Madison Morrow graduated from the University of Mississippi with dual degrees in theatre arts and general business—in the spring of 2020, when the global COVID-19 pandemic was upending everyone's post-graduation plans. Fast forward a little over a year, and Madison has just finished the first year of a master's program in arts management at Carnegie Mellon University.
Madison Morrow graduated from the University of Mississippi with dual degrees in theatre arts and general business—in the spring of 2020, when the global COVID-19 pandemic was upending everyone's post-graduation plans. Fast forward a little over a year, and Madison has just finished the first year of a master's program in arts management at Carnegie Mellon University.
During this episode, Madison mentioned what a great time she had as assistant director for Chicago. And though Madison most often found herself in the role of stage manager for our productions, she also took a turn as scenic designer for The Wolves, which you can read about here: https://news.olemiss.edu/wolves-delivers-adolescent-reality-soccer/
Madison also mentioned the important role competing in pageants has played in her life—despite the fact that she got into them only recently and somewhat on a whim. Follow along on her journey as Miss Moraine State here: https://www.instagram.com/missmorainestatepa/
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
From the Department of Theater and Film at the University of Mississippi, this is Stage & Screen.
Katherine Stewart
Hi everyone, welcome back to Stage & Screen. I'm your host, Katherine Stewart, and today we're chatting with Madison Morrow. Madison graduated with dual degrees in theatre arts and general business in the spring of 2020, just as a global COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to upend everyone’s post-graduation plans.
Katherine Stewart
Madison just finished her first year of a graduate program in arts management at Carnegie Mellon University. Stay tuned to learn how that program is going and what she intends to do with her advanced degree.
Katherine Stewart
Hey, good morning, how are you?
Madison Morrow
Good, still good.
Katherine Stewart
OK
Katherine Stewart
Good, well thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me again. I'm excited to catch up with you and hear everything that's been going on since the last time we got to catch up.
Katherine Stewart
If you wouldn't mind just to kind of get us going.
Katherine Stewart
Just introduce yourself: who you are, where you're from, and how you got into theater.
Madison Morrow
Yeah, so I am not tomorrow. I am from originally Oklahoma City and then I am now in Pittsburgh and I got into theater at the young age of four years old as a as an actor. And you know, daycare type thing and then just.
Madison Morrow
Kind of kept up with it throughout my years I did it and.
Madison Morrow
I did like classes in elementary school and then whenever I went into middle school and high school I took, you know, theater classes every every year that I could and then finally coming to college.
Madison Morrow
I was just like yes, this is exactly what I want to do. This is the area that I want to be in, and that's kind of.
Madison Morrow
That was it. It's kind of I'd theater journey there.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, great great. So when you came to the University of Mississippi you chose to pursue dual degrees in theater arts and general business.
Katherine Stewart
How did you come up with that combination and what was your plan in studying those two things together?
Madison Morrow
Yeah, so I'm. I've always been kind of ambitious I guess. So whenever I came to Ole Miss, I was given a full ride and so I said I'm going to make the most out of this free tuition. And so I had always had the idea of creating my own theater production.
Madison Morrow
Company, and so I wanted to be able to actually learn the business elements of it and not just the theater side, because the theater side is where all the creativity happens. It's where the love and the.
Madison Morrow
Passion is, but it doesn't really go anywhere. If you can't make any money with it, and so that was kind of my desire to get the dual degree because I wanted to be able to actually add that business and accounting elements to it.
Madison Morrow
So that's why I got a general degree instead of just a specialized business degree because I wanted to be able to.
Madison Morrow
Learn all facets of building a company and making business decisions.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, for sure. So now you are at Carnegie Mellon University. Having just completed the first year of a two year Masters in Arts management program.
Katherine Stewart
How did you arrive at Carnegie Mellon? How did you choose that program? Are there certain things you were looking for or certain things you hope to gain specifically from a masters program?
Madison Morrow
Yes, so I did a lot of research whenever things started really shutting down for good from COVID, I realized that.
