It's been such a pleasure to be your teacher and watch how you've grown and blossomed since TS 145! I'm so excited that you will be out in the world making your art and contributing your passion and unique voice to our field. Keep going, especially when you hit roadblocks... I'm so proud of you! If you need anything, don't hesitate to reach out. Welcome to the Duke Alumni Club, Bueti! Talya Klein, Theater Studies
Elizabeth, congratulations! You’ve been such a vibrant member of the Duke theater community, and you’ll no doubt continue to light up every room you’re in and every stage you’re on. From delivering standout performances in Cabaret and In the Heights to offering dependably insightful readings of contemporary plays in class, you rose to every occasion and contributed your vital, important voice to the conversation. And while I wouldn’t necessarily endorse waiting until your final semester to take The Theater Today, I’ll co-sign it this time because it meant I got to have you in my class. (Also, I now brag about my “vocal health” almost daily, so thank you for that)! I wish you good luck and every success in the future; I, like so many others in the Duke community, will be cheering you on. Alex Ferrone, Theater Studies
Elizabeth, I first got to know you in my playwriting class. For your final project, you wrote a beautiful, funny, and touching piece about an approaching death, in a close-knit family. In that piece, you wrote quietly and observantly about a potentially melodramatic subject – and the piece was all the stronger for the writer’s restraint. I remember the number you belted out for In The Heights that stopped the show--you were amazing! In the years that I’ve followed your theater work at Duke, I’ve been consistently impressed; and I very much look forward to seeing where you go, and what you do next, after graduation. Neal Bell, Theater Studies
Elizabeth Bueti
Elizabeth is a Theater Studies and Political Science double major from Phoenix, Arizona. Throughout her time at Duke, she’s been heavily involved in pArts, Hoof ‘n’ Horn, and A Cappella, and has also participated in the Duke in London - Drama program, and the National Theater Institute’s Theatermakers program. Elizabeth hopes to continue her career in the arts as an actor in New York City.
She’s participated in numerous productions, including Sweeney Todd, Violet, The Aeneid, The Producers, Company, Chicago, In the Heights, Cabaret, The Wiz, and Pippin.
“My favorite memories include performing at the Tower of London, almost tripping up the platform stairs during The Producers, every moment of In the Heights, Sondra Lee, tenting almost every year, and the craziness everyone felt at the end of each eight-hour day during the intimacy training workshops.”
She'd especially like to thank Talya Klein, who has been an inspiration ever since she took her Acting 145 class. "She gave me the tools and the confidence that got me where I am today, and I think of her as a role model."
She also thanks Jeff Storer, whose directing wisdom will stay with her forever; Bradley Rodgers, for all of the fun both in London and in colloquium; Erin West, for reminding her how much she loves costumes; Neal Bell, for fostering a love of playwriting Elizabeth didn't know she had; Hye Won Kim, for taking her on a deep, existential journey on what performance is; and Alex Ferrone, for not only being the most fascinating lecturer she's have ever witnessed, but also teaching her how to use the semicolon.
Elizabeth believes the arts are what celebrate, imitate, question, and critique life, both at Duke and beyond. It's an expression of self, a place to turn to for comfort (especially when whe was drowning in schoolwork), and a classroom. "In these hard times, we are more open to how important the arts have become, especially as people everywhere are turning to music, movies, and theater from their own homes as a way of coping."