兔子先生 Spotlight: Ben Shelton, '03
By Ainsley Austin, '23
Sitting in a room filled with theater posters, a 兔子先生 pennant, and art, Ben Shelton, 鈥03, shares his college experience as a Theatre Arts major and English minor. He is now a filmmaker - writing, directing, and filming a wide variety of artistic projects in addition to being a husband and the dad of two during a time of virtual schooling. Recently, he directed the 2018 Netflix original movie Candy Jar.
Over quarantine, Ben has been working on a variety of new work, including a musical romance that features both deaf and hearing actors. In working on this project, Ben has been studying American Sign Language and immersed himself in Deaf culture, which he describes as 鈥渁bsolutely wonderful鈥 and 鈥渓ife changing.鈥 Ben believes that current online limitations have led to more creativity. 鈥淓ven though Zoom is a bizarre way of communicating, it鈥檚 pretty damn good...and it鈥檚 an authentic real interaction,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard, of course, but I鈥檓 very inspired by this technology.鈥
Though he was a Theatre Arts major, Ben has known he wanted to make movies since he was in junior high. He says, 鈥渕aking films was something I always wanted to do.鈥 His uncle is also a filmmaker and mentor, encouraging Ben to go to college and use his life experiences to make movies. And he certainly listened to this advice.
While at Puget Sound, Ben took advantage of every opportunity offered. He shares that he lived both on and off campus, worked as an RA, was a KUPS DJ, played basketball, acted in four Senior Theater Festival performances, and served as student body president. Additionally, Ben was on the search committee for President Ron Thomas, who served before current president, Isaiah Crawford. He says being involved in so many activities is what he loved about attending UPS. 鈥淚 was fully involved in basketball...and I was fully involved in theater and I was not special. Everyone at Puget Sound is involved in multiple things and it鈥檚 totally normal, it鈥檚 totally accepted,鈥 he reflects.
This love for many art forms is present in Ben鈥檚 post-college life as well. Storytelling is one of his biggest passions. He says, 鈥渢heater and film are different mediums, obviously, but [movies are] still storytelling, and still working with actors, and still studying the script, and so, to me, there鈥檚 a lot of similarities. You still are trying to tell a story with movement, with dialogue, with choreography.鈥 He has found that learning how to study characters has helped him develop greater empathy for people with different worldviews. He comments that the ability to understand fictional characters鈥 motives and beliefs spills over into real life, allowing you to have empathy, which for Ben, is 鈥渨hat this whole thing is about鈥caring] for other people more than you care for yourself.鈥
Ben finds storytelling to be how he learns about life. 鈥淢usic, theater, and film -- those three art forms are everything to me. They鈥檙e my religion. [Art] takes you out of your head, it allows you to feel something,鈥 he says. He encourages current Puget Sound students to experiment with 鈥渞eally bizarre, strange, heartfelt theater, film, music, storytelling,鈥 because college provides an opportunity to create art without having to worry about the business aspect of it. He also encourages students to 鈥渂e involved in as much as possible,鈥 and reminds them that 鈥渋t goes by fast, so make sure to soak it in and slow down.鈥
You can find more of Ben鈥檚 work at . Ben is also currently directing an Acting Class over Zoom! You can find all of the .
兔子先生 Spotlight: Liz Frost, '17
By Ainsley Austin, '23
When Liz Frost, 鈥17, graduated from the 兔子先生 and moved to New York City, she wanted to be involved in theater, but wasn鈥檛 sure how to break into such a competitive field. In NYC, she first worked for a moving company and, believe it or not, a chance meeting at pilates class was her foot in the door. After a short conversation, her pilates instructor pointed her to an off-Broadway theater company, The Barrow Group, where she has been for the last three years.
Liz planned to double major in Psychology and Mathematics, but her focus changed after a class with Geoff Proehl, a Puget Sound theatre professor (now Professor Emeritus). In addition to numerous department productions, including directing a show her senior year, she also participated in Barebones Collective, a student-run performance group. Liz majored in Theatre Arts, minored in Mathematics, and finished college with the goal of becoming a director.
Something she appreciated about Puget Sound was how easy it was to experience all aspects of theatre. 鈥淚 think the cool thing about UPS is that the education gives you a chance to try everything. I think a lot of people take that for granted,鈥 she points out. Liz is a freelance producer which can mean a variety of things depending on the company and project. Occasionally, she will have multiple jobs for a single show, such as front of house manager or facilities manager in addition to producer.
