Who or what is the boogieman for our generation?

That is the question Brock Ward, senior in College Scholars, explores through his plays.

Using a style of writing that could be classified as “comedic horror,” Ward has produced two full-length plays during his time at UT that explore one of the central ‘boogiemen’ Ward has observed in millennials: mental illness.

“I just adore the darker aspect of writing,” Ward said. “I think there’s sort of that really candy quality where it’s just delicious to have this spooky story.”

Despite their themes, Ward’s productions have a definite comic element to them, which is something he further developed over the summer during an internship at The Second City in Chicago.

“The cutting, sarcastic humor in my writing fit perfectly at Second City,” Ward said.

Ward entered as a psychology major, and although he has since switched to theater, his interest in the psychological element of human nature remains, hence his College Scholars’ program title, “Character and Sense of Self.”

“I wanted to write a realistic portrayal of what it was like living with a mental illness, and I think what set the fire was seeing the therapeutic response an audience had to the relief of saying ‘Oh, thank God! There are other people out there like me,’” Ward explained.

This personal bond with his characters is exactly what Ward hopes to evoke through his works.

“One of my favorite things that people seem to enjoy about my plays, and that I enjoy about my plays, is this feeling of not just ‘Oh, I related to that character’ but of relating to them all,” Ward said.

A strong connection with the characters isn’t limited to his audience members though. Ward also finds himself bonding to his characters and compared the process of developing a character to raising a child.

“I love the part of writing where it feels like I’m living with these characters, and they’re only with me for these precious few weeks or months or however long before I put pen to paper … I think that’s a really sincere moment for a writer, when you know these people and no one else does,” Ward shared.

“That’s sort of special, that moment before sending them out.”

Ward’s first production “Homebound” featured a young high school girl suffering from depression. Then, his second work “Nothing Personal” put a dystopian spin on students’ fear of what their future may hold after graduation.

Casey Sams, head of undergraduate studies for the theater department, has been Ward’s advisor since his arrival at UT and sees the connection between Ward’s love of theater and fascination with psychology.

“I would say that his central theme in his plays right now seems to revolve around a search for self which makes perfect sense because that’s what is on the mind of a lot of undergraduate students: ‘Who am I and how am I going to fit into the world?’” Sams said.

The prospect of what the future holds is especially significant for Ward as his own graduation approaches. He is preparing to receive a degree in theater with a focus on performance, English with a focus on creative writing and psychology through the College Scholars program.

“I started off wanting to do drama therapy and be a counselor who uses theater, but I wasn’t really talented at the things counselors need to be talented at — like scantrons,” Ward laughed.

The College Scholars program helps students who have a very specific idea of what they intend to pursue and need a specialized major for their needs, but it also helps students like Ward who had too broad of a vision.

“The biggest change that I’ve seen in Brock is that when he first got here, he wanted to learn everything about everything now,” Sams recalled. “That kind of enthusiasm is great, but it makes it hard to get anything done.”

With Sams guidance and the freedom of being a College Scholar, Ward has been able to explore all his interests while also directing them to his program.

“He is still very enthusiastic about lots of different things, but he is much better at identifying what he is going to work on now and focusing on that thing,” Sams evaluated. “He’s a very diverse guy with lots of different skills … He’s figured out a way to take it a little bit more one step at a time.”

Following graduation this spring, Ward plans to return to Chicago and continue his involvement with The Second City, stepping into the big city and big leagues.

“Acting is a ball,” Ward said. “It is such a joy, but playwriting is the thing that feeds my soul, that at the end of the day I’m like ‘I had a purpose today.’”