Photographers: Anita Biernat & Victoria DeLuca

Senior Cailee Blackington is an extremely busy student. Along with majoring in Animal Behavior and minoring in Theatre, Blackington is involved with many aspects of student life. As the marketing coordinator for Bell, Tower, and Alumni Hall, she is responsible for creating and hanging posters, curating bulletin boards, and hanging door decorations in the halls along with managing the Student Life Instagram account. 

Blackington’s involvement with the theater department began when she was cast as Portia in the musical “Something Rotten.” The production was produced by Utica’s Pioneer Players, the university’s student-run theater club, and was the first licensed amateur production of the show. 

Being cast as a lead role in her freshman year was “unreal,” Blackington said. Since then, she has become even more involved with theater and campus life.

Blackington is also the president of the Pioneers Players and public relations coordinator for the theater department. Her responsibilities consist of social media management such as running accounts on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. She coordinates content for all platforms to promote shows on campus and to reach a wider audience locally. 

Pioneer Players recently accomplished a successful run of the musical “Baby” by Sybille Pearson, directed by Dennis Clark. Blackington starred in the show in the role of Lizzie, a key character who encounters the trials and tribulations of becoming pregnant at a young age. The show took the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions. They laughed and cried through the beautiful telling of a journey of three couples becoming pregnant. 

According to Blackington, this show felt like her own baby in a way.

“We’ve worked so hard and it’s been such a labor of love,” Blackington said. “Watching it come together has been an incredible journey..” 

“Baby” holds a special place in her heart since it was her last show as a Utica student.

Not only did Blackington star in the musical, she worked behind the scenes as well. She has been involved in every aspect of production as a student in the Production in the Theater class. Instructed by Laura Salvaggio, students in the course are responsible for the building of the set and set pieces for shows on campus. 

Blackington’s co-stars had wonderful things to say about her during the process of “Baby.” 

“Regardless of the day she’s had, she comes into the rehearsal space positive and always ready to work,” community member Xander Wilson said. “She’s just always willing to stay late to work and get things done so that’s respectable for sure.” 

“I think she’s amazing,” Cassandra Dolan, another community member said. “I want her to know that I’m so proud of her for everything, she’s truly inspiring.” 

Balancing extracurriculars while taking classes requires a lot of patience and time.

“Time management is the biggest challenge when trying to balance these responsibilities with also being a student,” Blackington said. “Luckily, I have a great team surrounding me and a lot of support, so it’s all worth it.”