Madison Morrow
With the cancellation of my summer job in theater that I was probably going to have to go back to school because there wasn't going to be a lot open and a lot of opportunities for a recent graduate with experience, but not enough like professional experience to be able to land a a decent job that will pay.
Madison Morrow
The Bills, so I went back to school to spend money instead of making money.
Madison Morrow
And I whenever I was doing my research, I was really looking for something unique because I had just come from this wonderful university that had given me so many opportunities to explore all of my interests. You know, to be able to come from a background of theater and business and so.
Madison Morrow
Moving forward, I was looking for something very similar. I didn't just want.
Madison Morrow
Went on an arts management uh theater management degree. I didn't just want something like I wanted a little bit more to be able to continue to expand my my thoughts.
Madison Morrow
My thinking how I it progress as a leader and things like that and Carnegie Mellon really opened up those doors whenever I had.
Madison Morrow
That opportunity.
Madison Morrow
To really like, look into those things because their program is inside of a public policy and information systems college.
Madison Morrow
So it's based in basically technology and I realized like you know, looking forward I was like technology is always going to be.
Madison Morrow
Up and coming. It's always going to be pushing the boundaries of what can happen and what the possibilities are. And so being in a management degree in that kind of environment was something that I.
Madison Morrow
I really looked forward to at Carnegie Mellon and I it was one of those I didn't realize that's what I wanted until I read what they offer and I said, that's exactly it.
Katherine Stewart
Wow, so were there certain experiences that you had as an undergrad that kind of gave you some inklings as to what you might want to do with that degree?
Katherine Stewart
That maybe then you saw at Carnegie Mellon like oh, this is a great opportunity and a good fit.
Madison Morrow
Yeah, I think that, uh, truthfully a lot of the opportunities that I had at Ole Miss, especially with the mentors that I've had, especially Michael and Jared and Peter really just showing me the doors of what anything that I was interested in. I know that I was able to be.
Madison Morrow
A production manager on some of those shows and I realized that that's kind of like the progress that I really wanted to seek out.
Madison Morrow
Was you know moving forward? Like up the ladder, so to speak, of being able to help with artistic direction through ghost light and also through other elements?
Madison Morrow
For the oh Miss Productions going into research stuff like that, I found that.
Madison Morrow
I wanted more of that, and so whenever I had like an informational meeting with admissions at Carnegie Mellon, I brought up these like specific things that I had wanted and they.
Madison Morrow
Gave me a list of everything and how I could really do that and so actually in my first year one of the first classes I took was a research seminar and and that's not something a lot of first years take.
Madison Morrow
But I said this I this is important to me. This is what I want to do and I actually spend an entire semester researching.
Madison Morrow
How to create better user experiences for ticketing softwares and so a little bit different but something I really, really enjoyed and wouldn't have been able to have the opportunity if I had not.
Madison Morrow
Gone back to school.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, sure, so that that leads right into my next question now that you're at the midway point of this.
Katherine Stewart
Masters program what are some of the interesting things you've gotten to learn so far and have have your ideas about what you might do with the grade changed in the last year?
Madison Morrow
So Oh my goodness, telling you right off the bat, a masters degree online is not for the faint of heart.
Madison Morrow
It has definitely been a little bit difficult to try to learn, but they have done such a great job and really cultivating a great curriculum for us online and really trying to keep us engaged and things like that.
Madison Morrow
I've had a lot of variety of classes. I've learned how to code. I have learned about.
Madison Morrow
Of data and Microsoft Access. And like all of these different technologies that I was like, whoa, hold on, I have a stage manager.
Madison Morrow
I don't need to know this stuff, but it's been really, really helpful just in cultivating just a business mindset in a creative way, if that makes sense. So I.
Madison Morrow
Right?
Madison Morrow
Have shifted a little bit of my focus. I'm not doing stage management as much, but I have been able to really grow in my like leadership and business acumen skills. And so I have done more in processes of fund raising in social media management in graphic design.
Madison Morrow
Weirdly enough, like that's been the skill that I have been able to get and writing I do a lot of writing grants a lot of writing to corporations asking for their sponsorship and reaching out to people in the commune.
