New organization Beyond the Stage has come to campus this semester by co-founders Leanna Nugent, Zoey Coleman, and Allie Peck to allow students to enjoy a variety of roles on and off the stage.  

Its main goal is to offer a space that is non-competitive, open to all majors, and a low-stress environment for all people to enjoy the arts (Peck).  

Nugent, Coleman, and Peck founded the organization through an entrepreneurship class required for their majors. “We all had to come up with, like, a business, per se. So our other founder, Leanna, came up with the idea to have a club for non-art majors that still wanted to participate in the arts and stuff. But you don’t really have to have an art background,” Coleman said.  

Peck spoke about missing a connection to the arts during her first year.  

“Personally, I grew up in a theatre background for fun, nothing was gonna be professional or major, it was purely enjoyment. So during my first year here, focusing on business, I was missing that creative expression,” Peck said. 

Beyond the Stage is currently in the planning stages of hosting a staged reading of “Cat and the Canary” on November 7th.  

“If you’re interested in theatre in any capacity, and you want somewhere where you can experiment with the arts, somewhere where you can learn from one another and just have fun in a creative environment, you should join Beyond the Stage,” Peck said. “You will learn new skills in acting, directing, or just verbal communication skills. You’ll make new friendships, we’ve already started new relationships with everyone, and it’s just somewhere to blow off some steam after classes.”  

For any questions or interests about future events or general meetings, you can follow Beyond The Stage on their Instagram @beyondthestagetroupe.