The Festival Congratulates SUU CPVA Dean Shauna Mendini on Retirement

The Utah Shakespeare Festival congratulates Shauna Mendini on her retirement after thirty years at Southern Utah University and thanks her for her immeasurable support. Mendini served as the dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at Southern Utah University for 14 years. She has been closely tied to the Festival through serving as dean.

Prior to that, Mendini was a faculty member and served as the Chair of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance for eight years, and Director of Dance for nine. She currently serves on the Board of Governors for the Festival.

“It’s one of those things that the arts chooses you . . . and you get hooked and it becomes a lifelong journey. I can’t imagine my life without the arts,” Mendini said.

To honor Mendini, the College of Performing and Visual Arts will host an event this Saturday, April 13 at noon. “Shindig for Shauna” will be a celebratory sendoff for the dean, with performances from Southern Utah University alumni and students. It will take place in the Randall L. Jones Theatre; admission is free and open to the public.

Meet Mendini

Mendini has always been, in some form, an educator in her professional career. After studying dance for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, Mendini taught secondary school in Arizona before moving to Cedar City to work at SUU.

“I love to learn and I love to be around learners. There’s that energy the moment you come on the campus of any institution, a feeling of growth and knowledge, and you can’t get that anywhere else,” Mendini said. “I never wanted to ‘graduate’ from that.”

For Mendini, finding the opportunity to be an educator and administrator, and create resources and opportunities for the arts to grow and thrive has been a privilege.

“I’m so thankful to have a life in the arts because it’s so vital to who we are as humans,” Mendini said. “It’s critical to our civilization—to everything that we do.”

Mendini also danced with American Folk Ballet for nearly 28 years, a dance organization with strong ties to SUU. She is a recipient of SUU’s Distinguished Educator Award and Creative Publication Award.

Mendini’s Festival Memories

Because of Mendini’s love for the arts, she’s been a longtime patron and supporter of the Festival, participating as an active member of the audience for over 30 years.

“Many times I would watch students from our program performing with the Festival, and that was very exciting [for] our students [to] have the opportunity of having a professional theatre right on our campus,” Mendini said.

For Mendini, having “such a high standard of the profession” right in her backyard has been a treat.

“I love that the Festival produces great plays…that bring people together to discuss and grow,” Mendini said. “[The Festival] focuses on storytelling, and that storytelling of rich plays speaks to so many levels.”

Mendini on Retirement

The retiring dean is looking forward to having more time to spend with her family, but expresses that in her retirement, she will stay active in the arts.

“We aren’t moving from Cedar City, and I will continue to see our SUU students perform and go to the Festival productions,” Mendini said. “It’s very thrilling to watch professional theatre.”

Mendini is most excited for The Mountaintop and The 39 Steps this season.

“The idea of having a story focus right around the moment we lost Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and having those experiences told from an interperspective will be a really wonderful journey to be a part of,” Mendini expressed.

Ultimately, Mendini wishes to extend an invitation to art lovers like her to attend productions at the Festival this season.

“Everyone should come to the Festival and enjoy what’s offered by this organization, and I [encourage] our Cedar City community to take advantage of the [local discounts],” Mendini said. “These plays can be life changing.”

To accept Mendini’s invitation of immersing yourself in the arts, purchase tickets to the Festival’s 2024 season today.