Kirk Robertson, Week 3, Winter Park Elementary

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Hawk Tale Player of The Week - Kirk Robertson

    Hello! My name is Kirk Robertson and I am a Hawk Tale Player, as well as a former UNCW Storyteller. During the final years of my time at UNCW, I developed a love for sharing interactive stories to students, and helping to encourage them that college is a great experience. Growing up, I was always a very outgoing and exciting individual. Because of this personality, performance quickly became an interest of mine in the area of theatre and music. I will be graduating with a degree in Communication Studies in December of 2016, and will continue my education to get a Masters of Arts in Biblical Theology at South Eastern Seminary. After graduating from South Eastern, I hope to become a Music Pastor, and use my talent of both performance and music to influence others. Seeing the smile on young student’s faces every week after telling them a story is very rewarding, and is an experience I will never forget.

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Vanessa Vaccaro

Vanessa is a senior at UNCW majoring in Communication Studies. She will be graduating in May and attending graduate school in the Fall to attain her Master’s in Communication Studies/Technology. She will be serving as a Teaching Assistant for introductory Communication Studies courses as well as tutoring students in Public Speaking.

Vanessa does not come from a background of performance, but she is excited to participate in the Hawk Tale players and learn about her abilities as a storyteller. She has experience working with kids through both volunteer work and her job at a local gymnastics studio, so she hopes that will help her find ways to engage the students as she shares stories with them.

During her time at UNCW, Vanessa served as both Risk Management and President of Delta Zeta Sorority. She interned with Kickstand Events where she helped with floral design, decoration preparation, and day of coordination at wedding events all over the Wilmington area.

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Ashling Murphy

Ashling is a senior at UNCW majoring in Professional Writing and Communication Studies. She will be graduating in May and plans to move to Boston this summer to pursue a career in copywriting and content development. Ashling does not come from a performance background, but does enjoy storytelling on paper and writes non-fiction essays in her free time. She is excited to join the Hawk Tale players where she can combine her loves of children and volunteering!

Ashling is a member of Delta Zeta and served as President of the chapter her sophomore year. She currently serves on the Student Philanthropy committee, which encourages seniors to make a donation of $20.16 to the university. She is passionate about UNCW and is proud to help fund creative programs for students on campus.

When she is not on campus working or taking classes, you can find her at Wrightsville Beach biking, walking the loop, or reading a good book. Ashling loves the outdoors and is thrilled to be living at the beach for her senior year. 

HAWK TALE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Katie Mac

Katie Mac is the Hawk Tale Player of the week.  Katie Mac is a senior and a Communication Studies major here at UNCW.  Katie Mac grew up as a military brat and has lived in seven different states and moved eleven different times.  To her strangers are friends she hasn’t made yet.  Prior to becoming a Hawk Tale Player, Katie Mac was a part of Storytelling 211 at UNCW, which is where she fell in love with the art of storytelling.  She has also worked at Walt Disney World through the Disney College Program in the fall of 2013 as a Quick Service Food and Beverage cast member and will be participating in her second Disney College Program in August as a lifeguard following graduation in May!  Katie Mac enjoys making people laugh and brightening up their day. 

Katie Mac is very active and enjoys running, attending Zumba classes as well as spin classes and a fun fact about Katie Mac is that this year she ran the Marine Corps Marathon (26.2 miles) as well as the Wilmington 13.1 Half marathon; both races she ran with her dad.  

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Marle Mattingly

Marle Mattingly is a junior and a communication studies major here at UNCW. She has some background in performance and loves to bring characters to life. She attended an arts elementary and high school so she was constantly surrounded by creativity. Marle started off in theatre but later found a passion for film. She enjoys the challenge of creating new characters and finding a piece of her in each and every one no matter who they are. Marle hopes that she can keep performance in her life forever. She might not be doing hollywood movies but she will always want to help bring different projects to life.

Marle is engaged and will be getting married in September of 2016. She has already started planning and can't wait to bring her fairytale bohemian wedding to life! Her fiance, Thibault, is a great support to her and her art. He has helped her through her struggles and will continue to do so for the rest of their lives. 

