Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 | Page 10

Breaking a leg

culminates in
a show.”

ARTS

Joel Zayac ‘05

As Postscripts went to press, Zayac was planning to
return to Saco to watch the TA Players stage “Pippin.” “I
haven’t seen a show at TA since graduating in 2005 and
am more than thrilled to see the work of fellow alum
Emma Arenstam Campbell (Dance Program Director
and choreographer) who is presenting with the familiar
faculty faces I remember.”
The TA Players’ production of “Pippin” received
generous support from Friends of the Arts Gold Sponsor
Crossroads Youth Center, Silver Sponsor Richardson
Allen Furniture, and Bronze Sponsors Peggy Hill of Maine
Real Estate Network and Harborview Lending. If you or
your business would like to sponsor a performance or
series of arts events at Thornton Academy, please see
contact information below.

It’s a long way from designing a Thornton Academy yearbook to working as a graphic
artist marketing a musical revival that goes to Broadway and sweeps the Tony
Awards, but that’s what Joel Zayac ‘05 has done over the past decade.
“I was sitting in a yearbook meeting with Hope Hall my
junior year and she gave me a book on graphic design
techniques because I was showing interest. TA provided
me an opportunity to explore. Who wants to be in charge of
yearbook design? How do you work with photoshoots? How
do you navigate group consensus? How do you make
t-shirts for Dance Company?” Joel enrolled in a lot of art
classes at TA - dance, painting, drawing, photography,
poetry - even petitioning to take more than the
recommended load. He then went on to earn a BFA in
Graphic Design from Lesley University. “When I went to
school, I had seen so much more, been exposed to so
much more than other students. I learned that painting and

“ Why does art matter? It matters because if you
remove the arts, where is the reflection on why we
do anything? Why are wars fought? To read books,
write, dance, create, it’s a stress reliever. You feel like
something is being created fresh and new.”
dance were self oriented for me. Now, if I paint or dance,
those are expressions for myself, not to meet someone

10

ARTS

“Why does art matter? It
matters because if you
remove the arts, where
is the reflection on why
we do anything? Why
are wars fought? To
read books, write,
dance, create, it’s a
stress reliever. You feel
like something is being
created fresh and new.”

One of the shows Joel Zayac has worked on is the
revival of “Pippin.” “We had to figure out what
acrobatics would happen? What choreography? We
had to figure out ‘the look’ of ‘Pippin’ and market it at the
same time. There were 30 rounds of edits. It was a
beast.” For any given show, Zayac might work on
brochures, appeals, galas, costumes, sets, and props.
On “Pippin”’s opening night at A.R.T. in Cambridge, it
was announced that it would go to Broadway. Since
then, “Pippin” has been enormously successful. It
swept the Tony awards and is going on national tour.

else’s goal. I treat design
as a business choice. It’s
creating artwork for a
purpose
and you have to be open
to receiving critique on a
routine basis. I wanted to
get a return on
investment if I went to art
school. Graphic design
allowed me to make
images and visual
designs, but remain in the
business world.”

JOIN THORNTON ACADEMY’S NEW

“Marie Antoinette” is one of
several productions that Joel
Zayac has worked on as a
graphic artist for the American
Repertory Theater. He also
worked on “The Gershwins’
Porgy and Bess,” “Pippin,”
“The Heart of Robin Hood,”
“The Donkey Show,” “The
Glass Menagerie,” “All the
Way,” “Witness Uganda,” and