running a show at their performance venues.
We invest in students to provide career-building opportunities. The October 2025 Mathy Night Live show, which cost over $5,000 to perform, featured many JMU Student Specialists in their craft and included the following students and roles: Show Director: Marija Grove
Stage Manager: Bethany Droubay Properties Master: Lorraine Nida Publicity Manager: Kaitlyn Baldwin Set/Artistic Director: Abby Molloy Musical Director: Brooke McManus MCT Pit Band:
Brooke McManus (8-piece MCT Pit Band lead) Mid-show Musical Artist: DownTime (Paul Clossey, DownTime band lead) Projection Designer: Ryan Michalowicz
Costume Designer: Lily Pinchbeck Lighting Designer: Abby Greenstreet Lightboard Operator: Aaliyah Williams Videographer/Photographer: Quinn Worley
Acting Cast: Maddy Night Live (Student group of 15 hilarious students) Acting Cast Executive Lead: Allie Poole (Maddy Night Live President)
Project Team
• Paul and Debra Warne, both holding Ph.D.s in Applied Mathematics (1993), joined JMU in 2000 and have since become trailblazers in the intersection of mathematics and the performing arts. Paul’s recent recognition with the prestigious 2025 CSM Distinguished Teacher Award, due in part to founding Mathematics Connections Theater (MCT), underscores the exceptional quality and innovation at the heart of their work. With over 65 years of combined experience teaching mathematics and more than a decade actively shaping Harrisonburg City Public Schools Theater programs, their expertise in blending math, live theater, and comedy is second to none. Their vision is bold: to propel MCT to new heights, expanding its reach and impact through both audience engagement and strategic pursuit of fun. • We are thrilled to announce that our new JMU colleague, Vladislav Kokushkin, Ph.D. in Mathematics and a leading expert in Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education (RUME), has already received funding from two notable sources since April 2025 to explore the groundbreaking collaborations and transformative impacts of MCT. Vlad’s innovative CSM and Mathematics Summer 2025 Scholarship Stimulus Program (SSP) proposal, "Math Connections Theater: A Story about the Happy Marriage Between Mathematics and Performing Arts," was awarded $4,699. This summer support empowered Vlad to design three mathematics education studies aimed at understanding the nature and the impact of MCT on its audience, actors, and sketch writers. • Marija Grove is a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a Mathematics B.S. with a minor in Physics. Her theatrical experience runs back fourteen years,
Madison Trust 2026 Project Proposal
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