Yikes! Shocking/disturbing story about drama rehearsal

Just read this news story that took place when acting students were rehearsing a scene:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/us/university-of-hartford-stabbing-trnd/index.html

I want to add that I do not see this being about Univ. of Hartford/Hartt program (could be any school). I recommend the program to others, have had clients attend there, and my own brother is a graduate of U of Hartford.

Quite a disturbing story. You don’t think your kid is in grave danger rehearsing scenes in their theater program!

OH MY GOD. what is this world coming to?! My daughter has a very dear friend at Hartt who happens to be 19 and I’m scared to even tell her about this as the 19-yr. old victim is reported to be in critical condition. My heart is pounding through my chest right now.

It’s terrifying thinking about this happening in the dorms.

He is 21? Looks more like a haggard 51. Drugs perhaps.

My daughter goes to Hartt, and they’re all traumatized by this. It didn’t happen in acting class - the boy was rehearsing a scene for a student film with two film majors in their dorm.

My daughter was friends with the boy who committed the stabbing - there are only 19 kids in the freshman acting class, so they’re a very close-knit group - and she and the other kids are all totally shocked. She saw no warning signs in him at all. He must have had some kind of undiagnosed mental issue, is all I can think.

I don’t think it reflects on the school at all, though. This student could have attended any school, and then it would have happened at THAT school. I will say that the university has brought in trauma counselors to talk to the kids, and they’re all taking advantage of that, and their teachers have all been talking to them and trying to help them process it too.

@actorparent1 - so sorry your D and her classmates had to be in the midst of this and how terrible for the two victims! Hope they pull through. Agreed that this person could have been anywhere.

This is so awful.

This is also not helping with the anxiety of sending my youngest daughter off to another state…7 to 21 hours away from home.

@actorparent1 , I too am so sorry that your D and her classmates are going through this, and am heartbroken for the victims and their parents – it’s every parent’s worst nightmare, and the pain and fear they are experiencing are unimaginable.

The article did state that it was an isolated incident. Certainly the only such incident I’ve heard about. I am very sorry for the victims, and as well for the Harrt community. It’s quite the trauma.

Wow, what a bizarre story. One article I read said that this young man was originally a student at Cal State Fullerton.

@alwaysamom _ Cal State Fullerton is a true cut program. I heard they take in about 70 students Freshman year but cut down to about 20-25 by junior year, so maybe he was cut and had to start over as a Freshman at Hartt.

Cal State Fullerton is a cut program, but if a student is cut from the MT program they can still complete a four year BA Theatre degree. They cut in stages during the first two years, though, so I suppose if someone was cut after only one year, they might consider starting over at another school. I hope everyone involved gets the help they need.