Dance alum has built a career as a Hollywood stunt performer
Amanda MacLeod’s credits include “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Westworld,” “Hocus Pocus 2,” and a Super Bowl LX Liquid Death commercial.
NEWS
Taking the stage: First-year actors go behind the scenes to learn the ropes
At Rutgers, first-year acting students step into a different kind of role: assisting with the behind-the-scenes tasks that keep a production running.
Students create installation informed by ecological data
For this year’s Co-Cureate exhibition, the annual student-curated gallery show saw Art & Design and Music students work together to create an immersive, multi-sensory gallery experience inspired by ecological data related to seven species of threatened or endangered New Jersey birds.
Dance alum named NJ State Teacher of the Year
Hannah Olmo (BFA’15/EdM’16) built a four-year dance program at Dover High School in Morris County, and created the Dance Club, whose participation has grown more than 300% in two years.
Arts in Health launches events and research collaborations
The Arts in Health initiative’s program calendar opened on September 23 with a Well-Being Concert for Rutgers–Newark nursing students created in partnership with the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.
Operatic soprano and alum Amanda Batista shares her success story
“Rutgers was my first musical refuge,” says Batista (BM’20), who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2023. “I felt cared for and believed in.”
Dr. AZA Allsop to serve as Arts in Health’s Scientist in Residence
Allsop’s residency will begin with a virtual event on October 28 at 5 p.m. EST. The event, which is open to all, will allow participants to meet him, learn about his work, and hear about his upcoming Rutgers visits.
Look for alum Sebastian Stan on the cover of New York Magazine
The Golden Globe-winning Theater alum sat for an extensive feature interview with the magazine. The cover story was published on September 7, 2026.
Nashville folk/country artist AJAYE to perform free concert
The concert of AJAYE’s original Americana music, which will also include a short performance by a Rutgers music student, singer-songwriter Sam Tunkel, will take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 1.
The Hollywood Reporter ranks film program among top 25
The publication has named the Rutgers Filmmaking Center among the top U.S. film schools for 2026, commenting that “Mason Gross School of the Arts is well positioned to train the state’s entertainment workforce.”