After graduating with a Theatre BFA (with a concentration in Stage Management), Max Ponticelli ’09 went on to get an MBA in 2020. He is now a lecturer for URI’s Theatre Department and General Manager of The Wilbury Theatre Group in Providence, RI.

Q. How did your URI degree best prepare you for your career path?

A. My degree prepared me to be a well-rounded and hard worker, regardless of the path I took going forward. It was full of rigorous expectations, interdisciplinary learning, and made me excited to start a career in the non-profit arts sector!

In your opinion, what is the value of the arts both academically and in the community?

The arts improves all of our lives; from what we do to escape in our free time, to telling the important history and lessons of our communities. Living around arts organizations actually improves quality of life – seriously, there’s quantitative evidence of it! The arts teaches us how to be better humans and what in life is worth living for.

What advice would you give to current students or to young people thinking of pursuing a Fine Arts degree?

Be kind. Work hard. Don’t be a jerk. It’s worth it, so follow your heart.

In addition to my BFA, I also received my MBA from URI last year. So, just because you’re in the arts doesn’t mean you can’t study anything you want! Life is what you make of it, so paint the picture you want to see.