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Talene Iskenian

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Talene Iskenian

Talene Iskenian is a senior at UNCW. Talene will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a concentration in Performance Studies. In the Fall 2015 semester, Talene fell in love with performing all over again while participating in the UNCW Storytellers. She is extremely excited to be participating in the Hawk Tale Players in her last semester. Friday February 26th through Sunday February 28th she will be performing in her final Performance Practicum, Coffee Cabaret @ Studio 125. The show consists of entirely original material, such as poems, songs, and diary entries. This show starts at 8pm in Leutze Hall and does include adult themes and language. Admission is free for UNCW students and $8 for other patrons!

For two years, Talene has been the president of the co ed a Cappella group on campus, the Seahawkappellas. Singing is one of Talene's greatest passions and has been throughout her life. When she’s not running from rehearsal to rehearsal, Talene likes to spend her time playing with her 10 year old golden retriever, Sunni. They like to take walks to watch the sunrise on the beach, and visit the dog park. After graduating, Talene plans to move back home to Philadelphia to be with her family.

Hawk Tale Player of the Week: Kate Hessie

Kate Hessie is a junior at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. In May of 2017, she will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Minor in Spanish. She had no performance experience before becoming a Hawk Tale Player. Before attending UNCW, Kate attended High Point University. While at HPU, she was designated as the Director of Personal Relations for the National Association of Black Journalists. This allowed her to develop many skills including the ins and outs regarding marketing. At UNCW, she is an active member of the HeelingHounds and Photography clubs.

She has many interests but two that are close to her heart are puppies and photography. She is currently engaged and has two puppies. One puppy is just four months old, named Maya, who is a black lab. The other puppy is named Bella and she is a full-size yorkie, weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs. An interesting fact is that Bella is a certified emotion support animal and Maya is on her way to completing her training for the certification as well. 

She has many interests but two that are close to her heart are puppies and photography and puppies. She is currently engaged and has two puppies. One puppy is just four months old, named Maya who is a black lab. And the other puppy named Bella is a full-size yorkie, weighing in at 10 lbs. An interesting fact is that Bella is a certified emotion support animal and Maya is on her way to complete her training for certification. 

Hawk Tale Player of the week: Matt Cook

Matt Cook is a senior at UNCW. He will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Minor in Leadership. He was a member of the UNCW Storytellers in the Fall 2015 semester. He is very excited to be a part of the Hawk Tale Players in his last semester at UNCW. Before attending UNCW, Matt was active as a recreation center referee as well as an Assistant Scout Master for troop 192 in Valdese. He earned the Eagle Scout rank on September 11th 2012 and has earned many other honors in scouting, including the Order of the Arrow’s Vigil Honor and Founders Award.

Matt has worked at Camp Bud Schiele for five summers in a row since 2011 and accompanies a good amount of his success from his experiences there. During his downtime he enjoys recording videos and doing research on the film and media industry. After graduating from UNCW, Matt plans on moving out of the state and approaching a career in Public Relations or Social Media. 

Hawk Tale Players Spring 2016 Schedule is set!

We are so excited for our Spring Performance Tour and so thankful for the people at each school who make it possible!

3.16 Alderman Elementary

Thank You Bob Maxey for coordinating!

3.30 Mary C. Williams Elementary

Thank you Pam Skipper for coordinating!

4.6 Winter Park Elementary

Thank you Catherine Fox and Kimberly Cotterman for coordinating!

4.13 Snipes Academy

Thank you Cindy Talbert for coordinating!

4.20 Wrightsville Beach Elementary

Thank you Sandra Roberts for coordinating!

4.27 Forest Hills Elementary

Thank you Stephanie Smith for coordinating!

4.29 College Park Elementary

Thank you Robin Conley Smith for coordinating!

Hawk Tale Player of the Week - Luke Bradshaw

Hawk Tale Player of the Week – Luke Bradshaw

Luke Bradshaw is a senior at UNCW. Luke will be graduating in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and a Minor in Pre-Law. He was a member of the UNCW Storytellers in the Fall 2014 semester and was an Assistant Director in the Fall 2015 semester. He is excited to be a part of the Hawk Tale Players this semester. Before attending UNCW, Luke was an active member of the Sampson County 4-H Teen Court program. He also won first place at the 4-H State competition in the Citizenship and Civic Responsibility category.

