Pearl Moore, from Cana, Va., graduated from Emory & Henry in 2019 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting and a minor in Creative Writing. Moore is now a graduate student at Southern Illinois University where she is pursuing an MFA in playwriting. She is also a teaching assistant in the SIU Theatre Department and teaches courses such as Theatre Insight.

“I loved going to a smaller school like Emory & Henry because it gives you more one-on-one time with the wonderful faculty,” says Moore. “I felt like the faculty really want to help you on your journey and help you find summer jobs and jobs after graduation. They allowed us to be creative and find our place in the world of theatre from auditions to letters of recommendations.”

Outside of the classroom, Moore had a mentorship with Tricia Matthews at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon - the nation’s longest running professional theatre. Moore is grateful for the experience and believes it helped her grow as an actor as well as a person.

“Another great experience I had at the Barter was when a play I had written was selected to be in their College Playwright Festival, where the Barter actors read through the play in front of an audience,” says Moore. “This opportunity made me realize how playwriting gave me a voice within theatre, and I received amazing feedback.”

To future theatre students, Moore says, “Allow yourself to make mistakes. Oddly enough, mistakes teach us how to grow and learn from them. It’s easier said than done, but have fun learning and growing, and don’t be ashamed of failures or mistakes, because we are all bound to make them.”