B2F Cohort Corner: Monty Cole
At the end of his time as a Bridge to Faculty (B2F) scholar, Monty Cole is sharing his insights and experiences with the program.
Cole is a member of the 2021 B2F cohort in Theater.
What motivated you to apply for the B2F Program?
During the summer of 2020, I worked on a project called REVERB with UIC’s theatre program. They previously had planned to produce Marie Antoinette, but with the program’s inability to produce live indoor entertainment during COVID, they pivoted to this massively ambitious project. The goal was to encourage writers within the program, current students and alums to write short plays that would be adapted to the screen. They would then film them around Chicago and collect them into a unique collage of internet art. I was also pivoting at the time, finding myself working in film and better understanding that world. The illustrious Bonnie Metzgar asked if I would be willing to help with the project, working with director Jess Fisch to bring the vision to life.
I was so impressed with UIC students, their inventiveness, their skill and passion. I had just graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2019 and was looking for something stable to sustain my freelance artist career. I agreed with UIC’s values in diversity and financial accessibility and saw that the faculty was constantly looking for opportunities to more effectively serve their students and evolve for the better–things I just had never seen in a program like this before. The application called for a BIPOC director who also felt comfortable teaching acting and currently held an MFA degree. I looked around and said, “Was this written for me?”
What is the focus of your work in this program?
Professionally, I’m a writer/director for theatre and film. Because I come from that sort of multi-hyphenate world, I encourage my students to be creators of their own worlds, expand their creativity and build from the ground up. As artists, our work falls prey to critics as soon as it falls outside of the walls of academia. In the classroom, we’re building a space to try new ideas, succeed and fail and bring those discoveries into our own work. That’s a luxury I simply don’t have in the quick hustle and bustle of professional life.
In what ways has this program impacted your work?
Within the classroom, I’ve been able to workshop ideas that might otherwise be pitches in the professional world. I’ve also found myself sharpening my directing skills and my ability to help actors shape a performance. That and the professional support I’ve received from my fellow faculty members has meant everything. There’s a true understanding that faculty members are meant to have a great amount of care for their students and that translates into better work from us as individual artists.
What are your hopes for how you will take your experiences with the B2F Program into your future professional endeavors?
Honestly, one of the things I’m most excited about is teaching an Acting for the Camera class next semester. It’s a skill set that I think any actor needs in today’s artistic climate and I can clearly see already in the prep for it how it’s making me a better film director. I can already see how I can help the students and in turn the students can make me better too. I’m very excited for that class.
In your opinion, what are the larger impacts of the B2F Program?
The most obvious impact is diversity. Admittedly, the theatre department doesn’t currently have the most diversity in full-time faculty members, but I can see already how me and my fellow B2F alum, Xiomara [Cornejo], are making an impact on the faculty and student body. I hope we can continue to be a positive presence for the program.