Fitchburg State University students continued their streak of success at the recent University Resident Theater Association’s annual auditions. Five Fitchburg State University students—Emerson Disalle, Spencer Froilin, Kyra Galbreath, Lina Kherallah, and Lyanny Pinales—shone at the auditions for international satellite graduate schools and elite professional training programs.
“The auditions were online and streamed which makes it very nerve-wracking for the students,” said Fitchburg State Professor Kelly Morgan of the Communications Media Department. “They only have two minutes to show two dramatic selections, which include a transition and between the two. They rehearse long hours over many days and weeks to prepare for these University Resident Theater Auditions and Guest Satellite Auditions, which are done at the same time and seen by over 50 graduate schools, professional actor training programs and professional regional resident theater companies.”
For the URTA auditions, Kherallah’s two contrasting monologues were “Just a Crack” by Joseph Arnone and “In the Time of your Life” by William Saroyan.
“These two monologues felt great to perform because they spoke to me and I knew I could perform them well to convey my message to the recruiters watching,” said Kherallah, a Fitchburg resident who graduated with a bachelor's in business administration with a theater minor in December 2025. “The experience went well.”
As a cohort, said Morgan, the factors that each one of the students conveyed to attract attention from these very prestigious schools and companies include: authenticity, diverse set of emotions, comic sense and timing, classical text analysis, nuance, contrasting audition selection, a talent for film and stage performance, focus, imagining the other when talking into the camera, and personalizing the text.
“We are the best kept secret for anyone wanting training in performance and technical theater in New England and New York, so they would obtain work and achieve career success as our students have been doing for decades,” said Morgan.
This year’s success marks the 11th consecutive year that every auditioning Falcon has been invited back for further consideration by world-renowned institutions.
“They are vetted by the acting faculty to ensure that they are qualified to represent not only themselves but the university,” said Morgan. “Their personal brand, and our university brand must be upheld. The Communications Media Department is a professional department and so all of its concentrations are professional, as well. Education, training and application are crucial for success. These students display the absorption of content in these areas and are ready for advancement.”
Morgan said that as a faculty, they are all extremely proud of these students.
“It is important to know that they have done the work,” said Morgan.
Kherallah said that being trained by her “incredible” professors at Fitchburg State, including Morgan, prepared her for this very moment.
“Kelly has been there for me since the very beginning of my acting career at Fitchburg State,” said Kherallah. “He pushes us students to be the best we can be as both professionals and as people. I did not walk into that audition just feeling confident in my acting abilities, but feeling completely prepared as a professional. They can recognize who is determined and ready to work. I feel so fortunate to have completed these URTA auditions and been so prepared with my performance because the professors at Fitchburg State, like Kelly, have prepared us to stand out as professional artists, ready to take on graduate school.”
The 2026 cohort of students now faces the enviable challenge of choosing between some of the most prestigious theater programs in the world. Their call-backs span the globe, from the historic studios of New York City to elite conservatories in London and Liverpool.
“It’s overwhelming to say the least,” said Kherallah. “The auditions were just the start and the callbacks were validation of our hard work. After our callback meetings, we have a little bit of a leg up when we apply to these graduate schools and training programs.”
As these students prepare to graduate, they leave behind a legacy that reaffirms Fitchburg State’s position as a premier destination for theater training. The 100 percent call-back rate serves as a "seal of quality" for recruiters, who now look to Fitchburg State for the next generation of disciplined, versatile, and highly skilled performers.
“Our Communications Media faculty, and faculty across the campus, have had wonderful influence on these student actors by presenting their content with passion, depth and application to life,” said Morgan. “Theater reflects life and when faculty present the truthful application of their ‘art’ in such a manner, then these actors reflect the lessons learned in the characters they present.”
Kherallah recommends any high school student to consider the theater program at Fitchburg State.
“If you are determined to become an artist, not just an actor, the Fitchburg State theater program is a reliable and motivating source for your future,” said Kherallah. “You have a small group so your professors can spend time with you. The professors like Kelly Morgan and Mary Vreeland are seasoned and extremely talented artists who now focus their expertise to bring out the best in their students. I have never met professors who care so much about their students. They go above and beyond to push us and make what is uncomfortable, something we strive to overcome. Obstacles become opportunities and insecurities become assets. These professors will completely transform you as an artist, and change you as a person.”
2026 American College Theater Festival
Students received more awards recently at the 2026 American College Theater Festival in Albany, N.Y. The students honored include: Jaylis Lopez (Irene Ryan Acting Award/ Best Scene Partner out of 283), Julia Dufresne (Outstanding Performance in the National Playwriting Program), Thomas Meehan (Outstanding Supporting Performance in the National Playwriting Program), Ryan Barker (Runner-up, National Stage Directors and Choreographers Program), Lina Kherallah (Irene Ryan Acting Award Finalist - Top 16 out of 283 participants), James Cremens (Theatre Journalism/Advocacy Finalist), Emerson Disalle and Noah Barnes (Invited Scene Showcase, STOP KISS), Burke Erickson (2nd Place in the Technical Olympics), Adam Post (3rd Place in the Technical Olympics), Vivian Warren (Merit Award for Stage Management), Nicolas Salamack (Merit Award for Production Leadership), Ryan Barker (Merit Award for Directorial Assistance), Alyssa Brayley (Merit Award for Costume Design), and Alyssa Brayley (Merit Award for Properties Design).