Madison Morrow
D and to second part of your question, how was my like focus kind of changed? I realized that I really still want to create my own company for theater.
Madison Morrow
I like everything that I've been learning and I'm just like, OK, that's great. And then I know whenever I create my own company I can do.
Madison Morrow
This and I can do that and it's going to be great, and so it's just really solidified. My thoughts and experiences of that. I'm on the right path and I'm actually going where I where I need to go.
Katherine Stewart
Oh, very cool, very cool.
Katherine Stewart
What about… do you have any advice for prospective or current students who might be considering a similar path, whether they are currently undergrads or they're still in high school? Or maybe they're just entering grad school.
Madison Morrow
Truthfully, I recommend to always check in with yourself at every point, like every new stage of your life because.
Madison Morrow
If you don't take the time to really ask yourself like am I doing what I want to be doing, not.
Madison Morrow
You know what outside pressures are telling me to do? Am I actually pursuing a passion of mine, or am I, you know, not in the right place anymore? Do I need to look to other things to really cultivate? Because whenever you're starting a career
Madison Morrow
It can be really easy to kind of find a find a direction that you weren't exactly wanting to be in.
Madison Morrow
So just always make sure to take that moment of clarity and pause and really do some self reflection to ensure that this is what you want that this is where you want to be going.
Madison Morrow
And thankfully, every like most decisions that I've made have led me to where I want to be at. Definitely have made some wrong decisions, but I I found my way back so we're good.
Katherine Stewart
I love that good advice. It's good advice.
Katherine Stewart
OK, so sort of a wild card question diverging from this trajectory a little bit.
Katherine Stewart
You have been involved in pageants for a long time, and that is something that you have continued going to Pennsylvania, and I was just wondering if you could talk a little bit about the role they have played in your life and and what.
Katherine Stewart
We've gained from participating in them.
Madison Morrow
Yeah, so actually I have not been involved in pageants for a long time. I did a one, uh, one time. Hey, let's see what this is like at Miss University at Ole Miss and.
Madison Morrow
Loved it, I thought it was.
Madison Morrow
Awesome like it was. Just thought it was the coolest thing because they gave so many scholarships to the young women who participated.
Madison Morrow
And especially, who won a fellow theatre major Lydia Myers was the first runner up, and so she received a wonderful scholarship from the organization.
Madison Morrow
And I was like, wow, OK, this is. This is pretty cool. A lot of people are doing this. This is neat and so I.
Madison Morrow
Realize when I got to Pennsylvania and in grad school that I wanted to try again. I wanted to try to compete again.
Madison Morrow
I wanted to see like if I could get farther, you know into the organization and I, you know, did my preparations I I learned of all.
Madison Morrow
About current events and social news and and things like that, I brushed up on my speed painting talent because there there there's still a talent component.
Madison Morrow
Involved with that, but I went and competed in a local competition and won. So I am now currently miss Moraine State which is a national State Park or a State Park here in Pennsylvania that I'm prepending. Thank you so much.
Madison Morrow
Yeah, so I went and competed for Miss Pennsylvania earlier this month or just July now. So earlier in June.
Madison Morrow
June and I did. It obviously didn't win, but had such an amazing time meeting all of these powerful and motivated women that are my age.
Madison Morrow
It's sometimes really difficult. Whenever we've been living in this virtual world for so long to really find those connections, and so that was another reason I wanted to be a part of it.
Madison Morrow
Because I wanted to grow my community of of women here in in Pittsburgh because I had been without a community for so long. Just being in virtual, it's kind of hard to make friends like that and so.
Madison Morrow
I think I will continue. I mean I would have to finish out my my year of Miss Marine State, but I think I will compete again because the amount of Community that it brings as well as you know the scholarship money, which is always a great thing, but also the drive.
Madison Morrow
Motivation is just so inspiring from all of these other women that I.
Madison Morrow
It's just intoxicating. Sometimes we just guys are also amazing.
