Until the end of the spring semester, Canvas will profile a student from every artistic academic program at UNC each week — from dramatic art to creative writing to photojournalism.
In the final installment of the series, staff writer Robert McNeely profiled junior dramatic arts and media production major Miles Bonsignore.
The life of a college student is often a boundless stream of activities and obligations.
While many find the constant hustle to be daunting, junior dramatic arts major Miles Bonsignore said that’s where he hits his stride.
Whether it’s performances through CHiPs, or The Chapel Hill Players, or Kenan Theatre Company, writing or acting in self-produced sketches and content, drafting original screenplays or hosting student television programs, Bonsignore said he lives for action.
“Generally when I’m stressed or busy it’s because of the things that I willingly take upon myself,” he said. “I feel like I really function at a higher level when I’m involved in the making and creation of art.”
Double majoring in media production with a minor in writing for the screen and stage, Bonsignore said he hopes to expose himself to as much artistic media as possible.
He said through performance and theater from his artistic base, he has recently devoted more of his time to the writing aspect of dramatic arts.
“Right now I’m particularly interested in the writing aspect because that’s something that I feel I’m not the top at,” he said. “I’m very interested in the idea of getting a bunch of creative people in a room and then writing something from scratch.”
Since arriving at UNC, Bonsignore has been involved with the University’s improv and sketch comedy group ChiPs, and maintains an active role in performing and organizing their shows.
He said the group is his real home on campus and that many of his artistic endeavors are scheduled around it.
“Some of my favorite memories of Miles are from doing improve together,” said junior media studies major Jay Putnam. “He likes to explore lots of different scenes in comedy and really experiment with different ideas and characters in his creative process.”
Putnam is also a longtime member of CHiPs, and first met Bonsignore when they were trying to navigate the UNC campus at the beginning of their freshman year.
Over the summer, Bonsignore and Putnam will travel to New York City for internships in the late night comedy world. Putnam said he was thrilled about the opportunity and that he was excited to see how he and Bonsignore would grow as performers.
“He and I will be able to write and do comedy quite a lot,” Putnam said. “He’s really good at melding these realistic ideas and scenes with more off-the-cuff, absurd happenings, and the environments we’ll be in will be helpful for getting to do that.”
Bonsignore also expressed excitement about the opportunity and said he would be interning for “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”
He said his plans for next semester will relate to his summer work, in that he will be taking over of STV’s “Off the Cuff” sketch comedy show.
“I think comedy is a big part of what he does and who he is,” said junior dramatic arts major Kevin Spellman. “I’m sure that’s what he’ll end up doing with his career.”
Spellman is also a member of CHiPs, and is Bonsignore’s housemate at UNC. He said Bonsignore’s affability and extroversion are some of his greatest assets as a person and comedian.
“He’s very perceptive of people’s feelings and who they are,” he said. “He makes a point of befriending a lot of people and it serves him well here, and beyond.”
Bonsignore said he hopes to move to New York City after graduation and that he intends to keep creating as much comedic content as he can, both on and off the stage.
“There’s no excuse for not doing creative stuff if you want to,” he said. “I enjoy packing my life so full of these wonderful things that by the second they’re over, I’m already on to the next.”
arts@dailytarheel.com
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