Audiences are a key component for student success

In this five-part series, we’re excited to showcase the important of experiential learning and talented student success stories featured in our first-ever Fine & Performing Arts Season Brochure, bringing together all of the arts programming in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.   

Our students exemplify The Franklin Spark, the characteristics that unite the arts and sciences: ambition, curiosity, creativity, innovation and leadership. Join us as we celebrate their accomplishments and invite you to experience their excellence firsthand. To purchase tickets, please click here.  

From performing on stage to exhibiting original work in galleries, these students gain hands-on experiential learning that prepares them for life after graduation. The first in our series highlights the importance of performances and live audiences and how this plays a significant role in student success. 

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences provides a wide variety of experiential learning for students in all disciplines. Whether students are putting a scientific theory into practice in a lab environment or exploring the world through our study abroad programs, these key educational moments are essential parts of the Franklin experience. But for the Fine and Performing Arts at Franklin, a key component of our student’s growth is you…our rich and engaged audience and patrons. 

“A performance without an audience is a rehearsal,” said Daniel Bara, interim director for the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. “The energy of a listening audience will have an effect on how a musician will sing and play.” Recent music graduate Marianna Schwark feels the same way. “Feeding off the emotions of the audience, making them feel something and them giving us something back — it’s impossible to describe the feeling.” (Read more about Schwark on page 42.) Julie Ray, head of the Department of Theatre and Film, agrees. “Our students sometimes think that they know a script, but they can’t really be sure until they perform it in front of a crowd. In live theatre, the audience dynamic shifts with every performance. They need to learn how to navigate audiences who are uproarious and those that are more contemplative while giving the same strong performance every evening.” 

This participation is equally important in the Lamar Dodd School of Art. According to Joseph Peragine, director, the critical response to an exhibition “is at the center of a young artist’s development—simply seeing their work outside the classroom, presented in a professional setting alongside other artists’ work, fundamentally shifts how it is perceived, both by others and by the artist themselves. Art is a conversation, and participating in that dialogue helps students refine their practice and learn to stand up for their work in the face of potential criticism.” 

The Office of University Experiential Learning believes that creative activities are an excellent way for students to challenge themselves. There are few things more impactful than the immediate feedback a student receives from a performance or exhibit. The reflection process, including considering audience feedback, is an essential component of experiential learning and helps students develop understanding and knowledge through the experience. "When audiences attend one of our performances,” said Rebecca Gose, head of the Department of Dance, “they aren’t just getting a great show. They are playing an active role in shaping the future of the fine and performing arts in Athens, Georgia, and beyond.” 

Through their creativity, ambition, and curiosity, these students demonstrate how the arts at Franklin extend far beyond the classroom, shaping them into tomorrow’s leaders, prepared to impact the world. Their journeys remind us that the arts are not only performances and exhibitions but living experiences. Discover the power of the arts at Franklin. To purchase tickets for our complete season of events, please click here. 

To read more from our Fine and Performing Arts Brochure, click here.