From Backstage to the Front Page

The first thing Tom Halko learned about the entertainment business wasn’t glamorous. Sometimes, the costumes are not just sweaty, they’re “just wet.”

He laughs about it now, recalling a night backstage at Commonwealth University–Bloomsburg when the dance group iLuminate came through campus courtesy of Arts in Bloom, their LED-lit suits soaked after a high-energy performance.

Halko was the one tasked with handling wardrobe changes and cleanup, working just feet away from a group he remembered watching on America’s Got Talent as a kid.

“It’s kind of nasty,” Halko said. “But it’s still like … this is a cool group that a lot of people know about, and I got to work with them.”

That moment of equal parts gritty and electric captured Halko’s college journey perfectly.

It’s a path built not on a single spotlight, but on a wide, working knowledge of everything behind it — sound, stage management, marketing, media, and even makeup design. At Bloomsburg, Halko didn’t just pick a lane.

He built an entire backstage map.

The recent media and journalism theatre arts graduate arrived at Bloomsburg four years ago with a clear, if narrow, vision.

“My initial plan is I wanted to do sound for TV and film,” Halko said. “Theater was kind of where I started in high school … as a sound person working backstage.”

Music had been part of his life since fourth grade, beginning with trumpet before shifting to percussion. That foundation gave him what he calls a “musical ear,” which quickly translated to technical theater. When his high school needed someone to run sound, he stepped in.

“They were like, ‘Oh, you’ve got something in this already,’” Halko recalled. “You can already jump in really quick.’”

At Bloomsburg, he doubled down. He entered as a theater major with a music technology major, aiming to blend performance and production into a future in film audio. But the reality hit fast.

“As a theater major doubled with a music major ended up being a big-time commitment,” Halko said. “That was way too much to handle.”

Music became a minor. Theater stayed. And then, unexpectedly, something else entered the mix. Halko didn’t set out to study media and journalism. In fact, his first attempt at it pushed him away.

“I did one semester as media production and just did not like it,” Halko said. “It goes so much into videography, making full music videos. I was like, that’s not what I really want to do.”

But one class — audio storytelling — really stuck. And more importantly, a realization followed. His strengths weren’t just technical. They were strategic.

“I’ve kind of always had a PR kind of brain,” Halko said. “I like to look at things from all angles.”

He switched into the public relations track. Suddenly, everything connected.

“I took my first PR class… and I was like,” Halko said. “Okay, this is something I like way more.”

Halko’s backup plan became a second pillar. And at Bloomsburg, that kind of pivot wasn’t just possible. It was practical.

If the classroom gave Halko language, Bloomsburg’s performing arts gave him context. He started as a stagehand, doing the unglamorous but essential work: moving equipment, setting stages, learning lighting, and supporting productions from the ground up.

“There’s some of it that just kind of feels like busy work,” Halk said. “But it’s a good experience. You’re working in a venue. You’re keeping up with what’s next.”

Then came the shift that would define his professional direction.

“I was like, it’d be nice to have some sort of marketing knowledge as well,” Halko said. “So, I moved to the box office.”

That move turned into an internship, resulting in a real-world crash course in arts marketing.

“It’s been a fun challenge to figure out,” Halko said. “How can we market these events and make people care?”

From promoting visiting acts like Step Afrika! to coordinating outreach with local dance schools, Halko began applying classroom PR theory to real audiences. He also took ownership of social media strategy, building consistency and variety into the performing arts’ digital presence.

“Each event requires a slightly different approach in terms of promotion and audience engagement,” Halko said. “It’s been a great experience because you’re constantly adapting. You’re not just learning one type of event. You’re learning how to market and support a wide range of performances.”

Whether communicating with sponsors, developing social media campaigns, or promoting performances to community groups, Halko was applying concepts from his PR courses to real audiences and real organizations.

"It's nice to take all of these skills and move them to the next level," he said. "You're working with real sponsors. You're working with real production companies."

What makes Halko’s experience unique is how intentionally he’s explored it. He’s worked front of house and backstage. He’s handled ticketing, marketing, lighting, wardrobe, and artist relations. He’s seen productions from load-in to curtain call.

“It’s given me a very wide lens of the different things that I can do,” said Halk, including the surprises. Makeup design, for one. “I was kind of like, oh I’m really good at this.”

