Utah Valley University (UVU) has partnered with FanX Studios to bring the award-winning Broadway team behind “HUMBUG! The Musical,” the studio’s first original musical, to UVU for a weeklong developmental showcase. UVU arts students worked with the composer Christopher Curtis (award-winning “Chaplin”), writer Dan Studney (Emmy award-winning “Reefer Madness”), and director Michael Wilson (Tony Award-winning “The Trip to Bountiful”) to gain experience at the highest levels of theatre and earn a $500 scholarship from UVU’s Innovation Academy.
Through the FanX Studios collaboration, the UVU Green Room series provides UVU students from across disciplines the opportunity to work directly with industry partners. The Innovation Academy awarded scholarships to 25 students, enabling them to participate in an intensive two‑week summer work session alongside the Broadway creative team. The experience was also extended to two School of the Arts faculty through participation in the Innovation Academy Summer Faculty Externship Program.
FanX Studios recently launched its stage division, investing in the revival of “Chess” and the original musical “The Lost Boys,”which have a combined 17 Tony Award nominations this year. FanX Studios plans to aggressively expand its slate of stage projects.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the students and university community at UVU, and we are extremely excited to bring this level of Broadway talent out to Utah,” said Brent Baum, CEO of FanX Studios.
Through a unique collaboration with UVU’s Innovation Academy and FanX Studios, UVU is poised to create the next generation of filmmakers, writers, and creative minds in Utah. With a strong emphasis on cultivating local talent, the goal of this partnership is to create pathways for UVU students to break into the entertainment industry, whether they’re studying film, theatre, creative writing, digital media, storytelling, or any aspect of the arts.
FanX Studios, a production, finance, and distribution company tied to the FanX comic and pop culture convention system, was founded by Baum and FanX Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Schwartz.
“Hopefully, this will be the first of many wonderful musical projects FanX Studios can bring to Utah and help students expand their experiential opportunities in the dramatic arts,” said Baum.