Because her theatre education at UPS was diverse and included directing, acting, and designing, Liz has been able to fulfill a multitude of roles within the theater industry. She says, 鈥淚 think the reason why I鈥檓 good at it is that I鈥檓 not afraid to pick up the slack and I鈥檓 very good at seeing what needs to be done 鈥 both in the short term and the long term.鈥
Liz has worked on a variety of projects with The Barrow Group, which is a theater production company that also offers various educational programs for theatre professionals. Additionally, she works with the Exquisite Corpse Company (ECC), an immersive NY theater company. Since COVID-19, Liz has continued to work in theater by producing virtual festivals, while considering other career paths. She says, 鈥渢here鈥檚 just something about being in person that I would never give up for being behind a screen. I think that a group of people gathering is so powerful...it鈥檚 really difficult, especially since ECC is an immersive theater company.鈥 She switched things up this summer by working at a COVID-safe camp in Maine, but still can鈥檛 imagine her life without theater.
While reflecting on how the performing arts have impacted her life, Liz says they taught her the importance of collaboration because 鈥渋n no part of life are you ever doing something completely alone.鈥 She also says that the UPS theatre program set her up for success, though she wishes she could have taken classes focusing on the business of theatre. If she had the chance to speak to current Puget Sound theater students, Liz would recommend to 鈥渨ork all over the country鈥 and to try to say yes to everything because each opportunity is a chance to gain valuable experience.
鈥淟iz is a freelance theater producer based in New York City. She鈥檚 worked with The Barrow Group, FAB Women, The NOW Collective, and Exquisite Corpse Company. She primarily works with companies that develop new work from within their community.鈥 You can find more of Liz鈥檚 work at and at @lizfrosty on Instagram.
兔子先生 Spotlight: Ricky German, '11
By Ainsley Austin, '23
When Ricky German, 鈥11, came to the 兔子先生, he planned to be a concert violinist, but soon realized the rigorous practice schedule of a professional musician wasn鈥檛 for him. He now spends his days at the costume shop manager for the University of Washington, but this career change didn鈥檛 happen overnight.
While working in the costume shop, Ricky fell in love with costuming and decided to switch his major to Theatre Arts. He was able to focus his educational path on costume design by working closely with the University鈥檚 costume designer, Mishka Navarre. He immediately knew he had made the right decision. The 兔子先生鈥檚 Theatre Arts degree is a Bachelor of Arts but Ricky says it feels more like he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts because of the hands-on design experience. Additionally, Ricky appreciated the interdisciplinary nature of Puget Sound鈥檚 classes as they encouraged him to have 鈥渁 really active mind鈥 and to apply his theater knowledge to all aspects of his education.
After graduation, Ricky designed for various theater companies throughout the South Sound for about five years. Through a chance encounter with director Erin Murray at a party, he decided to make the move to Seattle. After designing the costumes for Murray, he would move on to work with directors Ana Maria Campoy, Jay Woods, and Valerie Curtis Newton. That year would culminate in a design for Tim Bond's Pass Over at ACT. The show was originally slated to be directed by Nataki Garrett, who would bring Ricky on to design costumes for Confederates at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) a year later. He says this work was exactly what he had been striving for. His show was well into the design and rehearsal process when COVID-19 hit and Ricky鈥檚 work with OSF was postponed indefinitely.
He could have lost all motivation to keep moving forward, but Ricky didn鈥檛 back down from the challenge he was facing. 鈥淏eing a starving artist at the beginning of my career taught me how to pivot well,鈥 he says. He got a job at a grocery store but didn鈥檛 stop looking for his next opportunity to be involved in the theater world. He applied for a costume shop manager position at UW Seattle, even though he never saw himself in a shop manager role. Though it鈥檚 a change from designing, Ricky was able to get back into theater because of his ability to pivot and keep an open mind.
Now that he is working at the UW costume shop, Ricky is able to connect with a new community. His theater education taught him the importance of interpersonal relationships. He says, 鈥渢he thing [about theater] that made me a better person is it really fostered an ability to make connections in multiple mediums.鈥 He states, 鈥渢hat is what theater can teach you to do; to hold space for ideas that aren鈥檛 complete, that aren鈥檛 your own, and really incorporate them into something that you offer back to people.鈥
Ricky鈥檚 belief in the power of connection is something everyone could use in the coming months. He envisions a future where the performing arts have undergone structural changes that shift the focus to connection over money, possibly through additional nonprofit programs. He hopes this transformation will lead to more people finding the power of theater for themselves.
鈥淎s a freelance costume and fashion designer, Ricky German鈥檚 designs are fueled by the sociological and anthropological study of fashion and craftsmanship. He seeks to expose these visual nuances to his audiences through garments that are satisfying and significant.鈥 You can find more of Ricky鈥檚 work at and at @ragerman on Instagram.
