.
Gianna Schuetz
Arts in arts administration.
Gianna Schuetz
And like really focusing within Peter administration and financial management within theater administration.
Gianna Schuetz
But I'll have an answer on where I'm going this weekend, but I'm still trying to figure it out this week.
Gianna Schuetz
It's like crunch time of like deciding like looking at scholarships and all.
Katherine Stewart
What are the most important factors in your decision?
Gianna Schuetz
So internships some.
Gianna Schuetz
Some programs have like required internships that have a lot more programs, kind of like attaching with internships.
Gianna Schuetz
Obviously like financial aid is a big thing.
Gianna Schuetz
It's scholarships are a big thing.
Gianna Schuetz
I'm really not interested in going into.
Gianna Schuetz
Wanted that right now to go to grad school and then also I really want to be in like a big city.
Gianna Schuetz
So like I have lots of opportunities to like Connect with local like Community organizations, computer organize.
Gianna Schuetz
Options you know.
Gianna Schuetz
Oxford has been wonderful, but I want to like possibly get connected with like a wealth of organizations and really have like a big city experience I.
Gianna Schuetz
Guess for the next two years.
Katherine Stewart
Nice, well good luck with your decision on that.
Katherine Stewart
Thank you.
Gianna Schuetz
It's it's challenging, it's it's a lot to consider.
Katherine Stewart
But it's exciting.
Katherine Stewart
It's and Congrats on getting accepted to so many programs that's wonderful.
Thank you.
Katherine Stewart
Do you have any advice for perhaps an incoming student who might want to consider doing a dual degree program like you did, or even just about our Department in general?
Gianna Schuetz
So I would just for people wanting to do a degree, I just make sure that you have like people on your team that you are very close with.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Gianna Schuetz
So I think it's really important to have advisors that know you that know what you're interested in and you're like very clear and direct and like this is what I want to do.
Gianna Schuetz
I need you to help me to get it done because like.
Gianna Schuetz
The advisors and the professors here are going to help you.
Gianna Schuetz
You just need to tell them that you need the help and you will need the help like there will be many challenging things and like getting your classes and like figuring that out like it will be challenging.
Gianna Schuetz
But if you have the support and you reach out and you get the support, you'll be totally fine.
Gianna Schuetz
You know I I wouldn't have been able to do this without my advisors, and that my professors, but I've been so like very, very lucky to have so much support from, like all corners that like that has really gotten me like where I am.
Gianna Schuetz
So I just like make sure that you have people in your corner and then just like.
Gianna Schuetz
You know what you wanna do?
Gianna Schuetz
You know it is hard.
Gianna Schuetz
There's kind of like oh, the place where I feel like something that like was a strength of mine is that I knew what I wanted to do and so I've been able to kind of like tunnel vision and get everything done that I needed to get done and like push like all like unnecessary things or something like.
Gianna Schuetz
I have truly been able to focus on like what I wanted to do academically because I knew what I wanted to do for the Department wise get to know the teachers and get to know your peers.
Gianna Schuetz
It's really hard not to.
Gianna Schuetz
The Department is very small, which I really think is like the biggest like.
Gianna Schuetz
Best thing about the Department.
Gianna Schuetz
You know, I'm on texting basis with so many of my team.
Gianna Schuetz
There's it's really like a very, very small, well knit like very close group of people.
Gianna Schuetz
Also eat your lunches and I some.
Speaker 3
Yeah.
Gianna Schuetz
Big thing everyone always eats their lunch.
Gianna Schuetz
On the floor of ice and we didn't get to this year because obviously we had to like be distanced and ice is getting renovated, but.
Gianna Schuetz
I think it's back to normal like between the hours of 11 and one if you have a lunch break, don't eat in the Union in a nice home.
Gianna Schuetz
It's very important you will see everyone and have wonderful conversations come.
Thank you.
Katherine Stewart
Good advice.
Katherine Stewart
That's good advice.
Katherine Stewart
OK, last question.
Katherine Stewart
I'm thinking about your time specifically in the Department of Theatre and Film.
Katherine Stewart
Can you share a favorite memory?
Gianna Schuetz
Wait, wait, this is a hard question, uhm?
Gianna Schuetz
I think I have to OK the first one.
Gianna Schuetz
I think it's that.
Gianna Schuetz
FCTC my sophomore year Uhm SCT like a ton of students like, went to asked and there was one night where we all just like hanging out with all their professors.
Gianna Schuetz
And it was just so fun.
Gianna Schuetz
And that's my first memory.
Gianna Schuetz
And then my second memory is.
Gianna Schuetz
I think doing.
Gianna Schuetz
The Scottish play in the Ford Center.
Gianna Schuetz
UM, the Ford Center is such a beautiful space and getting able to like sit and like experience that show like in that space.
Gianna Schuetz
That is something like that's like one of the productions.
Gianna Schuetz
I'm always going to remember and like I'm always gonna remember like sitting in on that.
Gianna Schuetz
I was the light board operator or the programmer.
Gianna Schuetz
So like I programmed like all three TAC, but I will never forget like watching I watch like on a Saturday night.
Gianna Schuetz
And just like watching.
Gianna Schuetz
Like the magnitude of like that production in that space, it was so it was very awe inspiring and very beautiful.
Gianna Schuetz
I I think the power of art is so wonderful like it is so impactful upon both the people in a production, in the audience, watching it, and I felt I felt kind of like both ends of that in that.
Katherine Stewart
That's a great memory.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thank you so much Gianna for taking the time.
Katherine Stewart
Here speak you and congratulations on graduation and good luck with your grad school decision.
Katherine Stewart
I can't wait to hear where you end up choosing.
Gianna Schuetz
Thanks.
Gianna Schuetz
Thank you, I'll have a decision soon.
Katherine Stewart
We'll be following along from here.
Gianna Schuetz
Thank you alright.
Gianna Schuetz
Have a good one.
Katherine Stewart
OK, once again that was Jana shoots class of 2021 getting ready to graduate and head off to grad school. We don't know yet where she's going to go, but we will come back and update the show notes when she makes that decision.
Katherine Stewart
So stay tuned for future episodes, checking in with some of our graduating seniors until next time.
Katherine Stewart
This is Stage & Screen.