Aliya Beaupain Theatre Capstone
April 25, 2026 6:15PM Wallace Theatre
Collinsworth School of Performing Arts
Christmas at Pemberly
Selected Works
Lauren Gunderson and Margaret Melcon
A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry
A Comedy of Errors William Shakespeare
Medea Sophocles
Uncle Vanya Anton Chekov
“Daddy’s Son” (from Ragtime) Stephen Flahertey
“Someday” (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Alan Menken
This recital is presented under the direction of Professor Zachary Bortot in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the B.A. in Theatre
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Aliya grew up without the faintest desire to be an actor. In fact, anyone who knew her as a child can attest that it’s the last thing she could ever have imagined herself doing. Some people are born with a passion for this kind of life; Aliya was born with crippling shyness and a deathly fear of being seen, judged, and measured. She was not a natural performer by any means; but she loved stories, and she knew how to make people feel. Over twenty years later, she finally realized that that was always going to be enough. The discomfort at being judged and measured never went away, but one thing Aliya understands now is that that discomfort is the greatest gift that theatre could ever have given her. Theatre is among the hardest things she has ever done, but it’s taught her that doing what is hard instead of what is easy is what makes a life worth living. From now on, she will always be a storyteller, because she wants nothing more than to make life worth living for somebody else.
CAST LIST
Adam Marquardt
Brian Mganga
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In the end, none of us will be more than stories but a stage is where stories that are dead and gone get the chance to live again. This is done first and foremost for Aliya’s family, both here and passed on. For her parents, who never made her feel small or foolish for choosing an unconventional path, for her godmother, who dragged her sewing friends to far too many high school shows, for her godfather and grandfather who never got to see her come this far, and for the people who never knew her at all, but whose legacy she carries on her shoulders every day. One is Violet Nichols, her great-grandmother, who dreamed of becoming an actress but lived in a time and place that never let those dreams come true. Another is David Purifoy, who was born into slavery nearly two centuries before Aliya was born, and whose name it is a miracle she even gets the chance to know. These, and so many others are the reason she has not given up, and that this life will always be worth pursuing. Aliya would like to extend an extra-thank you to her actors and tech for their gift of time and talent, and to the professors who pushed her to never be satisfied with less than her best effort. They, as much as her family and friends, are the reason why she can stand here now, and she will never stop being grateful for everything they taught her.