(from College of Fine Arts Webpage)

John O’Connell on MTV, Thursday, January 20,  2005 9:00pm CST

 John O'Connell, associate professor of theatre, along with Anna Paulson, Overton High School Junior (Memphis) will be making their debuts on MTV’s popular show, MADE, this winter. The show films at high schools around the country in search of students with dreams they may think are unattainable. With the help of coaches and trainers brought in by the show, the students are encouraged to keep reaching for their goals.

The show’s producers chose O’Connell as Paulson’s acting coach, and he coached her in Memphis for about three weeks. MTV producer, Heather Walsh, filmed each session.

Seventeen year-old Anna Paulson has dreamed of playing an acting role in a stage production at her performing arts high school. She has tried out for many roles in the past but has always wound up with technical or smaller roles, including playing the arms of the monster plant Audrey II in “Little Shop of Horrors.”

One audition Paulson did ace was the one that cast her on MADE when the show held casting calls at the University of Memphis. Now, she’s received acting lessons and coaching from ASU’s John O’Connell, all documented by Walsh, to gain the part of Puck in the school’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“Her goal is to make the play,” Walsh said. “But all the training and working with coaches is also helping her self-esteem and confidence. Her friends say she’s walking taller. It’s just broadening her horizons.”

If you want to see Johno in action, tune in MTV’s MADE on January 20, 2005 at 10:00pm