Luke currently is a member of the Sigma Alpha Lambda honor society at UNCW. He currently works at Old Navy as a Sales Associate. Before that, he was lifeguard during the summer at a year-round camp for 2 years. During his downtime, Luke enjoys visiting his friends and family, playing with his dog Bo, going to the beach and traveling. After graduating from UNCW, Luke plans on attending law school and pursuing a career in real-estate law.  

Hawk Tale Player of the Week - Inga Delts

Hawk Tale Player of the Week – Inga Delts.

Inga Delts is a current senior at the University North Carolina Wilmington.  Inga began her career at UNCW in June 2005, in the office of Campus Services.  She was promoted to Campus Life before joining the Marketing and Communications team in June 2007, as Community Relations Liaison. After a five year medical leave, Inga has returned to UNCW in the Center for Healthy Community a division of College of Health and Human Services. Inga majored in Broadcasting with a minor in Communications at the University of South Carolina and is currently enrolled at UNCW as a Communications Studies Major. 

Inga studied drama at USC and performance art at UNCW. Inga became a member of UNCW Hawk Tale Players in January 2015, and is honored to become an assistant director for the Hawk Tale Players in January 2016. Inga is a published writer who loves dancing, entertaining and cooking, but her greatest love is her fifteen year old son Alex. Inga’s plans after graduation are to continue working in the Event Management Industry.

African Proverb: Until the lion learns to tell his story, the hunter will always be glorified and victorious in his.  

Hawk Tale Player of The Week Mikaela Fleming

Mikaela Fleming is a senior in the Communication studies department and was a member of UNCW Storytellers in 2014 and Hawk Tale Players in 2015. She is excited to now be an assistant director for the Hawk Tale Players. Before coming to UNCW Mikaela performed in musical theatre in New York City, Los Angeles, and St. Louis. After transferring to UNCW as a junior she was an actor in Memories That Matter and began working as a voice over artist for the university. She was also the host for UNCW’s television show Seahawk Scoop and later became the producer, writer, and host of her own show Port City Spotlight. She has performed in multiple musicals and performances in the Communication Studies department and is currently the director of The Vagina Monologues, which will premiere in Lumina Theater at UNCW on February 10th. Mikaela loves singing and performing slam poetry in Wilmington. You can read some of her poetry in the 2015 publication of the literary magazine Atlantis. Check out her website for more information www.MikaelaFleming.com. She plans to continue working in performance after she graduates.

Read about the Methodology that inspires the UNCW STorytelling Troupes

The troupe's director, Dr. Julie-Ann Scott was interviewed over the course of the 2015 about the goal of UNCW Storytelling and how it overlaps with her research in critical narrative interviewing and performance ethnography. Read more about how the troupes are conceptualized at the links below.

http://www.wilmaontheweb.com/June-2015/Story-Lines/
http://www.wilmaontheweb.com/October-2015/Women-to-Watch-finalists-Education-category/
http://www.wilmaontheweb.com/October-2015/2015-Women-to-Watch-Award-in-Education/

Featured Storytelling Alumnus

Casey Mills was a UNCW Storyteller, Hawk Tale Player, an actor in Cripping, and an assistant director while a Communication Studies student at UNCW from 2011-2013. Now, he is pursuing an M.A. in Performance Studies and Communication Studies at California State University Northridge advised by Dr. Jeanine Minge. In addition to his M.A. work that has been featured at National Conferences, Casey has recently been cast in Pet Rituals, a short film produced by the American Film institute and is one of the four characters in an up and coming Punk Band. UNCW Storytelling is proud to say that this prolific actor and performance scholar began his journey as an integral part of UNCW Storytelling.

Memories that Matter screened at the National Communication Association Film Festival in Los Vegas

Julie-Ann Scott, Bill Bolduc, and Trahern MacLean traveled to Loa Vegas, Nevada to screen Memories that Matter which was competitively selected as part of the National Communication Association's 2015 film festival. The collaboration of Julie-Ann's research participants, our erformance ethnography undergraduate students, Bill's video students, and Karl Ricanek's graduate students in Computer Science.