That realization turned into a major creative outlet, as well a professional possibility. For a recent production of "Blithe Spirit," Halko served as makeup designer, creating complex looks including fully grayscale, body-painted ghosts.

“I got very high praise on that,” Halko said. “So now that’s something else I’m looking at post-grad.”

Another unexpected turn — stage management. Initially intimidating, this role became a natural intersection of his skills.

What began as a class assignment quickly became a glimpse into a potential career path. While stage managing the dance minor concert, Halko discovered how naturally his theater and public relations studies complemented one another.

"Stage management has kind of been a way for me that now I'm looking at post-grad opportunities," Halko said. "It takes those two majors and merges them together really, really well."

The role required him to coordinate performers, designers, technicians, and production schedules while applying the communication and organizational skills he developed through his PR coursework.

"It's a lot of communicating and working well with people," Hlako said. "All of those strategic communication skills come together."

One Night, One Deadline, One Win

If there’s a single moment that crystallizes Halko’s journey, it occurred last winter at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival when he entered the Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy competition. That led to an assignment for a full package of two article pitches, a review, and an interview concept by noon the next day.

“I believe I was up until about 7 in the morning,” Halk said. “If I had a lot of time, I feel like I would have just started overthinking. Instead, it was like … I get my ideas down, I run with them … boom, we’re done.”

The result? National honors from being named an ACTF Institute for Theatre Journalism and Advocacy Fellow.

“When they announced my name, I was kind of shocked,” Halko said. “I was like, whoa. I feel like I’m putting a lot into this work, and I’d like to get more recognition for it. So winning … I was kind of like, yes.”

Validation. Not just as a designer but as a storyteller. And when Halko defines his college experience, he doesn’t hesitate.

“My favorite thing I did here was that I did way too much,” Halko said. “And now leaving here, I’m like … oh, I did way too much, and I don’t know which way I want to go.”

It’s a contradiction but a meaningful one. Because what Bloomsburg gave him wasn’t just direction.

Bloomsburg gave him range.

Through Bloomsburg's theater program and his work with the Performing Arts Facilities (PAF), Halko gained experience that mirrored the realities of the professional entertainment industry.

"It's really nice, especially now applying for things post-grad," Halko said. "It's nice to have that experience.

Like, yeah, I worked with PAF, but we're getting into the specifics of it. I was working with these companies directly."

That experience included working with nationally recognized touring acts, assisting wardrobe teams, learning lighting systems, supporting stage operations, and helping manage performances from load-in to curtain call.

For Halko, the value wasn't just in the work itself but in learning how professional productions function behind the scenes.

"It's nice to get that rounded experience," Halko said. "I remember watching iLuminate on TV as a kid. Then they're here and I'm like, 'Whoa, that's really cool.' And also, I can put this on a résumé."

Looking ahead Halko could pursue makeup artistry on touring productions. Or sound design. Or stage management. Or public relations and communications. Each path is viable. Each one earned.

“It’s a good thing I have a lot of options,” Halko said. “But it does kind of make it hard.”

Still, he knows what made those options possible.

“I’ve loved that we have a small theater department,” Halko said. “I can just be like, ‘Hey, I have an interest in this. I want to learn this skill.’ Okay … let’s do it.”

No gatekeeping. No waiting in line. Just opportunity.

"I think what we have here is very special," Halko said. "You can really just do whatever you want."

Rather than competing against dozens of students for limited opportunities, Halko was encouraged to explore new interests and develop skills across multiple disciplines.

"I don't have to worry about, 'I want to try this new thing, but I have to fight 10 people out of the way to get there,'" Halko said. "I can just be like, 'Hey, I have an interest in this. I want to learn this skill.'"

That freedom allowed him to build an unusually broad skill set spanning sound design, stage management, theatrical makeup, marketing, communications, artist relations, event operations, and journalism.

"It's given me a very wide lens of the different things that I can do," said Halko, adding that fours years ago he might not have taken those chances. Now, he sees that shift clearly. “The biggest thing has kind of been learning to move through life with less fear.”

Because his journey — from soundboards to stage management, from backstage tech to award-winning journalism — only happened because he was willing to try, pivot, and try again.

“If I had just kept being scared there’s a bunch of opportunities that I have now I just wouldn’t have taken,” Halko said.

And in an industry built on uncertainty, that mindset might be the most valuable skill of all. After all, in theater as in life the best stories rarely follow a straight script.

Sometimes, they’re built one backstage moment at a time.