The Department of Theatre continues its Wellness Days events on Friday, March 5
On Monday, February 15, the Department of Theatre hosted its first "Wellness Day" as part of a long-term initiative to encourage individual and collective well-being. These monthly events draw on resources within our community, giving participants a closer look at the relationship between wellness and the arts. The Department of Theatre will offer workshops, classes, and seminars to encourage physical and mental/spiritual self-care, while promoting connection and engagement through Community Wellness Conversations.
Wellness Days will continue through Spring Semester, with events currently scheduled for April 5. For instructor and panelist bios, click here. For questions, information, or if you’d like to suggest or teach a future wellness event, contact us at
To register, check out the schedule of events below. Advance registration is required and space is limited, so sign up early!
Events for Friday, March 5:
7:00 am to 8:00 am - Greeting the Sun: Yoga for All Levels with Aria Klein
Disconnected? Drained? Ready to move? Whether you're just starting out or adding to your own practice, CorePower Yoga instructor Aria Klein is ready to guide you through a routine that can help you awaken your mind, invigorate your body, and reconnect with your self.
Register here for Yoga for All Levels
9:00 am to 10:00 am - Morning Glow: Flow/Strength Yoga with Aria Klein
For intermediate practitioners looking to balance flexibility with strength. In this class, CorePower Yoga Instructor Aria Klein will guide you through poses and strengthening exercises to bring out that post-yoga glow.
Register here for Flow/Strength Yoga
10:00 am to 11:00 am - Meditation Practice with Jerry Gardner
Department of Theatre Associate Professor Jerry Gardner will lead participants through a three-step process—Explanation, Movement, and Practice—to help them incorporate meditation into their wellness regimen.
Register here forMeditation Practice
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm - Community Wellness Conversation with Guest Speaker T. Oliver Reid
T. Oliver Reid, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Black Theatre Coalition will speak about the genesis of the BTC, its goals and objectives, and its current work.
Register here forCommunity Wellness Conversation
Upcoming Events:
April 5:
- Yoga with Aria Klein
- Meditation Practice with Jerry Gardner
- Community Wellness Conversation: Representation and Season Selection
Instructor & Panelist Bios
Aria Klein - Yoga for Every Body
Yoga Instructor and Musical Theatre Program Student
Aria is a certified yoga sculpt and group fitness instructor. She has been working for CorePower Yoga Salt Lake City since 2019. She has taught for The University of Buffalo Womens' Swim team, The University of Utah's Musical Theatre Program on Zoom, personal trains and teaches private events.
https://www.ariasagecreations.com/yoga
Jerry Gardner - Meditation Practice
Associate Professor, Department of Theatre
Dr. Jerry Gardner teaches courses in movement to students in the Actor Training Program. He holds a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies with an emphasis in ritual and meditation from the Ngagyur Samten Chockhorling Institute, located in the city of Manali in Himachal Pradesh, India. He performs and teaches numerous movement systems including Butoh, Viewpoints, Noh Theatre, illusionary and corporeal mime, mask work, ballet and contemporary dance, Pilates, Laban/Barteneiff, and the martial arts of karate, kung fu, and tai chi.
Continued on Department of Theatre website
T. Oliver Reid
Co-Founder and Artistic Director, The Black Theatre Coalition
T. Oliver Reid has spent the past 20 years working on Broadway shows, (HADESTOWN, ONCE ON THIS ONCE, SUNSET BOULEVARD, AFTER MIDNIGHT, SISTER ACT, MARY POPPINS, THE WEDDING SINGER, CHICAGO, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, NEVER GONNA DANCE, THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, FOLLIES, KISS ME KATE), which have amassed more than 20 Tony Awards from the American Theatre Wing’s Tony Awards.
He is also an accomplished cabaret artist and multiple award winner for his solo show, “Drop Me Off In Harlem” which he directed, wrote and starred in. He has produced and directed concerts for Feinstein’s 54 Below, and continues to work in film and television.
He is on faculty at NYU Tisch’s Grad Acting Program and Columbia University School of the Arts’ Grad Acting program. He sits on the Board of Visitors for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He’s currently in the critically acclaimed HADESTOWN on Broadway and can be heard on the HADESTOWN Grammy winning album and his solo album, DO I LOVE YOU.
COMMUNITY WELLNESS CONVERSATIONS
*In our efforts to support collective well-being, the Department of Theatre is introducing Community Wellness Conversations. Through presentations and discussions in a variety of spaces, we hope to encourage participants to see representation, equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and justice as essential elements of wellness for themselves, their communities, and their futures. We also hope that centering this conversation on the Utah arts community will give participants a more immediate sense of how they might affect—and be affected by—structural inequality and unsustainable practices, while reminding them of the exceptional work being done within arms’ reach. Although education is always a priority, the ultimate goal is to encourage participants to connect with the conversation, examine the part they play, and take an active role in this work.