Madison Morrow
And I really love the opportunity as well to be able to serve this community and the Community that my title is a part of and so really being able to dig in deep and see like how I can just go out and serve and think and.
Madison Morrow
Give my time is is one of the reasons that I'm really glad that I'm a part of the organization so.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah what So what are some of your responsibilities as Miss Marine state?
Madison Morrow
So a lot of it has to do with booking appearances at different community centers, different events, things like that. I was part of a parade which.
Madison Morrow
Was just fun. I didn't really do anything **** ** that one. I just waved for a while, but it's also hosting fundraisers, doing food drives, promoting my social impact, which my social impact is arts for all is the title and it is specifically about trying to.
Madison Morrow
It's nice, but.
Madison Morrow
Bring inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility into the arts because we lost a lot of our ground. Whenever we had to go digital.
Madison Morrow
And so, but we also gained some, because we learned we now have the infrastructure in place to be able to reach people who can't exactly come into our spaces anymore.
Madison Morrow
And so I'm really trying to push the ability to be able to bring in more of that accessibility mindset as we're reopening as we are engaging with wider audiences and things like that.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah, I was going to ask if you've been able to bring any of your theater experience into that or some of your passion for theater into your platform, so that's that's great actually. Are there certain things in theater training that have been helpful to you competing?
Madison Morrow
Oh, absolutely, definitely. Everything in stage management has helped me so much because you have to be so organized like I didn't think that there is a lot of organization, but the amount of paperwork involved is tremendous and I was like, oh paperwork. I got this.
Madison Morrow
So that was that was definitely very helpful and then being able to interact and talk to a lot of different personalities and a lot of different people has also definitely been a theater skill that has been nice to have for that and public speaking.
Madison Morrow
I didn't, I didn't do a whole lot of it as a stage manager, but as a production manager and scenic designer and sound designer. I also was a I, you know, pulled from that as well.
Katherine Stewart
For sure for sure.
Katherine Stewart
Well, this is a question I'd like to ask all of our alums. Are there any favorite memories from your time in the program that you could share?
Madison Morrow
Oh man, OK uhm I think.
Madison Morrow
I think one of my favorite productions was Chicago, simply because of all of the confetti that we had to sweep up every single night and then still finding it.
Madison Morrow
Madison Morrow
Until I graduated there was some like in the back of Fulton and I was like how did it get up here?
Madison Morrow
It was on the stage like I don't know where this came from, but I was I really enjoyed that show because that was the first time that I was able to step out in a creative aspect.
Madison Morrow
I was able to be the assistant director to Doctor Matthew R. Wilson and so being able to really realize that Ole Miss was there to cultivate my passion and support me in my creative endeavors.
Madison Morrow
Right stage management endeavors. Anything that I really had a drive and passion for and they were supportive of and I think that that show really showed me that I that I had those opportunities and so that those are some of my my favorite memories.
Madison Morrow
Uhm, wasn't that? And truthfully, most productions I.
Madison Morrow
I just I just adored the cast and the crew and being able to learn something new on every show that I was a part of.
Madison Morrow
But yeah, I think I. I think I found a piece of confetti when I moved to Pittsburgh. So you know it. It just stick with me.
Katherine Stewart
You might not be surprised to hear that you're not the first person who's mentioned the kids.
Katherine Stewart
And that's how fun it is to still find a piece like you know, out in the grass somewhere like this.
Madison Morrow
Has been here for years and years. I was like where how?
Katherine Stewart
Like hilarious, that's hilarious.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thank you so much Madison. It's been really fun catching up.
Madison Morrow
With you, yeah it's been great. Katherine, I miss you so much.
Katherine Stewart
Yeah oh, I miss you too. I'm excited for you in this program. I can't wait to see what.
Katherine Stewart
You're going to do with it.
Katherine Stewart
Well, thank you so much. Once again, that was Madison Morrow, recent alum and current graduate student at Carnegie Mellon.
Katherine Stewart
Don't forget to check out the show notes for some links where you can see some of Madison work and also follow along with her reign as Miss Moraine State until next time this is Stage & Screen.