Currently in Development:
FIRST SEMESTER: A MUSICAL
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Wyn Alyse Thomas
Anxious overachiever and all-around good girl Alicia gets her shit rocked as she begins college, suddenly encountering academic, romantic, and social failure, and failing to find a therapist to fix her. Will Alicia and her girlfriends find self worth from ill-advised situationships? Hard-to-impress professors? Alcohol? Find out in First Semester.
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First Semester is currently in search for an artistic home and collaborators for its next workshop production.
Featured at 54 Below: August 2026
"Guys Only Want One Thing" from First Semester was featured at 54 Below by Showpeople Theatre Collective in their First Drafts: Student Edition cabaret after being selected from a pool of submissions from all over the country.
ACTF Region IV Invited Production: February 2026
First Semester was invited to present at a full production at the American College Theatre Festival co-hosted by Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Auburn University at Montgomery following its 2025 recognition with the David Shelton Award for Full-Length Playwriting. The show was presented with a cast of 12 (scaled down from the original 17), and shortened to run just over 2 hours.
Photos: Ben Miller
"Perhaps the largest takeaway from this production was the need that it filled within the modern musical theatre community... Thomas’ relevant depiction of the college experience proved itself capable of striking an emotional chord in its intentional representation of significant social issues affecting today’s young adults, including the importance of emotional accountability in romantic and platonic relationships, the complications of discovering yourself to be queer, and the unfortunate lack of accessibility to and affordability of therapy for young adults, despite its increasing demand."
~B.A. Yates, Institute for Theatre Journalism Participant
KCACTF Region IV Concert Reading: February 2025
First Semester was invited to present at concert reading at the Region IV festival for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. The cast included many cast members from the UGA Workshop Production alongside new faces, performing a tightened script including several new songs.
At the regional level, "First Semester" was named winner of the David Shelton Award for Full Length Playwriting
and winner of the National Partners of the American Theatre Playwriting Award for Region IV
In April 2025, "First Semester" was honored nationally at the Kennedy Center for the Michael Kanin Playwriting Awards.
Winner: 2nd Place National Student Playwriting Award
Winner: 2nd Place KCACTF Musical Theatre Award
UGA Workshop Production: March 2024
Workshop production photos courtesy of Felix Scheyer
The first workshop production of First Semester: A Musical took place at the University of Georgia, co-produced by the Thalian Blackfriars March 21-24, 2024, supported by the New Georgia Group Grant and the CURO Research Award.
Read More:
"Undergrad Playwright Explores Identity and Mental Health in First Semester: A Musical"
"UGA Theatre Department Showcases New Student Production"
"UGA Theatre Hosts Alumni Supported Original Musical, 'First Semester'”
"Finding Inspiration Everywhere" UGA Student Spotlight on Wyn Alyse Thomas
https://www.ugatheatre.com/firstsemester
2x Recipient of the CURO Research Award
Recipient of the New Georgia Group Grant
Semifinalist for SheATL
